johnb80

Often this sort of problem is caused by the 'clock spring' which is wrapped around the steering column to get the airbag signals to the airbag in the steering wheels. Not sure on the Galaxy but if you look around the base of the steering column you will find the airbag connectors (usually yellow), you could try re-seating them, failing that get the new clock sspring (about

I would think that the unit senses the speed via the speed pulse so removing that would stop it knowing that you were on the move. In doing so it would also stop the SatNav functioning correctly. Maybe put a switch in the line of the speed pulse ? I know you say it's for the front seat passenger, I do however have concerns in the event of a mishap, if the insurance company investigated it and found this 'mod' that you may have a problem. Regards - JB

Hi, In my 2003 Galaxy the screen is fitted to the inside of centre storage compartment lid. Open the lid, the screen swings down and the bottom of the screen is held in place by velcro. When you arrive raise the lid slightly, swing the screen in and close the lid. Nothing in sight to attract the low lifes and it works well. It's the Clarion unit I have in my Galaxy and I think it has the edge on the VDO, not as easy to use but the 3D maps are great and it's very, very accurate. The brain is located down under the passenger seat. If you want any piccys I'll upload some. The PDA's fit into a proper carkit and I'm told perform reasonably well but I can't beleive they are as good as the dedicated units with their compasses and gyro's detecting movement as well as speed signals. Regards - JB

I agree 110% with S.A. Intruder and the american saying "There's no substitute for cubes" could not be more relevant. It is my firm belief that these so called superchips are a con, it would be interesting to see on a rolling road the REAL rather than the perceived gains. Has anyone who have fitted these 'brilliant' devices done real tests ? i.e. 0-60 times before and after chipping ? Regards - JB

Quite a few people on here have gone th PDA route see www.totalpda.com, I haven't experience of these, I fitted Clarion and VDO units to my vehicles. Regards - JB

Hi, I have supplied to one of my customers an HP PDA with TomTom II Navigation Software. Is it possible to download speed camera locations and add them into the display and if possible sound an alarm ? Merry XMAS to you all, Regards - JB

If it's so easy and so good, why wouldn't the manufacturer who designed the whole system do it anyway ???? There's no such thing as a free lunch, there has to be some detriment. Most of the chips I've seen do little more than modify the throttle curve and over fuel by fooling the temperature sensor. Regards - JB

>>(does the air con rely on heat from the engine to wam up the air?). << The climate control and the aircon both rely on heat from the engine's cooling system to provide warm air. As far as I know there arn't any vehicles that run 'heat pumps' (aircon in reverse) to provide warm air. Regards - JB

Hi, I would agree with Dave-G I thought it was a diesel only thing and the thought of running one of these things on petrol makes me shudder, visions of the scene from 101 dalmations when the two baddies in the Transit turn the heater on !!! Other than that I would take it pack to the people that broke it, you have a better legal position then if needed. Regards - JB

If it's under warranty and they're a Ford dealer they don't have a choice. They also have the support of Ford technicians at the factory so it's a poor excuse. Either find another Ford dealer or thump the table. Regards - JB

Hi, I currently have a 53 plate 115/Auto/Ghia Galaxy and really like it. My other car however is also a 53 plate Mercedes SMART. People tend to write these things off without a second look until they get into one. I'm 6'6" tall and need lots of room in a car, the SMART has MORE room in the front than the Galaxy (maybe not as wide), it goes better than you would expect for 693cc, is very quiet and romps up to it's 85mph limiter without a struggle. When you add to this

Surely you have some come back ? It is illegal for a dealer to sell an unroadworthy car, clearly if the airbag light isn't working and therefore probably the system isn't working it falls into this category. I think I'd be tempted to put down the faults in writing AND get an MOT done at another garage, if it doesnt pass (and I would mention the airbag light) you have more evidence. Please also remember if the unthinkable does happen and the airbag doesn't deploy the insurance company will probably loophole their way out of any claim, a friend of mine who foolishly removed the airbag from his car to fit a sports steering wheel had his damages reduced from

On my 53 plate you can't hear the clicking noise at all inside and only very slightly outside. I'm sure Ford have done something to quieten it down from the complaints I've read on here. Regards - JB

I think the difference will be very noticeable, 7Kw of heat is a substantial amount of heat. I have noticed that when the weather is a little warmer so that it doesn't start up I dont get warm air out of the heater before I get to work (2.5 Miles) wheras on the icy mornings when the screen is iced up I do get warm air when I arrive at work. Regards - JB

