If you are experience issues with your car battery you may be surprised to find that it is actually the alternator causing the issue and not the battery. Alternator issues can often cause a lot of other problems with the vehicle. If you are noticing it struggles to start up or that when driving your lights dim, this may be a sign of an alternator issue. A garage will be able to check the power coming from the alternator to tell you if it is a battery issue or alternator.
If you have a multi meter then you can often do this check yourself by checking the current to see if it increases when you are running the vehicle. Take car when doing this and only do so if you know what you are doing.
When replacing an alternator be sure to replace the other parts such as the pulley and belt at the same time. It costs little more in parts and labour to do it altogether but if you don’t and then one of these parts goes you may find yourself having to fork out for a whole new alternator again. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle you can often expect to pay between £200 and £350 for a new alternator.
