seatkid

Does it really say 5-40? The VW/Seat manuals give a variety of options (cold climate, mineral or semi-synthetic) with the appropriate VW Spec numbers as the thing to look out for. If you want 5-40 synthetic then Quantum synta gold is around

The deeper you discharge a cars lead acid battery, the more important it is to recharge it quickly. This is because a discharged battery "sulphates", a process which is difficult or impossible to reverse leading to reduced capacity or premature failure. (look up sulfation on the web for more detail) I have read that car batteries are soon damaged beyond repair if they are discharged greater than 75% and not immediately recharged. A Galaxy battery is either 70 or 90Ah depending which variety is fitted. A car vacuum probably draws around 5A, so you could run it for hours and hours before you discharge the battery a lot so don't worry about that. (n.b. I also read that the VW TDi engines suffer damage when left to idle for very long periods) Bear in mind that there is a permanent draw on the battery (I measured mine just under 0.1A) from the cars electronics which are always on (on board computers etc) - in some cases this could be higher (satnav?) which represents approx 2Ah per day. So if you go on holiday for 15 days, your battery could drain a lot (30Ah). This is in addition to the self discharge all batteries have (which gets worse with age). This is where a lot of damage would be done to the battery. Some people would recomend you disconnect the battery in this situation (what about security?) It is good practice to avoid deep discharges without allowing an immediate recharge. e.g. Leaving your sidelights on all night is probably a bad thing to do. Modern lead-calcium batteries are considerably less tolerant to deep discharge than the old lead antimony batteries.

You didnt say, but I assume the engine was turned off for at least ten minutes prior to measurement in each case? (it takes ages to drain back when cold) Yes! another reason to DIY - dealers always seem to overfill despite all the stickers on the engine :rolleyes:

I am always told by tyre suppliers that softer compounds = shorter life = greater grip and vice versa is a fundamental thing (their words...not mine) I can't vouch for straight line stopping distances but I can remember a number of incidents on Michelins (passat and golf) which scared the hell out of me. e.g. In only slightly damp conditions my passat broke away sideways and almost gave me a heart attack. It happened again and I got to realise that the car reacted like that on that stretch of road but when I switched to Uniroyal (which is a Continental brand), that skittishness disappeared and I could power through that bit of road no problem. Of course the cars handling might be to blame but I just get the impression that Michelins seem to break away suddenly at the limit. Someone in the trade told me it was a trait of Michelins and associated with their harder compounds but do you believe tyre fitters? On the contrary the contisportcontacts I have on my Alhambra seem to stick like glue to the road. Continental claim Precise steering response and cornering stability Excellent grip in the wet High safety reserves Low noise level Striking looks for more detail see.. www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/automobile/themes/pc_tyres/summer/conti_sport_contact/master_en.html

Strange, on the exide website battery selector it gave 096TE (70Ah) for Seat Alhambra Tdi and 017TE (95Ah) for Ford Galaxy TDi. I presume cos my Alhambra was supplied with all the extras (climate control, sunroof , electric windows all round, heated seats etc etc) the factory fitted a heavy duty battery, (or they picked a vw or ford spec one by accident, or run out of the cheaper ones..) Maybe the the very short life is related to the size, after all doesnt the Ghia have all the electric gizmos too? Only time will tell.

I thought everyone knew that petrol and diesel is supplied from your nearest refinery (of with their are only a few in the UK) and there is no difference from brand to brand - it all comes from the same storage tanks. The companies have had agreements to pool their resources for decades.

Its been a year when loads of things went wrong with my hitherto perfect car. To finish off the year, the battery died on Christmas day. One cell (the one nearest the + post) went and I couldnt revive it with a charger. It lasted 5 years and 2 months from date of purchase of car. Is this good, bad or mediocre? Whats the longest you seen for a diesel battery? Partly it was my fault, I've kept the car several times for 2 weeks or so without firing it up allowing it to discharge too deeply, but I also blame the main dealers who never topped up the battery (even though it had plugs) - last year when it sounded poorly after a service, I found out it was about one quarter dry. When researching the best battery for the lowest cost I came across a few interesting facts. Dont know if this applies to the Galaxy, but Ford have fitted their vehicles starting 1998 with SCS - Smart Charging System which pumps out higher voltages into the battery - Ford specify that only batteries with silver/calcium grids can be fitted. They say that conventional batteries will suffer very much shorter service life or could even explode! Most if not all batteries you will find at the normal battery suppliers wont be this "silver" battery. Halfords even declined to supply me any battery as they didnt have a listing for my Alhambra...... (The Seat dealer could get me a battery in about a weeks time at a ridiculous price) Most discount places offered me conventional batteries with names like "flying bomb" In the end I went for an Exide Ultra 017TE at

Me too! If the water goes up by approx 2 cm (from min to max mark) in the expansion bottle (16cm dia approx) this equates to roughly 3.14 x 8 x 8 x 2 cc = 400 ml But does it actually go up much less than this, so I reckon that SA intruders 140ml calc is about right and so liquid expansion is responsible for the majority of changes in visual reading. must join the old codgers club....or certainly the Victor Meldrew society As far as the mysterious oil readings go, something must have been wrong with the procedure...or is there some gizmo (electric pump) that can pump the oil when cold (I do hear strange electrical wizzing and humming under the bonnet at times when the engine is off but the ignition is on)

Forget the water, bring out the wine. Merry Christmas everybody. God Bless

Is that the small thing tucked up at front of the fuel tank? - I thought it looked like a cut off valve - I am also most miffed that electrical gear is just hung open to the elements - its already quite corroded although I keep it in the garage 90% of the time. Hope its not expensive..

