I'll happily help you out Lizzie, and you sure as hell won't need a loan for the privilege... it's what forums are all about
Ah, thanks James
I may need your help with my Omega......
None of you may believe this, but my alternator break down became almost a fatal disaster, not just for the car but me!..
First the Lucas alternator that my dealer and I sourced from Eurocar parts, although listed for a 3.2 Omega, could not be fitted after the defunct original was removed. Mechanically it did fit....the problem was the electrical terminals at its rear were in the wrong place!! The live in particular was too far away for the wiring o reach, and even the run of the neutral across the back plate was all wrong! No matter how the VX mechanic tried, only the special ordering and manufacturing of new cables, which the service Manager said could cost as much as the alternator would, could resolve the issue. We both agreed this was not viable. The Lucas product was immediately returned to the local Eurocar parts store just across the road for a full refund.
So the Vx Service Manger Marc,
and I researched the few alternators now available for an Omega online (ignoring a Bosch original at £611 , and so called replacements on eBay due to the associated risks of such purchases , and the distinct possibility of having badly positioned terminals that we could not verify!!!!) .
First I ordered the (it was agreed it was cheaper for me to buy it rather than it go through the dealers books) Elstock alternator from GSF, a supplier used by the Vx dealer which had the same positioning of terminals as the original. Waited for the part to arrive at the GSF branch just up the road...and waited until the day they said it would arrive.. waited in the Caffyns main dealer......then GSF rang me and explained the alternator would not be delivered due to no stocks being available!
So,sat down again at the service managers computer and looked at alternatives with the right terminals - time and time again, wrong terminal positioning or simply no stock available for a Vx 3.2 Omega!! Eventually Marc found a AS alternator at Autodoc that fitted the specifications required. Ordered it and after four days it arrived via Poland and Germany. My daughter delivered it to the Vx dealership after being correctly sent to my home address, and it was successfully fitted the next day. Hurray!!! ! It also cost just £107, £90 cheaper than the others ordered and without the surcharge hassle.
But, there is more to this story.....
..