The battery light came on in my Encore and I had just had the second battery replaced in March of 2018 (6 months) after a long exhaustive search for the cause of my headlights dimming and the engine running badly. I take it to the dealership and after 3 hours of searching, they determine that the alternator is bad and needs to be replaced. Of course the warranty ran out just a few months prior to this and they refuse to classify it as being related to the previous issues.

It is my understanding from speaking with other automotive technicians that having a faulty alternator causes damage to batteries which in turn caused the vehicle to run badly and make noise (which I had asked them about a month earlier when I took it in for an inspection and they told me the engine is suppose to sound like that!). I did some research on the internet and see that others have had the same problem with the alternator and it is causing batteries to fail. So now at my own expense I am having another auto shop replace the alternator with a better non-faulty one. I am trying to get the dealership and GM to take responsibility for this problem and fix it, or reimburse those that have had to pay for it.

Please, if anyone else has had this problem with their 2013-2018 Buick Encore let me know because I want to have backup when I argue with the company to get them to cover the cost of their faulty workmanship or design. Thanks!