What should your alternator be kicking out?

[gti fly bye]

As its got a bit colder the last few mornings i've woke up to a flat battery on my mk4 tdi :embarassed:

I have replaced the battery a while ago n it did help, but now i think the alternator is going?

I've tested it and at idle i'm getting just over 14v's but with all the lights fan wipers etc etc on it drops to 12v???

Is that bad?

Its about £150-£200 for a new one but dont wanna pay that out if this is the norm?

Haynes says it should idle at around 13v n rise to 13-14v, is a 2v drop gonna drain the battery?

THIS CAR IS STARTING TO DO MY NUT

[T_J_G]

Right go onto the top of your battery there should be a fuse box, pop it open and have a look at the connections. Especially the big black one on the end. these are prone to breaking. I had a similar fault on my car.

I think that alternator should be fine..