Volkswagen Repair: Overheating after new radiator and alternator installation, radiator hoses, power steering fluid

Question
I just had a new radiator, hoses, and new alternator installed in my 2001 VW Passat GLS V6. Now I'm experiencing overheating because now the cooling fan is not kicking on. What could be the cause?

Answer
Hi Raquel;
We are all human.  We are all prone to make mistakes.  My guess is that whoever did the repair just didn't get the fans all plugged back in.  Check on the frames around the fans for electrical connectors, they will be the biggest wires.  Follow them back to the driver's side of the car, and look under the cover on the power steering fluid reservoir, and there are more electrical connectors there too.  Again, look at the biggest wires.  The only other wires on the whole car that are bigger than the fan wires are the ones on the battery, and the starter.  Chances are that one of these connectors is unplugged, or only partially plugged in.  Open up the fuse panel, and check the fuses too.
The obscure cause for this problem relates to the replacement alternator.  If the wrong alternator was used, it can't make the right amount of current available for the electrical system, and one of the first things that gets cut out of the cars operation by all of the computerized control modules is the fans because they use so much "juice."  Double check, and make sure you got what you paid for where the alternator is concerned.  You should always ask for a "brand new replacement," and NOT a "remanufactured, or rebuilt" unit, simply because of the demand for regulated DC current.  I hope it turns out to be a missed connector.  Good luck, Raquel.  I hope this helps.