Ivor_E_Tower

There is a thing called the main feed fusebox between the battery and the cable that runs across the engine bay to the alternator. The connections are a known issue - I had a problem a few years ago with mine, where the car died after being left at a train station car park for a few hours, re-started when I got back (just) but with all electrics turning off on the short drive home. Took me a while to track down the fault (garage mis-diagnosed battery failure); you may be able to detect this by waggling the cable at the fusebox end when the engine is running, and noting a change in the engine's tone. If you open the main feed fusebox you may spot some discoloration or buring/melting of the plastic housing and cable end. The parts were comparatively cheap (cost me about £50 for new cable and whole new feed box) and it took under an hour to fit (including removing the old parts). Some people have cut the cable short when it is at fault, and re-soldered a new eyelt on the end to save a bit of money. Not saying that this is definitely the cause, but worth checking out, and then keeping an eye on in the future.

Even if I had the money, I can't think of anything I'd like to buy to replace my 2001 Galaxy. The new Sharan/Alhambra, like the latest Galaxy, do not have any spare wheel/tyre despite being so much larger on the outside. Similarly the extra length means that they won't fit in my garage either. So much for progress :-(

..... and if you want to remove the stains on the window glass, use T-cut. Works a treat in a few seconds... I must be getting old, my elder daughter has just bought her first car before taking her test and it's a Ka http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/IvorETower/First-car-04b.jpg

LX did not come with front fogs as standard. It also rode on steel wheels whereas the Zetec and Ghia had alloys as standard. The trim pieces for the 2 ends of the lower cut-outs in the front bumper are different on the LX as they have no circular hole for the foglamps

..... or heated front seats. IIRC they were standard on Ghia trim and optional on Zetec

There should be sufficient stocks in scrapyards for you to buy only directly compatible parts i.e. off a 2.3 Radiators can be deceptive, they may look the same from the outside but often the surface area will be different to suit the heat output characteristics of the various engines. As an example, back in the 1980s I had a Citroen with an 1100cc engine. Different variants had a 1200cc engine. The rads were different between 1100 and 1200 cc versions although they looked identical

I think that the whole top centre section into which the clock is set lifts out after prizing the edges carefully with a soft screwdriver. Pretty sure that there was a thread about this a few years back...... have you tried a search?

Loss of power when brake light switch goes faulty: The ECU thinks that you are braking and therefore cuts the power available from the engione, as you should not be trying to accelerate when you are also braking! The brake light switch is responsible for quite a number of obscure problems on diesel Galaxys

Reinforced tyres do have reinforced sidewalls and tread. The issue of needing them is not just down to the load transfer when braking etc, but when cornering. Reinforced sidewalls mean that they will not flex as much when cornering in a "spirited" manner.... using the non-reinforced tyres then taking a sharp bend at high speed and well laden could pose a risk of extreme oversteer or the bead separating slightly from the rim, and you certainly would not want to experience a tyre going soft under this condition.

Diesels don't have a servo... there's no inlet manifold vacuum (that's what I read some time ago, anyway). Diesels therefore use a pump to provide the braking assistance, hence the pump-like noise you can hear as there is probably an air leak in the pipework somewhere.

See if you can find my thread from about a year ago; look at the main cable from the alternator across the engine bay to the feed fusebox (not sure if the pre-facelifted models have this). The cable goes hard and unconductive. You may need new cable and feed fusebox, around

It also depends on how dry your garage is....... but letting air get to them freeely will be better than covering them with plastic, which tends to attract condensation and hence dampness on the seats

Water pump impeller is a known weakness. I had the water pump changed on mine when the cambelt was done about 18 months ago (and antifreeeze change at same time). It only added about

You have to squeeze the top bit of the wire clip. The real hard bit (I found) was putting it back afterwards - levered it with a large screwdriver in the end. Nearside bulb went on Dec 4th as I switched the lights on to go to work.... on my birthday! Great present that was, working in the cold in my lunch-hour to swap the bulb over (I carry a sent of spare bulbs as a precaution)

I haven't managed to find out how to ban her (it's been a long time since I was here) , so would you like to do the honours then please? Thanks. Ivor