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It's me again. (2002 1.9 Tdi 115 Ghia - 68,000 miles) Yesterday the front wipers stopped working altogether. The windscreen washer jets stopped working at the same time. Oddly, when you pull back on the wiper stalk to operate the front washer jets the back wiper comes on. Very strange. I had a quick look at the fuses last night and they look OK. I tried two fuses, the green 30A fuse for the front wiper motor and the blue 15A fuse for the front wiper switch. Both looked OK. Any ideas what to check next? I've had this stupid car for about 7 or 8 months. It came with full service history and looks 100% mint. Already the wipers have packed in, the passenger footwell has flooded, rear wiper motor unit has broken, front heated screen has stopped working, gears are snatchy when engine is cold, alternator clutch/spring tensioner broke, remote central locking has packed in, oil leak from top of engine. What next??? The only thing good about this car is the Ford badge... everything with VW/Audi stamped on it is useless. Ahhh, I feel better now...

Hello folks (and littledaz of course). Just an update to let you know that at the moment my Galaxy is still OK after replacing the spring tensioner and belt. I have heard the odd strange noise when steering is at full lock recently but as of yet the main problem hasn't returned. That doesn't mean I am not expecting it to happen... I have no more confidence in this car. I'll let you know when the problem starts up again so we can resume our talk about the dreaded alternator clutch replacement.

Thanks again for the advice folks. I've been working 12 hour shifts so I haven't had the chance to investigate the matter yet but I'll report back when I've had a look. Littledaz, I do have a good voltmeter and can use certain features on it but I'll check the basics first before getting into the egghead stuff. Hopefully I won't need to go that far. Fingers crossed it'll be a fuse or something.

Hell's delight! I didn't realise the oil type was THAT critical!!! I'll check the new stuff tomorrow and return it if it isn't the magic 505.01! The worrying thing is that I just don't believe that Fraud dealers will have the knowledge that you people have. I must remember to tell them about the 505.01 oil when she has her service. Glad I joned this forum! Thanks folks!

Pardon my ignorance but I am assuming a PD engine is a turbo diesel?

YES! I get the clicking sound when I press the switch. Is that good? Does that mean the fuse and relay are OK?

It's me again... this car is driving me up the wall. Got into it this morning and the front screen was well frozen. I flicked on the heated front screen and sat waiting.... forever! Definitely not working at all. The switch lights up as it should but that's about it. It probably has never worked since I got the car 6 months ago. I haven't had the time to check anything yet but can anyone recommend the first things to look for? I assume fuses will be the first port of call. The only other thing I can think of are the two connectors for the screen. Perhaps the car has had a new screen at some point and a dozy glass fitter has forgotten to reconnect the thingummybobs. Both sides of the screen are dead. Any suggestions welcomed. For a mint condition 2002 car with a full service history this is so annoying. All these things just shouldn't be happening yet. I expect the new Galaxy that has nothing to do with VW and Audi will be far better. Those pesky Germans once had a good reputation for cars but in the last few years this has changed dramatically. Mercedes are now plastic and troublesome, Audis are an utter nightmare and VW's reputation is no longer the same. Only BMW seem to be keeping their heads above water. Anyway... I'll end this now before I get really mad.

So is the correct oil really that critical? I assumed that as long as the viscosity was correct than it would be fine. I must check the container tomorrow. All I know is that it is 5W 40 fully synthetic.

Hey bigdaddy, they look quite useful gadgets. I just want my car to work as it should but I'll definitely keep those things in mind. I'll have a search about to see how much a new remote key will cost. When I get round to getting one I'll be searching this forum to see how to program the thing. Thanks again fellas

tool looks like a bottom bracket tool! available at most good bike shops :) Looks different to me. More splines on the proper tool. I may be wrong though. It would be nice if it was the same tool.

To be honest I don't know. I specifically asked for oil for a 2002 Galaxy Tdi 115 so I suppose it should be.

Just bought a gallon of 5W 40 fully synthetic for

Hello folks, especially Littledaz (my hero) I gave my locks a good testing session today. All work perfectly with the key including the boot lock which opens and locks the other doors on the car as it should. Does that mean it's probably my remote that's faulty? Or could it be a receiver unit on the car to blame?

