Cars pick the best places to break down

Gibbo

Gibbo

Gibbo

OcUK Staff
Joined
17 Oct 2002
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Hi there

The 911 is broken down, good job my bank gives me free recovery!

First message I got on display was battery/generator fault, shortly afterwards psm failure, then abs failure, then brake distribution failure at which point I lost throttle input control going up a hill narrow lane, followed by rough idle.

Was not fun try to roll down this lane backwards with morning traffic, eventually rolled into an off road area.

RAC on there way, but am thinking has gotta be alternator gone. :(
As when engine was running just having hazards on effected idle, and interior light just blinks now so battery is now flat too.
 
Howard said:
Sounds expensive. Warranty will cover it I assume?
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No warranty!

Checked online and re-con units about £350, new from Porsche over 1k lol.

Waiting for RAC who just rang and told me be here in 20 mins but in a van as they have to diagnose if a flat loader is required, arrrrrrrgh!

Told them it's alternator and can't be fixed, so more time wasted, just send the flatbed!
 
Addicted said:
Seeing as you have so many issues, I'll be happy to take it off your hands.
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No!
Think this is the actual second break down in nearly 3 years and 25,000 miles, first was engine mount and this time which looks like alternator.
 
RAC always send vans, it's a pain in the arse. Even if you tell them a con rod has exited through the engine block I expect they'll send a van to try and fix it.
 
Gibbo said:
No!
Think this is the actual second break down in nearly 3 years and 25,000 miles, first was engine mount and this time which looks like alternator.
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Twice more than me still, never broke down :D

3 years, and I'm in a french hot hatch! I know I've set myself up to be breaking down now, touch wood I won't now.

We should still trade, honest.
 
Have to say, I've had some occasions where I've been lucky with break-downs and failures.

LCR, clutch pedal snapped just as I'd finished climbing the last hill before home, rolled onto driveway.

A6, oil pump failed outside Audi garage on the way to work.

Howard said:
RAC always send vans, it's a pain in the arse. Even if you tell them a con rod has exited through the engine block I expect they'll send a van to try and fix it.
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So true. We told the RAC that my bottom end had seized on the Leon at Donington, they still sent a van to try to start it.

When I got DRZ's E34 525i picked up with a snapped camchain, they still sent a man with a van to try to fix it.

Surely to god they'd save a lot of money if they just listened to the customer? :confused:
 
Addicted said:
Twice more than me still, never broke down :D

3 years, and I'm in a french hot hatch! I know I've set myself up to be breaking down now, touch wood I won't now.

We should still trade, honest.
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It's ok! :p

Drive by wire though, scary! As the alternator seems gone the car was obviously driving on battery power once that was drained the car pretty much shut down, though still running I had no throttle.

Remember years ago in my 205gti when it's alternator went it drove fine as long as electrics were off, cable throttle FTW!
 
Howard said:
RAC always send vans, it's a pain in the arse. Even if you tell them a con rod has exited through the engine block I expect they'll send a van to try and fix it.
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It's not ALWAYS the case, but it usually is. When the brakes on the S3 failed they just sent the flat bed straight away. The European cover I had did the same when the radiator went on the Elise back in August. No van, just a flat bed, but then I imagine the rules might be different in Europe anyway.

I can't get away without my breakdown cover. Used it 4 times in the last 2 years now. :eek:
 
paradigm said:
So true. We told the RAC that my bottom end had seized on the Leon at Donington, they still sent a van to try to start it.

When I got DRZ's E34 525i picked up with a snapped camchain, they still sent a man with a van to try to fix it.

Surely to god they'd save a lot of money if they just listened to the customer? :confused:
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It's utterly daft, but I can only presume they get so many "hurr my car's bust lol can you come fix it plz?/1" when in fact they've just turned the engine off or run out of fuel or something ;) that they don't trust anything the customer says. But yes, I expect they'd save a fortune if they just listened to those customers who sound like they know what they're talking about.
 
Mutimeter confirms zero output from alternator.

Flatbed on it's way, being told if car is too low might incur specialist recovery charges. So removed front lip, fingers crossed!
 
Gibbo said:
Mutimeter confirms zero output from alternator.

Flatbed on it's way, being told if car is too low might incur specialist recovery charges. So removed front lip, fingers crossed!
Click to expand...

With my LCR, even with the splitter removed, the front bumper scraped up the flatbed, we tried it in reverse and whilst the car then cleared the truck, the front end hit the floor.

Their "specialist" loading equipment was a load of 2x4 timber aimed to reduce the loading angle. This worked fine.
 
ive only had car failure once and that was on the top floor of a sainsburys car park. the car had to be towed home and we had to talk the cark park guy into allowing us to exit as theyd closed 10 minutes before the AA/RAC guy arrived
 
Recovery truck was perfect, no issues and left with Mike at S&C for alternator repair.

Now time to step into my other German vehicle and hope it makes it, or maybe I should take the Jaaaaag. ;)
 
Gibbo said:
told me be here in 20 mins but in a van as they have to diagnose if a flat loader is required, arrrrrrrgh!

Told them it's alternator and can't be fixed, so more time wasted, just send the flatbed!
Click to expand...

AA did the same when my engine seized despite me making them totally clear of this point.

i shot off to do my nightshift and my poor dad waited over an hour for him to show despite being 'high danger priority' because of my location then waited another hour for him to poke around making wild diagnosis and finally getting a flatbed.
 
Will Gill said:
I remember when my 911 died, I hope yours is 'just' the alternator I still wince thinking about my engine rebuild cost... :(
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Yeah it runs fine with another vehicle powering its battery. :)

Now in the garage, alternator is kaput, can't even be repaired. :(

So re-furb Bosh unit going in at £320 +VAT and £90 +VAT for fitting.

Not bad, but still OUCH! Still Porsche would be 1k job.

So now if it needs another £500 worth of warranty type work doing between now and June, I should have just extended my warranty, oooops.




P.S. Not that I could as car is remapped, GT3 throttlebodies, modified intake, exhaust etc.
 
Ouch, expensive alternator!

Thankfully any issues so far I've had I've managed to be close to home.

The clutch fork broke on my first Impreza 2 roads away so I was unable to disengage the clutch. This took me by surprise as I was giving way to someone and literally had to stamp the brakes to stall the car to make it stop. Then drove the few hundred metres up the road changing gear without the clutch and then had to stall it onto the drive :D

Bad times..
 
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