tim-spam

Engine under load means that it's being used to move or accelerate the car. No load is when the engine is revved in neutral or idling. A noisy tappet will tick away all the time the engine is running, whether the engine is doing work or not.

Aircon systems on most cars are notorious - the Japanese are the best (no surprise there), but even they have problems. However, the Japanese have been clever enough to make most of the major parts easily accessible. For example, to change the evaporator on most European cars requires virtually the whole dashboard to be removed, whereas on the average Japanese car the evaporator is very much easier to access. The main problem with aircon on the Sharan / Alhambra / Galaxy is the inability of the dealers either to understand the system, or to fix it properly. This leads the initial problem to become much worse each time they fiddle - if they fixed things properly in the first place, the vast majority of the problems experienced would never happen. There are also some things we can do - for example, if (when?) the system gets less effective, switch it off and don't use it until it is repaired. If the refrigerant has leaked out, some of the oil will probably have leaked out as well, and if you continue to use the system, the compressor may fail. The most common problem with dealers is that they open the system up to repair something, and do not replace the drier. This then leads to moisture in the system, followed by ice particles, followed by compressor failure. So again, if the dealer is repairing something, insist on a new drier, and demand to see the evidence. Of course, you shouldn't have to do this - at the money they charge, they should be competent, but most experience tells us otherwise.

If it's engine load dependent, it won't be tappets - these tap regardless of engine load. Worn hydraulic tappets may tend to tap less at higher revs due to the higher oil pressure.

As I understand it, if a fault is reported before the warranty runs out, you're covered. When you reported problems with misting up, the failed A/C was almost certainly the cause, and therefore it is encumbent upon the dealer to fix it - their claim that the pollen filter was to blame is so lame as to be almost laughable. In addition, they failed to carry out the service they should have done before the warranty expired. So, keep on at them about the car continuing to mist up (just like it did when you first reported it) when the weather is damp. Do not accept any excuses - the fault was reported before the warranty expired, and just because they were too incompetent or dishonest to correctly diagnose the fault does not get them off the hook. If they refuse, threaten to go legal - I agree with others here that just losing your custom will not bother them at all. After all, if it did, they would put more genuine effort into customer satisfaction. If they continue to refuse, then go legal anyway - it's amazing what a solicitor's letter can sometimes achieve.

10 degC - sounds like the switch is shorted out - perhaps the spanner monkeys did it when they were testing the new heater unit and forgot to put it back afterwards? The Ford TIS CD tells you how it works - they should know this!

This will also apply to your friend's Civic. The increase / difference in noise may make the car feel faster, but there will be little, if any, difference in actual performance. On modern emission controlled engines, the design of the induction system is usually very efficient, and the air filter represents only a tiny proportion of the total restriction.

For those who chose the Galaxy because they considered it genuinely to be the best in class (rather than just because they 'always buy Ford'), and want to replace it with the updated version of their present car, they will have to wait for the new Sharan, as this is the true successor to the present Galaxy / Sharan / Alhambra.

Looking at the test reports on the mytires.co.uk website, the cheapies don't come out too well, so I chose the Nokian NRHi 215/55R16's to replace the Dunlops. These tyres are so much better than the Dunlops, it's hard to believe - they grip far better, especially in the wet, the traction is far better, they are far quieter and they are rated at treadwear 320 as against 200 for the Dunlops, so should last at least 50% longer. They are also a low rooling resisitance design, which should reduce fuel consumption by around 5% - I certainly appear to be getting 20 -30 more miles out of a tank. If these tyres last for 30000 miles (the Dunlops were shot at 20000 miles), they should save around

The engine range on the Galaxy makes it a current no go - the 2.0 diesel is the best, but one of the mags said it just doesn't pull enough. That means until they up the engines, the Galaxy is a no go for me. It should still 'pull' considerably better than the current 2.3 Galaxy, so what's the real problem? That's assuming of course that the 2.0 Ford diesel is similar in performance to the 1.9 TDI. One more thing - when I last had a tyre failure, there is no way on earth that one of those 'puncture repair outfits' would have plugged the damaged area. With a proper spare, I got home with only a little delay - with the other alternative, It would have been a long delay and a tow. So, no spare?.....no thanks!

I find all the problems with the Eberspacher heater strange. These units are used in all sorts of construction equipment, lorries and coaches. They are quality pieces of kit and are usually durable and reliable. BUT, there is usually a maintenance requirement which involves periodic cleaning and glowplug replacement. The problem is that when fitted to cars, the manufacturers don't like to add anything to the maintenance schedule due to competitive pressures on running costs. The irony of this is that we all know that lack of maintenance tends to cost more in the long run. So basically, if you maintain the thing properly, you should find it reliable - also bear in mind that the reason it's needed in the first place is the efficiency of the engine, which saves far more in fuel costs than the cost of maintaining the heater unit. Of course, the problems with the heater are usually made far worse by the incompetent spanner monkeys charging the earth to completely replace units which only need cleaning and a new glowplug.