You really are a diamond geezer mate. :) Thank you so much for all your help. I have this lot printed off and ready for use as soon as the car goes nuts again. I think I will be lucky if I get a couple more weeks out of it. Thanks again for all the time and trouble you have gone to. Have a virtual pint on me! J

Hello again Littledaz... you're my saviour!!! Yes, this car has been a pain since I bought it. I have always preferred Fords and have rarely had trouble with them. I keep blaming VW and Audi as it makes me feel better! :rolleyes: I will try the boot lock tomorrow. It was all seized up when I got the car so I attacked it with WD40. Hopefully it will be loose enough to let me use the key tomorrow. If it's the remote I will be reasonably happy as it should be an easy repair. Just wait for my next post! I'll be asking questions about dodgy gearchanges! Strange thing is... I like the car, I really do. It's great to drive, economical and very practical. I just wish it was as reliable as my other Fords have been.

Thanks, the car will need a service in 2000 miles so I'll ask the dealer to check the remote. I don't know anyone else who has a Galaxy. If I did they probably wouldn't let me muck about with it anyway. I haven't checked the wiring loom so I'll make a note of that for later. Many thanks.

Since I bought my car 6 months ago (2002 1.9tdi Ghia 115) the remote locking has been dodgy. It is getting much worse now. The remote key fob opens the car about 80% of the time OK but the remote rarely locks the car, perhaps <5% of the time. We're now just using the key to lock and unlock the car. I replaced the 2 lithium batteries in the key fob but it made no difference at all. Over the last few weeks things have got even worse and now the remote only works very occasionally. The red light on the key is working fine. It flashes every time you push a button on the key. Could it be a faulty key or a faulty unit on the car. Any ideas?

Super... you're a star! I will be printing all this stuff out and taking it for Mr garage man to see when the fault starts up again. I think the fact that the pulley can be purchased as a separate part tells us something don't you? Sounds like another good piece of VW/Audi engineering.... parts designed to break as soon as warranty runs out! Thanks again Littledaz.

Hi Littledaz, Wow, this is all good stuff.... just what this site should be all about. The number on the back of my alternator is 028 903 028E I really do appreciate this by the way. You could be saving me a small fortune here. The garage was talking about replacing steering racks and power steering pumps next! (YIKES!) Thanks again for your time.

Who the hell decided to put the cup holders right above the radio and climate control unit? Every drop of coffee (or baby milk in our case) you spill goes straight onto the buttins and takes a full afternoon to clean properly. I've already dismantled the entire climate control panel just after I bought the car because half of the buttons were stuck solid. While I'm on the subject of climate control.... it's far too low down on the fascia. The gear stick gets in the way when you try to adjust settings. The unit should go where the cup holders are and vice versa. Common sense if you ask me.

Wow, looks to me as though the tensioner wheel is out of line with the belt. I'm not going to give you a solution... because I am a car dumbass. Just thought I would get the conversation going on here. By the way.... what's the paint brush for? Something we need to know about? :)

Ooooh, forgot to tell you Littledaz.... Mr Garage man told me that when he first took the belt off the car the alternator pulley wheel was turning in both directions "as smooth as silk". That's why he eliminated that as the cause. Even though my alternator fails your test would the pulley wheel still turn freely in both directions?

Oh well, the forum needs a guinea pig once in a while... looks like it's me this week.

YIPPEE!!! :lol: It's fixed! I checked the brass coloured linkage at the bottom of the door, removed the rubber shroud thingy and there was 1 bolt missing and the remaining bolt was hanging in by its last couple of turns! Funny thing is, I've had a mystery bolt lying around for ages that I knew came off the Galaxy... I popped it back in its hole, tightened them both up and my door works like new! That's one easy fix! Thanks all for your help (especially BISCUIT!)

Hi Littledaz, I had a look at my alterator today as I couldn't resist doing the little test you told us about. Alas, I couldn't get the fan blades to budge at all in either direction. If i tried any harder I would have snapped a fan blade! Obviously this test was done with the alternator on the car and the belt still in place. Going by what you said it sounds as if the alternator is faulty... am I correct? If so, it looks like I can expect the noisy steering fault to start up again after a week or so. Damn... and I though it was all sorted. :lol: