Hi everyone,

I had to replace my alternator on my early 300Tdi Discovery in May 2005 due to the bearings had worn out and was really noisey. I decided to get one from the local Land Rover dealership at a cost of over £200 + Vat (fitted it myself) as they were the only people who had one the same day as i was going away on holiday the next day.

15 months later and the battery light no longer comes on with the ignition and this causes it to drain the battery over two days . The alternator is charging fine and causes no other problems.
I know it is the alternator warning light wire that causes the battery drain because if i disconnect the wire for the warning light off the back of the alternator and check the drain on the battery it is ok but as soon as i put the wire back on it reads a high drain.

I spoke to the Land Rover dealership who told me that it is out of the 12 month warranty so they would not do anything about it. I told him that i could not afford to buy a new alternator every 15 months at Land Rover costs and left

I went to the local motor factor and the best price they could do for one is £160 + Vat

My question after all that is: Could i fix the problem with the warning light not being able to earth though the alternator when the ignition is switched on by rebuilding it?

Or

Can i leave the warning light wire disconnected all the time without causing any problems when the engine is running?

Cheers for any advise

If you are after a new one (maybe a recon) Try Paddocks, I am sure they are more like £80.

There are a number of brilliant places, that will rebuld them for about £40/50.

Local place here rebuilt one in a matter of hours, it came back looking brand new. Was a little more expensive because its was from a commercial vehicle, these places are usualy little shacks in the back of industrial estates, and they do great work.