I may have mispelt it,but does anyone have any idea of the seriousness of a burnt out electrical loom on an alfa gtv?
Or for that matter what it is?
I have a thread going on this and the problems i have had with my current dealings with alfa.
The RAC engineer when he towed the car away said if its a burnt out loom that alfa may write the car off! Its only done 3,000 miles,so is he winding me up,or is what he says a possibility?
I have no idea re electrics,engines etc, i just drive cars and need to daily,which ironically is one of the reasons i bought a new one!
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Ahhhh a man after my own heart ND !! To put it midly I think it means that all the wiring in your car is knackered!
Good luck with your pursuit of the supplier BTW and keep us posted.
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As I understand it, the loom is the bundle of wiring connecting everything electrical to everything else. As modern cars are full of different gismos, if any shorts develop in the loom, it can be very labour-intensive to sort out, and may even cause a car to go up in flames.
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Burnt out wiring looms are caused by a short circuit. An unfused live cable such as that on the alternator, starter motor or fuse box supply chafing to earth somewhere. Usually the cause is not too difficult to find as the section of burnt wiring will often lead you to it, but the repair as Andrew-T says is usually quite a job.
A useful tool for finding short circuits where fuses keep blowing is easily made. Take a blown fuse and connect a 12V low watt bulb (ie. interior lamp or side lamp bulb) to each of the blades. Place the tool in the slot where the blowing fuse is and isolate every known component in the circuit (a wiring diagram is handy here). Switch on the ignition (if applicable) and if the bulb lights brightly you have a short circuit (12V supply to the bulb and going straight to earth) This will cause no damage as the bulb is a resistance in the circuit, but at least you know that if you fit a new fuse it will blow straight away. If it lights less bright you probably have no fault, but there is something still connected in the circuit and it's resistance is drawing current.
Good luck with it anyway.
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Sadly it didnt go up in flames! It just ground to a halt with smoke coming from dashboard.
Suppliers not interested in helping,local alfa dealer to busy for a fortnight and alfa uk absolutely useless!i will be following up all this week and will update.
However,has anyone ever heard of a new car being written off for something like this? The RAC bloke said it would be many (hundreds!) labour hours,hence alfa may write off.
Any views?
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Daddy, I may have been a bit harsh with you before, and probably was, really.
Yes, it is possible that your car could be written off. Try and get that option, if you can.
Dashboards are moulded plastic and cryogenic foam. When burnt, these tend to produce carcinogenic (cancer causing) compounds.
All of the burnt stuff needs removing.
The wiring loom goes around the whole vehicle, joined by plugs and sockets. To improve reliability, makers have reduced these plugs and sockets and fit a one-piece loom wherever possible. To cut out and wire in new cables will prejudice your reliability (can't believe I'm writing this about a....) No, this is true so far, mate so try and either reject the car or get the insurance people involved.
There may be damage to heater matrix, coolant pipes, radio unit, alarm control, ECU as that is where they are located (a £600 component) etc.
Try and get shut is the best help I can offer you.
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Thanks sean. i dont like the sound of the cancer causing compounds,especially as i sat in the car for 2 and a half hours waiting for the RAC and thinking what was that funny smell!
i didnt think you were harsh on the other thread by the way!
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Out of the blue, i received a call from the alfa garage my car was towed to last week (it may have something to do with the fact that i spoke to the sales dep`t earlier and asked them to consider a part ex,my gtv for a new 156!).
Much to my surprise i was told the car is fixed! Apparently it was supplied to me with the wrong battery! They said the battery was not one that comes with a new alfa and was too small for the box/bracket it sits in. As a result it has fallen over and touched metal and caused a short,which itself has blown all the fuses!
I havent seen it yet and i am slightly dubious,because as the RAC man said,you dont normally expect to see smoke emissions from a blown fuse! Not that i would know to be honest.
Sadly it would appear this is yet another example of my problems encountered in buying this car,which dont forget is supposed to be new and thus should have an alfa factory fitted battery. This has caused obvious aggro and costs (the work and new battery arent covered by warranty). So it is yet another thing that i have to go back to the car supermarket which can no longer be named and complain about/seek redress.
Thanks for advice,guidance and help to all. It appears alfa dealer and alfa uk are not at fault,simply a supermarket selling cars as new which are clearly not,or should`nt be described as.
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