Denis

Buncers, what damage did they do to your car?

Actuary, unless you are hyper sensitive to clunks and bangs, there might be something wrong- I haven't noticed anything like this with my car. I've owned several automatics in ther past and the current autobox seems to be pretty refined. If you have had the car for less than 30 days you could tell the dealer you are rejecting the car- I did this with mine, it's a wonderful way of getting their attention. And hopefully sorting out your problem.

Agree, my best so far- 28mpg though I love driving it so much I often take the long way home!

Sorry Wilber looks like the answer is 'no' on all counts but hope you let us know what it turns out to be?

Yes, the dealers aren't too keen on tackling intemittent faults. However, as I bought my car from Ford Direct a couple of weeks ago and I am still entitled to reject it for any reason, I shall write to my dealer on Monday rejecting the car and requesting a refund... unless they are prepared to fix the dashboard. And that noisy door seal. Should get their attention I think?

This evening the central red message part of my dashboard went blank- all the mpg/ door open warning/ temperature etc info was missing. Also, the yellow 'brake' symbol that normally disappears when you select a gear remained lit all the time. About an hour later it all went back to normal. So, an intermittent electrical problem but anyone know where to look?

Hard to say really- I have switched from a '99 2.3 Zetec so the new car is totally different in many ways. I almost crashed my V6 when I took it for a test drive- the acceleration from rest is so fierce. Though I am already getting very fond of the roar of the engine!

Dally, I just checked on the Continental website and they claim a 5% improvement in MPG for their 'fuel saver' tyres. Incredibly, that accounts for the 1.5 mpg difference between our cars. Though it will be interesting to see how the Pilots wear compared to the Conti's, the cost of replacement has to be considered. As a keen racing cyclist, I have found that the faster a tyre is in terms of rolling resitance, the faster it wears out. By a lot!

What kind of tyres you running Dally?

Took my new Gal on her first motorway outing today, thought 3000rpm at 70 mph was a bit high? Though was pleased to average 28mpg for the entire journey including driving over Dartmoor. Wonder if the Continental fuel saver tyres have got something to do with that.

My new Gal also has this problem, wind noise from the drivers door- no problem on the passenger side.

Sounds like a simple connection problem and should be easily cured with a bit of soldering/ cleaning. Why replace an entire assembly when the old one can be repaired? Perhaps an independent auto electrician could help?

Richmond, I'm just changing from a 2.3 to a V6, looking at the consumption figures I figured the V6 only used about 10% more? Thought it was worth it, the V6 being more fun to drive.

Would be interested to hear how you get on m8, I'd like one of those for my own Galaxy.

Brunel Ford in Bristol have ordered the car for me so success at last! Out of interest, the car diappeared off the Ford Direct site within a couple of hours of me buying it!

I had to replace my pre-2000 rear light after a similar mishap and it only cost about

Useful info Guys, Prestwood look interesting though no 2.8's in my range at the moment. Coalville seems to be the place to go if you want a V6, though it's a long way to go for some folks.

What's the deal with Ford Direct? Several times I've seen the Galaxy I want appear on the Ford Direct website but I can't get my local dealers to take an interest in getting the car for me. The position seems to be that Ford advertise the cars at too low a price for the dealers to make the mark up they want. Anyone know a dealer reasonably close to Bristol who would be more helpful with this?

I have had a similar problem with my 2.3, it was the tensioner for the fan belt. The mechanic seemed to think it was a common fault?

Yes, the tailgate is meant to behave this way. The idea is, if you were stuck in traffic someone could climb into the car via the tailgate and.. who knows. The interlock is disabled for a period when you open the drivers door.

Buncer, how many wires were broken? The wires to the high level brake light often break, I think thats a common one. But are you saying some of the others have as well? Strange.

Noy Galaxy relevant but I bought a Superchip for my Sierra 2.0 DOHC a good few years ago, it drove more smoothly but the power output dropped rather than increased . Superchips weren't too interested in sorting it out so I wouldn't be too keen to waste my money on another one.

Just wondering what the connection is between the heated windscreen and the heating for the rear of the car? It's just that if I switch the heated windscreen on, the rear area heating and fan is disabled. So, is the heat for the rear seating area provided electrically then, rather than using water from the engine?

Just to add to the brake switch debate, mine went about 18 months ago, the early warning signs were when my wife said she couldn't get the car into 'drive' once she'd started it. I reckoned that as the fault was very common and assuming the replacement switches were the same manufacturer as the originals, the problem would just come back. So, I used an aerosol can of Servisol switch cleaning lubricant (cpc.co.uk) to treat the inside of the original switch and so far so good... BTW Servisol is an age old treatment for dodgy relays/ switches etc. It cleans/lubes the tarnished contacts and makes them good as new again.

I'm with esure, paying about