Customer kept saying no start because of a dead battery, turned out the alternator fried everything

Had this guy bring his 2012 Civic into the shop three times last month insisting he just needed a new battery. After the third battery died in two weeks I finally got him to let me check the charging system. The alternator was spiking at 17 volts and cooked every bulb and module in the car. What do you guys do when a customer fights you on basic diag like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam_hernandez6d ago

Hate to be the guy who looks at the shop's side, but honestly, this is on you for not doing a basic voltage drop test on the third visit. You knew he was burning through batteries and just let him leave with another one? That's gonna bite you in the wallet later when he posts a bad review saying you kept selling him batteries he didn't need. I always pull out my multimeter and check the alternator output right in front of them, even if they're pissed about the wait. It's like 30 seconds and stops this whole fight before it even starts.

nina1476d agoTop Commenter

@adam_hernandez my buddy did that once and the guy still blamed him when his alternator died a week later.

robert_smith365d agoMost Upvoted

Ever think the customer was probably trying to get you to total the car for insurance fraud on purpose? Pushing a fried electrical system is a weird way to ask for a freebie.