Battery light flickering

Kaismummy

Member
Hi all,
I need some advice please, my battery light has started to flicker on and off, I've taken it to my trusty mechanic who says that it is the alternator and I will need to get it replaced. He is looking for one at the moment but they all seem very expensive to him. What price range should they be in?
Also whilst he is searching for one am I still ok to drive the car? There are no noises coming from the car or anything like that just the flickering battery light which is a tad annoying.

I'm a bit of a soft girl and scared it is going to just die in the middle of the road :-( With me and my children in it. ;-@
 
You should be able to get a second-hand alternator from a breakers/ebay. There are various people breaking cars on the forum as well.

...scared it is going to just die in the middle of the road...

It's a diesel, so it should keep running even if the battery starts to get low. The headlights etc will cut out first (so you should be avoiding night driving). The other risk point is when you are starting it.

Do you have a battery charger? If so, it might be an idea to charge the battery each night.

The flickering can also be caused by an auxiliary belt which has started to slip.
 
Hi Kaismummy,

As you're likely to be ferrying yourself and children around I would suggest getting yourself (along with your car) to either an auto-electrician or a large(ish) branch of Halfords. I wouldn't normally recommend Halfords, as they have a habit of not understanding the A2's quirks, but for electrical work you should be safe.......

......However.....make sure you keep a close eye on your car, and advise them how to access the engine bay (i.e. make sure whoever is going to check out your car understands exactly how the bonnet is removed).

Also, depending what options you have fitted in to your car, the alternator part number differs.
I'm sure there is a code for the alternator in the options list in the front of the owner’s handbook (this list can also be found in the boot near the battery). If you’re not sure how to “read” what the codes refer to, post all the codes and someone will decode them for you.

I wouldn't have Halford's perform an alternator swap, but their auto-electricians should be able to troubleshoot what is causing the alternator waring lamp to flicker.

It might even be worth a visit to a main dealer, fluttering your eyelashes, and asking if someone would be able to give you some free advice as you don't want to be stuck with young children in the car......you never know......maybe you'll find a kind tech who's happy "living the dream".

Cheers

Jeff
 
Thanks for the replies, but now the plot thickens because I've started it up this morning and the battery light was flashing dimly, then about half a mile down the road it went off altogether! I went on my journey stopped the car came back started it up again and no battery light flashing! My mechanic looked at the belt yesterday and said the battery seemed ok it was the alternator that had the low output.
Very confused as to what to do next.

Jeff I'm not even sure how to take the bonnet off :) I struggle putting water in, I'm a bit of a fluttery eyelashes type of girl and then my hubby will do it for me. I just like driving the car :)
 
me said:
It's a diesel, so it should keep running ...

Just realised that you didn't say whether it was a petrol or a diesel. I just tend to assume they're going to be TDIs.

If the voltage drops too far on a petrol it will cause the car to stop (since the spark plugs won't be firing properly).
 
Last edited:
Just realised that you didn't say whether it was a petrol or a diesel. I just tend to assume they're going to be TDIs.

If the voltage drops too far on a petrol it will cause the car to stop (since the spark plugs won't be firing properly).

Hiya, yes it is a 1.4 TDI. I was wondering how you knew that :)
 
Jeff I'm not even sure how to take the bonnet off :) I struggle putting water in, I'm a bit of a fluttery eyelashes type of girl and then my hubby will do it for me. I just like driving the car :)

LOL......:p

You may have an alternator that's going faulty, an issue with the voltage regulator, a car battery that's starting to die or a slipping drive belt.....Or indeed some other electrical gremlin.....

A good test to determine if the problem has gone away (for the time being) is....tonight.....when it's dark outside.....go and start your car. Put the side lights on and check the dash-warning light. If all is good (no charge warning light), turn on full headlights and put them on full beam, then turn on the rear window demister and the climate control with the fan on full. Now look again at the dash. If there is no warning lamp lit you're safe for now. If the lamp is lit a little, rev the engine and notice if this puts the light out.

If you are noticing the warning lamp lit, even dimly and only when the car is drawing quite a lot of current (i.e. with all of those items turned on), you have an issue waiting to occur.

Unfortunately I'm not a "young buck" (anymore), but most alternators used to be able to be repaired/reconditioned. I'm sure this is still the case, but in today's throw-away society these services are possibly not in great demand.

Let us know if you car is a Diesel or Petrol and also what the option codes are. Also, not sure where in the country you are, but it might be worth a google search locally to try and find "alternator repairs in ...... .

