Truck broke down, described all symptoms, towed in by AAA, battery gauge had dropped and all electronics went out, We asked the garage to figure out what our problem was, battery or alternator, they spent about 1-2hr letting it idle trying to recreate the problem and still told us nothing, but charged the battery and sent us on our way. later fixing it myself I found the battery was 11 years old and not holding a charge, it would have been nice if they just told me that instead of letting me break down again on the way home.
Reply from the business:
May 24, 2018Devin, the LAST thing we want to happen is for you to breakdown on the road. Our first instinct with the symptoms you described would be that the alternator has stopped charging the battery and should be replaced. That would explain the gauges and the loss of electronics. Not being able to prove a bad alternator, we tested the battery which suggested that it be recharged. We recharged it, retested and it came back fine. Sometimes with electrical issues it's a no-win for us. We could've replaced the alternator on a hunch but because of expense we prefer not just throwing parts on a car without proof. We could've also replaced the battery but without proof, it would've only been a guess. Electrical issues can appear and then just as quickly disappear. Unfortunately those situations are never any fun. I wish we had a crystal ball that would help solve these types of problems. Sorry for your experience.