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'02 Passat v6 "alternator workshop message while driving and car would not start"

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7K views 54 replies 16 participants last post by  hotfoot 
#1 ·
'02 Passat v6 "alternator workshop message while driving and car would not start"

Hello all,

It's been quite a year for car repairs and now i get this....

All of a sudden the car would not start so I had to boost it and then it was OK. Afterwards while driving i get a few "alternator workshop" messages.
I don't feel any problems when car is driving , only when I have to start that it won't start.

Can this be a bad battery or it the alternator dead? :(

Many thanks
 
#7 ·
I had to replace my alternator on my 2000 v6. It started when I was driving, and the battery light would come on. I would rev the car a few times, and the light would go away. It got to the point where I had to jump it to get it to start up. I got the battery checked, and it was good. Obvious next choice was the alternator. It was completely DEAD. It was not a fun/easy job to do while having a torn rotator cuff. I got the alternator replaced and the car buttoned back up, and she fired like a champ. Due to the alternator not working though, it did end the life of the battery shortly after the new alternator was put it. Good thing it was under warranty.
 
#8 ·
Just got back from a trusted mechanic and he said the alternator and battery tested out OK , so not an easy fix :(

Now they are not sure what exactly is draining the battery and will sun it through a few more drives and tests

Any ideas I do have a car starter and the standard alarm
 
#9 ·
You have a short somewhere. Connect an ammeter between the battery and either hot or ground. DO NOT start the car or turn on any heavy load items, such as headlamps. If you get more than a few mA of current, start pulling fuses to identify which circuit is draining your electrical system. You have an electrical short somewhere, and it may be intermittent, caused perhaps by a hole in wiring insulation somewhere.
 
#11 ·
Please don't discount the idea you might still have a bad battery or alternator. In my experience, tests of those components, especially the battery, are excessively optimistic. It they say it's good, it might be; if they say it's bad, it probably is. If you feel capable of doing so, check the voltage as described; check the grounds and try cleaning the battery terminals. If it were me, and the battery was more than say, three years old, I'd just try a new one.
 
#13 ·
The battery is over 4 yrs old
After wrestling an enormous battery into my diesel 1978 Peugeot in a sleet storm, I swore "never again." So, I replace the batteries in my cars every five years, period. Not like they're tremendously expensive; last time around a Genuine VW battery was about $100 at the dealership, and I'm up for another next spring.

Never had another battery problem, or any more ice down my neck.

I replaced the alternator in my 2000 Passat when it started getting noisy, not when it stopped charging.
 
#14 ·
Just got back from a reputable mechanic and they say there's no problem with car , the battery and alternator checked out OK.

If it happens again , they say it can be an electrical bug that would be beyond their knowledge

Any ideas on if I should bring to VW themselves or simply change the battery ( which is supposedly still good ) as you all seem to say?

Why would this "alternator workshop " have showed up then ?

many thanks
 
#15 ·
"Alternator Workshop", as far as I know, simply tells you the voltage in the electrical system, while running, is insufficient. Could be because the alternator isn't providing current, the battery isn't "accepting" it or, less likely, that a serious short is pulling the voltage down. IMHO, you can:

1. Ignore it and hope it goes away (glitch)
2. Take it to the VW dealer and pay another diagnostic fee.
3. Do the diagnostics suggested above yourself: Check voltage, check grounds, measure drain, look for shorts.
4. Start replacing parts, cheapest one (battery) first.

All are valid choices, except that #1 can strand you. I'd probably do a combination of #2 and #3, particularly measuring the voltage. Note that a diagnostic at the VW dealer will cost about what a new battery does, and you're almost due.

And, no offense to your "trusted mechanic", but if he services a wide variety of cars, he's not going to know what to look for on this one - and really can't spend too much time on it, hoping he spots something.
 
#17 ·
Thank you for that well worded response :)

I will take that advice and probably go with #4 first
The other options i'm am not to kean on doing myself and will bring it in to VW

I am also hoping it's a glitch with the battery being defective and a new one will solve the issue.

much appreciated
 
#18 ·
All the connections were checked but i wouldn't really know how to check :)

The car's alternator and battery was tested fully , driving it with all electrical components on and off all was well. I would really hate it to be a VERY intermittent issue.
Will go with the battery change for now and take it from there...

thanks !
 
#24 ·
I don't know how things are done in Montreal, but here you can take the alternator to AutoZone, O'Reilly's, Advance Auto, etc and have it tested for free. The main thing is to get it out of the car... You can do that over the weekend. Need to put the front in service position though
 
#26 ·
Testing only proves whether or not it works- at the time it is being tested. If the alternator was out of the car, the next step I'd do is to remove the brush/regulator module and check the brush length, for which specs are available. With the alternator being 12 years old, it would probably be best to change that whole assembly, which is much cheaper than the entire alternator, and likely where the fault is. For instance, if a Bosch alternator, the regulator assembly is $52 at autohausaz.com.
 
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