Thinking Of Buying A Mkiii, But I Have A Few Questions

[jayjayuk]

Hi fellow galaxians,

 

Thinking of buying a galaxy and wanted your opinions on a few things

 

1) I am very close to purchasing a 62 plate panther black 2.0 (163bhp) Titanium diesel with panorama roof, metalic paint and premium leather seats, given the extras already included with this, is it worth paying the extra for the titanium x? it would cost me around 1k more..

 

2) Is it possible to retrofit heated front seats? if so, how much and where do i buy?

 

3) I have seen mkiii's with rear parking cameras installed from factory, can this be retrofit also? if so, where can i get this?

 

4) Does anyone have any recommendations for a 24 hours surveillance camera kit? i want to record front and back of the vehicle at all times to a memory stick.

 

 

Many thanks!

 

Jay

Edited May 7, 2013 by jayjayuk

[jayjayuk]

Ok,

 

I've spent hours trying to work out what i need, and what i can do etc, but cannot seem to find any definitive answers.

 

I have discovered that the Ford Navigation System has an input for the rear camera, but i am still unsure if i can just purchase one of these from ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-MONDEO-S-MAX-GALAXY-TOUCH-SCREEN-NAVIGATION-SAT-NAV-7S7T-18K-931-NEW-/300904042822?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item460f475146

 

 

then get the maps on DVD, a gps antenna, fit and connect the rear camera and away i go? replacing the sony sound system in the car....  is it as simple as that?

 

I've read about some SD card for the navigation system too, is it DVD, or SD? or both?

 

Anyone know?

 

Thanks

 

Jay

 

 

 

[Scorpiorefugee]

A simple piece of advice.

 

DONT BOTHER!

 

I have owned a one year old Titanium for 2 months and now prefer driving my wife's 9 year old Picasso. If you want some good advice try searching for a good low mileage MKI or MKII and steal it because there is no other way that you will get them to part with it.

 

Have you noticed that SH MKII prices have increased lately? 

 

It does seem that you like gadgets and in that what you are looking at may suit your tastes but most of the galaxy owners that I know have no intention of "upgrading" because the MKIII has omitted pretty well everything that made the others so good.

 

Having re-examined my purchase decision I now wish that I had settled for a Zetec and enjoyed the cash saving and the fact that it came with 16" wheels that didn't make the ride almost unbearably uncomfortable.

 

However, it is a matter of choice I just do hope that you do not regret your purchase as much as I do.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Scorpiorefugee

[Scorpiorefugee]

Perhaps a little more constructive advice if you want  to go ahead.

 

The leather seat option may overcome the problem that the standard seats only come in black (Graphite) which show every bit of dust etc. and hangs onto it like velcro besides which they are extremely uncomfortable. I find that the second row seats are more like a park bench with little or no padding and the severe bucketing on the front seats leaves me constantly fidgeting to find a position where I am not leaning to one side or another.  I had a close look at a Titanium X but couldn't reconcile my hatred for black cars and concerns about the 1.6 diesel engine.

 

The throttle is annoyingly over sensitive but automatic may overcome this.

 

The climate control is pretty useless as the extra vents in the back rows don't seem to do much at all. I haven't yet had the nerve to ask anyone to try the rear seats as I don't fancy them myself. Perhaps ok for pre school and junior children. 

 

Most annoying of all is the ride which is seriously hard and I find that on even slightly rough surfaces the rear end just seems to lose interest in the road surface and every bump is a major event. Ditching the run flat tyres and 17" wheels may improve matters but that leaves the problem of no spare.

 

As far as the rest of your questions I have now lost all interest in anything but finding a way to stop my passengers complaining so perhaps you should do a serious road test before making any decision. It may well still appeal to you. If so all is well.

 

As I mentioned above, the earlier versions were much better in all of these matters but all of this depends on why you want one in the first place.