Alternator Replacement

Alternator Replacement Service MN

Your vehicle’s alternator is a crucial element in creating electricity in your vehicle. This includes helping your battery stay charged as well as keeping all of the electronic accessories, from the lights to the radio, functioning properly. If there’s a problem with your alternator, whether it needs to be repaired or replaced, don’t wait to get it checked out. The longer you wait, the higher chance there is that you’ll go outside one morning to find that your vehicle’s battery is dead. Instead, if you think that there’s a problem with your alternator, call St. Paul Automotive, and let us take a look. We’ll let you know just how damaged your alternator is and make the proper repairs so that you can get back to driving with bright headlights again.

Signs of Alternator Problems

When your alternator is failing, there are some highly common and easily noticeable symptoms. For many drivers, they become aware of an alternator problem by observing a difference in the brightness of their vehicle’s lights, either the headlights, high beams, dashboard lights, or overhead lights. If any of your vehicle’s lights have dimmed without a clear cause, it could be the alternator. You could also need alternator repairs if your battery has been having trouble starting, either making you turn the key a few times before starting up, making you hold the key in the ignition position for an extended amount of time, or even refusing to start now and then without any clear cause.

You should also be sure to pay attention to the warning light on your vehicle that should tell you when the alternator output is lower than normal. If your alternator light turns on, if even only one time, don’t ignore it; it could mean serious trouble for your alternator in the not-too-distant future. Often times, the light will only come on when you’re trying to use more power than your alternator can put out, so if it happens every time your radio turns on, don’t assume it’s a problem with your radio; your alternator is probably just letting you know that it can’t keep up. If you aren’t seeing any of these symptoms of alternator failure, pay attention to any unusual noises or smells coming from your vehicle. The alternator functions with a belt and pulley system, so if the belt is wearing out, you’ll often smell burning rubber, and you may hear a whining or growling noise coming from your vehicle’s front end.

When to Replace an Alternator

Like many components of your vehicle, alternators cannot and will not last forever, and although proper maintenance will always help your vehicle run better, it’s not that simple for alternators. Unfortunately, there’s no way to ensure that your alternator lasts a specific length of time; the only way to help your alternator last longer is to properly maintain the surrounding parts of your car that could negatively affect the alternator. By having your car regularly inspected and properly maintained on a routine basis, both you and your mechanic will be more likely to catch any problems with your alternator early, ensuring that you go through as little grief as possible when it’s time to get it fixed.

Alternator Inspection and Replacement for Improved Functionality

When there’s an issue with your alternator, although the symptoms seem black and white, it’s not always clear to you or your mechanic what exactly is causing those symptoms. If your lights are dim or your battery is dead, for example, you could be looking at a new battery or a new alternator. If your engine is slow to start, laboring with the key in the ignition or starting only “when it wants to,” your problem could be with the alternator, the battery, or the starter. For most drivers, the difference between these three components isn’t obvious, and for some mechanics, the differences in symptoms of component failure are ignored. At St. Paul Automotive, though, we make sure that we inspect your vehicle thoroughly so that we know exactly what’s causing your electrical problems.

When you have a problem with a failing alternator, don’t trust just anyone to inspect your vehicle and find the problem; they might not. Instead, come to the mechanics you can trust to look at your car without trying to get more money out of you. We’ll provide you with an honest alternator inspection and quality alternator repair service that will leave you satisfied and your vehicle re-energized. Contact us at (651) 298-0956, and see how we can help you get your radio working, your lights blaring, and your battery charging again.

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