Point Vernon

Living on the Point Vernon headland and need an auto electrician? This is the most exposed corner of Hervey Bay, with sea on two sides, so front-end corrosion, beach launches at Gatakers Bay and cars that don't get driven much are behind a lot of the work.

• Need it fixed? Get a quote from an auto electrician near Point Vernon, including mobile businesses that come to you.
• Doing it yourself? Order quality parts online from Ozautoelectrics.
• Auto electrician in Point Vernon? List your business on this site to win more customers.
• Are you a trade customer? Apply here for trade pricing.

Common auto electrical jobs in Point Vernon

Point Vernon wraps around one of the largest rocky headlands on this stretch of coast, with the Esplanade and bike path following the water. It has boat ramps at Gatakers Bay and Corfield Street, two holiday parks and an older population than many Hervey Bay suburbs.

Horns, fog lights and front-end plugs

On the headland the wind often comes straight off the water, and the first parts of a car to suffer are the ones behind the grille. Horns go quiet or croaky, fog lights stop working and the plugs on bonnet sensors and headlight motors turn green. These parts face the breeze every time the car is parked facing the bay. Cleaning the plugs, applying a little dielectric grease and checking the earth points at the front of the car fixes many of these faults.

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop car horns

Electric winches on boat trailers

Launching off the beach-side ramps at Gatakers Bay and Corfield Street can mean a longer, harder pull back onto the trailer, so many locals fit an electric winch to the trailer. It needs a heavy cable from the car's battery, usually through an Anderson plug at the towbar, with a fuse or circuit breaker near the battery. Thin cable means a slow winch and hot connections. Our guide on wiring an Anderson plug shows the correct layout.

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop trailer winches

Starter motor or battery?

A car that only goes to the shops on Long Street a couple of times a week can be hard to diagnose when it won't start. A single click often points to the starter motor or its solenoid. Slow, laboured cranking usually means a tired battery or a poor connection. Rapid clicking is nearly always a flat battery. Telling them apart before buying parts saves money. Our guide on whether it's the starter motor or the battery walks through the signs.

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop starter motors

Checking your own circuits

Plenty of Point Vernon residents like to find a fault themselves before calling anyone. A basic multimeter is the most useful tool you can own for that. It tells you whether a battery is healthy, whether power is reaching a globe and whether an earth is doing its job. Learn to measure voltage first, and leave resistance and current tests until you're confident. Our guide on using a multimeter on a car starts with the simple checks.

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop multimeters

Campervans at the holiday parks

The holiday parks in Point Vernon see a steady stream of campervans and motorhomes. Common faults include a house battery that won't hold charge, a 12V socket that has stopped working, a water pump that cuts out and a mains charger that has tripped. Many of these come down to a blown fuse or a loose terminal behind a panel. Anything on the 240V side of the van, apart from plugging in a lead, is a job for a licensed electrician.

Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop 12V sockets

Point Vernon auto electrical questions

Why does my car horn stop working when I live near the water?

Most horns sit low behind the grille, where salty air and road spray hit them first. The terminals corrode, the earth gets weak and the horn either goes quiet or sounds strained. Check the fuse and relay first. Then clean the horn's terminals and earth. If the horn itself is rusted inside, replacing it is usually cheap, and a sealed horn lasts longer near the coast.

Is it safe to leave a winch cable connected to my car battery all the time?

It can be, if the cable is fused or protected by a circuit breaker close to the battery and the Anderson plug at the rear has a dust cap. The risk with a permanent connection is a chafed cable shorting to the body. Check the cable route every few months, especially where it passes through the chassis, and fit an isolator switch if the car sits for long periods.

My car only does a few kilometres a week. Will the battery last?

Short, infrequent trips are hard on batteries, because they rarely get fully recharged. Expect a shorter life than you would get from a car that is driven every day. A smart charger used once a fortnight keeps the battery topped up and helps it last. Have it tested once a year so you can replace it before it lets you down.

Auto electricians near Point Vernon

See the Hervey Bay listings for auto electricians and mobile services that cover Point Vernon.

Looking for parts in Point Vernon?

Looking for parts in Point Vernon? Search horns, trailer winches and multimeters: quality parts from Ozautoelectrics, dispatched Australia-wide.

Nearby: Pialba · Eli Waters

Run an auto electrical business in Point Vernon?

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