Ian in Northampton

Good grief - I wander away from a topic for a couple of days and all hell breaks loose... :lol: Fwiw, I sit somewhere in the middle on this argument. On the one hand, despite their flaws, MS operating systems and application software are remarkable achievements (although I hate the recurring 'feature bloat' - but then, I don't want/need those features). On the other, there is little doubt in my mind but that MS abuses its position of dominance in the market. And back to the topic... I'm pretty certain I'm not accidentally knocking the switch on and off. Yes, my knuckles drag along the ground when I walk, but in the car I can keep them nicely under control (such as moving the right one up and down from the wrist out of the driver's window... :) )

Mike, looking at the spec, I'm not sure that's true, is it? The 'low air temperature' warning looks as if it's part of the Graphic Information Module that also contains the low washer fluid warning...

Many thanks guys. I had three Galaxy Ghias (company cars...) before I bought this one for myself, so I guess I got used to a level of refinement that is, alas, no more. GSMGuy: I make a technical incompetent look like a rocket science so, unfortunately, upgrades such as you describe are waaaaay beyond me. Shame - I miss the trip computer, not least because it made me drive a little less heavy-footedly. Which, at 27mpg, I desperately need to do. I miss the ice warning, too, especially as the early part of my journey to work each morning includes some bends and hills that require judicious driving even in the best of conditions. On the other hand, I never got on with cruise control - I felt permanently unsafe with it locked in.

Does anyone know if a 51 reg. 2.3 Zetec should have a warning light for 'washer fluid low'? My washer fluid ran out yesterday morning without warning. If it should be there - where's a good place to start to find out why it didn't illuminate?

Hmmm... It occurs to me, what's even weirder is that the parking sensor is a 'push in for on, release for off' button. Am I changing gear so flamboyantly that I keep knocking it? I take it, Matt, that you blame Bill Gates? I certainly do...

I've noticed that my parking sensors seem to switch themselves off at random, and I have to push the dashboard switch to get them going again. This isn't good when, as I habitually do, you park by ear (a trick I learned in Paris, where you drive/reverse into a streetside space until you hear yours hit the car in front of/behind you). Actually, the Galaxy parking sensors get me into a lot of trouble - I regularly drive our other two cars (anyone want to make me an offer for a nice, P-reg, 1.8LX Mondeo estate, 75,000 miles, well-maintained, cambelt just done...?) and forget, when I'm backing up, that I don't have the sensor - with inevitable (if, fortunately, thus far non-catastrophic) results. Seriously: does anyone know why the parking sensors do that?

I seem to average around 27mpg regardless of whether it's pottering around or on the motorway. And I wouldn't have said I was particularly leaden-footed. Should I expect better? - from other posts, I wonder if there's something I need to look at.

Richmond: and there, I think, you've touched upon the inherent superficiality and pointlessness of personalised plates. It's always occurred to me as strange that, in the USA - or in Texas at least - you can choose any license plate you want so long as it's proper numbers and letters, isn't more than 6 (or 7) characters and isn't rude: you pay around $40 a year for it - but no-one bothers much. To me, personalised plates are all about 'look at me - I have waaaaaaay more money than sense'. But I guess that's just the puritan in me...

Richmond: yeah but ("no but, yeah but, no but, yeah but...."): what intrigued me, and the entire point of the plate, was that it was on a car that was brand new N registered - so it was N registered, and it was New. Capice? :lol:

One of the cleverer ones that caught my eye was when N reg first came out: N 15 4 NEW

Thanks guys.

Can I demonstrate my appalling ignorance (again) and ask: is the 40,000 mile cambelt change unique to the TDi, or does it apply to the petrol engine stuff as well?

Ah, you poor Ghia owners - so much more to worry about than we humble Zetec owners... Jealous? Moi?? ;)

My first Galaxy was an N-registered 2.0 litre petrol. I took it to the Lake District and it wouldn't go up hills... Not sure if my experience is typical, or whether things have improved since.

AlanA: the phenomenon may be the well known one where you can't readily find something you never really wanted to find in the first place... :lol:

FWIW, when my wife took our Galaxy on holiday and it fell apart on her - the aircon clutch had disintegrated, allegedly, meaning that the engine wouldn't turn - she was given a C8 while the Galaxy was repaired. She thought it was the bee's knees, and came back desperate for us to get shot of the Galaxy and get a C8 instead. She loved the remote operated rear sliding doors and loads of other electronic gizmos, and didn't mind the fact that the gear lever was stuck in the middle of the dashboard. I went through the motions of researching the C8, but didnt find a positive review of it or its equivalents, and she's gradually forgotten about it.

Thanks Ivor. I guess there's a calculation I need to do here that projects the point at which the car will have done 'average' mileage? My position is that, when I bought it, 24k miles was below average for a 2.5 year car, assuming an average of 12,000 miles/year. Or is that too high? It's done 30k now, and if I do 1,800/month, by the time the warranty runs out it will be four years old and have done 52,500 - somewhat above average but not so much as to really screw the residual?

Thanks Andrew. In fact, I'll likely do closer to 18,000 miles/year, which makes the diesel MPG argument an even more compelling one. On the other hand, as you say, there's the service cost and the insurance cost. I just checked on Parkers, and it looks as if I'll have to find another

Four months ago, I was really looking for a TDi Ghia. It had to be 51 reg or better and low mileage - nothing else really mattered. However, they seemed a little beyond what I was prepared to pay. Then I caught sight of a 2.3 Zetec, 51 reg, immaculate bodywork with 24,000 miles on the clock. It was at a Network Q dealer, and came with the balance of the Ford warranty plus what seems like a very comprehensive Network Q one year warranty. I ended up paying

I thought that at the time... :( Oh well, as they had the dashboard off to replace the aircon compressor, a small rattle at the rear will be the least of my worries. And no, we weren't there. Personally, if I were you, I'd have done a seek and destroy for the children and dogs; they make a really nice scrunching/sqealing noise under the wheels of an all-terrain bike moving at high speed... :D

Finally got round to it, and it was as predicted with two Philips screws to remove. Theoretically pretty painless, but the screw nearest the lamp assembly is incredibly inaccessible. I didn't have a short Philips screwdriver so had to resort to a flexible one which did the trick. However, getting that particular screw back in proved a nightmare - and when I finally dropped it somewhere in the well, I gave up on it: the bracket seems fine with just the one screw, and I doubt the car will fall apart as a result. Many thanks for the help. Cheers, Ian.

Thanks guys. I still haven't got round to this... FredT: in Bozeat, just outside Wellingborough. I can't believe that I have to disassemble the bloody car just to change a bulb - but if that's what it takes... I hope it's a ajob that a useless amateur can undertake? Hopefully, a closer look at the weekend... Cheers, Ian.

Neil, thanks - I'll certainly give that a try. Cheers, Ian.

My offside brake light has failed, and I'm trying to replace it. As per the instruction book, I've removed the interior side panel and released the catch that allows the entire subassembly to be withdrawn - in theory. The fact is, though, that no way can I get the subassembly out. It seems to foul either a) because a bulb won't come clear of its hole, or :lol: there is something behind the subassembly (I'm not with the car right now, but it seems to hold some sort of rubber strap that passes in front of the seat belt mechanism) that just won't allow me to pull the light subassembly back and out. What am I missing? According to the book, it should be simplicity itself (hah!), and I really don't want to visit the dealer just to change a bulb. Help...! Many thanks. Cheers, Ian.