Alternator

[M21MFS]

They want how much?

Would it not be better to take up the offers to check the volt readings and assess from there?

If the theory about sound system being the fault are correct then itll save you a huge amount to get it repaired independantly rather than through clarkies?

 

[Stuart]

For the sake of removing one wire to take the sound system out of the equation, I know what I would do. But alas I fear we are wasting our time and breath arguing our point.

 

[clock34]

^ that.

you just dont get it andi. and im sorry for sounding stern. but how many bloody alternators is it going to take before you stop beleiveing the twaddle of the sales man and do a few quick test and save your money!.

i beleive they are seeing you coming and just taking the mick mate. i just cant beleive the idiocy of taking it to them for that price!

 

[lkc]

gengis has said he'll take his voltmeter tomorrow so hopefully Andi will make it and they can try and work out what's causing all the alternators to die. After all, even if it is the sound system surely it's better to know and then come up with a solution that keeps the system but stops killing the alternators

 

[mrcinquecento]

^ that.

you just dont get it andi. and im sorry for sounding stern. but how many bloody alternators is it going to take before you stop beleiveing the twaddle of the sales man and do a few quick test and save your money!.

i beleive they are seeing you coming and just taking the mick mate. i just cant beleive the idiocy of taking it to them for that price!

Thank you.

I can't even begin to see the sense in paying (well, throwing away) that money when you don't even know what the problem is! it's absolutely crazy!

and i'll repeat it... if the sound system (Or ANY other system for that matter) is at fault and this alternator dies, they WILL NOT honor the warranty. They will only honor it if there is evidence that the part they fitted is faulty. So it's a total waste of money.

The only way you solve this is to stop blindly accepting folk fobbing you off or taking your cash by throwing parts at it without solving the root cause and to GET IT TESTED. what have you got to lose?

going by what you're about to pay at AC, i say the opposite is true and you're going to save yourself hundreds of £'s by finding the fault.

 

[Andi9386]

Mark I don't know if it's an AC Alternator or not, Arnold Clark couldn't specify, nor could they specify the make of the Alternator.

But for those saying "it's the sound system" PROVE IT. This problem came on around March/ April 2012 which was AFTER UK Assistance repaired Dubster. Before that time I had NO problems with Alternators, so how can it be the sound system??

Sorry to sound cynical but this problem only came on after I got the car back after a minor RTC in January 2012.

 

[mrcinquecento]

Mark I don't know if it's an AC Alternator or not, Arnold Clark couldn't specify, nor could they specify the make of the Alternator.

But for those saying "it's the sound system" PROVE IT. This problem came on around March/ April 2012 which was AFTER UK Assistance repaired Dubster. Before that time I had NO problems with Alternators, so how can it be the sound system??

Sorry to sound cynical but this problem only came on after I got the car back after a minor RTC in January 2012.

Ermm... maybe you should prove it isn't? it's your car after all :laugh:

How are we supposed to prove it is or isn't when you are refusing to test it?

Why are you seemingly so scared of testing it? Nobody is saying 100% it is, only that it is a logical place to start looking and it's a cheap and very easy thing to check! You'd seriously rather spend over £500 without ruling something so simple in or out first?

How do you know that there isn't a fault in the system? nobody is saying it's a fitment problem, perhaps something has gone wrong internally, perhaps it has got damaged somehow, things can break on their own over time you know!

The RTC, let's look at it logically, we're talking a bumper replacement iirc? (i can't remember if it was back or front), either way, the alt is at the back of the engine, they won't have been near it (not that it matters for how often they have replaced it) so in terms of seals around it, none have been disturbed. Secondly all the wiring to those areas is all monitored by the on board systems, you'd have more symptoms if it was a bodywork wiring issue.

This is going to come across as arse-ish... but you're cynical of people saying it MAY be a fault with an unchecked and unmonitored aftermarket system on the car, all of whom are trying to give you the cheapest possible fixes and have no way of profiting whether you get it fixed or not yet weren't cynical of somebody who could profit from your problems saying 6 or 7 alternators in 2 years is likely just bad luck? i think you need to re-aim your cynicism, it's very back to front.

 

[Stuart]

Andi we are trying to work out what the issue it by eliminating systems, the easiest of which is a non standard part... the install..

If you dont want to take advice, stop posting up the issues

At the end of the day we are all trying to find the fault with the car, not find a fault with the install.

I enjoy helping people who want help, but for you my friend... no more help will be offered..

 

[mrcinquecento]

I enjoy helping people who want help, but for you my friend... no more help will be offered..

Seconded.

Plenty suggestions and tests have been offered up by everybody on here, The tests mentioned are all general, cheap and could save the OP a packet of money and a lot of trouble down the line, nobody can do any more if the suggestions won't get taken on board.

Personally, i'm out of this one. For my own sanity as much as everybody else's (well, what we have of it :laugh: )

Good luck Andi.

 

[M21MFS]

Andi...no one is trying to make any wild suggestions or prove beyond doubt any one thing is to blame. I know it maybe doesnt seem like it but were all trying to help. Your car has an underlying issue somewhere and replacin parts without resolving the issue is going to mean a repeat of issues at a later date.

