bingo nightly

When I needed to know mine I went to the local Ford dealership, he took out the stereo, checked serial number and looked up the code on the computer. He said it was 5 quid but when I offered him my card as I had no cash he said "oh never mind, forget it" and sent me on my way. Which was nice.

I wouldn't bother, if you have the roller in place you can't have the rear seats in place (unless folded flat which means you don't have any boot space anyway). Not used mine in the 4 years I've had it.

I would add that I have had some experience of the diesel variants. The first Galaxy I had a go in was a 115bhp version that belonged to a mate. After about 2 miles I decided I couldn't live with it, and in fact he sold it 6 months later as he found it too sluggish to pull his caravan..........said he was down to 2nd gear a on some of those long hills through Cornwall I had a 150bhp version as a courtesy car for 2 weeks and that was much better, quite quick off the mark in fact, and very frugal but they were way above my budget and my annual mileage is low so I considered a 2.3, but having once owned a 2 litre Capri and having all the time wished it was a 2.8 injection I thought sod it and got a V6 Galaxy. The chap I bought it from was replacing it with a newer model also a V6. Its a lovely car, smooth and quiet, tows a caravan with ease....cruise control set and sit back until the seaside appears on the horizon! I would like to have a go in a MK 2 V6 to see how it compares though. In conclusion, if you want a sensible car get a diesel, if you can't run to a diesel and your mileage is very low consider a 2.3 petrol, or if you are a petrol head get a V6.

I also belong to the screaming wild eyed lunatic club, but it's a gorgeous car, and I am now a lot fitter due to walking more and thinking twice before turning that key... oooohhhhhhhh it's thirsty. On my 3 minute, 1 mile drive to work (I will resume cycling as soon as its not dark when I go home.....its a very busy road rural road with no pavement) I often see 2.5 mpg displayed. But this often rises to an indicated 8 or even 9 mpg by the time I get there so thats not too bad is it? Almost miserly consumption in fact. B) I ran an old Range Rover years ago, and it once had a problem with the starter motor, I needed petrol and so said to my mate who was with me that I would just leave it ticking over while I filled up. After a couple of minutes of me pumping fuel while the big v8 chugged away he leaned out of the window and said "you'd better switch off, I think its gaining on you" :blush:

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Yes I agree it really has to be a MK 2 diesel Ghia with history for the best package of economy, reasonable performance, comfort and retention of value. 2 litre petrols are gutless, 2.3's are a nice engine, cheap to buy and reasonable economy I suppose if your mileage is very low. You would really need to be a screaming wild eyed lunatic to buy a V6............ahem, like mine. :unsure:

In a word yes! Easily happens. Presumeably you still have said transponder? Its a good idea to hold it in place with a dab of superglue to stop it getting lost again if the key comes apart......which it can do if its dropped.

Two winter and two summer tyres are a dangerous combination I would think. Highest grip tyres (i.e winter) should always go on the back axle Thanks guys. Thought there was something i'd heard. A friend's wife, incidentally, is getting 2 (yes, only 2) winter tyres fitted at the suggestion of her Mercedes Main dealer...they're on order...think i'll get him to check her policy and contact her insurance first now! I would assume her Merc is rear wheel drive and so the 2 winter tyres would go on the rear driving wheels. More grip on the back than the front would not be a problem would it? I have seen vids of winter tyres fitted on the front driven wheels only and in an emergency stop the less grippy back end swings round. With the tyres on the back this would not happen. Not sure what the law has to say about it though?

With all the seats in place the Galaxy has about the same luggage capacity as a motorcycle :)

Fed up with getting stuck :) My V6 Galaxy is I think slightly better than my wifes Renault Scenic, which we have just extracated from the snow yet again. I'm deffo going to look into winter tyres for next year or buy a Range Rover instead!

It used to be fun many many years ago in my old Mk1 Escort, brilliant for a bit of sideways action and always controllable. It was also fun a few years later in my old Range Rover, when I used to go out to find the deepest snow drifts to drive about in. I can't remember ever tackling any snow in my Capri but that would have been fun........in fact suicidal probably! Not really tried my V6 Galaxy in the snow (it was off the road all last winter) but I suspect it is not the best vehicle in which to attempt any Arctic adventure. :)

To operate the cruise control you switch the system on by sliding the switch to the left, then press and hold the set button on the end of the stalk, you should feel a slight movement of the throttle peddle beneath your foot and the car will maintain the set speed as required. If you need to go faster then press and hold the set button once again, the car will acelerate, release the button when requred speed is reached. If none of this happens then its not working. Most likely common fault (as mentioned before) is a broken plastic pipe where it joins the control unit which is situated under the nearside wing. Is this 2000 W plate a MK1 or 2? On MK1's you loosen an allen bolt and slide the side light unit out to gain access to the unit. On MK2's I assume it is slightly different but by and large similar procedure. If this proves to be the problem, as it was with mine when I bought it, then simply cut off damaged end of pipe and re connect it to the unit. Hope this helps.

