Q&A

My 2003 Jetta has these intermittent electrical gremlins where the interior lights (dash,doors,radio,etc.) flicker. When I purchased her back in May 2009, the alternator had to be replaced twice! When I took her back in for the flickering about 2 months later, the dealer claims they checked the charging systems, ground wires and everything checked ok. He did mention that they didn't check the one behind the dash, because it's deep! I bet that's the one. Anyways, it doesn't happen all the time, but I do notice that if I pop in a CD sometimes, the flickering starts and the car surges. The car has not shut down on me and I have driven long distances. So I'm not sure if it's the alternator or a bad ground. Maybe a bad regulator? If it's a bad ground, how can it be found? Is it dangerous? Any expert advice on this is appreciated. I'll probably take it to another mechanic and see what they have to say.