jkspoff

Had the guy out to do the bumper repair, it had a deep scratch about 4 inches long and nearly 1 inch wide down to the plastic on the top of rear bumper, he has done an amazing job, respayed the whole rear bumper and filled the scratch so its level, you would just never know it was ever damaged. Charged

There is always an element of risk, however, auction houses now give a 30 day warranty on most of their stock, and they are guaranteed HPI/finance clear. Mine was even warrantied mileage. All in all an experience that I would do again, but its always worth having a top price in mind and valuations to hand before sticking your hand up. The big auction houses like BCA (British Car Auctions) seem to be the most reputable. You can even subscribe for

No, not leather, I could quite get used to buying my cars at auction ! But I think I'll be keeping this one for quite a long time.....

Get a Galaxy mkII 150

I would say after reading through all your posts that it has to be the head gasket, there appears to be nothing left that you haven't already tried. Its annoying that it can't be diagnosed, but I can't seem to think of anything else left to try. There is one last thing you could try: 1. Remove the under tray 2. Place a large sheet of something under the engine 3. Let the engine run for a long time until at least running temperature 4. Get under the car and see if there are any areas with leaked coolant staining the sheet It works with oil leaks, maybe it'll show up a problem area. Just a thought, but have you tried replacing the coolant bottle and local coolant pipes.

At last finished cleaning the new Gal, waxed and polished, had a guy out yesterday to valet the interior, shampoo etc, smells and looks like new now. He also de-greased and cleaned the engine. Just one final thing to do, and thats get the rear bumper resprayed on Monday for a deep scratch, other than that its like new. It had a full service at Fords on Wednesday which included a cam belt and tensioner change and CV joint replaced. Now runs and looks like new, very pleased with the auction buy. :rolleyes:

Write a letter to trading standards........

Have you checked for an air lock in the radiator ? Sorry, ignore this post, just read your previous posts !

Found one, but not very wide, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=016

Does anyone know if you can get a chrome boot sill for the Ford Galaxy that runs along the top of the bumper, I had one on my Mondeo, I would like to cover up a large scratch on my bumper rather than get it resprayed. A bit like this one:

Had the Gal in to Ford today for a service and cam belt doing, picked the Gal up and she drives great. Got a guy coming tomorrow to give it a full valet, including shampooing interior, steam cleaning engine bay etc, so its almost like new now, I did miss the Gals driving position and ease of use.

I will definately be sorry to see it go, the running costs on short journeys won't be as bad a long journeys ! I have been running it with what would equate to only about 8k miles a year max, this type of car is becoming a luxury, but ideal for people who enjoy the performance but don't do a lot of miles.

Had the Galaxy into the garage today for a Ford 'value service', cam belt due so managed to get them to fit it and tensioner for

Good advice above, I bought a Bailey Ranger 5 birth last year off ebay, it had full service every year and came with Bailey warranty, cost me about 6k I think. Just make sure that caravanning is definately what you want to do, try borrowing one first and trying it out, we found out the hard way after a few times away that it was just too much of a hassle. I would love a camper van though. I sold my caravan after 6 months at a loss, at least I tried it !

Just bought a car from auction (see previous post) and the first thing I checked before bidding was that the A/C panel didn't flash on start up and it blew icy cold air. I'm afraid to say that if the gas has leaked out it will more than likely need a new compressor, or condensor. As many as 1 in 3 Galaxys etc have this recurrent fault, until the last of the MkIIs (04 onwards) where they made the A/C slightly more reliable with minor modifications. Take it back to the dealer with your 30 days warranty and insist on it fixing, unless you bought it privately, in which case buy a third party warranty and claim after 14 days for it fixing. The Kwik Fit offer is a good way of testing it though.

Yep I love the ST220 and may actually cry when it goes !! I have never ever driven such a stunning motor in my life, however there are just very few opportunities these days with speed cameras and heavy congested traffic to actually get your foot down and use the 230bhp. Not only that but whenever I do the fuel gauge drops and the wife shouts at me to slow down ! So back to the old days of plodding along in a sensible, economical, MPV, plus I suppose theres the minor point that we will have a third child fairly soon........ :D So I've done opposite to you, swapped from an ST Mondeo to a Galaxy, shame as you say, we so a swap, but your Tdci will be more economical !

No, still got the ST, but I am selling it if you're interested, now I have this Galaxy, I am converted back to the 'good old days' of spacious and high driving position motoring ! The kids and wife prefer the Galaxy too, so here is the link for the ST220 if you or anyone else is interested in buying it: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:L:LCA:GB:1123

Having just looked all over for a Galaxy and finally found one, I discovered that there are mkIII bargains about, take for example a Galaxy Ghia mkIII with 6k miles 2007 model for

Its good to be back and see all the usual folk still active.

Yep, I came back, might even keep this for myself ! Had a really close look at the wheels and they have no corrosion, very unusual, I wonder if they were refurbished or replaced under warranty at some stage. Just been giving it a close look over and the paint work its in good condition, just needs a good and proper clean, I might get a local valeting guy come and give it once over. I was wondering about getting it serviced at Fords this week, just read my local Fords web site and they do a 'value service' for

Thanks for the info, I went to the auctions today and BOUGHT IT ! What an experience, arrived 15 minutes before Galaxy went through and checked it over top to bottom, started bidding and got it, Ford Galaxy Ghia, 2004 54 plate, silver, 1.9tddi 130 bhp, dual climate, 59k miles, latest mkII modifications,

Will avoid picking my nose ! Off to see what type of price a Ford Galaxy Ghia 2004 54 plate 130bhp in silver goes for with FSH and 58k on the clock, and if its the right price I'll be sticking my hand up. Afterall all the trade do is stick a couple of grand on the auction purchase price. The cars are guaranteed if less than 5 years old not to have mechanical problems, but I'll be sticking a third party warranty on it anyway if I get it.

Has anyone on the forum ever had any experience at car auctions, afterall thats where most of our second hand Galaxys etc originate from. I am off tomorrow (bank holiday Monday) and was wondering what the process was, apart from sticking your hand up ! or do you get a number ?? Any advice would be greatfully appreciated.

Sorry to hear about your coolant issues, this was something I never got to the bottom of with mine, eventually got rid of it.......keep us updated about the HG.

There is an option for an after market space-saver spare wheel strapped to the inside of the boot lid, not sure how it works, but Ford dealer told me about it so it must be true !