El Dingo

Do you really think that Supermarket fuels are any different? That the Oil companies would bother to change a process that cost millions to set up to give a different mix - I don't!! What would be in it for them? Supermarkets buy on price by volume - they just sell a lot more so get a better wholesale price than an independent. During a visit to Hemel (before it blew up!) I saw different additive mixes included or not according to the end user brand.

It looks like a Focus

No. it's not a Ford/VW joint venture. I had a look at the new model the other day. There is no spare wheel and thy are not run-flat tyres - just a can of repair gunk. I wouldn't be happy either, as I am one of the few people I know who actually has had two punctures within a month (I know, I must be careless! :) ) and one of these damaged the sidewall, so this gunk wouldn't work anyway. Both punctures actaully required new tyres. As a family, we did like the fold flat seats but didn't like the cabin quality, the narrowness of the seat base, flimsy seat materials, the flimsy mat that forms the 'flat load bay' with all the seats down and the fact that you have to lift the head restraint to make the seat work for an adult. (The old Galaxy seats may be heavy but they are tough.) The new car seems a bit more 'built to a price' than the old Galaxy. I suspect that the new Galaxy will be a better/quieter ride than the old, but I didn't drive the new one. What I did drive was the S-Max (as we couldn't see the point of the Galaxy over the S-Max apart from the extra interior height, which we are not sure we need) with the 2.5 litre 5 cylinder. Wheeeeeeee! Lovely engine (not available in the Galaxy either). The S-Max is a quieter drive than our Mk2 Galaxy, which felt a little harsh after the S-Max (but then ours is four years old...).

Look at the FAQ's in this section under 'Petrol smell and carbon cannister'. This item is located under the front offside wing. Also the pipes are plastic not steel. Does the liquid smell of/is it petrol? Do you have aircon? You may have a leaking aircon receiver dryer (the liquid could be the lubricating oil)? If it melts paint, it could be brake fluid. :)

I recorded no improvement in fuel consumption (recorded between tank brimmings) and noticed no improvement in performance with Ultimate diesel in my Audi A4 2.0Tdi. In fact all diesel 'brands' work the same in my A4. However, if you run a turbo petrol car tuned for 'Super Unleaded' (as I used to - a Leon Cupra R), Shell Optimax does do the business, being 98 Octane. BP Ultimate petrol is 97 Octane and did not work any better than standard unleaded. I can only assume that the Leon switches to a 95 octane map if it doesn't detect 98 octane. The Galaxy 2.3 is tuned for 95 Octane and won't get any benefit from using 97 or 98 Octane. However, I'd still recommend using a quality fuel, rather than a cheap supermarket variety.

Plug leads? :D

It's a bad time to buy and sell... You'll have more luck after the September registrations, when trade-ins will appear at the dealers and private sellers will be desperate to make room on the drive for the new car.

Get a powerful vacuum cleaner and some windscreen washer pipe. Hold the washer pipe in the hose of the vacuum cleaner and push the other end down the vents. This will pick up the pieces. If you have a *really* powerful industrial vac, you might not even need the washer pipe. Just turn the other vents off, put the fan on full and hold the vacuum cleaner hose over the offending vent. On the Mk2 the vents are just levered out (carefully).

Or how about one whole side of an LP - Curtain Call by the Damned? Anonymous 3 by Focus (one and a half sides) (if you don't lose the will to live)? Echoes by Pink Floyd - another whole side of an LP? Goldie - Timeless ... and back to Tubular Bells! :D

Hi smoggy, Do a search for 'bent drive shaft' or something like that - there has been such a case on this forum recently. You could also have (IMHO): - A bent wheel (but should have been noticed when balancing the wheels) - A bulging tyre (same) - A seriously warped disc - A slightly warped disc and a siezed caliper (normally rear wheel) - A damaged CV joint (this will also show up as a loud repeated click on full lock)

Could you give us a few more details - like where the squeak is coming from?

So... Is it fixed? :D

Ah well, not coolant leaking out of the heater matrix... I can't think of anything now except the windscreen. Note that the leak doesn't have to be exactly where the water comes in - this sounds nutty I know, but the water can migrate around the gap between the bodywork, sealant and the screen. Or my (rather unlikely) bulkhead leak.

Some questions: Do you have a sunroof? The water smells nasty - are you having to top up the engine coolant regularly?

Sorry T, I edited. Is it near the bonnet release, or closer to the centre console?

Has anyone mentioned water ingress via the door? Ooops edit :) - down the centre console.... Hmmmm (as Mof4 would say). You need a dry day and a hosepipe. I have heard about an assembly issue where a bulkhead weld doesn't get sealed properly - this was a SEAT. The water goes down the scuttle drains OK but some comes through the badly sealed bulkhead and drips in down by the bonnet release.

At least one fan will run for the air conditioning in warm weather even when the engine is cold. Have you sat with the car at idle and watched? When the engine gets to a high enough temperature the second fan should kick in. The fuse for these is in the fuse box near the battery, but offhand I don't know which one - worth checking.

I hate to say this again... but white *smoke* under power is a classic symptom of turbo failure. :)

Great. You got lucky, or your problems were straightforward (or commonly found on Shalaxys). :) So what about getting a diagnostic? VAG-COM? Will my original 'turbo failure' diagnosis prove to be correct? (Stay tuned for the next exciting episode) :)

No offence either, but do you really expect diagnosis by internet? Your symptoms don't seem so straightforward. Maybe you could find someone with VAG-COM near you or book in for a diagnostic at a VW/Ford/Seat dealer?

It's the wastegate. See Seat Kid's pics. This dumps boost, for example when changing gear. it's usually a diaprhagm valve on modern engines and diverts the air back into the system rather than to atmosphere. (I just realised that I said that already - it's been a Llllloooonnnnnnggggg day. ;) )

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Echo, what echo? Why the echo, we in a cave? Do YOU think he's flogging a dead bat? :)

... especially in a cold, wet country like ours (I assume that you live in the UK?). Also, corrosion can damage the ABS system. If you want to do-it-yourself, there's a thing called 'Easy Bleed' or something like that. You get your spare tyre and use the (reduced) pressure to pump new brake fluid throught the system, starting at the nearside rear, offside rear, nearside front then offside front. This won't hurt the ABS. You need more fluid than you would doing the job manually, but it's a lot less hassle.

Here is the relevent text - i'm not sure if it's 19 or 21 from the descriptions. I've never changed one of these.