Got a phone call late last night from Phoenix - We have found the fault with your car, its a duff alternator - apparently its been poking out anything from 7 to 18 volts randomly - now why could eastern not spot this ???? Anyone advise on whether a duff alternator could have caused all these problems ???

 

My initial guess would have been a bad electrical connection, perhaps at the battery, so I could easily see it as an alternator issues. You would have had 4 plus weeks with the fix in place; hopefully it's solved?