dellybeanhead

Yes I can say a definate yes to both questions. I fitted one to my Galaxy. If you fit it yourself you will need to pay Ford to enable the module. make sure it is teh genuine Ford kit that they fit as I found some dealers simply farm it out to a towbar company who do not have the equipment (Ford computer to enabl ethe module) to fit the Ford one so they go for a 3rd party one which has that annoying beeping when the indicators are in use. With regard to towball gap. I had a detachable Bosal fitted which had plenty of room for my Alko but it was too high! So, I tried my friends s-max which has the genuine Ford fixed (same as on the Galaxy) and it worked perfectly with my Alko. Both gap and height. Another interesting point is that the 2006 Galxy is rated at 80kg nose weight the 2007 at 85kg and the 2008 at 90Kg But nobody at Ford can tell me if this spec is a change to all years or if you have to have a model built after that year. You'd hope it is all of them as nothing has changed except for the written spec as far as I can tell.

Thought I would feedback as I have solved the problem. The issue was snaking whenever I got over 55 mph. I tried everything, load adjustment. moved spare in caravan to middle of unit, tyre pressure (caravan and car), noseweight..... none of these made any difference really; only marginal. My caravan is very sesibly laid out with a middle kitchen so the weight shifting was neglible effect. The one thing that made a HUGE difference is teh tow bar. I had a Bosal fitted with a swan neck. The problem was that teh tow ball is too high and although the caravan looked flat it was ever so slightly (about 2 mm) nose up. And when the air flow over the car hit the caravan (at the top) it tilted the caravan back so it was even more nose up. Hence the 55mph threshold problem. I have tested a different tow bar that sits lower (about level with the bevel in the bumper) and it was faultless. Towed at 60 mph rock solid. Accelerated to 65-70 to overtake a truck and was at teh same time passed by white van man and it didn't even hint at snaking just the expected suck, blow and push forward as you pass the truck. Perfect. I hope this helps others who have the same situation.

Well, I sold my 1.8 Galaxy today and tried out my friends 2.0 S-Max. The 2.0 engine was great. It pulls my caravan no problem at all and very stable too. It was also very good on a steep incline. I am very tempted to get another Galaxy but the 2.0 version.

Bleeno, is that the same for reverse gear too. Can it be changed?

Ordinarily I would expect Ford to say that clutch burn is fair wear and tear. But if there are enough of us with the same problem then I would expect a more positive response. How about, as a first step, we each contact Ford to report the problem and reporting back to this forum with the result. I would rather approach my dealer for a fix to this with a postive response from Ford so that they can't argue. What do you reckon.

This is great feedback thank you all. Would I be right in summazing that the general consensus is. 1. you can improve it by getting the software upgraded. but, 2. they are still crap at low speed pulling and you're better off going for a VW Sharan (140PS) if you want a nearly new MPV that can tow. By the way, my decision to replace my car has been made as I weighed the caravan and it weighs a lot more than I expected (1550). So the 1.8 is illegal to tow it (max 1400). So, do I go for the 2.0 new Galaxy. or a 140PS Sharan..... or maybe something else like a gas guzzling Land Cruiser and

Thanks for that. Did you get the update doen under warranty or did you have to pay? And what does PD engine mean. Thanks James

Hi, I researched thsi too and found that the genuine Ford wiring kit is better and cheaper than any 3rd party one. I fitted a Bosal Towbar as it is rated higher (nose weight) than the westfalia. It was a doddle to fit DIY. The electircs are dead easy. So too is the tow bar. well within a competent DIY'ers capability. The removable one is no more difficult than the fixed. You will need to get the Garage to do a software upgrade though. This is required to get it (the elctircs) to work at all. I got the 13 pin version of the wiring kit and the relay (which is actually a CAN-BUS unit with a relay built in). You don't need to order the 3rd bit (the bracket) as this comes in the other kit. It simply plugs in to existing sockets that are ready for it. There is one lead that requires pushing into the fuse box and then a fuse adding (whcih is supplied). You can actaullay do this without removing the battery terminal as there is no risk of shorts (which means you don't have to pay Ford to unlock your stereo). The Genuine Ford one is well worth fitting as it does cool stuff like, disbale your rear parking sensors, diverts the fog light power to your caravan (so you don't get glare off of the front of the van in your rear window), flashes indicators double speed if a caravan bulb has failed. Hope this helps, James

Hi Vw, It was the heater control motor that broke. So it was warm but only coming out on the drivers side. I thought that was OK but My wife didn't. What was the s/w upgrade that you had. I still have pulling away probs and my dealer says that there is no upgrade. did you get your flywheel replaced too? could that b ethe reason for the improvment. Thanks, James

Dodgey flywheel and clutch. Mines just started to do the same. I can feel a vibration. Is this covered by the warranty or do they class a flywheel/clutch as wear and tear??? I bet I know the answer. Did they charge you VW driver? woudl you believe that the tried to cliam my heater break down was not covered as heating pipes are classed as "trim"!!!!

I am looking at changing my MKIII 1.8 D for a 2.0 D so that it will tow my caravan better. However, I have checked the ford website and there is conflicting information. The downloadable brochure gives 80Kg as the nose weight and the pop up tech spec window gives 90Kg. I have spoken to Ford. And they are updating it. They say that each model has a different nose weight 06 = 75Kg 07 = 80Kg 08= 90Kg But they could not tell me what month or how I can tell what the noseweight is of a particular Galaxy. Any ideas? Also he was not able to tell me why it has chnaged. Does anybody know what has changed. Has there been a chnage to the towbar attachment? The rear suspension or have they just found a better towbar manufacturer? If it is the latter then I assume that my Bosal towbar which is rated to 100KG will be allowed to have 90Kg no matter what year the car. Thanks James

Thanks for replies. Useful stuff. Dunney, are you saying that your old Alhambra 115 was better at towing than your MkIII. I am looking at changing my MkIII 1.8 for either a 2.0 MkIII or a 140PS Alhambra (or equivalent VW). I am currently swayed towards the MKIII as it has a higher nose weight for the 2008 (90Kg) but I am also put off from my experience of the 1.8 and it's lack of low rev power. And also from what your saying. As far as kerb weight goes there's nothing in it. vwdriver, did you find out what the software upgrade was. I asked my dealer to do it too when they fixed my heater but they did not have a clue. Thanks, James

Thanks for feedback. Here's something funny: The Ford specification flyer says: "For those in need of even more pulling power the 2.0 litre units provide a remarkable 340Nm of peak torque" Yet when you look at the table that the starred comment refers to you see that tyhe 1.8 also has 340Nm of peak torque and at lower revs too! What is going on? How come the 2.0 is rated higher than the 1.8 for towing capacity yet it has the same max torque and the 1.8 at lowe revs. According to the Caravan Club Criteria that makes the 1.8 the better towing car.

Good point. It is in the garage this week for a broken heater so I will get them to check for a software upgrade/fix too.

Thanks, Yes I am considering having it chipped. That may be the way to go. Although I have heard from a lot of people that this engine is not good at towing. The whattowcar website is slightly confusing as it only gives max torque and torque at certain speeds/revs. Which do not go low enough to detrmine it's pulling away capabilities. I think these figures are further skewed by teh turbo chrager which is obviosuly not in effect until the revs are high and the car is moving. And to make it worse none of the manufacturers seem to have a torque curve graph available.