Alternator change - Central London

ashley101 · 17th October 2016, 18:02

My CDT Tourer broke down during a trip very late Saturday night. I had a series of error messages pop up on the display (everything from ABS fault to seatbelt not plugged in) before the car conked out totally - with the windscreen wipers going and the doors locking as the final signs of life.

The RAC took a long time to come out, but in the end they did, and the mechanic diagnosed a dead alternator. It's been in one of their garages since, and today I had the quote for repair: £480 all in.

I'm reluctant to spend about 2/3 of the car's value on this one part, so does anyone know of an alternative garage? It's in Central London at the moment and would need to be transported as a non-starter.

grivas · 17th October 2016, 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashley101

My CDT Tourer broke down during a trip very late Saturday night. I had a series of error messages pop up on the display (everything from ABS fault to seatbelt not plugged in) before the car conked out totally - with the windscreen wipers going and the doors locking as the final signs of life.

The RAC took a long time to come out, but in the end they did, and the mechanic diagnosed a dead alternator. It's been in one of their garages since, and today I had the quote for repair: £480 all in.

I'm reluctant to spend about 2/3 of the car's value on this one part, so does anyone know of an alternative garage? It's in Central London at the moment and would need to be transported as a non-starter.

It depends on how much you like the car, what condition is in, how long you want to keep it, etc etc, £480 is excessive but if they are going to use OEM quality parts and do a good job, considering costs of transporting,,,,.
You decide, ring round and get one or two quotes, in any case the alternator may not in fact be goosed it may only be the rectifier pack, have they tested it, ask them to tell you exactly what aspect of the alternator is goosed.

KeithA · 17th October 2016, 18:44

Best bet may be a mobile mechanic?

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

MSS · 17th October 2016, 20:04

A reconditioned alternator from a factors (or ECP) will cost between £150 and £260 depending on the manufacturer and rating (the CDT uses two different ratings of Valeo as the OEM).

Average garage rates close to Central London are around £90/hour and replacing the alternator on a 75 CDT is a 3-hour job.

On the basis of the above, £480 does not seem excessive. Central London just happens to be an unfortunate place to have a breakdown.

Having the car towed to the outskirts of London - say Hounslow, Hayes, East London etc. will most likely cost in excess of £100. An independent is unlikely to charge less than £300 all inclusive for the job. Then there is the hassle of finding a garage willing to accommodate the job at short notice, or at all.

It seems unlikely that the OP is going to have the work completed for less than £400 unless very lucky in finding semone with the knowledge and willingness to take on what is quite a complex job.

Grivas - I don't believe it is reasonable to expect a general garage to have the knowledge to diagnose the internal falure mode of an alternator. That is a job for an auto electrician. Anyone who did have the knowledge would expect to be paid for the time spent on the diagnosis.

A mobile mechanic is certainly worth trying.

Just my 2p worth.

Anthracite · 17th October 2016, 20:31

It seems excessive Ashley, will your level of cover allow you to get the car any closer to home ?

Should be an hours labour, if they remove & replace the alternator from the top.
Accessing it from underneath takes longer.

MSS · 18th October 2016, 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealth Z-T

It seems excessive Ashley, will your level of cover allow you to get the car any closer to home ?

Should be an hours labour, if they remove & replace the alternator from the top.
Accessing it from underneath takes longer.

For the benefit of members, would you be awfully kind and post up the details of any garage capable of and willing to carry out a CDT alternator replacement for a one-hour labour charge please?

Thank you.

hinged_bap · 18th October 2016, 07:02

when mine died, i was able to sort it by changing the regulator pack ( the brushes are integral ) for circa 20 quid, it can be done in situ. Details here:

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=230059

Anthracite · 18th October 2016, 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by mss

For the benefit of members, would you be awfully kind and post up the details of any garage capable of and willing to carry out a CDT alternator replacement for a one-hour labour charge please?

Thank you.

Hi, I've witnessed 2 alternators being changed on separate occasions quite recently both in just under an hour.
This was done by a trusted mobile mechanic local to me. Hence the reason I asked Ashley if he could get the car any closer to home.

