Townlec Auto Electrical
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Specialist trade

Auto electrician, Townsville.

Auto electrical diagnostics, repairs and installations for cars, utes, 4WDs, caravans, commercial and off-road vehicles, trucks, heavy machinery and earthmoving gear — from the Townsville workshop and across the North Queensland catchment.

Townlec has been doing this since 2002, and the thing that has not changed is the order we do it in: find the fault first, explain it in plain English, then fix what is actually broken. Electrical faults are where guesswork gets expensive, because a parts-swapper can replace three good components before stumbling onto the bad one — and you pay for all four.

Request a quoteCall (07) 4448 3602
4.9 from 54 Google reviews
  • We diagnose the fault before replacing anything
  • Cars, utes, 4WDs, caravans, trucks, machinery and earthmovers
  • Workshop or on site, depending on what the job needs
  • Plain-English fault report before work starts
  • Quality parts with manufacturer-backed warranty
What we do

The work, in detail.

Fault diagnosis

The part of the trade everything else depends on. Full OBD-II and manufacturer-level scan tools, plus a multimeter and the patience to use it — because a stored code tells you which circuit is unhappy, not which wire has chafed through behind a bracket. We find the cause, not the symptom.

Starter motors

Slow cranking, a click and nothing, or a starter that works when it feels like it. Bench-tested to confirm it is genuinely the starter and not the battery, the ignition switch or a bad earth. Rebuilt where the unit is worth rebuilding, replaced where it is not.

Alternators & charging systems

An alternator that undercharges quietly kills batteries; one that overcharges cooks them. We test output under load, check the regulator, the belt and the wiring back to the battery, and tell you which part of the charging system is at fault.

Battery testing & replacement

Carbon-pile load testing and internal resistance checks, so you find out whether the battery is genuinely finished or just flattened by something else. Full range stocked — see the batteries page for the detail.

Wiring & harness repair

Chasing an intermittent fault is what separates an auto electrician from a parts-swapper. Harness inspection, chafed looms, corroded joins, water ingress, and previous repairs done with scotch-locks and tape. We trace it, isolate it and repair or replace the affected section properly, so it does not come back next wet season.

Component repair & replacement

Switches, relays, solenoids, sensors, ignition barrels, window and central locking motors, wiper and cooling fan circuits, instrument clusters. If it is electrical and it has stopped doing its job, it is worth a look before the whole assembly gets condemned.

Heavy machinery & truck electrics

24V systems, isolators, hydraulic interlocks, beacon and work light circuits, scale wiring and charging on plant that works in dust and vibration all day. Fleet, mining, agriculture, civil and earthmoving across North Queensland.

Driving lights, LED bars & accessories

Relayed, fused, switched and sealed — the parts of an install nobody sees and everybody notices when they are skipped. Quality brands only, wired so the loom is not carrying more than it was designed for.

Custom installs & upgrades

Dual battery systems, auxiliary power circuits, inverters, winch wiring, dash and reversing cameras, UHF and audio, alarms and immobilisers, and accessory circuits for touring and work fit-outs. Planned properly, fused properly, and documented so the next person can follow it.

Caravan, trailer & towbar electrics

7-pin and 12-pin plugs, brake controllers, trailer charging and lighting, and 12V DC circuits inside caravans and campers — lighting, fridges, water pumps and charging that has stopped behaving. Wired to suit the tow vehicle and fully tested before it leaves.

The range

One trade, wildly different jobs.

A hatchback with a parasitic drain and a fire appliance on a scheduled inspection are the same trade, done with the same meter and the same thinking. That breadth is the reason a fleet does not need three separate suppliers — and it is easier to show than to claim.

Townlec auto electrician working in the engine bay of a Western Star prime mover with the bonnet tipped forwardHeavy haulage
Bonnet up on a Western Star. Prime mover electrics run at 24V with far more circuits than a car — and a truck earns nothing while it sits, so the diagnosis has to be right the first time.
Two Townlec auto electricians working through an inspection sheet on a Fire and Rescue truck in the workshopEmergency services
Working an inspection sheet on a Fire and Rescue appliance. Fleet work is scheduled, documented and signed off rather than fixed in a hurry.
Townlec technicians with a McConnel remote-control tracked flail mower in the Townsville workshop, battery racking behind themSpecialised machinery
A remote-control tracked flail mower in the workshop, controller in hand. Gear like this is why the heavy-vehicle capability stays in-house.
Know the symptoms

When it's worth booking an auto electrician.

Electrical faults rarely arrive all at once. They announce themselves for weeks first, and the cheap version of the repair is the one you do before it strands the vehicle.

Townlec auto electrician working in the engine bay of a sedan with the bonnet up in the Townsville workshop
Most of what comes through the door is everyday: a car that will not start, a circuit that has quit, or a fault that only turns up when it feels like it.
  • Slow cranking, or a click and nothing when you turn the key
  • Headlights dimming at idle and brightening when you rev
  • A battery or charging warning light that stays on
  • Accessories that work intermittently, or only over bumps
  • Fuses that blow again shortly after being replaced
  • A battery that goes flat while the vehicle sits
  • Burning smell, discoloured connectors or melted insulation
  • Lights, gauges or a cluster behaving oddly in the wet

Recognise a few of those? Bring it in and we'll test it.

