I bought a 53 plate fabia estate in February and its battery/Alternator light comes on every time i start the car and turns off after a few seconds of driving.

I have kept an eye on it but it hasnt caused any problems for the thousands of miles I have driven it until today. I went to start my car and the power steering light came on so I switched the ignition off and went to start it again but now it wont start beacuse the battery is too low.

Firstly I hope that the reason the power steering didnt work it becasue of the low battery. Also can anybody recomend any diagnostics I can do as home to see if the problem is a worn out battery or the alternator has finally given up?

Had this exact problem not long ago.

My alternator was dead..

Recharged battery and fitted new alternator..

Problem solved.

Hope this helps.

Jump start to get it running and leave for 10 mins.

Measure voltage across battery whilst engine is on, you should get 14v or more if less alternator is faulty.

I have just had a similar problem but mine thankfully just turned out to be the battery.

I had a similar problem that was due to the well known broken wire from the alternator to a joint somewhere under the battery. In my case the light only went off ( and charging started up) when engine revs exceeded about 3000 so sometimes it never did leading to flat battery and associated symptoms.

if not the wire prob' it may be the brushes are dirty/sticky in the alternator    I guess your battery has been slowly going down over time and the first cold morning has caught it out  (especially if it's diesel) (even in Brighton :sun: )    check the charging voltage BUT if you can get a proper battery charge (mains) do that first it won't be quick but will give the best chance for longer battery life