I wouldn't think it curtious to divulge his information on here, even if allowed it wouldn't be fair to the the traders who pay traders fees to advertise on here.

If Ashley wants to send me a pm. I'll happily pass the details over to him if it helps him out of his predicament

Thanks

COLVERT · 18th October 2016, 18:08

Ashley.

If you get the battery charged you can drive it yourself to anywhere you want to get it repaired.--

--

Simples.--------

John Armstrong · 18th October 2016, 19:22

In daylight only!

17th October 2016, 18:02	#1
ashley101 Avid contributor 2002 Conn SE 75 Tourer (Manual) Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Worcester Posts: 134 Thanks: 76 Thanked 13 Times in 11 Posts	Alternator change - Central London My CDT Tourer broke down during a trip very late Saturday night. I had a series of error messages pop up on the display (everything from ABS fault to seatbelt not plugged in) before the car conked out totally - with the windscreen wipers going and the doors locking as the final signs of life. The RAC took a long time to come out, but in the end they did, and the mechanic diagnosed a dead alternator. It's been in one of their garages since, and today I had the quote for repair: £480 all in. I'm reluctant to spend about 2/3 of the car's value on this one part, so does anyone know of an alternative garage? It's in Central London at the moment and would need to be transported as a non-starter.

17th October 2016, 18:44	#3
KeithA Loves to post Rover 75 Conny Tourer Auto Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Essex Posts: 347 Thanks: 75 Thanked 94 Times in 71 Posts	Best bet may be a mobile mechanic? Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk __________________ 2003 Tourer, Connoisseur Auto

17th October 2016, 20:31	#5
Anthracite Regular poster MG ZT Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: West-midlands Posts: 66 Thanks: 5 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	It seems excessive Ashley, will your level of cover allow you to get the car any closer to home ? Should be an hours labour, if they remove & replace the alternator from the top. Accessing it from underneath takes longer. __________________ "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you."

18th October 2016, 18:08	#9
COLVERT This is my second home R75 Saloon. Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: France/or Devon. Posts: 14,003 Thanks: 3,851 Thanked 2,167 Times in 1,816 Posts	Ashley. If you get the battery charged you can drive it yourself to anywhere you want to get it repaired.------ Simples.--------

17th October 2016, 20:04	#4
MSS This is my second home Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7,085 Thanks: 283 Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts	A reconditioned alternator from a factors (or ECP) will cost between £150 and £260 depending on the manufacturer and rating (the CDT uses two different ratings of Valeo as the OEM). Average garage rates close to Central London are around £90/hour and replacing the alternator on a 75 CDT is a 3-hour job. On the basis of the above, £480 does not seem excessive. Central London just happens to be an unfortunate place to have a breakdown. Having the car towed to the outskirts of London - say Hounslow, Hayes, East London etc. will most likely cost in excess of £100. An independent is unlikely to charge less than £300 all inclusive for the job. Then there is the hassle of finding a garage willing to accommodate the job at short notice, or at all. It seems unlikely that the OP is going to have the work completed for less than £400 unless very lucky in finding semone with the knowledge and willingness to take on what is quite a complex job. Grivas - I don't believe it is reasonable to expect a general garage to have the knowledge to diagnose the internal falure mode of an alternator. That is a job for an auto electrician. Anyone who did have the knowledge would expect to be paid for the time spent on the diagnosis. A mobile mechanic is certainly worth trying. Just my 2p worth.

18th October 2016, 07:02	#7
hinged_bap Gets stuck in 75 CDT Conn SE Auto saloon Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Southampton Posts: 773 Thanks: 134 Thanked 104 Times in 81 Posts	when mine died, i was able to sort it by changing the regulator pack ( the brushes are integral ) for circa 20 quid, it can be done in situ. Details here: http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=230059

18th October 2016, 19:22	#10
John Armstrong Avid contributor Rover 75 Diesel Saloon Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Doncaster Posts: 231 Thanks: 0 Thanked 31 Times in 28 Posts	In daylight only!