Rants and Rambles

OK, it wasn’t all that “recently” since I’ve been neglectful in posting; but I recently had another reminder that you’re never really through paying for things you own. It’s not that long ago that I traided in my 1994 Ford Taurus and bought a new car. Well, as they say, it’s new to me. Still wanting a mid-size car that has enough space to be comfortable, I found (via the dealership web site) a low milage 2004 Ford Taurus at a pretty good price. Taking a print-out of the web page listing helped keep the price “good”. (That’s another long story.) I’m fairly happy with the car. Other than gluing the driver-side mirror “pod?” back on after a bit of vandalism, no trouble from it in about 20k miles I’ve added to it.

Battery or alternator?

It wasn’t a new battery, so I wasn’t shocked to have a problem pop up. The gas milage computer was forgetting some numbers and I had a problem starting once or twice. The battery didn’t seem to hold a charge very long. So I sprang for the cost of a new one. The shop even had an attractive warranty and return policy at no additional cost, and the price was pretty reasonable to begin with. I was pleased until the car didn’t start the next day. It was Saturday but they were open, so I went back receipt in hand. “No problem, we don’t have another one here but we can have one from another store right after we open Monday morning.” Actually, that’s prett good. “But let’s run a few tests.” One of a number of tests (voltage, load, etc.) that wasn’t done when I first went in to buy the battery, was to look at the current between the alternator and the battery with the engine running and things like the headlights and heater fan on. This was drawing FROM the battery! The alternator wasn’t keeping up. It should have been. The regulator wasn’t working right and this explained why the battery seemed to not hold a charge. It probably would do better if it wasn’t being drained; I usually drive with my lights on and it’s been cold lately so I’ve been running the heater. So I needed a new alternator. They could order one (it’s a model they don’t usually stock) and although their price was pretty high, their installation charge was a flat rate $50. Again, this wasn’t too bad compared to some shops. They even suggested I might save some by buying the replacement (as a refurbished/rebuilt) at a parts store; they’d still be willing to install it but at $100. flat rate.

Do-it-yourself almost

I bought a replacement alternator at a parts store and a friend helped me install it (OK, im my condition, it was more like I helped him) on Sunday. I went back to the battery shop (yeh, that’s about all they do) and they ran all the tests again. Everything’s good. New battery and the alternator has a lifetime warranty too.