Ivor_E_Tower

Have you tried the Haynes website or tried phoning them?

AIUI, all new cars sold in the UK must have a Thatcham Category 2 immobiliser as standard (ie not necessaily have an alarm, but at least 2 items immobilised electronically when car is locked). This may be a European-wide requirement too, but I'm not sure. If your car was built to UK spec, and is a 130PS, then it should have a Thatcham immobiliser fitted as a minimum requirement. Anyone know better?

...so for all those not happy with the ride quality of their Alhambra, remember to open the tailgate AFTER you have got in, as it will increase comfort. A classic!

Thanks, turns out my local auto factors are Delphi agents. Will bear that in mind when I need something fixing.....

Yes, there is some kind of anti-theft interlock that stops the boot/tailgate being opened. Not sure exactly what the "rules" are that govern when you can or cannot open it.

No, but how do I find my nearest Delphi stockist?

Very interesting. Did you know that the MOT test of a handbrake is to make sure you can use it to stop the vehicle, and NOT a test to see if it will hold the vehicle when parked?

..and the moral of this is to always park with the car in gear (or in "Park" for those with autos) as well as applying the handbrake.

...or get someone like Home-Tune or Tune-Up to come round, as you get the chance to watch them as they conduct their various tests to pinpoint the trouble.

...but the pollen filter is at the back of the engine bay so little chance of blasting it with a fireman's hose shot through the rad grille. Anyone remember the newspaper ad Volvo ran in the 1970's with a fire hose dousing the engine for a few minutes, then claiming the car started and drove away no problem?

My local Ford dealer only charged about a tenner for my pollen filter when done with a service in middle of last year. Are you sure your dealer quoted the right price?

Definitely a problem. Without wishing to go into Boyle's law again, the coolant temperature cannot suddenly rise or fall by 40 degrees in a few seconds. All movements of the temperature gauge should be gradual.

Here are my comments, usual disclaimers apply. Used Lex/Nationwide auto centres since moving to present address from Wiltshire, 8 years ago. No problems, they seem very helpful and are usually managed and run by keen car enthusiasts, previous manager at my local centre worked for Turdo-Technics in the past. I have asked them about what oils they use, and they say that they use a variety to suit differing engines etc. Asked them about a cambelt change for my scenic and they told me price, just a few quid cheaper than main Renault dealer - they even told me that they would probably take longer than they should as they don't do many of these changes, and that I really ought to consider paying the extra and letting the main dealer do the work. As a result- I continue to use them for almost everything that needs doing when I can't do it myself; just got the Gal MOT'd by them today for

Is she foreign (or are you going to tell us how to pronounce these expressions)?

Sounds like it may be a phone aerial from a previous owner/user. Your car will have had the single CD player fitted as standard - only the Ghia comes with radio/cassette and 6 CD-changer fitted in offside rear cubbyhole just inside the tailgate as standard. Make sure that you get the radio code when you collect it. If you go for an upgrade, remember that you need to get something done to power the aerial in the side window, otherwise radio reception could be dire!

It seems I'm becoming notorious for the "handbrake trick" - So far I've done it once in the Gal in about 7 months of ownership, and it's for all of about 2 tenths of a mile! Do you know if the Gal has a fixed or variable apportioning valve for the rear brakes, also does the handbrake work on the rear pads or are there separate pads in a drum (as Volvo used to do in the 1970's for instance)? We still seem no wiser as to why the rear pads (allegedly) wear so fast - I believe that about 70 percent of braking is done by the front brakes, maybe more at higher speeds and sharper braking, due to weight transferrance. Perhaps a particularly soft material is used at the rear - can't believe that thinner material is used.

I've now seen a number of postings, not just on this forum, where it has been stated that the Galaxy's rear disc pads wear out faster than the fronts. Is this true, and anyone know why? Front brakes usually take much more of the load, plus weight shifts forward when braking, increasing the work that the front pads have to do. So why should the rears wear so fast? I have had at least one other car with rear discs, and that went to over 100,000 miles before the rear pads needed changing.

Rear pads wear faster than front eh? I'm going to start a new thread on this.

Just thought - don't just check the brake pedal switch - check that both brake lights are working too. Strange thing these electrics on modern cars.....

Jim - my Gal's VIN number also contains YY so I had already investigated and found that it was built in Oct 2000, although not first registered until 29 Jan 2001 (It's booked in for its first MOT on Jan 5th and I'll be taking the V5 to hopefully get it dated for a year from then). Page 19 of the servicing guide I got with it states 40,000 miles or 5 years as the cambelt change interval for Galaxy diesels. We'd better start saving now.....

Check you brake light switch - if it's malfunctioning, the cruise computer will think you are braking and automatically disconnect the cruise control. This sounds like an electrical issue as you have a working cruise lamp on the dashboard. Also check the clutch switch for same reason. Good luck.

Maybe I should have said "check" speed - ie stop the car accelerating down the hill as it tries to gather momentum. Wahtever - never had a problem with previous cars, just partially apply handbrake to get some assistance with "slowing" the car as it goes downhill.

I'll agree with that - it's what mine does anyway. Next chiming annoyance - handbrake on - I use the handbrake to keep speed on a long downhill bit that I use occasionally. Went that way today, and of course when you apply the handbrake the warning comes up and the chime goes off - and it repeats the chiming every few seconds! Ah well, too much technology in these modern cars.....

Not wishing to spoil the fun, but it's also illegal, hence the automatic cutting of the video signal as a "standard" feature once the car is moving.

Which Mondeo? Original shape, facelifted or the current Passat look-alike? Do you mean remove the complete lighter assembly from the dashboard?