Lets Us Know What You Think Of Yours

[jkspoff]

Despite all the issues we read on this forum on a regular basis, plus the problems I've had with mine, I still think the Galaxy is the best car I've ever owned, and currently the best in its class. Reading other forums about other vehicles I find that its very unlikely to ever get a car thats totally reliable in every way, even the Japanese stuff goes wrong. Its interesting to see if everyone still actually gets on with theirs, despite the reliability issues of certain components and if they would invest their hard earned cash in another one. It seems to get to a point after several years that the Galaxy suddenly becomes very reliable after most of the weak spots have been ironed out.

 

:ph34r:

[NikpV]

neat poll - bit of a coincidence - I was looking at the thread 'Roll call' while you were posting it - I've bumped the thread so you can see/add to it since we have loads of new members recently

 

old gits roll call

[teresa]

only real problem with mine is water in drivers footwell but apart from that i love her to bits

[Goofygolfer]

Had a few minor niggles, dead parking sensor and now cruise is showing signs of leaking vacuum hose syndrome other than that its a good motor,gobbles up the miles on the motorway in comfort, not too bad around town provided you dont drive too energetically.Sure lowered and up rated suspension would counter the body roll but adversely affect the motorway cruising,so ill leave as it is. :D

 

 

ps and the climate control is super just set and forget :) :)

[Guest 3.5bullet]

.Sure lowered and up rated suspension would counter the body roll but adversely affect the motorway cruising,so ill leave as it is.

 

 

i find just the opposite! it improves motorway cruising! it's on the poorly surfaced country roads where the uprated suspension and harder ride can be a pain!

[morticiaskeeper]

Had a few problems:

 

Rear wiper wiring

Fog light wiring

Relay 30

Brake light switch

Door trim that won't stay on

Door locking on one door

Baffles gone in exhaust

Seized rear caliper

 

Done 22k on LPG since buying, LPG needed a retune (did it myself), new LPG filler fitted, cambelts done. All brakes changed.

 

Less than

[tim-spam]

Would you buy another? 85%. I guess that just about says it all - an excellent car!

[Bigjeeze]

The only sad part of all this is the end of the line for the current models - I don't mean they should carry on with the current but the updated should bear some resemblance in basic design to the current successful model - but the S MAX etc appear to be moving away. :o

 

Still mine are good for a few years yet! :blink:

[NikpV]

how about the new sharan( I assume they are making one ??) - anybody got any links

[tiny]

Was the sharan not replaced by the touran?

[NikpV]

I wondered that after I posted but isn't the touran a 4 wheel drive off roader (lookalike at least)

[tim-spam]

There will be a new Sharan based on the latest Passat platform. Basically, this will be the true replacement for the current model, and the initial signs are that it should be very good indeed - I just hope they avoid sliding rear doors and making it too much bigger.

[NikpV]

cheers for the info :(

[Bigjeeze]

Somethjing to look forward to!! :rolleyes:

[Ogben Schmutzel]

Generally like the car but have had problems with the heating and cooling system, i.e. the auxiliary heater and leaking aircon.

 

Also bought the car at just over 40K mile and three years old, just when things start to need replacing i.e. tyres, brake pads, disc's, cam belt .....

 

Would consider another but would want a good and long warrantee to cover the auxiliary heater and aircon. In fact the latter issue is one reason why I might not have the same car again, or even cause me to get rid of the present one sooner.

 

Oggy.

[AndeeeH]

I wondered that after I posted but isn't the touran a 4 wheel drive off roader (lookalike at least)

 

 

The Touran is the Zafira sized VW mpv, the Toureg is the VW 4x4 powered by a V10 motor. ;) Andy.

[tim-spam]

Would consider another but would want a good and long warrantee to cover the auxiliary heater and aircon. In fact the latter issue is one reason why I might not have the same car again, or even cause me to get rid of the present one sooner.

 

Oggy.

I find all the problems with the Eberspacher heater strange. These units are used in all sorts of construction equipment, lorries and coaches. They are quality pieces of kit and are usually durable and reliable. BUT, there is usually a maintenance requirement which involves periodic cleaning and glowplug replacement. The problem is that when fitted to cars, the manufacturers don't like to add anything to the maintenance schedule due to competitive pressures on running costs. The irony of this is that we all know that lack of maintenance tends to cost more in the long run.

 

So basically, if you maintain the thing properly, you should find it reliable - also bear in mind that the reason it's needed in the first place is the efficiency of the engine, which saves far more in fuel costs than the cost of maintaining the heater unit. Of course, the problems with the heater are usually made far worse by the incompetent spanner monkeys charging the earth to completely replace units which only need cleaning and a new glowplug.

[Guest gooner52]

this is my 2nd mk2 ,and wont buy again

 

2 many niggles for my like.

 

ie

parking sensors(brokern wires back and front

air con (been to fords over 10 times)

air bag recall

multimedia system(total rubbish).has now been riped out and better system put in

alloy wheels,look yuk after only a couple of years

headlight level motor mind of its own

speedo clocks,mind of there own

new rear blower(got broke when fords had the car in for airbag recall ;) )

 

dont get me wrong,best car i have driven,safest car too

just to many problems for the money

[Guest Vinnie]

TBH i would love another...BUT the problems they have like AIR CON lack of tyre choice on earlier models and various other niggling faults have made me defect and not return instead of updating to a newer model.

[mumof4]

You could have bought mine Vinnie..it has air con ;) :D

[jwilliams]

Great for accomodating growing teenagers no more crush on the back seat.

 

A few niggles and problems but with all the info on the site an so much help available not so daunting.

