Help - im about to cry after visiting my renault dealership

[garsi_j]

Hi all,

first post so be gentle with me.

Over the weekend i had a problem develop on my megane 05 expression. The idle speed was very eratic and was around the 2 mark instead of the usuall 1.

I took the car back to the dealership as i had it serviced 2 weeks ago and they spent an hour with it and came back saying the the computer they put it on confirmed that the alternator was faulty and not deliverying to the fuel injectors hence causing the problem. They quoted me £650 for a new alternator and at this point i left the dealership in a state of shock so didnt question this maybe when i should have - cant afford to pay this.

My question to you loveley people would be does this sound right? im no expert in cars but if the alternator was faulty surely the car would not start?

anyone else had this problem - and what else could it possibly be if its not the alternator

Urgent help would be great as i think im going to have many sleepness nights!

kind regards

James

[boobfan2]

First of all I suggest you call Renault UK (08000 72 33 72) .... my Megane CC broke a window regulatgor last week, its a 53 plate. Quoted £340 for a new one fitted. After speaking to Renault UK they agreed to pay 90% ! Its been done today all fixed. An 05 may still be covered by warranty perhaps ? Just be nice and explain....

[garsi_j]

hi there,

thanks for the help . I will give them a call tomorrow and explain my predicament . what apporach did you take to get your massive 90% off? was it a complaint

many thanks!

[boobfan2]

No, I must called and explained that the mechanism had failed and it was an expensive repair. They asked age of the car, mileage etc and how they wanted them to help me out. The main reason they said I was getting 90% was because it is a low mileage car (37k) hence it was resonable it had not had that much use. It also has a full Renault history.

As your is on 05 I would hope they will he sympathatic. Good luck !

[tallpaul]

is the car doing anything else unusual? a duff alternator would not be charging the battery.

i'm not sure of the connection between alternator and injectors??

i'd imagine that a 3rd party alternator could be fitted by an independent garage a lot lot cheaper, it just depends whether it needs any kind of ECU coding

[pw981]

alternator definitely needs coding into the ECU, otherwise the car won't even start!

[garsi_j]

thanks for your help so far guys. its nice to know you are so helpful.

What Does ECu coding mean.

we are getting a price from a second garage recommended to us tomorrow so fingers crossed with that. and i will be giving renault a call as the car only has 19000 miles and full renault service history.

the car has no other problems at all just the idle speed is completely eratic. Does anyone have any otther suggestions as to what the fault might be instead of the alternator?

TIA

[garsi_j]

Hi all,

just an update - got a second opinion from a garage recommended to me and he has dismissed the alternator. He says its likely to be the "pot" linked to the acclerorator causing the issue and is speaking to renault tomorrow for a price.

Does this sound more like the issue?

on a second point - i called renault uk today and spoken to a customer service manager who is investiaging the whole sitaution and there was a mention af financial help to resolve problem as car has only done 6000 miles each year of its life.

I will wait and see if any further help materialises.

any mechanics on here who have a rough idea of fixing the above problem?

[tallpaul]

as pw981 says, the alternator contains electronics that will only work if they are programmed to your car, by someone with access to the Renault computers. why? no idea!

is the car a 1.4/1.6 16v? have you read through the common engine faults on here before your mechanics start spending your money?

[garsi_j]

hi there its a 1.4

[garsi_j]

Hi guys

can i have a little more help - could this be the potentiometer?

if so how much am i looking at - still waiting for complaints manager of renult UK to call me back

Thanks