Dealer says my Outback's alternator doesn't charge the battery for 30 minutes after starting.

Niel

I bought my 6-cylinder Outback new in 2016. Mostly driving a 45 mile one way commute. That changed recently. Last week my battery died and I replaced it. Seemed right after 3 years. Today the service tech tells me the battery is bad. I say I just replaced it. They then tell me that the alternator is a problem with the way it is programmed/designed and that it won't start charging for 30-45 minutes after the car is started. Seems crazy to me....also not okay. Anyone have experience with this?

bdyment

I would find another dealer right away. This makes no sense. If you only drove 25 min. at a time you would never get your battery charged according to these so called techs.

thecardoc3

Niel said:

I bought my 6-cylinder Outback new in 2016. Mostly driving a 45 mile one way commute. That changed recently.

How exactly has your normal use of the car changed?

Niel said:

Last week my battery died and I replaced it. Seemed right after 3 years. Today the service tech tells me the battery is bad. I say I just replaced it.

Why was it in for service, did the new battery become dischanged and fail to start the car? What else is going on that hasn't been mentioned?

Niel said:

They then tell me that the alternator is a problem with the way it is programmed/designed and that it won't start charging for 30-45 minutes after the car is started. Seems crazy to me....also not okay. Anyone have experience with this?

Were you talking to the technician or a service writer? Was that exactly what was said or did they maybe say something like you have to drive it XX to fully recharge the battery? The alternator would be providing all of the vehicle power as soon as the engine starts. But at low speeds or idle, the battery has to help the alternator provide power for all of the accessories, and that makes it take longer to fully recharge the battery.

How long/far is your normal trip now?