It's great that you can "persuade" your hubby out of a comfortable armchair with a smile and flutter.......I'm wise to this from my wife now.......so she just threatens me instead, which does the trick too..;)

Jeff
 
Thanks Jeff, I have a 03 1.4 TDI, I will carry out the technique tonight and see what happens. I will be able to manage all that with out hubby's help :)

My mechanic has found a recon alternator for £150.00 with 12 month warranty or a brand new for £210.00 with 24 month warranty. I am in Leeds West Yorkshire.

I have found the options codes and they may as well be written in Japanese. I will see if I can post a pic of them on here.
I'm sure there will be a time I have to threaten my husband too :p probably when footballs on!
 
car.JPG

It makes no sense to me :confused:
 
Those prices sound high, but looking at the current price Audi lists I can see new alternators ranging between £300 & £900 inc. VAT. :eek:

Assuming you need a brand new alternator and want to buy OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) - i.e. direct from Audi - it looks like the part No. is either 045 903 023 G (140 Amp) or 045 903 023 F (120 Amp)

As far as I can tell..............You need to sit down............

The costs are (approx) £750 to £900

However, there are repair kits available..........

I can also see a 90 Amp alternator, but not sure if this is only for petrol versions.

A quick call to a local dealer, with your VIN number or Reg Number, and they should be ale to tell you what is fitted. The different outputs (90, 120, 140 Amp) are there depending what options you have fitted to your car.

The reason for the different charging rates (Amps) is if you have OSS, climate, bose, heated front seats, etc you'll need at more powerful alternator to charge the battery than if you've got no options.

All the above said, your alternator is obviously working to some degree, so a good auto-electrician should be able to troubleshoot exactly which bit of the assembly is malfunctioning and repair it (i.e. the voltage regulator or carbon brushes, etc).

good luck

Jeff
 
Take it to an Auto electrition they will replace the regulator far cheaper than an recon alternater, same happened to me a couple of years ago and they even did it in situe

Phil
 
Kaismummy,

Only just noticed the picture of your options list. In bold below you'll notice you have a 140 Amp alternator.
This is the decoded list of your options - enjoy.

E0A - No special edition
0GE - Emission standard EU3
4UE - Airbag for driver and front seat passenger
6XC - outside mirror electrically adjustable and not heatable
5SJ - Left exterior mirror: convex
6TS - Right exterior mirror: aspherical, large viewing field
1KB - drum brake at the rear 200x40mm
J0R - Battery 380 A (80 Ah)
1LY - disc brake at the front 256x22mm
3FA - No OSS
G22 - suspension comfort package in front and in the back
7X0 - without ultrasonic a park assistance
4R5 - electric windows front and manual at rear
F0A - No special purpose vehicle, standard equipment
8GU - alternator 140A
0G4 - Manual transmission
0YF - weight class rear axle > > > > > > > > > Weight range 6
L50 - Suspension range 50 installation control only, no requirement forecast
T0U - 3-cylinder diesel engine 1.4 L unit 045.B
3NC - Rear seat bench/backrest, split folding
8BF - halogen headlight left-hand traffic
U0K - Instrument insert with clock mph speedometer
X2B - National sales program Great Britain
1N2 - Power steering electro-hydraulic
2PG - steering wheel with airbag system
9Q0 - without DIS
8Z5 - engine water cooling version 1 - Not hot country
M6F - 3 cylinder turbo Diesel 55KW 1.4Ltr AMF, BHC
7Q0 - without radio navigation system
C3M - Alloy wheels 5.5J x 15
4X1 - Side air bag front
6R1 - Leatherette gearshift boot
3L3 - Manual height adjustment for front seats
4K4 - Remote controlled central locking
5D1 - Carrier frequency 433.92 MHz-434.42 Mhz
1SA - Without additional front underbody guard
VV0 - Standard front axle
Q1A - Standard front seats
4GH - tinted glass all round, windscreen in laminated glass

Cheers

Jeff
 
I am completely confused about what to do now? My mechanic says it will be £155.00 re con completely fitted inc VAT which I thought want bad! Aaarrrrrgggghhhh. But then I have done the test that Jeff told me to do regarding turning everything on etc and no light came on!!!! It was all fine. Help!!
 
Kaismummy,

Only just noticed the picture of your options list. In bold below you'll notice you have a 140 Amp alternator.
This is the decoded list of your options - enjoy.

