Jump to content
Ford Galaxy Owners Club

Recommended Posts

Guest JIMSTDI
Posted

i like u steve do keep mine on auto also

but if ive got quite a load on i will turn it off ...

 

james

  • Replies 82
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted

:angry: :angry: Guess what, as predicted my system is pumping out warm air again, put a probe in and it said 14 oC. Took the car for a check at a place in Stockport.

Confirmed that pressures were low and only 360g in system. He put the car on jack and had a look with flouresent torch but couldn't find a leak. He suspects that it's the evaporator as that is hidden behind the dash. Anyway called Mr Delve at Bells SEAT and went Nuts. He said he will order an Evaporator just in case. He said that when they replaced the compressor last time they used a sniffer to check for leaks and all was OK. I suggested that the compressor had probably failed due previous leaks.He said he would refund the money for the checks that I had done.

We shall see what happens. Going to notify SEAT customer service too.

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest AndrewD
Posted
Crikey - Galaxy Air con !!! Mine is 18 months old, 02 Reg and its been back 4 times - 2 for re gassing - both failed within 3-4 days and twice for a new compressor ! 2 re gasses and 2 compressors on an 18 month old car - it's absolutely rubbish. And another thing - it's freezing in winter and takes ages (25 min +) to get warm - Anyone else experienced this ???? :D
Guest AndrewD
Posted
Forgot to mention - its the TDI version and its my second. The first was a T reg, this one an 02 and both take (took) ages to warm up in winter
Posted

At last mine is back in on 10/11/03 hopefully for the final time.

Have refused to speak to dealer now and left it all to SEAT cust service.

Because the Diesel engine is extremely efficient it doesn't give off too much heat that's why they have the Aux Heater to boost the coolent temps.

Mine doesn't take that long but I tend to keep the fan low & put the re-circ on and the rear heater.

I'll make sure I get the timer for the Aux heater on my next car.

Posted

Can the timer be fitted afterwards ? I should be getting my new Galaxy next week and I have a loan one at the moment that takes for ever to get warm on these cold mornings.

 

Regards - JB

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest SteveKeeley
Posted
The aircon on my July 2001 Galaxy has plenty of power. I had a 1998 Alhambra from new before and it did not miss a beat either on the aircon or anywhere else for 120,000 miles but it just could not cope with cooling in high ambient temperatures. The Galaxy aircon solves that problem but it kept de-gassing after I bought it and last year it went into English Ford in Poole 5 or 6 times before they replaced both the compressor and the dashboard unit. That solved the problem till this summer. In high temperatures in France it kept failing to start up again after the engine was turned off (even after momentary stops such as stalling at a junction). It always came back on eventually but not soon enough to stop us baking! Hendy Ford Portsmouth say that nothing seems wrong except a low gas level, which does not sound a likely cause. So, like other members, I'm pleased with the car and the aircon when it works but have that feeling that it could let me down at any time.
Posted

Had all the problems people describe

But would not take to fraud garage To expensive

Contacted a mobile dealer tested system found compressor faulty

Purchased one from link below and brand new unit about

Posted
bought my gal at 15 months old, 15 months ago. air con dint work.independant air-con specialist used a "sniffer device",found a leak in a component located in a tube behind radiator grill,fixed near the off-sde portion of the radiator. since the replacement all has been well
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Well got car back after a week at Bells. No worksheet of actions but they tell me that they have changed the evaporator and did leak tests with the dash out and all seems clear.

Said they have tested pressures twice with no loss, although admitted that will just have to see how things go. Seat customer Services followed things up with a phone call and advised to call if fails again. Windows cleared quickly when they steamed up. Won't really get a proper check unless we get a warm sunny day.

To their credit they have repaired my stone chips on the bonnet, big scratch on rear bumper & refunded

  • 2 months later...
Posted

Well no surprises, the system didn't last long again. I got in touch with SEAT customer services a couple of weeks ago. This time they booked the car in to David Cook Motors Chadderton (Near Oldham).

The technician had a good chat with me and I provided them with all the history & saga's from Bell's. He was interested if they had looked at the front radiator & collector/dryer unit.

Anyway picked up the car today. He confirmed that there was a leak at the front of the car and that the pipe had corroded on the connections, so they took the front end off and replaced dryer/radiator etc. He said that this was an area that they reguarly looked at as it was prone to problems. They also fitted a new cover that goes over the battery area which Bells had obviously removed at some stage and not replaced. Fitted my mudflaps that Jimstdi had sent me last year and lubricated my jerky electric window.