It helps the engine coolant to gain temperature. We're told that the TDi engine is so efficient that it has insufficient waste heat to keep the occupants warm. A few nights ago I did a 60 mile round trip of gentle driving and teh Aux heater was running all the time. Don't confuse the Aux heater with the rear cabin heater or if you have cc fitted with the rear temp, the Aux heater provides heat for all of the Galaxy INCLUDING the engine !!! The part that you refer to in the manual is an option to fire up the heater at a preset time, this will then provide instant warmth before you start the engine, the additional battery is to help with the electrical load of this unit. The aux heater is not simply on or off it has levels of output from 1.5Kw to over 7.0Kw Hope this has made it clearer. You do sometimes get strange looks when you switch off and the turbine like sound is running down, I had some baseball hat clad yougsters with a Nova ask about it I told them it was Jet Turbine assisted to help acceleration, :D the looks on their faces was worth a picture. Regards - JB

Hi Scott, The conditions are something like less than 11 deg outside, water temp less than 90 deg and engine running it will start up. If you drive a short distance on a cold morning with a cold engine you should hear the roar underneath. If you switch off it makes a jet turbine type of sound. There's lots more in here about it, do a search and you'll find it. Welcome aboard by the way, I've only been on here a few weeks and I've learned shed loads about the Galaxy. Regards - John

I just did a 30 mile trip last night 1.5 deg C outside. Gentle driving all the way, I like to see the high numbers on the average fuel consumption, when I got home the auxilary heater was still running. Does anyone know is the fuel used by the aux heater taken into account in the MPG figures ?? Regards - JB

Hi, I've done this many times, go to a transmission specialist such as Fenner for the bearings, shouldn't cost much more than a tenner. While you're out shopping go to an autoelectrical centre and buy a new set of brushes and away you go. I haven't done one on a Galaxy and I'm not sure which make is fitted but they're all pretty much straight forward. Regards - JB

Sounds about the same as my new 115 Galaxy. I'm told it's because the engine is so efficient it has very little waste heat available. Regards - JB

Hi, My Galaxy is just 2 weeks old, I videod the wipers and then checked it frame by frame. The passenger wiper is on top on mine and it moves a considerable distance before the drivers wiper moves, if theyre swapped round it does look as if a wrecked wiper linkage would result. I do feel that the unwiped area of the screen is not significant and therefore not worth the risk. Regards - JB

Hi, I have a complete set of documentation for a new shaped 1.9 TDi Galaxy available if anyone wants one. My Galaxy was delivered with 2 sets for some strange reason. It has the owners manaul, the radio manual, service log, dealer directory, RAC card all in the normal plastic wallet. Free to the first one that wants it for the cost of the postage. Regards - John

Just another thought, the symptoms you describe would also happen with a faulty Lambda sensor. When the engine is cold it runs open loop and therefore the lambda is ignored. When it's warm however it's closed loop straight away. If the lamda sensor is slow to start switching the mixture could be all over the place and hence the poor idle until you rev it, this warms up the sensor which then starts switching and controls correctly. Regards - JB

Whilst I can't tell you exactly where it's located on your car it's easy to find. There will be 2 hoses around 1" diameter connected to it, one that goes to the inlet manifold (or pipework associated with it) and one that goes to the pipework between the throttle butterfly and the air cleaner. Once you have removed the unit give it a good spray with carb cleaner, leave for a few minutes and another good spray, sometimes you can also get a small toothbrush inside to assist the cleaning process. It's worthwhile also cleaning the throttle body in the same way, carb cleaner & toothbrush. Don't forget to rinse the toothbrush well before replacing it in the bathroom for the missus to use !

I've had this discussion with my insurance company regarding my Cosworth Ultima. The tyres on that were rated at 165mph and carried the appropriate premium. I don't and never intend to drive at these speeds and therefore could not see the reason to pay out the not inconsiderable extra money on tyres of this standard. They told me categorically that my insurance would be null and void if I modified the vehicle in any way from the original manufacturers specification and tyres would come under this heading. If it says it in the book then you need to stick to that OR inform your insurance company. Regards - JB

At 80mph with a big car 37mpg sounds very good to me but I'm new to Galaxy's anyway, amazes me just how efficient these diesels are. Regards - John