Find help in your part of Perth

Perth stretches a long way along the coast, and the auto electrical work changes as you move across it. Inner-city cars sit in apartment basements and do short trips. Industrial hubs like Malaga, Wangara, Kewdale and Welshpool are full of trucks, forklifts and trade utes. Coastal suburbs from Joondalup to Fremantle, Rockingham and Mandurah deal with salt air and boat trailers, while the hills and outer suburbs tow floats and caravans. Start with your area:

What Perth does to vehicle electrics

Perth is hard on vehicle electrics in a few particular ways. These four account for a lot of the work auto electricians do here:

• Summer heat. Perth averages around five days above 40°C a year, and Perth Airport recorded 46.7°C in February 1991. Inland suburbs often run hotter than the coast, which shortens battery life and works air conditioning fans and relays hard. See common car air conditioning problems.
• Long drives. Trips up the coast or out to the country start at Perth's edge and cover big distances. Caravans, dual batteries and charging systems need to work properly, because help can be a long way off. See why a caravan battery isn't charging while towing.
• Salt air. From Hillarys to Fremantle, Rockingham and Mandurah, salt air and boat ramps corrode trailer plugs, lights and earth connections unless they're sealed and rinsed. See why trailer lights stop working.
• Storms. Winter fronts and the occasional summer storm bring heavy rain and hail. The March 2010 hailstorm is still WA's costliest natural disaster, and water in plugs and modules often shows up later as blown fuses and odd faults. See how to check and replace a fuse.

Looking for an auto electrician?

Our Perth auto electricians directory lists local businesses by area, with the kind of work each one does: mobile callouts, diagnostics, air conditioning, 4WD and caravan fit-outs, trucks and plant. Listings are checked by hand before they go up.

Doing the job yourself?

If you're fitting a DC-DC charger, rewiring a boat trailer or adding work lights to a ute, the right part matters as much as the right technique. Our free guides cover the how-to, and you can order quality parts online from Ozautoelectrics, dispatched Australia-wide.