Ivor_E_Tower

I'm on my third set at less than 40,000 miles. The present ones are from the local motor factors and they have creaked since they were a few weeks old. Sadly I don't have the money to change them again so until they start knocking or I inherit sufficient money to change the car, they will just have to keep creaking away

Belated greetings from me...had rather a hectic week-end

What do you mean? Will the lever physically not go into the "R" position, or does it go, but there is no drive?

The turbo never cuts out, it's just that at low engine speeds there is insufficient gas flow for it to run at a speed where it is "useful". At high speeds, there is a bypass facility so that it doesn't get choked by too much gas. Below about 1700rpm it is almost a hindrance (especially uyp hills)

The glow plug warning lamp also acts as a "funny" when there is a problem with the brake light switch...and the ECU is set to kill the accelerator when the brake pedal is being pressed. I suggest that there was a glitch with the brake light switch which fooled the ecu into thinking you were braking, hence the engine wouldn't rev above idle. When you turned off and then back on, it reset itself. Could be time to get a new brake light switch

I had 2 Avons fited to the front about 2 years ago...one was discarded due to a puncture a couple of months ago, the other looks nearly worn to the wear bars after approx 10,000 miles :angry: which is a bit sad as initially they looked like they were wearing better than the Dunlop 2020's. They are quieter than the Dunlops and appear to have more grip...... maybe I should just corner with less enthusiasm?

Zetecs don't have climate control, so you should get the heater controls in the headlining on the nearside behind the passenger headrestraint. The trip computer was only ever standard on the Ghia

All 5 on mine look c4*# It's because they are "diamond cut" - highly polished machined surface and the lacquer has a hard job keying to the smooth metal finish. ind you, all 4 of my centre caps are also badly peeling, probably from dealers trying to pry them off rather than using the special tool in the boot. WIth the age of the car, I'm just a bit reluctant to spend money on the wheels as it will add no value come trade-in time, should I ever be in a position to trade it in.

Reinforced tyres have stronger sidewalls. They will flex less when you corner and therefore reduce the possibility of "peeling the tyre of the rim" which can happen if you use non-reinforced tyres and then corner in an enthusiastic manner

It need not be reinforced..you need to check that the tyres actually are reinforced...we've been here before...

Why not phone the local Ford garage parts counter and ask them to look up the part numbers for the bike rack for Mk1 and Mk2? If they are the same.....

Open the air filter, take the filter out and spray it down the pipe that leads from the air filter box to the turbo

Which Tesco is that? A new one in Lyneham or the biggie in the centre of Swindon?

When I traded my Honda in for the Gal, the Honda still had its original spare - 18 years old and only used for about 10 miles once after I got a puncture from motorway debris. Another good reason for keeping the spare up to pressure is that if you are unfortunate enough to be rear-ended, the tyre wil absorb quite a bit of the impact. The spare should always be kept at the maximum pressure (7-up, high speed journey when fully laden) as it is comparatively easy to let a bit of air out if you have to replace it for less onerous duties

To give you a "straight" answer - until the current "mark 3" Galaxy, all the diesel engines in the Galaxy are made by VW, but you need to be sure if buying a used engine that it was for a transverse application not longitudinal - an engine from a Golf may be OK but one from a Passat won't fit. The original Galaxys used the "traditional" VW diesels but post-facelift, the PD versions were used. These will require the electronics etc to make them work

It's OK :D

Strange...I now work for a company that supplies oil and gas exploration companies. We're getting busier all the time. The "problem" now is that most of the reserves are in deep water areas so specialist equipment (more special than otherwise!) is required - has to be able to cope with the severe pressures from operating at depths of maybe 4000 metres. Do not panic, there is still plenty of oil and gas left. In fact, gas reserves are predicted to overtake those of oil in the next few years

I travel about 6 miles each way to work. On the way there, the trip computer reads about 25mpg after the first couple of miles, usually risen to about 40 by the time I park at work. If you're driving in "traffic" for those 2 miles, low 20's mpg is reasonable; be thankful yours isn't petrol engined - it would be running "on the choke" for those 2 miles and maybe returning less than 10mpg

The S-Max is actually larger than the Mk1 and Mk2 Gal :-(

..especially if you leave a large sheet of paper in the windows or on the dash, listing your complaints and the dealer's responses.......

Under the skin, the shells are different - a few more panels, strengthening members to beef up crash protection etc. If you are a design engineer, it's certainly a project worth serious consideration and I wish you good luck. I also prefer the rear of the Mark 1 to the Mark 2, but it's not an easy job to change the rear lamps and tailgate (the rear window is a different shape too)

There are a whole multitude of changes under the skin of the Mk 1 and Mk 2. The wings, bonnet etc are all totally different shapes. I think you should find that the doors are the same, the deflectors for Mk 1 not fitting a Mk 2 is a red herring. If the dashboards do swap over, chances are that all the wiring, connections to the instruments etc are all different and they won't work. Sorry to bring what appears to be such bad news, but the 2 are effectively totally different vehicles that look similar. The change to a Mk 2 was much more than a facelift

write or phone the Dealer Principal and state your disatisfaction. Give them an opportunity to respond and explain the unsatisfactory actions of their staff. Do you have free legal cover with any of your insurance policies that can help in a situation like this?

I saw something about petrol and diesel bands being the same now, with therefore no penalty of

There is a D40X due in the shops at the end of March....I have a 10-year savings plan due top pay out in July and I hope to have sufficient to buy a D80. However there are times when I think that spending over