E0A - No special edition
0GE - Emission standard EU3
4UE - Airbag for driver and front seat passenger
6XC - outside mirror electrically adjustable and not heatable
5SJ - Left exterior mirror: convex
6TS - Right exterior mirror: aspherical, large viewing field
1KB - drum brake at the rear 200x40mm
J0R - Battery 380 A (80 Ah)
1LY - disc brake at the front 256x22mm
3FA - No OSS
G22 - suspension comfort package in front and in the back
7X0 - without ultrasonic a park assistance
4R5 - electric windows front and manual at rear
F0A - No special purpose vehicle, standard equipment
8GU - alternator 140A
0G4 - Manual transmission
0YF - weight class rear axle > > > > > > > > > Weight range 6
L50 - Suspension range 50 installation control only, no requirement forecast
T0U - 3-cylinder diesel engine 1.4 L unit 045.B
3NC - Rear seat bench/backrest, split folding
8BF - halogen headlight left-hand traffic
U0K - Instrument insert with clock mph speedometer
X2B - National sales program Great Britain
1N2 - Power steering electro-hydraulic
2PG - steering wheel with airbag system
9Q0 - without DIS
8Z5 - engine water cooling version 1 - Not hot country
M6F - 3 cylinder turbo Diesel 55KW 1.4Ltr AMF, BHC
7Q0 - without radio navigation system
C3M - Alloy wheels 5.5J x 15
4X1 - Side air bag front
6R1 - Leatherette gearshift boot
3L3 - Manual height adjustment for front seats
4K4 - Remote controlled central locking
5D1 - Carrier frequency 433.92 MHz-434.42 Mhz
1SA - Without additional front underbody guard
VV0 - Standard front axle
Q1A - Standard front seats
4GH - tinted glass all round, windscreen in laminated glass

Cheers

Jeff

Wow thanks Jeff, I thought my back windows were tinted but wasn't to sure about the front :)
 
I am completely confused about what to do now? My mechanic says it will be £155.00 re con completely fitted inc VAT which I thought want bad! Aaarrrrrgggghhhh. But then I have done the test that Jeff told me to do regarding turning everything on etc and no light came on!!!! It was all fine. Help!!

If the warning lamp has gone off I wouldn't worry about things for now. The reconditioned alternator @ £155 is not a bad price, but you'd need to be sure it is a 140 Amp unit, otherwise you may find it will not charge the battery correctly if you have your lights, heaters, etc on.

You could speak with your mechanic and tell him the warning lamp has gone off and ask him if he could verify the alternator is charging correctly (quite a simple job if he has a multimeter). Also it would be good to ask him what he felt was wrong with the alternator, because if it's just that if didn't seem to be charging correctly it is probably the voltage regulator (which is inside the alternator), and this can be replaced for much less than the £155.

I hope all goes well.

Jeff
 
Thanks Jeff, I have been in the car most of today and the light has not come back on, so I'm going to risk it and leave the alternator alone for now. Hopefully it was just a glitch in the system. Fingers crossed it is the right decision. :confused:
 
So it seems I have a similar problem. Quite a few months ago I was getting the light flickering during journeys, never at tickover, then it just went away. Recently, the alternator clutch pulley threw in the towel, I replaced it and assumed that it had been the cause of all the problems. However, a few days later the light started flickering again. So I monitored the voltage using Torque and a bluetooth OBD plug, generally the voltage is pretty steady at 14.1v. It drops a bit if everything electrical is on (rear window, mirrors, headlights, heater), but never goes below 13.8v. Occasionally, when running it will spike at 15, but that is pretty unusual. The battery light seems to flicker mostly at random, but it is definitely a little more frequent when everything that is power hungry is on. Revs make little or no difference, in fact it flickers more around 2000-2200rpm and never at tickover. Also, it never seems to happen until it warms up, making me think this is more likely regulator than alternator.

So assuming that the reading is accurate, is 14.1v a little low, I would have expected it to be nearer 14.8v ?
Is it likely that the regulator is the culprit ?

When I had the alternator off to replace the clutch pulley last week, spinning the shaft, it did sound a little rough, I didn't check the brushes at the time (idiot).

Currently, I'm thinking that a £20 gamble on a regulator is a good option, especially as the brushes appear to be part of the assembly.
 
No thoughts then .... well I took the £18.99 gamble and have ordered a regulator. Will find out at the weekend if that proves to be the right decision.
Failing that I think I would rather have a refurb of a genuine Audi alternator, than a cheap replacement, but we shall see ,,,,
 
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