Call (07) 4448 3602Request a quote
Why us

Why people bring the hard ones to us.

Diagnosis before parts

We find the fault before anything is ordered or replaced. It is slower on the day and cheaper by the end, and it is the whole reason people come to an auto electrician rather than a general workshop.

Vehicles and machines

Cars and utes through to trucks, earthmoving plant and 24V machinery. The same trade, but the diagnostic approach and the gear differ — and having both under one roof means a fleet does not need two suppliers.

The faults nobody else found

Intermittent and wet-weather faults are the ones that get handed on after somebody else has had a go. They are also the ones this trade exists for.

Repairs that survive the tropics

Heat, humidity, dust and salt are hard on connections. Sealed joins and correctly rated cable cost a little more on the day and considerably less over a few wet seasons.

Written up in plain English

Every diagnostic job gets a report of what we found, what we recommend and what it will cost — before the work starts, in language that does not need decoding.

Brands we use
  • REDARC
  • Hella
  • Narva
  • ARB
  • Anderson

Stocked for the job.

Full catalogue →
Whitevision Trailer Socket - Small Plastic Round 7 Pin
Connectors

Whitevision Trailer Socket - Small Plastic Round 7 Pin

$8.50
Whitevision Plastic Plug Small Round 7 Pin
Connectors

Whitevision Plastic Plug Small Round 7 Pin

$8.00
Whitevision Plastic 7 Pin Small Round TO 7 Pin Flat Socket
Connectors

Whitevision Plastic 7 Pin Small Round TO 7 Pin Flat Socket

$30.00
Whitevision Plastic Socket Large Round 7 Pin
Connectors

Whitevision Plastic Socket Large Round 7 Pin

$9.80
Where we work

Auto electrical across North Queensland.

The workshop is in Townsville and the catchment runs the length of the north — Cairns and Mareeba, Ayr, Charters Towers, Bowen, Ingham and out to Mount Isa. A lot of auto electrical work also turns out to be a battery, a charging fault or an air conditioning circuit, so those live alongside it.

Battery replacement in TownsvilleTesting, fitting and lithium upgradesAuto air conditioningRegas, leak detection and compressor workECU remappingDiesel tuning for trucks, 4WDs and machineryMarine electricalBoat wiring, house banks and nav lightingLMI scale systemsOn-board weighing for trucks and loadersAuto electrician in TownsvilleWorkshop, hours and the suburbs we coverCairns and Far NorthSecond showroom and FNQ coverageConnectors and electrical partsBrowse the range online
FAQ

Auto electrical questions, answered.

What does an auto electrician actually do?+
Anything electrical on a vehicle or machine: starting and charging systems, wiring and looms, lighting, sensors and switches, accessories, and the diagnostics that work out which of those is causing a problem. A general mechanic covers the engine and driveline; an auto electrician covers what makes it all switch on and keep running.
My car won't start — is it the battery?+
Not necessarily, and this is the single most common assumption we correct. A flat battery, a starter motor on its way out, an alternator that stopped putting charge back in, a bad earth, or something quietly drawing current while the vehicle sits will all look identical from the driver's seat. Testing tells you which, and only one of them is fixed by a new battery.
Do you work on trucks and heavy machinery?+
Yes — it is a large part of what we do. 24V systems, isolators, hydraulic interlocks, work lighting, beacons, scale wiring and charging systems on plant used in mining, civil, agriculture and earthmoving.
Can you fix wiring on older vehicles?+
Absolutely. Everything from 1960s utes through to current model diesels. Older vehicles often have the most interesting faults, because they have had the most hands in them — and a loom that has been repaired badly three times is a different job to one that has never been touched.
Do you do call-outs?+
We work on site across Townsville and surrounds, and machinery in the yard is a big part of it. Whether a job suits a visit depends on the work itself and on scheduling — plant that cannot move is an obvious yes, a single small fault is usually quicker at the workshop. Call and we will work out which suits.
Can you help outside normal hours?+
After-hours assistance is available where the job warrants it. Whether we can get to something outside the usual Monday to Friday depends on what the job is and what else is on, so ring us and we will tell you honestly what is possible rather than leave you waiting.
Will you give me a written report?+
Standard on every diagnostic job. What we found, what we recommend and what it will cost, before anything is touched.
Why does my fault only happen sometimes?+
Intermittent faults are almost always mechanical in origin — a connection that opens up when it heats, a loom that shorts when the chassis flexes, moisture bridging a corroded pin. They take longer to find because the fault has to be recreated before it can be measured, which is exactly why they end up with an auto electrician.
Can you install accessories I've bought myself?+
Usually, yes. Bring the parts and we will look at whether they suit the vehicle's electrical system before fitting — a light bar drawing more than the circuit was designed for is a fire risk, not a bargain.
Do you work on 4WD touring set-ups?+
Dual battery systems, DC-DC charging, inverters, fridge circuits, lighting, UHF and camera wiring. The charging side is where most touring fit-outs come undone, so that is where we start.
Next step

Got an electrical gremlin nobody else can find? That's the one we want.

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