So last week my 2006 Pathy decided it wanted to display the handbrake and battery lights at the same time and again it's done it today. A quick turn off and turn back on again gets rid of it but I'm thinking there is something more sinister lurking under the hood.

I've seen similar issues on the Navara forums where people are saying its a fault with the alternator or the alternator pully (forgive me if I've got that wrong) but without a manual I'm a little lost as to where to start looking. I do also have a squeal sometimes when I start the car and a mechanic once said to me that it sounds like the alternator belt might need changing. Again I have no clue where I am looking or even how to check if it's the belt or not.

I've got a multimeter for checking the charge, etc if needed, just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem to guide me where to look first (and as cheaply as possible ).

TIA for any help.

Take a baseline voltage reading across the battery while the lamps are out and the system is behaving, you should see around 14V or a bit higher. Then take the same reading when the lamps are lit. If it's down substantially (usually below 12.9V), your alternator is crapping out. It's very common for the lights to go in and out spottily before the regulator fails completely. The belt could be a symptom and not a problem, a loose one will cause undercharging but a bad alternator can cause a good belt to screech.