Ian in Northampton

Nope... [*Damn...*]

Correctamundo... :lol:

Just a note to thank all of you - you know you were - for your help when I was a Galaxy owner. After four successive Galaxies over a period of 15 years, I decided it was time for a change. You can now find me on the S-Max Owner's Club site, having just bought a rather nice 2.5T Titanium. Interestingly, I'm far from the only ex-Galaxy owner there. Anyway, like I said: thanks all. Have fun.

Thanks guys. Either way, it sounds serious, and as I'm no mechanic, it sounds like a trip to the garage may be in order...

One of the things I've always liked about my Galaxy 2.3 (2001) is how 'forgiving' the engine is of you being in too high a gear: you could be trying to pull away from 20mph in fourth, and it would be slow, but it would go. Over the past couple of weeks, though, it seems to have become much less forgiving - and I'm not sure whether my driving style has changed in some weird way, or whether I'm experiencing the early symptoms of a failure which I'd guess would be in the clutch or the transmission (it's just done its 100,000th mile...) The symptoms are that, if I try to pull away in too high a gear/at too low a speed, I get a juddering or a jolting or - well, I'm not sure how to describe it, but the car moves forward jerkily and only a rapid change down or a foot on the accelerator will pull it through. My assumption is, it would otherwise stall. Given its age, I'm suspecting that something, somewhere is starting to wear out, but I have no clue what except, as I said, to suspect something in the gearbox, clucth or transmission. Anyone have any thoughts?

How come I can't get the guy from Kwik Fit Insurance - who I don't want to deal with - or the guy trying to sell me a hovel in Bulgaria - who I equally don't want to deal with - off the phone, but the nice lady from Warranty Direct - who I might want to deal with - doesn't call? I'm certainly not going to call her and make myself look keen/enthusiastic/desperate...

MO4: not yet - I'm waiting for them to follow up with me so that we can begin the expected negotiation on price... :D If I call them, it'll make me look too keen. I have a target price of

All good - thanks guys and gals.

At 85,000 miles, I'm sorely tempted by a year's warranty from warrantydirect.co.uk. They're recommended by Honest John of Daily Telegraph fame, whose opinion I value highly. However, I value the forum's opinion even more than his... Anyone had any experience? It's going to cost me

Gregers - I'm ahead of you: actually, he will suffer even more pain than that. We run a little Citroen AX as a 'spare' and we told him if he paid for half the insurance (

Mo4 - sorry, didn't mean to ignore you. Bitter experience has taught me not to ignore ladies... :lol: I'll take a closer look. The mud/dust does tend to obscure things a bit, though.

Many thanks Willie/George. I'll give them a call.

Thanks all - that's very helpful. I used to do stuff like this on my first ever car - an Anglia - including filling the sills with newspaper and chicken wire and filling over them, but my days of messing with bodywork are long gone. Seatkid: so far as the bloody son's health is concerned, I'll just say that a) this was the latest act in a series of significant misdemeanours, and ;) he took the car without permission in the middle of the night. He's had all of three driving lessons (he's 17) and already thinks he's God's gift to the roadways of Great Britian. It's not metallic paint, I don't think - it's the rather common dark blue that you see on lots of Galaxies.

... was backing my Gal onto the drive and has caught the rear offside door on a stone wall. There's a dent - not too large, not too deep, at the leading edge of the door but the paintwork is well scratched through. My only dealings with bodyshops over the past few years have seen them insist that the only fix for this kind of a problem is a new panel (in this case, I guess it'd be a new door). That may be because they've all been insurance jobs. Does no-one beat panels out/use filler these days? Any recommendations for someone in the Northampton/Towcester/Wellingborough/ Milton Keynes area who'll do a good job but at an affordable price? Thanks! Cheers, Ian.

It's always fascinated me (but then, I'm easily amused...) 7/8 full: after 75 miles 3/4 full: after 125 miles 1/2 full: after 225 miles refuel: after 350 miles Within a mile or two, it's absolutely consistent. Not getting more than about 25mpg, though...