BrummyGit

Erm.........not with my TDi 150. It tops out just shy of 130mph and once rolling has caught quite a few people out who thought they were going past the bus at the lights. Never known it slow down on a hill either. This bus is getting quite quick now the engine is loosening up with nearly 7,000 miles on - oh and for the record is still getting between 40 and 45 mpg. It is really quite good and growls nicely (not quite like a V6 though). Who would want a V6? not me unless it was a diesel :)

OK I've had a chat with Fireski (to whom I am very grateful) and also done some tinkering so here are my findings - hopefully they can help someone else in the future: I took the o/s headlamp out and discovered that as chromedome states, there is enough slack cable to work on the lamp unit without disconnecting. I also wished I had maked with a white pen or some tipex/paint/nail varnish the exact position of the lamp unit mountings are there is a little slack in all the mountings allowing you to refit slightly out of alignment. That said main seems to have gone back pointing exactly where it did before. The is a grommit high up on the back of the lamp unit between the electronics box (ballast??) and where the back protrudes further. If you take this out there is an allen headed adjuster screw as previously mentioned. This takes a 6mm allen key, although it is actually wider and tapers to a 6mm bottom. I am going to do some digging to see if there is a special tool or external adjuster available elsewhere is the VAG group that fits this better than the allen key, but with the right length key you can operate the adjuster without removing the lamp. Ideally an external adjuster that fits in place of the gromit would be a bonus - hopefully I'll follow the A4 lead in this thread and find something. The adjuster only turns about 20-30 degrees. The adjuster does not change over to full european dip setting (as I was expecting) but instead converts your headlamps from an asymetric beam pattern to a simple flat beam suitable for use on either side of the road - this means you can make the adjustment before you go. The plastics around this area are rough cut and very sharp - I have a nice slice out of my thumb as proof.

My first trip away is imminent now. Can you help me find the grommits and hopefully adjust my headlights at the ferry terminal as I will travel overnight. Is it the grommits I can see without removing anything - they have 4 recesses (like holes) in the grommit is a square and are between the electronics box (ballast??) and where the rear of the headlamp protudes further. They are quite high towards the top of the lamp unit. Also any idea of the allen key size and how far they need to turn? Thanks

I've recently bought a 150 as well - moving from an Audi A4 TDi 130. I was initially disappointed with the performance, however now it has about 1500 miles on there has been a marked improvement. I'm not sure if the ECU is deliberately down-tuned for the first so many miles but I am now very impressed with it. There is loads of mid-range grunt and of course the motor is very torquey. I had a pop at a Skoda Octavia vRS (a wolf in sheeps clothing) on a motorway slip road a couple of days ago and whilst I couldn't beat him, he was most annoyed that I matched him in the 40-80mph range. Fuel consumption is nowhere near my old A4 though - I used to be able to easily get 50mpg and push it towards 60mpg driving like a nun's granny, but now in the Galaxy I am pushing it to get 40mpg and about 43 if I really try - 36-38mpg is the sort of figure I see if I am making good progress. Whilst I know the A4 weighs less and cuts through the air easier, I had hoped for slightly better. All in all though, the 150 is a nice motor if you don't want to compromise too much on performance.

That explains it - they must give you the rattle in lieu of the illumination so you can still find your drink in the dark. Both of mine rattle when they are used anyway :D

Ahh, the penny drops :D Thanks, that answers my questions. BG

Yes trading standards had a chuckle about that with me as well. Their warranty small print says that you agree they can send you a refurb. It also says that this replaces your statutory rights except in a country where this is forbidden by law - luckily this includes the UK. I am still waiting for my refund cheque from PC World (although I have a written offer of refund) and have decided I'll not spend any more money with TomTom and instead I bought the Garmin unit.

TomTom didn't want to know and even said I had given up my consumer rights under the terms of their warranty. If you have a bored 5 mins as a TomTom GO owner read the very small print of the warranty in the licence document. It's a good job the UK has decent consumer laws. :huh: I thought the ariel amplifier was standard fit in the factory - is this not the case? I'm really confused now

I'm finding that with the 3rd row seats folded up against row 2 and the tonneau cover in place that the rear heater is making a good job of heating the boot but doing little to warm row 2. It's no major problem really, I guess that's just one of those things in life that we have to put up with. :lol:

Oh no :lol: a dilema. Can anyone else confirm if they get warm air from the roof vents before I book the car in for Frauds to fix. Thanks

Thanks, will I find the amplifier inline tucked somewhere in the centre console then? I've just bought a Garmin Streetpilot 2720 having given up with my TomTom Go 700 - 2nd unit broke and the crooks tried to fob me off with a refurb. I've always had Garmin in the past and been pleased so I thought I'd spend my money with a decent company. I don't think the Garmin TMC unit is available yet, but it should be by the end of the year.