Site is set up and ready. Weve got the gazebo next to arocs....pop over when you arrive...grab a coffee and say hello. Ewan from cp in dundee will be here and Im sure with the help alresdy offered and some knowledgable faces on site you can test and diagnose the issue.

Cheers
Martyn

 

[bad_boy_cinq]

i can not see it being the sound system imo ... , i had a bigger system that andi in my cinq , , bigger power amp , same size sub , more speekers powerd by said amp , and i never killed a alt , and the system got some abuse , and never killed a alt ..

i can see it being a problem like a broken wire , Going to earth when certian items are on say rear lights ect , Are you sure its killing tha alts ? why are you saying they are dead?

 

[Andi9386]

James if you could hear the Alternator you'd know why people are saying it's almost dead.
Constant whine & the belt being too tight doesn't help neither.

 

[Stuart]

What we are saying is that it could be a broken or damaged wire within the setup, we are not saying it iS the install, its just the easiest thing to isolate and rule out. Whos to say a wire hasnt been rubbed through over time by a clip where the wires are hidden? And better to find out the problem before throwing money at it in replacement parts

 

[mrcinquecento]

What we are saying is that it could be a broken or damaged wire within the setup, we are not saying it iS the install, its just the easiest thing to isolate and rule out. Whos to say a wire hasnt been rubbed through over time by a clip where the wires are hidden? And better to find out the problem before throwing money at it in replacement parts

Bingo Bango Bongo.

By ruling that out (or in) first, it simply takes out quite a bit of external aftermarket wiring and possible weak/wear points which already sends you closer to the issue.

I've not said once that i believe it is the sound system naturally overloading the alt (i don't think it is), i'm working on the assumption of a fault, which there clearly is somewhere, and only that as an unmonitored system by the car, it's a good starting place as it's a more likely place for a fault to have occurred (wiring through grommets and trim etc) so is the perfect place to start the investigation, mainly because it's such an easy thing to take out of the loop to begin with!

 

[lkc]

Just to update things, Craig, John and a few others had a look today and made some suggestions which I won't post because I wasn't a)around when it happened and b) listening because I'm female and we don't do that sort of crap

However, I believe Andi listened to them and a fuse was removed to test some thing.

For more up-to-date info subscribe to my facebook page whythefuckleavetheupdatestothecluelessone

 

[M21MFS]

I also missed the technicals but believe Wednesdays visit to the money extractors is cancelled

 

[Andi9386]

First of all Mark & Stuart I'd like to say sorry.
I wasn't deliberately trying to be arsey with my post Saturday night, I had a lot of things going through my head at the time.
I was over tired as I'd not slept properly since Thursday night & had personal issues going through my head as well.

I've been in contact with Aaron (Family member who works for ABARTH) & he's said it won't be a case of the Sound System overloading the Alternator, but the Alternator belt being over tight isn't helping.

I told him what Arnold Clark said, which is the likelihood of water splashing up from underneath & it's mentioned in the latest issue of Service news & the solution is to fit the under tray system.

I have also spoken with my mum about this & we've both said the same thing, Yes I could do the work myself, but say 3 months down the line the Alternator goes again, that's another £100 or so gone & no guarantee to back me up. Whereas if Arnold Clark fit the New Alternator & Belt along with the under tray system & 3 months down the line the Alternator goes again, I can go back to them & say that the Alternator's dying or died & that I would like you to replace it as the Alternator's under your 2 year guarantee.

I know most of you now will be wanting to jump down my throat (sorry is this is coming across as being arsey), but I can't keep paying out for Alternators every few months.

 

[mrcinquecento]

Firstly, no worries about the post, i know how frustrating it gets when a problem happens and you feel you;re getting nowhere.

But i'll say this.... Andi, it's all well and good saying "this might happen, that might happen... can't pay for alternators every few months etc etc" this is EXACTLY why we are saying to look into the issue! so the problem doesn't come back! so the next fix is a permanent solution and you DON'T need to keep replacing alternators, under warranty or whatever.

It's like sticking a golden plaster onto a bleeding artery.

 

[M21MFS]

Andi - no one is angry with you, just frustrated.

As I said on Sunday we're trying to help - the tray theory just sounds like salesman twaddle imo, no car I've ever owned has been fitted with an under tray and none have EVER killed this amount of alternators.

Ultimately fella it's your call. I can't see Clarkies honouring that guarantee without the root cause of the probelm being singled out and more crucially fixed, but good luck all the same. I suspect sadly we'll be seeing another post about an alternator within six months I'm afraid

 

[mrcinquecento]

If you had a dry cough that just wouldn't go away, would you keep paying the chemist for cough medicine that clearly wasn't working or would you go to the doctors and try and find out why the cough wouldn't go away before seeking treatment?

Paying that much for the work done would be the equivalent in my analogy of not bothering with the doctor, booking yourself into a private bupa hospital and paying for surgery! what for? it's silly (IMO) when you don't really know what the problem is or what you're trying to fix!, you've peppered the thing with cough medicine already (alternators). The issue needs further investigation before you get more treatment.