alexg

We have a 58 plate S-max with 106,000 miles on the clock. We bought this 2 years ago when it had done 81000 miles. The other day while driving in motorway the engine started to make a noise then smoke came out of it. A mechanic says he cannot turn over the engine and it has basically died. We have a 3 year AA warranty we bought from Car Giant. They want us to pay approx £900 to have engine removed for diagnostic testing to decide if the engine is covered by the warranty or if it was caused due to wear and tear. We have had regular services since we owned it. If they decide it isn't covered we would then need to decide to pay for a new or rebuilt engine which I understand could cost £3-5k. Does anyone have experience of claiming for engine failure on such warranties? Should engines pack in after this kind of mileage? This could be cheaper than a new car I guess, but is a new engine likely to ensure we get another couple of years at least out of the car? Is the fuel economy likely to be improved with a new engine? This whole situation is rather a big headache for us! I would appreciate any feedback on the above! Many thanks.

Ok after many weeks of back and forth, Car Giant replaced the radio. This did not solve the issue. They also replaced the battery as it went flat at one point (possibly unrelated). They eventually sent it to Ford, who have apparently replaced the whole dashboard! We then picked it up yesterday and I now see Phone, Radio, iPod features etc. on the dashboard! I also now have voice control which never worked before. HOWEVER, the last time we turned on the car, we only saw Trip Computer and Settings once again. After turning off car and trying again, everything else showed again. Sometimes it works, other times not. Looks like it is going back to Ford - has anyone else experienced this behaviour?

On my 58 plate S-Max Titanium, I don't appear to be able to flatten the middle 2nd row seat. All other seats can be made flat. There is a sticker on the back of it implying it may not be possible - is this the case, or should all seats be able to be made flat? Thanks!

Car Giant took a look and confirmed that the radio is faulty and they will be replacing it. Interestingly on a long journey last night, all the audio feature popped up on the LCD display behind the steering wheel last night, but once that happened, the radio kept turning off and on again. Clearly there is something wrong! Lets hope the replacement works!

Hi. Thanks for the quick reply! We bought the car from Car Giant, and I am hoping they can help. I tried all the menus and cannot find anything related to Ford audio. I don't think the radio turns off when you lock the door but will check. The display is already set to English. This is some of the info from the Etis site: Build Date: 29.09.2008 Vehicle Line: S-Max/Galaxy 2006- Body Style: 5 Door SAV (S-MAX) Version: Series 60 Engine: 2.3L Duratec-HE (160PS) - MI4 Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic Transaxle - AWF21 Drive: RHD FWD Emission: Stage IV Emissions Air Conditioning: Dual Zone Auto Temp Control A/C Territory: (+)"GB" Paint: Tango (Metallic) Interior Fabric: Waffle B (A-C) / Midnight Black With Trip Computer Thatcham Catergory 1 Alarm System Less Vehicle Tilt Sensing With Rear Parking Aid With Front Parking Aid 60 AH Battery Less Auxiliary Compact Disc Player With A/V Jack BT/VC Phone Interface + USB Connect Will Dual Band Type 2 Antenna High Level CD+AM/FM+DAB Ice Feature Pack 15 With 8 High Series Radio Speakers Phone Kit - Hands Free IV - English Less Family Entertainment System Voice Activated Module - British

Hi, We just purchased a 2008 S-Max Titanium a week ago! This comes with a Sony DAB Radio CD, Bluetooth, USB and Aux audio input. I understand we should be able to see and control phone, audio and iPod features from the LCD panel behind the steering wheel, but it only shows Trip Computer and Settings. The other day my wife said it all the audio features displayed on this panel for a minute then disappeared. I have never seen them displayed. Does anyone know what is likely to be the reason for this? One other thing I noticed, is that the Sony radio does not turn off when the car turns off, and also the Clock on the radio looses its time after turning off the car, even though we set it. Could this be related? Otherwise we can control the iPod and Phone from the Sony radio itself, just not from the LCD panel behind the steering wheel