Hi All,
I've currently got a Vectra C 2.0 DTI - it's been working just fine for the last few years but in the last week or so I had bit of a shock in the middle of the night when I lost all the lights (interior and exterior) - only to then realise i'd lost all the electrics (including brakes and power steering).
Managed to stop the car fortunately and got the rescue guys out - they found that the alternator was overcharging the system (at something like 19V), so the car was shutting off the electrical systems to protect them. Rescue guy came out and got me going by unplugging the alternator feed to stop the overcharge - so I had about 10 minutes to race the car to a garage before the battery totally died.
Getting the car repaired in the garage, I got a call from my mechanic to say he was extremely concerned - it appears that the guy who disconnected the alternator lead left it exposed and hanging - dangerously close to hitting an earth. I'm told that if this had happened, it could have been a bit of a problem... New battery and new alternator in the end and the car is fine, but my guy really did make a point about the alternator lead....
Would appreciate any views you may have to offer on this - could it have been as bad as my mechanic is suggesting?