help...please!

[xenradio]

tvr authorised dealer did a 12k mile service
mainly ok, few points but nothing spectacular..
drive back happy as a sand boy
next morining car wont start, no noise no lights no nothing - turn the key and zilch. try charging battery but still no luck. call service peeps who say its a battery cell fault, try your dealer.
call original garage who i bought from as under warranty. they come out yesterday and swap battery with a new one.
drive around for an hour or so, happy as a sandboy
this morning car wont start.....same as before
typing while on phone to service team.....baffled....

[plotloss]

Alternator not charging the battery?

Easy way to test, start the car if you can then take the positive off the battery while the car is running. If it stops there is a fault with the charging circuit, usually the alternator.

Just a guess.

Matt.

[xenradio]

sorry matt - how do i start the car?!

[plotloss]

Beg borrow or steal a booster pack?

As a neighbour for a jump?

That was the vital flaw to my suggestion I have to say!

Matt.

[xenradio]

doesnt jump -
well it does but then wont stay idle
tried this on last battery and didnt work either
just come off phone with warranty dealer and they are arranging a pick up of car 2moro
(i pay recovery fee as not listed under cover)
when or if this gets fixed it is very likely that i will trade in my chimp
i know i'm being miserable and i do love it and yes i know its just bad luck but i bought this to relieve some stress and since then i have never been more stressed...
i'm going for a lie down - hold my calls..

[plotloss]

Have faith, ask them to keep it until its a nice day then drive home with the roof down, watch the stress melt away.

Alternator it really does sound like, but then I am more of an enthusiastic amateur on Mini's rather than Tiv's.

Hope everything gets sorted ASAP

Matt.

[gervaised]

i had something like this happen. turned out that the alternator had gone very wrong, and had essentially turned itself into a motor.

check to see how hot it gets when you put in a new battery, or charge up your existing one. if the alternator is getting warm of it's own accord, it's possibly the same thing.

mine went to a garage on the back of a wagon, and the breakdown guy had left a huge booser pack connected to the battery. by the time it got there, the pack was nearly flat(takes some doing), and the alternator was pretty hot.

had the alternator changed, and it's been fine since.

>> Edited by gervaised on Tuesday 5th February 16:55

[dan]

Had similar symptoms with a 530i SE. It turned out to be the Idle control valve (the choke on injection engines) basically drive car around no problem but if you leave it for long enough to get cold, the idle valve says eyup getting a bit chilli, need to control the mixture, and starts buzzing away to itself happily draining the battery.

I don't know if a Tiv even uses this type of control but hey... I thought I'd mention it.

Cheers Dan

[stig]

Sounds like dodgy alternator or regulator on it to me.

[Bo Nydal]

quote:
when or if this gets fixed it is very likely that i will trade in my chimp

[bazza2000]

I saw this and just had to offer some word of encouragement. Don't give up on it, it sounds like a fairly simple fault (alternator probably), get a new one, or recon to save a few quid and drive the baby. You'll soon forget about the hassle.

Enjoy, at least you have a TVR, I'm still looking for the particular example I want.

[Jason F]

Xen, I can provide the details of a top auto electrician (imho) in Southend Essex, if you want.. He sorted out the electrics with my Chimaera..

[rthierry]

Xen,

May be your car has been looked after by the wrong people... Or may be you just got an unlucky number, but don't desperate, there are plenty of sensibly priced specialist out there who know these machine inside out and can put things in order.
Spring will be there in a couple of months !

[xenradio]

thanks guys
just wish the SUN would come out !!!!
AND they give me my (fixed) car back..