Neily

It's exactly like this: I add that it's more noticeable in cold weather. Could be your belts but I doubt it, probably the gauze - as mentioned previously - or your car needs some software update or other.

We live in hope! :( :D

Well I also heard that the very early mk3's, i.e. the first few hundred to roll off the production line, DID actually have the motors fitted! :D But then they found out about the Thatcham thing and stopped fitting them. Don't know if this applies to european models though, which may have opening rear windows.

I checked the rear pillars (C-pillars?) on mine ages ago. No motors. :D

Wazza! Where are you mate? It's been nearly 2 years! :D The p/s on mine has become even more noisy recently well tbh it's never been that quiet either, but I've put up with it. So dredging through old threads, I guess it's the gauze filter that needs replacing. Squishy, any ideas on the part no., location etc? Finally, when the hell are Haynes going to publish a manual for the mk3? :(

Well then. The DMF on mine's on it's way out after 30,000 miles. Anyone know how much I can expect to cough? Or is it better to get rid of the car now and let the p/x dealer fork out (I know that's naughty but hey-ho, we've all been caught in one way or another).

Correct. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the vehicle would not qualify for Thatcham categorisation if it was fitted with opening rear windows, so the motors to open/close them were not fitted, neither were the operating rocker switches which would have been positioned in the roof console near the courtesy light. It's possible that the redundant cables may be present in the loom though . . . :D Pred99, I have the same model as you and afaik the rear heater was an option on 06/56 models and a standard fitting on X-pack models. I also believe that the rear heater/aircon is now standard on all current Ghias, the controls for which are crammed onto the central heater LCD which is slightly different and the driver's side hot/cold alpha dial is dual function. Why not treat yourself to an owner's handbook? Try this: ebay linky

Hi. My guess is that it's more involved than you describe. But if you're determined, crack on! :lol:

Like pretty much everything else on the mk3, designed by accountants and put together by underpayed id***s who probably don't know what an Assembly Instruction is. I would complain like hell mate, as has been suggested, this is surely a case for a warranty repair, although check precisely in your owners service book if the warranty covers interior trim within the the age of your car. At the very least I'd write a sharp letter to the Customer Services people, explaining the situation. For what it's worth, the side trim on the handbrake lever on my galaxy fell off last year and I stuck it back with superglue. Been OK since.

I've mentioned previously on other threads on this forum that I would not use a space saver, as IMO I think the car is too big and heavy. I think you'd be better off phoning around local scrap yards and car breakers stating the spec for the wheel/tyre you're after, and then try further afield - expect to travel. Also do a web search for other vehicles which use that wheel size to narrow it down a bit. Don't give up! There's one out there somewhere. Good luck, Neily

Hi Dave, yes, I thought about it but there's a lot of work involved plus some major issues such as the spare wheel would obscure rear vision, the number plate would have to be relocated, heavy-duty door struts would have to be found from somewhere etc. Plus, and I stand to be corrected on this, I don't think the rear door has enough rigidity / inherent strength to cope with the weight of a bracket and wheel, and there are probably insurance 'vehicle modification' issues involved. Not trying to shoot ya down in flames mate - I considered it too. :) Neily

Sorry to hear about that mate. I think Ford have really got to get their act together regarding the aircon, cos it was rarely perfect on the mk1 or mk2. And now the problems which should've been ironed ou now persist on the mk3. I thought the Germans were supposed to be good at designing stuff. :)

Hi Gary and welcome to the world of the mk3 Galaxy! :) It's a bit disconcerting isn't it, driving around in the hands of sod's law. If you look around elsewhere in the MKIII Section of the forum, you'll see a few threads regarding spare wheel, jack, tools etc for the mk3, to which even I have contributed. If you have any questions or queries about this or anything else for that matter please feel free to PM me or start a new thread, and I'll try to help as best as I can. And I'm sure others will too. You've made a good choice and I hope you enjoy your new car. Regards, Neily

Hi Brush2805 I have a Galaxy with a Pano roof and I think its an excellent option, as it makes the interior much lighter. All who have been in the car invariably say things like 'wow' and 'cool' :) There are some plus points: It's made of very tinted glass. There's a spring-loaded sliding blind for each interior section, 2 front, 2 rear (similar to the flyscreens on caravan windows) which blocks out bright sunlight quite effectively. The 'cool' factor, already mentioned. The glass roof itself does not squeak & rattle: it is the door compartments on the centre console which runs down the middle of the roof, but I've sorted that problem now. ;) Be aware however that the sunroof does not open, neither do the rearmost quarter light windows (on most mk3's). You do get though global opening & closing of the windows from the key remote, which on a warm day allows the interior heat build-up to escape, eg used when approaching your car in a carpark. The aircon system is frankly, rubbish. It's nowhere near cold enough on a warm day and the whole thing is totally inadequate. All it's good for is stopping the windows from misting up during winter. I've heard that some S-max owners are similarly disappointed. Lastly, IMO and from experience, models previous to the mk3 were better put together. I hope this makes things a little clearer for you. Regards, Neily

