Ivor_E_Tower

That too seems normal. Average on motorways is not that high due to large frontal area and lots of drag! If you stick to nearer 55mph though, that will increase the average mpg. Once over 60 mph, the drag really adds up!

Wouldn't a funnel be easier and quicker to top up oil without spilling any - rather than removing plastic engine top cover? That's what I've used on previous cars.

Many a true word spoken in jest!!! Objector of tuning probably sums SA Intruder up, with regards to the TDI engine!

You have new face-lifted Galaxy, OK? Door trim panel is one piece. We need to check TIS CD to see if handle has to be removed or if you can move the panel around the handle.......

In line. If a new fuse blows as soon as you fit it, there must be a short somewhere, and the most likely place is in the flexible part of the loom between the door and the vehicle body. Had this problem with the rear wiper power lead on a previous car.

Could some kind person confirm what happens when the MAF sensor is diconnected - does the problem remain, or does the ECU realise that the MAF's gone, and so enter a "get you home" mode, so that engine performs almost as it should normally do? TIA Ivor

Just get an electric fan heater, an extension lead from the house, and a time switch. Much safer; provides frost-free windows in winter too, if your car lives outside in the open. (Mine's protected by a carport - amazing that having a sheet of wood or plastic over the top of a car prevents frost from forming on the windows).

There's a recent thread on honestjohn.co.uk from someone with a Honda Civic who has had a few sets of discs replaced. Theories include leaving presure on the brake pedal after stopping, meaning heat transfer from pad to disc causing warping due to high temperatures (seems poppycock as, if true, automatics would be very prone to warped discs on all cars). I ws going to suggest slightly out-of-true discs, i.e. not parallel to brake pads, but if they really were skimmed on the car this seems unlikely. Are genuine replacement discs fitted each time?

I think Ventoux has the quote of the week/quote of the year: ...but someone has told me recetly "skilled people do not work at authorized dealer!"

Ah yes, fredt, but I don't think that ridway or I am as adept at dismantling Galaxys as you are! I suspect that the standard rear heater just takes air from inside the cabin, passes it over the heater matrix and sends it back into the cabin. I also suspect that the auxillary heater just heats this air - i.e. it does not serve to heat the engine coolant circuit too. We'll wait to see what ridway finds out (unless you want to try to beat him to it).

If you can take the panel off in a minute, you're a genius!

...perhaps he's Czech? (or if he runs a Galaxy, a very large cheque) (V - this is a pun on English words!).

On "normal" TDI versions with "single" air conditioning, does the rear heater only give heat when the auxiliary heater is running, or is it also fed with hot water from the engine? (Hard to work this one out from the TIS CD). Then in summer, when aircon is set to cold/cool, what does rear "heater" do? It's not fed with chilled air, so does it just blow air about? - and if so, is it cabin-temp air or air from outside taken from under the car?

Are you by chance French? Is your car French-specification, or are you in England and is the car English specification? I do not think that ASR has ever been fitted as standard to the Galaxy TDI in UK - not sure if it could have been purchased as an extra when the car was new. Also in UK - I think that the Zetec and Ghia specifications include alarm, but not the base model - although I think it can again be purchased when the car is new.

If you're averaging 48mpg from a tankful, that's pretty reasonable. Doubt that there's anything wrong. As a matter of interest, according to the trip computer on my diesel Gal, I achieved approx 1.5mpg more on a journey to work last week (compared to the "normal average") just by reversing the vehicle into my driveway the previous night, so that I left pointing forwards, rather than reversing out at the start of the journey. Don't usually do this as it could mean black stains on the garage door!

This week's Autocar Magazine (dated 30 July) has a brief but interesting article comparing the VW PD system with common-rail. Industry (technical) experts claim that there's at least another 2 generations of PD to go through!

Oh well, you live and learn! I thought Volvo were the only ones to use twin cams with only 2 valves per cylinder on their 5-cylinder jobbie designed by Porsche.

I've used Nationwide (formerly Lex) for my previous car and our family's other car (but not the Gal yet as it's still under FoMoCo's warranty). I know that since they were sold off/bought out from Lex, they are supposed to be under more pressure to drum up work, but personally I have not had a problem. If you build up a rapport with them, they are less likely to try to rip you off (I think). Also, being much smaller than main dealers, you usually get a chance to speak to the person who worked on your car so you can ask questions and tell them your driving style, eg I thrash the car so don't expext brake pads to last, or I drive gently so even if you tell me that the pads are 75% worn, that will last me until next service. Out of interest I have just booked the "other car" in at Nationwide for a service and MOT; "Rack" price for service is

Isn't DOHC a bit of a give-away? Must be 16V! Ivor

If. like me, you are worried about credit card details on e-bay, do what I did and choose a seller who takes postal orders. I sent off a postal order on a Friday and received my TIS CD the following Friday, no problems, no hassle.

Could be a low-speed idle fault - or also refer to Patrick's thread from Hong Kong; sounds a similar problem

Yes, but with caution. Remember that you may not get brakes at full efficiency when you try to apply them. Also - if stopped by plod, he/she could book you for having a defective braking system (even though there may be nothing wrong - but the hassle of getting proof and going to court etc means that it's safest to get this looked at ASAP - your life may depend on it). I remember seeing an article some years ago where a traffic light camera had photographed a red-light jumper in a Granada hatchback who had not only jumped the lights but collided with a vehicle turning right, across his path, as a result. Granadas all had anti-lock brakes and his wheels were locked up, as evidenced by trails of "smoke" from the tyres in the photo. The police used the photo to prosecute him for having defective braking system in addition to red light jumping, speeding etc etc.

I wouldn't take Parker's comments or prices too seriously. Certainly in the UK the Galaxy outsells the Sharan and Alhambra. Currently there is a shortage of used, facelifted (post-2000) diesel versions of all 3 models and the prices being asked especially by dealers is well above the figures quoted in the trade guides. There is also a big variation in the standard of equipment offered by Ford, VW and Seat - I believe that VW still charge extra for cruise control on their top-spec models whereas Ford and SEAT fit it as standard on their top spec models. Reliability of all basic items and electrics should be the same for all 3 versions; engines differ for Ford, both pre- and post- facelift in 2000 as has already been told, so there will be some variation on mechanical reliability. (The 2-litre engine in early Galaxies is a Ford unit and differs from the 2 litre fitted to VW and Seat versions). Interestingly the latest "What car" depreciation figures indicaet that after about 4 years, Sharan will be worth less than Galaxy - perhaps people perceive older VW's as being expensive to run and repair?

In line; the main purpose of these forums seems to be for them few who have problems to get them resolved with help from others - hence the thread a few weeks ago "Galaxy running really well" or similar. One of the main things to note on the requests for help is that most are obscure faults that neither the vehicle's owner or the so-called garage technicians can resolve. It appears that all mass-produced vehicles have some weak areas, and this forum draws attention tot hem too, by the nature that several people will unfortunately have suffered from the same, or similar, problems. As SA Intruder says, when you consider how many tens of thousands of Galaxys/Sharans/Alhambras there are on the roads, this forum must only carry messages of problems from a very small percentage of owners. As an example, I have had my second-hand Galaxy for nearly 3 months now, and although I had a problem with the airconditioning that took nearly a month to sort out, apart from that the vehicle is great. So it's not all doom, gloom and tales of woe!

Sorry to hear of your misfortunes and hope that you will get everything sorted out soon. Galaxy does not appear to be that cheap a car to run - bear in mind it is sold as a premium vehicle and needs more spending on it than, say, a Mondeo or Vectra.