I have a new Galaxy Ghia with a 5000N head unit and CD multichanger. I want to fit an FM modulator and soon a TMC receiver for my satnav. Searching the forums has just confused me further so hopefully someone can help. I removed the head unit yesterday hoping to fit the modulator but the ariel connectors are different to those on the modulator. I've also read on here about the inline signal amplifier. Can I just get adaptors from somewhere for the ariel connectors, or do I need to worry about power to the amplifier. Is the power sent down the ariel lead, or seperately from the head. If it is down the ariel lead am I likely to bugger up my FM modulator and TMC units? Thanks for any advice

Doh :lol: That's me with a nice warm boot through the winter then. Thanks for the reply

Usually I would agree with you, however the only other outlets from the rear heater are in the boot when I'm in 5 seat mode so this is not ideal either. Hopefully someone will be along soon to tell me whether I have a fault or if this is by design. Cheers Brummie

If this has been covered before I am sorry - I did a search and didn't find an answer. I have a new Galaxy Ghia TDi with dual air-con. My Aux Heater works a treat and I love the aircraft noise and smell while I scrape the ice in a morning....BUT......... I just can't seem to get hot air out of the roof vents on rows 2 and 3. I get lovely warm air in the front, and also from the low level vents in the N/S panel where the heater is located. However with the 3rd row seats folded away and tonneau cover fitted this means that I have a lovely warm boot but my rearmost windows take an age to demist etc. Are these roof mounted vents suppossed to blow warm in winter, or only cold in summer? Is there some trick to getting air to flow or do I need to borrow my kids Harry Potter spell book? Thanks Brummie

Aldridge Trimming have been in Wolverhampton for many years. Even if they aren't interested in doing it, I'll bet they can point you in the right direction.

Yes, will do. If they are rubbish I will try Bridgnorth or Telford.

Sorry to bring this discussion back to cars from pedants, but I'm waiting for delivery of a 150PS Galaxy Ghia to replace my 130PS Audi A4 (ie same engine, but a different amount of puff). What is your first impression of the engine? Go on, tell me, please, please, please :lol:

OK some answers: Brummie, is your Austro friend saying that Spiders are not accepted by the Austrian alpine police as acceptable on alpine high altitude roads (I feel a possible 'snow sock' embarassment coming on here).Yes he believes that if it says chains are mandatory, then chains it must be - he is not sure about the Sport Spiders as they do have a chain arrangement. Both of you - are you certain that mounting tyres that are slightly narrower (in my case on my 15" steel wheels) is the best way forward?I'm told this is normal - it gives a little more clearance for the snow accumulation, but more importantly increases the pressure on your contact area which has been reduced slightly for the same weight. Brummie, the chains, if that's what I run with, appear good value on price - do you have the web links for the on-line suppliers you visited at euro100 approx?I failed to get a straight answer on this on - he simply said to get over there and visit a good shop where you can see them and make sure they fit correctly. Then make a choice based on informed knowledge. He did recommend the chains with a metal ring on the inside and a chain ring on the outside as being the best/easiest to use. But bear in mind he drives on snow for many months a year and often uses snow chains - unlike myself. I hope this info helps.

Blatters I'll ask my contact - give me a day or two. Cheers BG

I sent an email to a colleague who lives in Austria, travels regularly by car and drives an Alhambra. Here is his reply: My winter tyres are a little smaller than the summer ones; the summers are 215/55 R16 and the winter tyres are 2 cm less in width, they are 195/60 R16. I never thought of having any issues with the chains / clearance. The largest manufacturer of chains in Austria can be found at http://www.pewag.at There is an American flag in the top left to switch to English (sic!!) and you can select according to Vehicle, size, colour :-), ... They also have the spider spikes on display. Forget them, they are crap. Whenever it is mandatory to use chains they don't count, and chains with a ring on the inside are much easier to fix and remove than these "items". I have looked up the prices of these chains at various shops; they are between 70 and 100 Euros per pair. Make sure you get chains that can be used on both side; not left/right, but rather inside/outside so you can wear down both sides of the chain links :-)

I was scared to stop it however as I travelled out there on UK diesel and was terrified it would wax up. Once I got there my first stop was a petrol station for a full tank of local diesel which is treated to lower temperatures. I was also a little concerned that leaving it parked outside overnight might find any weakness in my battery, but I was pleasantly surprised that it started first time after the pre-heater lamp had gone out.

Who says I'm a brummie? There's some irony in my user name :lol: Anyway I didn't take the picture, my passenger reached over with the camera as we were not able to pull over there due to snow at the sides of the roads, but I did take this one when we did manage to stop - it was cold getting out for a quick walk :o http://www.pattingham.com/pics/cold4.jpg

I work for a company that has an Austrian wing, and having travelled out there last winter I can tell you that petrol stations will sell snow chains for around

Thanks, that's probably my nearest dealer so it is really good to hear. Steve