So I was reading the FAQ section to see what was wrong with my dash lights and tail lights when I noticed the thing about car voltage. The normal voltage is suppose to be 14.4 or something. But ever since I got the car the voltage read 12.6.

I haven't really noticed any issues with the car. The car always starts and the AC Charger port works fine.

Is there any real performance issue running at 12.6V? Honestly, anything that doesn't affect the performance isn't priority on my list of things-to-do for my seven.

Thanks for the help. I don't want to go and replace my alternator before I do my research.

 

There are quite a bit of things....
Battery is your main priority obviously
Performance that I've seen is lacking, idle will be off as well
Electrical things that are running at the wrong voltage tend to deteriorate...
What's wrong with getting a new alternator anyway?

 

None really, I just wanted to make sure I was replacing the right thing.

 

just got this from another thread:
I'll try doing that when I get the car back from the mechanic. Then again I can ask him about it. The car is in the shop for a totally different reason.

 

Your voltmeter is screwed up. Unless the battery voltage is constantly over 13V while the engine is running, the battery is not being charged. It would be dead after 10-15 minutes of driving.

Get a proper voltmeter (like a digital multimeter) and measure the voltage across the battery terminals while the engine is idling. With all electrical accessories off it should be at least 14V.