I must admit it was nice to have a technician who was prepared to investigate & actually isolate the fault rather than just changing parts & hoping for the best. He is conviced that all will be OK now.

Just shows that you should never give up & fight for your rights!! ;)

Guest SA Intruder
Posted

They were my supplying dealer!

 

I then went to Bells - bad move!

Guest SteveKeeley
Posted
I have one of the first of the facelifted 115bhp tdi 2000 models which I imported from Belgium. The aircon failed after a year of very little use then failed during a hot holiday abroad. 6 more visits to English Ford in Poole when they replaced the condenser and the dashboard control unit. It now seems to work OK except that during the heatwave in the south of France last year it kept failing to re-start after the engine was turned off, even if I stalled briefly at a junction. It always came back on eventually but not before everyone had been baked! Hendy Ford in Portsmouht could not find a fault in it. The initial problems seem to be par for the course but has anyone else had the "turning off" problem? Apart from the aircon I think the Galaxy's are superb cars. I previously had an Alhambra and the aircon just could not cope. At least they have recognised that and the one on the new model is man enough for the job when it is working.
Posted

Well I hope mine holds out now. It's nice to see that when I hit the switch now any condensation clears instantly.

Incedently SEAT are going to take up several matters with the dealership who failed to fix my problems.

  • 2 months later...
Posted

Just had the evaporator on my 1996 vr6 sharan (climate control) replaced and aircon works perfectly. We have only owned the car for 6 months, and it was purchased with non-functioning aircon. The car came with full vw service history, and had only covered 55,000mls. According to the service history, the aircon only suffered its first leakage issue in 2003, which isn't too bad judging by these postings!!

 

Had a great local aircon specialist do a leak test using fluoresvent/uv dye, and they confirmed it was indeed a leaky evaporator (this is far more common than people think on all makes of car).

Posted

Duff temperature sensor or wiring to it was disturbed duriung the aircon repair?

Have you checked it out? Does the gauge work normally and it's just that the light comes on, or is the needle stuck at the top or bottom of the gauge?

Posted
The gauge works perfectly, with the car coming up to temperature at normal speeds, and coming to rest in the middle of the gauge. I also suspect the wiring for the gauge, as the whole dash has been out etc etc. Do you know what exactly causes the light to flash, as the user manual just suggests checking that the engine temperature is normal, and that there is enough coolant in the system. It does not detail exactly what this telltale lamp is supposedly warning you about.
  • 2 weeks later...
Guest kev140766
Posted

Got a '97 ptrol with 75000. Airson works ok..but........when it goes wrong how much does it cost to get a re gas ?

 

( Anything other than a re gas forget it, I'll use the windows, change the knob and tell the buyer it doesn't have air con.!! )

Posted
Depends on where you go, and how much gas is needed. Local company to me quotes about
Guest nimrod
Posted

I just had my heater matrix replaced :unsure: which meant the aircon had to be drained and refilled, the engineer said that it had lost 50g of gas over the last 12 months which is acceptable on a Galaxy! :unsure: the cost of replacing the lost gas was included in the price of the job :D which took a bit longer than expected! 9 hrs labour quoted, 6 days took! but only 9hrs labour billed for :unsure:

since the heater unit and the dash was removed and refitted I have noticed a marked improvement in the operation of air distibution system! they must have reset all the flaps and cables in the rebuild meaning that they all seal or open correctly now

Posted
How often should the aircon be topped up, and how often fully serviced? I had naively assumed because the aircon is original equipment and requires regular servicing, it would be on the service schedule; silly me.
Posted
Depends on who you speak to - those running the aircon servicing garages would like you to get it done more often that is strictly necessary! The most popular intervals that I have come across are a top-up every 2 years and a full re-gas with oil every 4 years ie you alternate at 2 year intervals between a top-up and a "service". I am franky appalled (sp?) that aircon service/top-up is not included in main dealer schedules for routine vehicle servicing.
Posted
Unlike domestic fridge/freezers. car systems do loose gas due to their design and the use of flexible rubbery pipes.

In the case of the Galaxy it is due to the low quality of the components e.g. evaporators which have poorly soldered joints. Once a dealer gets his hands on it forget about reliability, they haven't a clue.....

 

Aircon systems should never be "topped up" , they should always be empty under vacuum (which takes up to an hour for removal of moisture and check for leaks) before new refridgerant is added.

 

Other manufacturers aircon systems go for years and years without problems (e.g. Toyota)

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...