I took my van into get serviced. During service my battey light came on .it past it’s m.o.t. but was told I need we starter motor and altinator. I took it to another garage who said he had put an ti altinator in and that wasn’t the problem .also said the engine light was on because of problem with brake pads which have just been replaced during service . The second mechanic has now had my van 3 days and has not found the problem he said .my worry is I’m going to be charge for Labour with I have not asked for .
Brake pads don’t have anything to do with either a Battery or engine light, but unless you are misunderstanding what the mechanic is saying, you should get your van out of there. Most of the people on this site are from the US so have no recommendations about mechanics in the UK but I wish you the best of luck.
3 Likes
When the CEL turns on diagnostic codes are stored in the ECM memory. Provided he battery isn’t disconnected in the meantime, you shop can read those codes very easily. If you post those codes, folks here might have some ideas. Suggest you take a little more time to compose your post so that the problem you are trying to solve is clearly identified. Are you trying to get the CEL to turn off? Won’t the engine crank reliably? Do the brakes not work? Or what? The MOT is a safety and emissions inspection, not meant to be used to solve drivability problems.
Suggest to go back to the shop who currently is working on the van, ask for a cost estimate for what they are currently doing, and a list of the diagnostic codes. At the same time make sure what they are working on is what you want them to be working on. If they haven’t been able to fix it in three days, they should be able to provide a good explanation why that is. If not, take your van to another well-recommended shop.
Why would you want anything from a shop that thinks brake pads trip a CEL other than “Give me the keys right now?”
I took it in because I was told it needed a starter motor and altinator. As was not running at full voltage and the battery light was on .the mechanic said he tried an altinator and starter and it still on .he is now saying that he is trying a better altinator and believes it’s something running between starter motor and altinator .he’s had it since Friday 8-30 am. It’s now 4-30pm only opens till 1pm on a Saturday and not at all on a Sunday.
he sounds really incompetent, at least from this distance. “something running between starter motor and altinator” all that ie, is cables that are easily checked.
1 Like
Yeah. OP, if you’re being accurate about what this guy has said, he’s an idiot who shouldn’t be allowed near a bicycle, much less a car.
There’s no direct functional link between the alternator and the starter; i.e. a faulty starter wouldn’t normally affect the charging voltage except in a very unusual failure mode. There is a direct functional link between the alternator and the battery, and between the battery and the starter. Suggest to get some clarification which of those two functional links your mechanic thinks is causing the battery light, low charging voltage problem