Over the years I have owned eleven cars. My first car was a 1978 Datsun F10. At the time it was an older car with older car issues. It needed new tires, an alternator, a battery and after that, I had no idea, but I was sixteen and I knew I was ready to drive. So I bought a battery and drove my used car home. That was the first time I learned that a bad alternator would drain a good battery.

According to Pepboys the alternator “re-cycles the power your battery uses while driving”. This makes sense since I noticed I would lose power as I drove. The first thing I noticed was how slow my power windows were. Then I could hear my gas chugging. Before long my engine stalled out and my battery was completely dead. I turned the key but there was no sound, not even a click.

I rolled to a stop and had to pay for a tow home. By the time I was done paying for the towing service I was broke. I could get my car going again if I could charge the battery overnight, but I would only last a few miles before the battery would die again. However, I was sixteen years old and I was determined to keep driving- so I did.

With no money to replace the battery, the alternator, and the starter, my Datsun F10 sat in the driveway for months. Eventually I sold it and someone was generous enough to give me five hundred dollars for it. From that time forward, I would never have a car with a bad alternator again. Automotive parts lesson learned.