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Charging system problem?


Reatta4Real

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Battery light came on, "charging problem detected" on the screen. Alternator, battery, both? To get right to the chase how much is a new alternator? I seriously can't afford to put another cent into my Reatta. I'll fix this then it's FOR SALE or scrapped. The stupid diognostic system only makes things more complicated. The gage shows the battery still has decent charge. WTF?

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Guest spongebob

dOOd, take the car in to a pepboys or something like that and have them put the system to the test..it might be something cheap..if you have a meter, you can check it your self....

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Guest tempest68

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Battery light came on, "charging problem detected" on the screen. Alternator, battery, both? To get right to the chase how much is a new alternator? I seriously can't afford to put another cent into my Reatta. I'll fix this then it's FOR SALE or scrapped. The stupid diognostic system only makes things more complicated. The gage shows the battery still has decent charge. WTF? </div></div>

If you want an older car that you wont need to maintenance as often, then I'd suggest buying an old Mercedes for your next vehicle. Of course the Mercedes is very expensive when it does need maintenance, but from people I've talked to that own them, the time between repairs is alot longer than the average vehicle.

Dont know for sure, but I'd guess $200.00 for an alternator?

I'd rather have the more sensitive diagnostics...why wait until something completely fails at an inappropriate moment (like on the freeway 5 miles away from the nearest exit) with no advanced warning. Continually having to press RETURN on the CRT to acknowledge an error it already told you about several times does get old.

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Guest kennyw

reattaforreal: what is the difference if you were in another car without the touch screen and the battery [red] light came on? Same thing, go and have it checked for free at battery w. h......Gm. alt. of that ere usually only last 80,000........and they are cheap at the parts store. Go and check the alt. prices for a jap. car...... you will need a credit card....I keep a few spare

alt. on the shelf bought from a local bone yard for $15 each used. I try to find one with a tag or stamp showing it is a newer replacement part......Things do go wrong with a 14 year old car. Ken

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YA KNOW IF YOU KEEP BITC... ABOUT YOUR CAR THEN YOU WILL

CONTINUE TO HAVE ROTTEN LUCK. IF YOU WANT TO SELL IT [color:"red"] POST A PRICE AND QUIT WINING....WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH OUR CARS AND WE POST THE PROBLEM AND IN MOST CASES GET A FIX ANY MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES...TRY IT YOU WILL LIKE IT....

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Guest spongebob

reattadOOd, dont get pissed at the car, GM built something that was alittle out there, and thats why we drive(sometimes) them. im new to the car, mines up on jacks cause the GM dealer cant seem to figure out what timming chain tensioner i need, even when i give them the vin #. belive me, you dont want a vw bug..i wont even go there..i get alot of positive comments (when i got to drive the car), people come up to it and want to know what it is..

its not the cars fault..GM didnt do alot of homework, and theres a trigger happy computer on board..its like living with a cranky wife..well maybe like something else..the point is baby the car..fix it, come here for advice on repairs...[censored], someone has your answers...

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It's easy to say "quit bitc...." when your prob. retired, not paying for college, and with 54000k only driving your Reatta on weekends. We have pretty much come to the conclusion that the husband of the previous owner wore out this car, then sold it. The toughest thing I'm dealing with is if the car is or isn't a lost cause at this point. All my problems have been fixable but there are still so many things that can and prob. will go wrong. I will be making a decision on the car after winter is over and I will seek everyone's advice, which I appreciate very much. It just s*cks when your "dream" car turns out to be a bust and leaves you broke in the meantime.

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.....Not trying to be a smartass here, but in reality once you catch up with all the items that have been maintenance-deferred and the age-related failures, you will start to run out of things that are going to go wrong. I say this as an owner of a 114K mile semi-daily driver; as with all used cars, when I first got the car I spent a great deal on getting her up to snuff. After all the "consumables" have been replaced, you are in primarily preventative maintenance mode, and the car becomes very inexpensive to run. Having to replace the alternator and battery can and does happen to ALL cars after they start to get up there in years, look at it this way: Once the part is replaced, you have re-started the clock on that item and can look forward to a long period of time before you have to worry about it again. You bought a complex car from an owner who was indifferent to the cars' maintenance, this will necessarily result in larger up-front costs to undo the previous neglect.

My advice would be to hang in there, as bailing out on the car right after you have sunk significant money on replacing troubled systems just doesn't make economic sense.

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oh my no i am not retired, just tired,,,,mmmmm i guess you

are right i am not in college,,,,i do have 2 children in college

does that count....the only difference is that i took someones advise

and didnt buy a cheap reatta to start with. so again quit bitc... you get what

what you pay for.............. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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Guest imported_Flash

My introduction to the world of fast talking car sellers came when I was laid off and had a "chance" to get a 1971 corvette. It was only 5500 dollars, 350/4-spd, and had the egg crate side grills that I had always admired, since high school. Man, did I want that car. Just been married 2 years, and the Mrs. said go for it. Talked to a couple of local vette owners and they said that the price was about right. What they didn't say was that for 5500 dollars, you will be spending a whole lot more money if you want to drive it much. One thing after another, green horn purchaser overlooked several items that the seller said would be "just a couple of bucks".

Turned out that after a lot of money that I didn't have was spent, I did a title search, found out I was the 13th owner, called the 2nd owner and he said he had blown the engine, which explained the CE prefix on the engine block, and had bought a LT1 short block from a dearler. Well the car definately had solid lifters, and after replacing the Rochester with a Holley, the 9 leaf rear w/ a 7, new tires, headers, 2.25 exhust through turbos, and a Hurst shifter, I had a ball driving that car.

13,000 dollars into the car, sold it for 6500, was a headache everyday I owned it, and miss it to this day.

So when I say, "find the one that turns your head and keep her", its only because I've been there. Now I buy them new, or at least pay top dollar for someone else taking the excedrin. However, there is an XKE out there somewhere, with my name on it.

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Covettes, like Reatts, appreciate good maintenance. Fortunately I have now been cured of Jaguars (had 9). The difference is that with a Jag, mechanicals need the most work. With a Reatta, it is electics.

Reattas all cost a minimum of $6,000. You can find one for less but eventually it will soak up at least $6k.

For me, the convertible craving is digging in & will either remove the top from my Fiero or find a 57-62 'vette (sold out of them in '75 & took two semis and a flatbed to haul it all away. What is the going rate for a sound m/t 58-60 needing resto these days ?

Is probably silly to think about since have over 60 nights in two different hotel chains already this year (significant because am guarenteed a room even if sold out) but there you are.

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