Taliska

Thanks Dally and Andy :D

Let's try to be impartial here... :D Has anyone ever driven a Previa and could be give a comparison between them and the Shalhambra... :D Taliska

Just a couple of basic questions... Have you ever had any difficulty finding LPG at fuel stations? What's its availability like on mainland Europe? Taliska

If LPG is so much better, why are there not more LPG vehicles on the road? Why do manufacturers not offer them as standard? { Just curious :( }

Hi fredt, Am I jumping to too many conclusions here, but if you say you're cleaner and cheaper, then you must be driving LPG... :( LPG vehicles, as I understand, are cleaner than both petrol or diesel ones which are both pretty vile at the end of the day. :( I guess it's the particulates that are the most noticeably bad thing about diesels. Twas my understanding that diesels have lower CO2 emissions than petrols, but quite frankly neither petrol nor diesel can really be environmentally friendly. And the point was... LPG vehicles are not allowed through the Channel Tunnel... which was only going to be relevant if you were running on gas. :( Taliska

But who can't go through the Channel Tunnel??? :( Taliska

Don't worry, I think that you can get some ointment for that. :(

Go on then, when was it manufactured ??? :( When I was looking, Motorpoint were

Oh, there's another use for the book... Taking down the names and addresses of the bod who's just run into you. :rolleyes: And also supermarket lists from the missus. :D Taliska

let me guess you have a TDI? :D True, it's a diesel - I used to do it for the petrol car too! :D I like to see how much I'm saving. :rolleyes: Really, it's just a sad, sad habit I have. :D Taliska

I've done nearly 180,000 miles over the last 10 years with diesel - the first 160,000 with a 1.9 TDI 90bhp Audi and the last 20,000 with a 1.9 TDI 115bhp Galaxy. I think the performance of the diesels are great and I don't think I would ever go back to petrol - I can't see the point in pouring more pound coins into the tank than you have to. In the Gal, I get 42mpg average (18 miles to work on a motorway) and 34mpg on a 1400 mile drive back from Spain - so that's good enough for me! For a car the size of a Galaxy, diesel is the only sensible option unless you have a company paying your fuel! One question remains... which is more environmentally friendly - petrol or diesel? I guess neither is really! Welcome to the world of the oil burners (another myth by the way!) Taliska

Mine holds... 2

Yes, I catch the horn on the MF steering wheel too... :rolleyes: I just look around as if it were someone else that had done it. :D Taliska

Perhaps we should start a poll? :rolleyes: Taliska

Not sure what date it was manufactured on... I guess 2003 somewhen. My original battery was black and a shade larger than the white MotorCraft replacement - it didn't have Silver-Calcium written on it either that I noticed! I think possibly bad (or non-existent) maintenance while owned by SPA Rentals and Shiptons might have contributed to its downfall. :rolleyes: I wonder if you're aware of the warranty... I bought mine early October 2003, but I asked Ford to check the warranty dates on their computer and they said the warranty started on 14/8/03 - I suppose that this is when SPA Rentals bought the car! This means that I have two less months warranty than the two full years that Shiptons confirmed I had. Shiptons are not terribly forthcoming at rectifying this, which is a pity as I liked their service. Taliska

Hi Iain, Mine came from a Mr Shipton from Burton-on-Trent! As I recall, the battery was flat when I picked it up, so I guess that it had got flat and stayed flat while in storage. Funny that it should take a whole year to die, although mine showed signs of dying while camping at May Bank Holiday. Have written to Ford and hope to get the cheque back soon! Taliska

Re: Sticking the inverter in the rear... Trouble is that the inverter only comes with a short 12V lead (to reduce voltage drop) and it wouldn't reach the rear! Damage to dash trim was only discovered afterwards! And there's not that much warm air coming off to notice any difference! :D Taliska

Hi all, Just had the battery fail on me (only 1 year old) and was replaced on holiday (hopefully under warranty). The handbook says that you must only put Silver Calcium batteries in and they must be the same rating. Question 1. What's the difference between these Silver Calcium things and the old things that were simply called Lead Acids? Question 2. Why is getting the same rating essential? In my previous cars, I've always put heavy duty replacements in, when I've bought them myself, without any apparent adverse effects. Thanks all, Taliska

Downsides... The inverter kept overheating and cutting out, hence its position resting on the cup holders with the aircon blowing over it to keep it cool. (Halfords inverter with no fan in the box - will be going back!) Scratched air vent bezel from the invertor rubbing on the trim - blast! Lots of wires hanging around, so only tolerable on longer journeys. Upsides... Cheap. Big screen. Also used a funny cassette adapter to plumb the audio into the car stereo. Taliska

And this is how it was powered... via an inverter (12VDC -> 240VAC)

Well... in the end it was a slightly unorthodox solution, but was cheap and very effective. Trip to Spain with two small kids went very smoothly in the car!

I love it... You go to a Ford Dealer - at the Parts Desk, say "I'd like a copy of the templates for the headlights of my Galaxy" - you get the reply "Ford don't do them." The man at the Service Desk, says "I think there's a lever to change them - have you read the manual?". "But those guys on the Internet say that you've got a template..." - I go and sit in the car for a few minutes thumbing through the manual... finding nothing!!!" A few minutes later, the Parts Desk guy comes out with a sheaf of paper... with the templates on it! "It's nowt to do with the Parts Department - it's from the Service Department" Hummm.... Just goes to show how well informed this Forum is!! Thanks all, Taliska

Methinks I will pay Hendy a visit! Taliska

Someone said... Because, they said... Well I'm not convinced! There's a light on the dash that says "Hold on - wait for the glow-plugs to warm a bit, then start the engine", but that only comes on in the deep winter. Clearly I could take the glow-plug power connector(s) off and try to start the engine, but I don't fancy tinkering under the hood. So what's the low-down? Taliska

And just another one - if you pip the horn, it will disengage Cruise Control too!!! Taliska