Chezzy, I can't be certain what the exact year the mondy was, but I know that it was a mk2 2.0 LX. When I was at the tyre shop we put the (mondy) wheel on the Galaxy to see if things were OK and it fitted perfectly. I should say though that this size of 5 stud wheel isn't that easy to come by - it took me a fair bit of phoning around and in the end it was by luck and chance that I got what I wanted. But it had to be done. Let us know how you get on. HTH and good luck. Neily

Hi I bought a 5-stud 16" ordinary steel wheel off a Mondeo from a scrappy last year and had a part worn tyre fitted to it, bought a cheap plastic wheel cover and in the back of the car it waits. Job done and peace of mind. :) Regards,

My

Hi Richard, don't know much about the 1.8, but I would (and did) go for the 2 litre TDCI for towing. You didn't mention what van you've got or it's weight, but I have a TA Swift and can't fault the Gal's towing performance - it's superb. Even in 6th gear with cruise control on it copes with motorway gradients effortlessy. MPG is a bit disappointing, but it's a big-ish caravan to pull around. In comparison though, I personally think that the VW 1.9 diesel is quieter and less harsh than the ford TDCI unit. General faults? I've heard about software and electrical issues here and there and the air con is still dodgy. Also bear in mind that no spare wheel is supplied with the car. For me as a caravanner, that was a major issue which I resolved by finding my own spare. Have a look around the forum and see others' comments. HTH and good luck. Neil

No, it won't. I bought one off ebay last year, which was advertised as 'fits Mk3 Galaxy and S-max'. When I got it I realised that it was for an S-max, because it wasn't long enough and the fixing/locating brackets were completely different. I returned it and got my money back, however, with a suggestion to the seller that the cover was for S-max only. :P Neil

Hi. I had the same problem on my 2.3 mk1. I had to replace one of the ignition coils, at a cost of

Is the 2.2 a five cyl lump or four?

Hi Peter, I have a cargo net, but it's not an 'official' Ford one. A few months back, our local Lidl store were doing a car accessory extravaganza and I picked one up for

Hi VW, good post. I used to own a new Galaxy but became so hacked of with the poor quality, reliability and poor pulling power that I got rid and went back to a 130bhp Alhambra Stylance. I'm considering doing exactly the same as you. The mk1 Galaxy I had previously was a great car, the mk3 I own now is in my opinion, a mediocre car trying to be great which is so disappointing. As I mentioned on another thread, hopefully all these issues will be addressed on the facelift model when it arrives.

I bought my Galaxy knowing about the inadequate and absurd 'mobility kit' and being a caravanner, I planned to do my own thing and obtain a spare wheel anyway. So I thought I'd try the Ford dealer for a quote, out of interest. At first, he didn't even want to sell me a matching alloy wheel saying that I didn't need one, my car isn't meant to have a spare and that the kit supplied does exactly what it's meant to and has been extensively tested and trialled. I replied that I have no confidence whatsoever in the kit and can't take any chances when towing and in the end he reluctantly quoted me about a hundred quid or so for a new alloy. Two days later, I bought a 16" 5 stud steel wheel from a scrapyard and as the rear tyres needed replacement anyway, I saved the best one and had the tyre fitter put it on the wheel. I then bought a cover, a telescopic wheelbrace and took my 2 tonne bottle jack out of the caravan to keep in the car. Like some other posters, I rarely use the rear seats, so the spare is kept in the back - and I'm working on fabricating some sort of bracket to secure it. The issue here is not the cost-saving exercise that I've just described - I would have bought the spare alloy from Ford - but it's practicality. I will never use the kit supplied and for what it's worth, I think manufacturers are going backwards in their design concepts. If they're that desperate to cost down and lean manufacture they could at least make provision for a spare wheel and offer it as a cost option to customers. Regards, Neil

The heating on my car is OK but the air con is sadly lacking in performance, at best it struggles and on warm days it barely copes. And you have to have the fan on max which sounds like a 747 taking off. I suspect they've used inferior components and suppliers that are simply not up to the job. I know it's a big interior to cool down, so why don't they fit a compressor or entire system thats man enough to do it. I had a Probe V6 about 4 years ago and the air con on that was awsome, so good in fact that many times you'd have to turn the heater control up slightly to just take the chill off because it was too cold! Why can't we have a system like that?