smitch

Could any tell me which is the correct oil for my 2005 Galaxy TDI 130? I'm getting confused by the talk of PD engines and variable interval servicing. I don't know what oil has been used before but it has been serviced 6 times by a Ford dealer prior to me buying it (and yes, it's still going!!). Thanks

I had same problem with my Gal TDI 130 and had new belt and tensioner fitted. Same problem returned and I checked alternator pulley as per Littledaz test. Result was pulley seized. Tried to get just pulley changed under warranty but changed whole alternator and fitted new belt. Now running sweet as a nut with no noise and tensioner almost still on idle

Had new alternator and aux belt fitted today. What a difference!!! Tensioner is now almost perfectly still on idle where as before it was jumping about like a mad thing and the whole engine is much quieter on tickover. Aircon seems much colder. Would a seized pulley/loose belt impair the efficiency of the aircon???

Now that's an idea I like. I imagine the garage will claim that they need to send it back to be recon but it's worth a try!!

Car been looked at today. 1st phone call from garage was that the pulley was not seized as it was spinning both ways. I asked whether this was under load ie with belt on and explained LittleDaz's alternator test to the mechanic. He said he'd have another look . Just received a phone call, they are going to replace the alternator as Ford state that you can't buy the pulley separately from the alternator and that AA warranty are going to pay for it. The AA won't authorize a genuine Ford alternator so a new one from a motor factors place is to be fitted. Not one aruguement needed!! I know a pulley can be sourced from VW and I have explained this to the garage but I guess if the AA are willing to pay you to supply and fit an alternator, you not going to argue! All I have to pay for is for a new belt which the AA refuse to cover (

Thanks for the advice, car's going into the garage in the morning so I'll see what happens and take it from there. I'm hoping that it will get sorted with no fuss but then I'm not that lucky so I expect to spend most of tomorrow morning on the phone and arguing. I'll keep you updated.

Sainot, not really, the most common tyre debris is from blown lorry tyres. However, I have never really been a fan of the externally mounted spare. There's no protection for the tyre and wheel and its is easily stolen.

No problem Big Kev. If it stops one family from having the worst day of their lives, job's a good 'un.

You could be right there Gregers but as far as I'm concerned, I don't care who picks up the tab as long as it's not me. I want to avoid getting stuck in between a "It's not our problem the dealer should pay" and a "it's not our problem the warranty should pay" turf war. Looking at the dealer literature, it appears that they would try and make a claim on the warranty anyway. Except I would have the cost and inconvenience of a 80 mile round trip to sort it out. That's the problem when you have very little mechanical knowledge like me, you have to put a little trust in the dealer. To be fair, they did change the belt as promised but they were treating a symptom not the cause. It's only because of the wealth of knowledge on this forum that I was able to get to the root cause.

Well had at look at the pulley and tensioner this morning. Tensioner was vibrating like a mad thing, no play in pulley but when I did Littledaz's test on the alternator to see if it would the alternator blades would freewheel in any direction, there was no joy. This makes me think that the pulley has seized. Contacted AA Warranty and have booked the car in to be "investigated" on Friday morning. I spoke directly to the garage and voiced my concerns so will see what happens. The only symptoms so far are a rumbling on full lock in each direction at slow speed which can be felt through steering wheel which is worse when A/C is on and certainly nothing like the noise before the belt was changed. There is also a faint rumbling at tickover from the belt area especially if the A/C is on. Hopefully the AA will pay out for the pulley change. Fingers crossed. Is there any official Ford or VW notifications that I can get hold of to highlight the problem to the garage if necessary??

For my sins, I police the section of M4 where it joins the M25 and all I do is deal with rear end shunts caused by queueing traffic. Unfortunately many of these are at a reasonable to high speed. I personally wouldn't let my kids sit in the back of my gal if I could avoid it and that is why I changed from a Zafira so they could all go in the middle. I agree with Seatkid that any car would struggle in a high speed rear impact collision.

Still not happy with the vibration on full lock so going to have have a look at the alternator in the morning and the play in the pulley under load. Having read all the associated threads, am I right in thinking there should be no movement in the pulley or tensioner at all when the engine is running and under load from A/C or steering???

Phil, Thanks for the reply. Picked the car up today and the noise has gone. I will keep an eye on it as I have seen from other threads that sometimes changing the belt isn't enough and it can come back after two weeks or so. I bought a years AA warranty with it so hopefully that will cover any issues that arise. Can anyone recommend a good place to get a service in the Bracknell area of Berkshire??

Hi, I am a newbie here and have just purchased a 05 Galaxy TDI 130 Ghia with 64000 miles from a car supermarket. When I test drove it today, there was a noise from the power steering when on full lock at slow speed in both directions. It sounded like a knocking. The dealer told me it was the tensioner for the power steering belt and that it would be replaced before I pick it up on Monday. Does this sound correct and are there problems with this particular model I should be aware of??