bibble Posted December 29, 2006 Author Share Posted December 29, 2006 I'd advise getting an alternator check first:thumbsup:. I've had a similar problem, which turned out to be a dying battery, I too first suspected the alternator, but the car bumped when the battery was not turning the engine. Cheers for the advice Sccsux, but I am pretty sure its the alternator, or something to do with it. The car has a voltmeter in it, and when the engine is running its only reading about 12 volts, maybe just under. It should be reading at least 14 to 15 volts to keep the battery charged. The battery is quite new, about 8 months old. The volt reading of the battery gets lower each day, as if its not being topped up by the alternator. A guy at the shop I bought the battery from, the guy who mentioned Chapmans in fact, did a volt test on the old battery and said the alternator wasnt kicking out enough charge. It was at that battery shop behind the SUFC stadium, on the crossroads, end of John Street. Good shop actually. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibble Posted December 29, 2006 Author Share Posted December 29, 2006 Dunno about west bar, but there is a firm down attercliffe called autostart that recon them - it's on the lhs opposite that big indian restaurant on the corner. Ah yeah, I know the place. Close to where I work too. Thanks for that, I may well give them a go ! Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
never wrong Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 chapmans can test the alternator in the car and tell you within minutes what it is charging and to be honest they are one of the places that dont tell lies just to extract money out of people if it is not the alternator at fault they will tell and then they will find out what other cause it may be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerebrum Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 there's a good one just off abbeydale road at the lights from the dry cleaners, go down one of the side roads on the right he's good, but forgot the name, but it's right on the end just as you turn in one of those side roads on the right, a residential road but with a mechanics shop on the end. they do them for toyota sports cars, so maybe do for yours. or could be the road going the opposite way from bannerdale road (crossroads with the church and the speed camera), just up there past the old jacobs crackers factory (used to be) then side road on the right one of those has the mechanics shop. roger green??? can't remember, it's def one of those side roads though, and they're residential so you'd never think there'd be a mechanic there. easy to find. a tip given from montys and they're good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stenner Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 chapmans can test the alternator in the car and tell you within minutes what it is charging and to be honest they are one of the places that dont tell lies just to extract money out of people if it is not the alternator at fault they will tell and then they will find out what other cause it may be You're not wrong on this one !! We've used Chapmans two or three times in the past and they have been excellent. Glad they are still there. They once advised us that it was the battery that needed replacing and another time sorted out the alternator for us. They are a good old fashioned firm who treat customers with respect . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibble Posted December 30, 2006 Author Share Posted December 30, 2006 there's a good one just off abbeydale road at the lights from the dry cleaners, go down one of the side roads on the right he's good, but forgot the name, but it's right on the end just as you turn in one of those side roads on the right, a residential road but with a mechanics shop on the end. they do them for toyota sports cars, so maybe do for yours. or could be the road going the opposite way from bannerdale road (crossroads with the church and the speed camera), just up there past the old jacobs crackers factory (used to be) then side road on the right one of those has the mechanics shop. roger green??? can't remember, it's def one of those side roads though, and they're residential so you'd never think there'd be a mechanic there. easy to find. a tip given from montys and they're good. I know the ones you mean - they are called Graysons. They do the work for Montys as you say. I had an 1993 MR2 (still have actually, sat in my driveway for 2 years, never got round to selling it ) and it had two alternator failures. Apparently its a bit of a design fault on them because its positioned in a damp area of the engine bay. Anyway, the first alternator was a new one at nearly £300 and it lasted just over a year! Just out of warranty! I went back to Graysons and they said it couldnt be repaired, so they fitted a reconditioned one. This wasnt much cheaper really. I was a bit dissapointed that the new one only lasted such a short period of time. The thing that put me off a bit was on the day I collected the car, they said the alternator looked like it had been left in water for ages. When I asked to see the corrosion on the old one they said "Er, oh - I think its already gone to the scrap man/ recyclers - sorry" It had only been removed that same day! Also, most of these things are reconditioned at some point anyway, they arent totally scrapped. Just put me off them a little bit! But thanks for the help chaps anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerebrum Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I know the ones you mean - they are called Graysons. They do the work for Montys as you say. I had an 1993 MR2 (still have actually, sat in my driveway for 2 years, never got round to selling it ) and it had two alternator failures. Apparently its a bit of a design fault on them because its positioned in a damp area of the engine bay. Anyway, the first alternator was a new one at nearly £300 and it lasted just over a year! Just out of warranty! I went back to Graysons and they said it couldnt be repaired, so they fitted a reconditioned one. This wasnt much cheaper really. I was a bit dissapointed that the new one only lasted such a short period of time. The thing that put me off a bit was on the day I collected the car, they said the alternator looked like it had been left in water for ages. When I asked to see the corrosion on the old one they said "Er, oh - I think its already gone to the scrap man/ recyclers - sorry" It had only been removed that same day! Also, most of these things are reconditioned at some point anyway, they arent totally scrapped. Just put me off them a little bit! But thanks for the help chaps anyway! yeah that doesn't sound so good, whenever I get that kind of experience I steer clear. tick em off the list. anyhow sort of take mechanics in general with a pinch of salt, only way not to get ripped off / jerked around is to have more knowledge than they do, but then we wouldn't use them eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibble Posted January 1, 2007 Author Share Posted January 1, 2007 Yeah, definately - you have to have a certain amount of knowledge in order to not get ripped off. I think the trick is to let them have a hint that you aren't a dipstick when you commit to them doing the work. Y'know - drop a few comments in regarding a few technical points that even they might not know about. It usually throws them off a bit, enough for them to not take the risk with ripping you off. At the end of the day though, there is always a risk. They will usually ring you and tell you something is badly wrong, and rely on you being not there to inspect it in person, and also desperate to get your car back quickly. I am lucky in the fact that I have a garage that I trust to do basic servicing and repair work. Problem is, when it comes to electrical alternator repairs, they subcontract it out to, you guessed it - Graysons - the place I dont trust ! Typical ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humperlumper Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Chapmans is the only place I use these days. Over the years I've used all the ones mentioned on this thread (and some others), no way can they compete with Chapmans. They are honest, reliable, helpful and at a good price. The best bit is they recon your own unit wherever possible, which is usually better than buying a cheap recon elsewhere. I take quite a few units in for family & friends and have done for a number of years. I've never had to go back with faults etc. Their repairs last longer than buying a cheapie recon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibble Posted January 1, 2007 Author Share Posted January 1, 2007 I am still not sure if Chapmans remove the faulty unit from your car, or do you have to have it removed first and take the alternator in to them? Can anyone advise me on this? If they dont take them out themselves, I will have to arrange for my local garage to do it. Its an alternator that requires an engine mounting being removed I think:( There is no space around the engine at all, its all shoe-horned in there! Hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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