My sister's e46 328 has been experiencing intermittent blower speeds for the past year so I finally gave in and ordered a final stage resistor (behr brand) from Pelican Parts. It arrived in two days from a warehouse in the South San Francisco, CA (near my location). Her vehicle was purchased used in 2009 and four months prior to purchase, the FSR was replaced.(note: replaced with a e39 part number fsu)
I popped the old one out (ACM brand, said made in germany) and noticed that it was slightly different than the new one. The labels on the ACM unit looked as if they were put onto generic FSU's. It took about 2 years for this ACM unit to fail, however I may also blame corrosion around the connectors for poor contact.
I have attached a picture comparison of the BEHR and ACM unit below. Note the number of fins that the behr contains (also more spread out), the amount of metal used, and the construction. I also noticed the BEHR unit was heavier.
Behr on the Left, ACM on Right
Behr on the Left, ACM on Right
ACM on Left, Behr on Right
Total removal and install was about an hour.
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