A chap I work with has just sold an 02 115 TDI Ghia with 136,000 on the clock for

I think thats the one I saw before, looks very nice, but as suggested in my previous post, without the elevating roof I think head room is too restrictive for a camper conversion. 11 grand for a 12 year old Galaxy! :) Good way to make a few quid if you have the time and skills to carry it out.

The total mileage is as you say on the speedo, below that is the trip mileage, re setable by the black button below it and to the left. If your trip mileage is temporarily showing service interval then it can be re set to return it to trip function, info is on here somewhere, a quick search should bring it up. The other (rev counter) read out is the computer that shows a number of things that can be viewed by repeatedly pressing the button on the end of the right hand stalk. (There are 2 seperate memories, "MF1" and "MF2" Press either the top or bottom of the button to switch between the 2 lots of data) Info readout is: Journey driving time Average fuel consumption Average journey speed Remaining fuel range and also outside temperature if digital climate control is not fitted. 2.8 and diesels also display oil temp. All these values can be re set by holding the button down for 2 seconds. Left hand (indicator) stalk buttons relate to cruise control. Slide switch left to switch cruise control on, then at the required speed press the button on the end to set speed. Press and hold button again to increase speed. If cruise control is disengaged (other than switching it off by sliding the button to the right) IE by touching the clutch or throttle, then previous speed can be resumed by sliding the switch to the left as marked "res".

I'm sure I have seen a picture of something like this on the internet before but I can't remember where. Personally I have thought the internal headroom would have been too restrictive due to the height of the floor to start off with, but then I am over six foot two. Also access is not ideal as most vehicles that you can kip in have sliding rear doors, I'm thinking of Mitsubishi Delica and VW transporter etc. That said I would like to see some pics of it if you do go ahead with it.

You really need to tell us what model you are driving for specific advice. Have you got any brake lights working at all or has just one side gone? If its just the one side then check the bulb holder for corrosion and bulb security, and try another bulb. Check for power to the bulb holder. If you have no brake lights at all then its likely to be the switch on the pedal which is a common fault. Check for power to the switch. Fuse box for mk1 is in front of your right knee when in the drivers seat and fuses are marked, Couldn't say about other models.

I am not up to speed with the diesel variant but I assume its little different from the petrol versions in terms of clutch replacement. Any work on a Galaxy is a pain because of the lack of room in the engine bay. Clutch replacement calls for drive shaft removal, front left strut removal/moving out of the way, engine mount, battery tray and localised bits and then removal of the gearbox. If you are a reasonably competant home mechanic with a half decent tool kit, axle stands, jack, clutch alignment tool, and somewhere to do it then its a good weekends work, but if you are doing it outside in the rain and dark (clocks go back next weekend) with little more than a bucket of mixed spanners and a prayer then consider the option of finding a small independant garage do do it.

My exhaust is I believe, the original dating from 2000. I think its some way past its sell by date. Its not blowing but had to have a bracket welded back on 2 years ago. Last time I dared look it was looking a little ahem, exhausted. :)

Which petrol engine is it? 2.0, 2.3 or 2.8?

Ok, looking at the housing there are the 3 electrical plugs, imediately above and below the right hand (brown) plug there are 2 long fixing bolts going through the thermostat housing into the engine. The 3rd bolt is shorter and right round the back, recessed to sort of be inline with the left hand (yellow) plug but on the oposite side of the housing to where the plug is. If you get a mirror you can see it right at the back. As I mentioned before, you need an extension bar to get to it really. Obviously you also need to remove the 2 bolts that secure the housing to the rigid plastic coolant tube that runs across the front of the block. Be warned that when you do get the housing off you should fit a new rubber gasket where it seals to the engine. I was unable to buy this gasket from GSF car parts without buying the entire housing, and so put the old one back with the help of a film of gasket sealant which apears to be watertight. I imagine you can get the gasket direct from the dealer but doubt it is a stock item. (Nothing else seems to be!) Incidently I would be interested to know that upon inspection your old thermostat is complete. When I changed mine, part of the rubber seal on the thermostat (not the gasket but actually part of the thermostat) was missing and I later fished it out of the cooling system where it had been washed through and become trapped in the oil cooler. I had an old thermostat from my old engine and that one was exactly the same with the rubber broken away and missing. very odd, anybody else out there noticed the same thing?

I had mine off last week, its all a bit hard to get to, but if you remove battery, and all the plastic trim bits that seperate the battery and coolant bottle from from the engine then you should be able to get to water pipes more easily. Remove them and then you should be able to get to the thermostat housing. The front 2 fixings are clear to see but there is another one round the back and recessed and therefore best tackled with a 5mm allen key bit on an extension bar.

I buy virtually all my parts from GSF. Very reasonable, and usually in stock. I was forced to darken the doorstep of the local VW dealer to get some big end bolts for my V6,(expensive and had to wait 4 weeks!) and trim parts if not available on ebay have to come from the Ford dealer. I did get new timing gear fom a place in the states, half the cost of UK even after paying import duty, but I had to wait weeks for it to come. It was all genuine VAG though which was nice.