I think in the case of an engine block, the piston wall expands much more than the outer wall of the water jacket, yes the block expands but the waterways actually contract. Anyway as Monty Python said "thats my theory ....

Ahem 0.000207 x 100 x 7L = 0.1449 Litres!

Anyway the difference beween grifjl's cold and one hour rested measurement should be minimal on the dipstick.

In these cases most of the "expansion" is due to the vessels the liquids are i.e. engine blocks, radiators etc. I think you will find if you boil a pint of water, you'll still only have a pint and a bit. For water between .015% per deg C and 0.07% per deg C (varies between 15 deg - 90 deg)

Isnt it an oil pressure indicator and not a oil level indicator? :wub: Are you sure car was level each time you checked i.e. not on a sloping drive? And was the stick pushed home firmly each time. At last MoT the tester just dropped the stick in - wot a plonker. :lol: Oil doesnt expand much with temperature

I only do it when I get cheap fuel :lol: (i.e. when returning from abroad) - never had fuel spill out, even in extremes of weather - does diesel expand that much? I wouldnt do it on a petrol car though...

Shararnman, What tuning box did you fit and how much did it cost? Have you had it on long? My 90hp is so underpowered, I might consider it if I knew it wouldnt damage anything. Boggler, is that going up hill or going down hill when it can get starved?

My experience from 2 cars is when new they are admirably rattle and squeak free. But as time goes on, the little rattles appear. Both have had something in the drivers door that annoys on long motorway runs - could be a loose wire or even the plastic sheeting. Slightly more disconcerting, after about 3 years both developed rear end groan/squeak when going right at that junction where there is a sudden camber change - or anywhere where the back end is forced to rock -feels as if the body is twisting more than it used to. Misleading rattles:- Empty cans in the drink holders aways rattle Dealers that have had something off (in my case dash and front grill) dont tighten screws or even dont even put the screws back in. Howard - Ford TIS has some TBs about rattling gear cables - unfortunately you need new cables to fix this as the inner cable rattles in the outer sleeve but your car might still be in warranty

I recently had a nerve racking time trapped on the motorway network in Holland and not knowing where the next station is with the low fuel light on - first red mark, then next and next - went right down to the bottom! Result - managed to get 80 litres of cheap(80 eurocents/litre) diesel in (youve got to keep releasing the air vent just inside the filler) - and I didnt even get right up to the brim as I have done in the past. In general I would say that 5 litres is a minimum when the light comes on - could be up to 8 or 9 but I dont recommend going that far - your heart will stop before your engine does. You shouldnt really fill the expansion space for the reason Nik states

Tyres do make a big difference. Generally cheaper tyres = more noise. I'm a big fan of Continentals, on my alhambrs tyre noise is much lower than engine drone. On my Golf I recently swapped from michelin mx to continental eco 3 (which is an asymetrical design) and those contis are much much quieter! The difference is in the tread design - how can I describe it? those cross tyre grooves seem to be the culprits...

I'm finished with any main dealer (of any marque) - theyre all overchaging tossers. :angry: Some Highlights include: (a mercedes dealer) - refusing to believe themostat was stuck open because "after idling for half an hour it eventually got up to temperature" (a seat dealer) - jacking up alhambra on sill edge and bending it very badly, not tightening up oil filter (twice) which then coats underside of car with oil (1 litre of expensive synthetic) and narrowly missing major engine failure, changing parts at incorrect intervals (air filter, pollen filter) not changing parts at service (fuel filter), taking 18 months to diagnose an air conditioning fault, not replacing screws after refitting front grill - charging 50% more than originally quoted verbally and denying they quoted it . (an ex ford now [sort of] seat dealer) jacking up new alhambra on sill edge and bending it and not accepting responsbility ("I must have driven over something on the motorway..."), not using official stamps in my service record, not tightening screws after refitting dash, totally inept at a/c diagnosis (consists of listening under bonnet - "the compressors gone sir-

Although Ive never taken a front strut off a Galaxy, I had a similar experience with a rear shocker on a Golf. Turned out I'd reassembled in the wrong order even though I could have sworn it was right. I checked by stripping the other side.

This forum is a UK forum about topics related to the european Ford Galaxy and VW/Seat equivalents. Seems that service is the US is very bad indeed. A new clutch shouldnt smell or require running/bedding in. It has been incorrectly installed or incorrect parts used. Don't you have a consumer watchdog you can complain to? As for your dads advice about gear changing without using the clutch, yes, it is possible, but dont do it!!! You will end up breaking your gearbox. (you will wear the syncromesh and/or break the gears) "Master" drivers do use the clutch - dont listen to your dad...

TCA? <_< Am I right in thinking ford galaxy and seat alhambra drop links would be the same? (Looking for cheapest parts) Thanks