Alternator dead so soon?? 2004 New Beetle

[digerati]

HI all,
I adore my 2004 NewBeetle; had it 4 years and 4 months. Lost power steering and AC very suddenly; popped hood & noticed belts were off/loose. Took car to local metric repair shop (I'm 100 miles from VW dealership) and they say alternator is dead and needs to be replaced even after replacing belt and determining that "everything is spinning okay". They say alternator is not taking a charge any more. Does this sound suspicious or does a dead 4-yr-old alternator sound typical -- or at least possible -- for this car? It has 50,000 miles and the airbag light has been on for about a year (there's a warranty recall on this issue). Any insights? Thank you!!

[hestersu]

Belts off and/or loose? Were you driving your car and the timing belt let go by chance?

[digerati]

Originally Posted by hestersu

Belts off and/or loose? Were you driving your car and the timing belt let go by chance?

Wow what a fast reply, thanks!
It was weird - all was well (AC, power steering, etc okay), then I BACKED UP into a parking spot, put it in first and turned off the car; went to shop, came out 15 mins later, and car started but had no power steering & air. Popped hood and saw loose belts at lower left near the alternator. Metric repair shop said Oh it's just the belt, but after replacing belt they said the alternator itself wasn't responding to the fix and would not hold a charge, or whatever it is alternators are supposed to do. Before I have $700 worth of new alternator put in, I wanted to get some feedback! I understand you have to remove the entire front bumper to change the alternator. Also, IS IT A BAD IDEA TO TAKE A NEW BEETLE TO A REPUTABLE NON-AUTHORIZED VW SHOP THAT HAS BEEN WORKING ON VWS FOR DECADES? This is the first time I've ever taken a VW that was manufactured AFTER 1995 to a repair shop! I'm used to 1966 bugs and 1972 buses!! Thank you much.

[budget90gst]

if you can get a hold of a multi meter and measure the voltage across the terminals while the car is running, then you should be able to tell if the alternator is working or not. with the car off, the battery will usually read 12 to 12.5 volts and should read 13-14 volts when running. good luck.