 

Would buy another but as always would probalbly want more toys so will have to get a Ghia

[Guest blatters]

When we first got our 2003 (53) 1.9TDi Ghia we loved it. Cherished would be a fair description at that point and we lovingly pampered it throughout the 2.5yrs / 51k miles of ownership.

 

But we sold it on earlier than we had planned because of a list of frustrating failures and a Ford dealer that knew less than the folk on this site, were using the print-outs from the site to educate themselves and seemed to have a different definition of satisfactory customer service than us.

 

Here's the list:

 

Drop links failed. Dealer said they couldn't hear the fault until I took the technician out for a drive over a choice piece of road and then, voila, replaced under warranty at 10k;

 

Booster heater failed after 18mths. Plumes of smoke and a dealer that needed this site and a chat with Ford to fix it - a full replacement of the unit under warranty;

 

Aux water pump failed after 26mths. Making a two-stoke lawnmower noise after shut down. Dealer said all TDCi's make that noise (it having escaped their notice that the Galaxy has a VW sourced TDi and not the Mondeo TDCi unit). Absolute rubbish. They didn't even bother to listen to it but diagnosed this while talking to me! They agreed to have the car in for a diagnostic with another Galaxy side by side for comparison, somewhat reluctantly. And guess what.....yep, unit failing. Bad news for me was that my Motorhouse 2000 sourced Galaxy came from Belgium and so only had a 2yr warranty (news to me). An EU state but different terms - is that the single market we're talking about? Anyway, Ford UK agreed to pay 50% and we had a deal;

 

Ghia alloys suffered water penetration from about 12mths. Dealer admitted using screwdrivers to lever centre caps off and, after a passionate debate over the telephone, agreed to refurbish the wheels at no cost to me - having accepted full responsibility for the damage. 3wks later the technicians were still using their trusty screwdrivers despite the Service Manager's assurance that the lads had been informed of the little hook that Ford supply for lifting the caps - thanks to a picture from a fellow website user;

 

Booster heater failed again at 28mths. Freezing cold cabin and now out of warranty. Asked Ford dealer to check glow plug, replace if necessary and reset error codes. This was to save me

[Bigjeeze]

When we first got our 2003 (53) 1.9TDi Ghia we loved it. Cherished would be a fair description at that point and we lovingly pampered it throughout the 2.5yrs / 51k miles of ownership.

 

But we sold it on earlier than we had planned because of a list of frustrating failures and a Ford dealer that knew less than the folk on this site, were using the print-outs from the site to educate themselves and seemed to have a different definition of satisfactory customer service than us.

 

Here's the list:

 

Drop links failed. Dealer said they couldn't hear the fault until I took the technician out for a drive over a choice piece of road and then, voila, replaced under warranty at 10k;

 

Booster heater failed after 18mths. Plumes of smoke and a dealer that needed this site and a chat with Ford to fix it - a full replacement of the unit under warranty;

 

Aux water pump failed after 26mths. Making a two-stoke lawnmower noise after shut down. Dealer said all TDCi's make that noise (it having escaped their notice that the Galaxy has a VW sourced TDi and not the Mondeo TDCi unit). Absolute rubbish. They didn't even bother to listen to it but diagnosed this while talking to me! They agreed to have the car in for a diagnostic with another Galaxy side by side for comparison, somewhat reluctantly. And guess what.....yep, unit failing. Bad news for me was that my Motorhouse 2000 sourced Galaxy came from Belgium and so only had a 2yr warranty (news to me). An EU state but different terms - is that the single market we're talking about? Anyway, Ford UK agreed to pay 50% and we had a deal;

 

Ghia alloys suffered water penetration from about 12mths. Dealer admitted using screwdrivers to lever centre caps off and, after a passionate debate over the telephone, agreed to refurbish the wheels at no cost to me - having accepted full responsibility for the damage. 3wks later the technicians were still using their trusty screwdrivers despite the Service Manager's assurance that the lads had been informed of the little hook that Ford supply for lifting the caps - thanks to a picture from a fellow website user;

 

Booster heater failed again at 28mths. Freezing cold cabin and now out of warranty. Asked Ford dealer to check glow plug, replace if necessary and reset error codes. This was to save me

[Guest blatters]

Hi Bigjeeze,

 

Full works M8:

 

Flat cap, driving gloves, two cushions visible through rear window, plastic side window draught deflectors, headlamp plastic covers, an old fashioned 1960's style AA badge on front grille and a small tip-ex mark on my speedo dial to ensure I never stray over 42mph to ensure everyone else behind me drives safely in the convoy!

 

Oh, and a great sense of humour too :D

 

"Volvo - also owned by Ford" Fiat own Ferrari but, apart from the little Fiat logo on the nose-cone of Michael's F1 rocket you'd never know. Different as chalk and cheese. Not quite as extreme in the Ford/Volvo partnership, granted, but point made - me thinks :D

 

On a more serious note, I'm glad you've had a good experience with your Galaxy. As I said in my post they are lovely cars. But in my case it was spoilt by the gremlins in my particular vehicle. And from the 2.5yrs I spent owning it and contributing regularly to this site it's clear to me that drop-links, booster heaters, aircon, cambelt cock-ups & a selection box of rattles and squeeks are a common experience for many.

 

You go carefully with that Galaxy of yours - it's a gem :D

 

Best wishes.

 

Blatters

[marty16610]

Hi all. I have had lots of probs with mine (see various posts), but this is the only car my wife feels safe in. We had a nasty accident a few years ago, car left the road on black ice and ended up against a tree stump on the edge of a 60/70 foot drop. We had 3 kids with us, youngest 6 weeks old and we all got without a scratch (god bless seat belts and baby seats). Since then my wife has white knuckle syndrome every time we come up to a junction or a bend. But in the Gal she is fine i think its cause we are higher up and she feels safer. We love our Gal and will definitely get another when the time comes