My 2012 Toyota Etios Liva: Alternator gave up on a highway

I realised something is seriously wrong & immediately turned off the air conditioning, 12V phone charger, etc. It was clear that the car's charging system was not functioning.

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We were driving from Bangalore to Kochi in our 2012 Etios Liva Diesel last weekend and sometime after Salem, the charging system malfunction indicator lit up. At the time I mistook the warning as the battery had a low charge (the battery is a bit aged from what I remember) and assumed this would correct itself during the trip so I didn't give enough seriousness to it. I even went past the Toyota ASC (Anaamalais) at Erode which was on the highway.

Sometime after that nearing Avinashi, the EPS (Electric Power Steering) warning lit up. Then I finally realised something is seriously wrong and I could feel the heavy steering and even the horn was only making a feeble sound. I immediately turned off the AC, ICE, 12V phone charger, etc. I asked my wife to check the owner's manual to better understand what the warning lights meant. With a better understanding, it was clear that the charging system is not functioning, the battery is not getting charged and all electrical systems are draining the battery directly and is now almost depleted. I knew if I turned off the car it wouldn't start again.

So we parked the car idling on the side and started checking for a Toyota ASC. Erode ASC was around 50 km behind, Tiruppur ASC was around 25 km away, Coimbatore ACS was around 50 km. In that situation, we decided to go for Coimbatore ASC thinking that it was in the direction of travel and less of a deviation. Also felt that being a bigger city hence a bigger service center, would have all required parts. In retrospect, we could have opted for the Tiruppur ASC as that was in effect less of a deviation, and we'd have avoided the traffic going through Coimbatore city.

I also called the Coimbatore ASC saying that we noticed the malfunction indicator, and advised us to turn off all electrical equipment and drive straight to a service center without stopping anywhere. We arrived at the ASC at 1 PM and the lunch break had just started. Even then someone attended us (the same person who spoke to me on the phone) and I explained the issue. He checked the malfunction indicator and said that it could be an issue with the alternator. Since the lunch break had just started, he turned off the car, knowing that it wouldn't self start, cause it would be an hour before they can start the work.

The car had all our luggage and our pet kitten. Took our backpacks and kitten inside and we waited inside the customer lounge. Around 1:50 PM or so, the SA arrived and he checked the vehicle again and opened a job sheet with an initial estimate of Rs 732 + tax (only labour). Shortly after, a couple of technicians arrived and tried to push the vehicle to start, but it didn't work and they ended up pushing it all the way to the service bay.

Now coming to the main part, the ASC diagnosed the issue to a worn-out alternator regulator. While inspecting they also noticed cracks on the alternator belt, hence advised changing it. The SA showed me the parts, the brush (?) had indeed worn out and there were cracks on the belt. The car has 1,73,000 km on the odo, I do not know when these components were last changed as my father used to use the car till about 157k km.

• REGULATOR ASSY, GENE - 27700-0N020 - Rs 4382
• BELT, V-RIBBED - 90916-02674 - Rs 2204
• Labour - Rs 863
• Total Rs 7,500

(The labour also included Rs 173 for sanitisation, they never did anything inside the car, when asked the SA, he said its a mandatory charge, I let it go)

I authorised the repair but I was a bit uneasy with the prices cause these appeared to be on the expensive side. I did ask the SA if there is any other child/subpart which can be changed for the regulator as only the brush (the term they used) part appeared to be worn out. But he assured me these are the right parts.

By 3:45 or so, the car was ready. They charged the battery as well enough to start, although asked me to keep the car running for 30 min or so to get it properly charged.

Coming to my questions

• Is there a child or subpart for replacing just the brush? I noticed P/N 27370-0Y100 but not sure if it is compatible.
• I noticed that there are two part numbers for V-Ribbed Belt. 90916-02674 for Etios Liva Diesel which costs Rs 2204 and 90916-02690 for Etios Liva Petrol which costs Rs 544. Is it normal for the v-belt for the diesel engine to cost 4x more?
• Was I over-charged in any way? (Considering this was done at an ASC, I understand that the part prices may be on the higher side).

Except for this doubt of being overcharged, I must say that Anaamalais Toyota, Coimbatore did an exceptional job in taking care of this emergency during our trip.

Here's what BHPian vigsom had to say about the matter:

You haven't been overcharged. Yes, an FNG Electrician could have done it for much less, but then you wouldn't have got OE parts. An aftermarket drive belt would have cost you typically ₹500, but as per the online parts catalog, you've been billed just right for the OE parts - no issues here. Just to give you an example - a Suzuki Genuine drive belt for my car would cost ₹2500 against a typical ₹600 for an aftermarket Contitech. The belt on your car doesn't seem to have been replaced ever, so it was good that it was done.

You arrived at the ASC at 1 at lunch, someone attended to you rather than make you wait. A job card was opened at 1:50 pm, and the job was over at 3:45 pm. I'd say that was fantastic service plus the labour charge was a mere ₹863. That's Q service!

Here's what BHPian sagarpadaki had to say about the matter:

I do not think you were overcharged. The right parts have been replaced and labor is also reasonable considering you got it done at TASS.

To your question, is the serpentine belt for diesel 4x the cost of that of petrol? I think this cost difference between the petrol and diesel belt is because of the country of origin. The belts imported from Japan or any other country will cost more. Maybe the belt for petrol engines is made locally. There are cheaper aftermarket options available from reputed companies but you did not have a choice given your situation. In my opinion, you should not think too much about the expensive belt since the original one has served well for this long without snapping. You would be in bigger trouble if the belt snapped since the water pump is also driven with this belt.

Typically, the rubber belts are to be replaced once in 7-8 years to be on the safer side. The old belt had a good amount of cracks.

Here's what BHPian Raghu M had to say about the matter:

I don't think you have been overcharged. On the contrary, you have been very lucky to get that kind of treatment and priority. Try getting into an M&M service without an appointment and you will be scrambling all over to have someone attend to you in the first place. I think Toyota has done a fantastic job here. You had your family, baggage and a kitten. I would be very satisfied and happy if I got back on my journey after facing such an issue. I think you can leave that worry aside altogether!

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