Ozzie54
New Registration
- Joined
- May 14, 2021
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- Your Mercedes
- Vito van 2003 112cdi
Hi guys,
So, my alternator isn't charging the battery anymore. I took it to a mechanic who told me to just replace the whole alternator. It's costly to replace though around $800aud plus labour. I asked him to just replace the voltage regulator on it as from what I read online it's a 50/50 chance it is just a worn regulator.
To change the regulator I was quoted a 5 hour job because the whole alternator still needs to come out of the car to fit the voltage regulator.
The car went in today to do the job but I got a call from the mechanic shop owner who said I had supplied the wrong voltage regulator for that vehicle. He also said it doesn't matter anyway as the whole alternator needs to be replaced anyway due to being water damaged. So, I went to the mechanics to get the wrong volatage regulator back so I could return it back to where I got it from and interestingly enough I find my car inside with the wheel off but the alternator still in the vehicle.
The owners had gone home but the actual mechanic that worked on the vehicle was there said he got the voltage regulator off fine with taking the whole alternator off. So I asked him how he could tell the alternator was dead and water damaged without taking it out of the car to which he look at me confused and said who told you the alternator is dead? I told him his boss told me so he said well I don't want to say something that will conflict with what he says so if he told you the alternator is dead then it must be dead.
He showed me the voltage regulator that he removed without taking the alternator out and the two contacts on it looked worn out exactly the same as the worn voltage regulator in this vid:
I told him it looked worn out and he ummed and ahhed it is probably at the bare minimum of what would be a working regulator.
So, my questions are:
Can an alternator be assessed as dead and water damaged without removing it from the vehicle? Does the alternator really have to be removed from this car to fit a new voltage regulator? Should I stick with this mechanic and buy a whole new alternator or just fit the wheel back on my car and motor on out of there in search of someone more reliable?
The car is a 2003 Vito van 112cdi auto 4 cyl 2.2lt turbo diesel.
Any help/advice on this issue would be much appreciated
So, my alternator isn't charging the battery anymore. I took it to a mechanic who told me to just replace the whole alternator. It's costly to replace though around $800aud plus labour. I asked him to just replace the voltage regulator on it as from what I read online it's a 50/50 chance it is just a worn regulator.
To change the regulator I was quoted a 5 hour job because the whole alternator still needs to come out of the car to fit the voltage regulator.
The car went in today to do the job but I got a call from the mechanic shop owner who said I had supplied the wrong voltage regulator for that vehicle. He also said it doesn't matter anyway as the whole alternator needs to be replaced anyway due to being water damaged. So, I went to the mechanics to get the wrong volatage regulator back so I could return it back to where I got it from and interestingly enough I find my car inside with the wheel off but the alternator still in the vehicle.
The owners had gone home but the actual mechanic that worked on the vehicle was there said he got the voltage regulator off fine with taking the whole alternator off. So I asked him how he could tell the alternator was dead and water damaged without taking it out of the car to which he look at me confused and said who told you the alternator is dead? I told him his boss told me so he said well I don't want to say something that will conflict with what he says so if he told you the alternator is dead then it must be dead.
He showed me the voltage regulator that he removed without taking the alternator out and the two contacts on it looked worn out exactly the same as the worn voltage regulator in this vid:
I told him it looked worn out and he ummed and ahhed it is probably at the bare minimum of what would be a working regulator.
So, my questions are:
Can an alternator be assessed as dead and water damaged without removing it from the vehicle? Does the alternator really have to be removed from this car to fit a new voltage regulator? Should I stick with this mechanic and buy a whole new alternator or just fit the wheel back on my car and motor on out of there in search of someone more reliable?
The car is a 2003 Vito van 112cdi auto 4 cyl 2.2lt turbo diesel.
Any help/advice on this issue would be much appreciated