Yes it does - thanks.

Thanks for your reply. I have pretty much decided on the Atera Linea, so am presently looking for both secondhand (probably rare) or for the best price for a new one. The main question I have is the positions of the protective clear plastic strips.

I am considering this bike rack, and would like to know exactly where the clear protective plastic strips fit - is it under the upper hooks at the top of the tailgate, or under the lower hooks, or both? Thanks.

There will be a new Sharan based on the latest Passat platform. Basically, this will be the true replacement for the current model, and the initial signs are that it should be very good indeed - I just hope they avoid sliding rear doors and making it too much bigger.

Peng and Nooooowom.

Reliability surveys - now, there's another can of worms. We use them where I work, and they say at least as much about the owners as they do about their cars. For example, in one survey for MPV's, the Sharan came only just above the Espace and Voyager (and they were the bottom 2), the Galaxy somewhere just below average, and the Alhambra only just behind the Japs. Perhaps it's because the Portugese take more care in assembling the Seats....... er.... I don't think so. These differences can only be caused by one or more of several things such as: 1) The dealerships (very likely). 2) The owners' expectations (also very likely) 3) The model mix - non-diesel Alhambras are as rare as hen's teeth (possible). 4) Specification - perhaps more Alhambras are sold with lower specification and are therefore simpler (doubtful). If you want to hear some good stories about French cars, speak to someone who works in Engineering for Nissan - they are now tied up with Renault, and one I spoke to said that the average Renault would not be allowed out of the Nissan factory.

Would you buy another? 85%. I guess that just about says it all - an excellent car!

If it's reliability that's most important to you, why on earth are you even considering a French car? For maximum reliability, there's only one way to go...... Japanese. However, as you're replacing a complicated ten year old car that has had some problems with a simpler 2 year old car, there should be some improvement in reliability, even if it is French - just don't count on it too much.

From personal experience with company pool car fleets, I would avoid French cars like the plague. You may, however, be one of the lucky ones, and it certainly looks like a good buy, although it always pays to test drive it first.

Mine is a late 2001 model and has the curved blades - I don't find the visibility too bad (although it could be better), but I noticed when test driving Mk1's a few years back that they were not set up for this country. The changing over of the wiper arms to set the wipers up for this country was one of the many improvements made for the Mk2. I guess the straight blades are a further improvement - does anyone know how much the wiper arms cost for this change? As regards the rear wash / wipe, mine is absolutely fine - set the washer jet so that it hits the screen in the middle and use the genuine VW blade which faithfully follows the curve of the rear screen.

Given the history, that is clearly not what they wanted to do. It could equally be argued that without VW, Ford would have produced yet another Transit, but again, history shows that that is not what they wanted either - hence the tie-up. Having test driven quite a few Sharans and Alhambras (7 Mk1's and 5 Mk2's), and having chosen a Mk2, I can say with some confidence that the Mk 2 is a considerable improvement and definitely not just 'low cost'. Sure, using parts used on other VW Group cars is a good way of keeping costs down, but the Mk2's seem to put up with the rigours of MPV life better than the Mk 1's. The Mk2 also has a stiffer body structure, updated passive safety equipment, improved engines and transmissions, more durable interiors, uprated brakes, etc. - far more than minor 'cosmetic tweaks'. The first Alhambra I tried was a 90bhp Mk1 and seemed quite good until I drove a 110bhp - this was a very low mileage example and I was very tempted to make an offer, but after trying a 115bhp high mileage Mk2 Sharan (120000 hard miles) ex hire car, I could not believe how much better the Mk 2 was to drive (and how well this example had 'brushed up'). As a consequence, I increased my budget and started looking for a lower mileage Mk 2. Interestingly, on the used market, there does not seem to be a huge difference in price between Sharans and Alhambras - the main reason for choosing my Alhambra was its condition and mileage (and the price was obviously right as well), but it could just as well have been a Sharan or Galaxy.

How do you work that one out? Why should the Sharan have become yet another Caravelle?? The Mk 2 certainly hasn't gone in that direction (even though Ford had even less to do with the design and development of it than for the Mk 1), and is a significant improvement over the Mk 1. The VW Touran also hasn't, and neither will the new VW Sharan (which is based upon the latest Passat platform). But, to be absolutely clear, the new Galaxy is totally Ford (based, I believe upon the latest Mondeo platform), and looks as if it should be quite good. The new Sharan is totally VW and should be even better. As for the Alhambra, rumour has it that it ends with the current model - shame, because a VW Sharan a couple of grand less appeals. By the way, I hope that the new Sharan doesn't grow as much as the new Galaxy, as the current cars seem to me to be an ideal size.

Generally, it's who designed and developed a car that makes it what it is - the detailed design and development of the Sharan / Alhambra / Galaxy was done by VW. After all, does the fact that the VW Polo is made in Spain make it a Seat?