paul.h

Cam belts are a common failure on the C8 due to water dripping on to it. If it is still on the original one then I would change it asap. If it snaps and it is a diesel, the injectors need to be removed to allow the cylinder head to be removed for the repairs - but often the injectors can not be removed and a replacement engine is a lower cost option (with a new cam belt). As an example http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/21432-a-few-technical-issues-cam-belt-snapped/

A quick look at the procedures indicate the seat cover is held under the seat at the front and sides by 3 long clips that remove with a screwdriver and the back has elastic that hooks to the frame. Have a look with a torch and mirror to see if it can be done without removing the seat or any of the other bits of plastic trim around the seat.

John, I decided to delete my welcome post, no point in having 2 with almost identical content and your post has the Picasso forum link.

Welcome to the forum. Is your car the latest shape C5 or the 2004 to 2008 model ? How many miles has it done, in the service book/receipts is there mention of the eolys fluid being topped up or the dpf being replaced or cleaned ? Is the car from a dealer with a warranty - if so it needs mentioning in case it needs any expense to sort the problem ? In your service book it will give the frequency of dpf replacement and our 2007 C5 book gives top up eolys fluid 80k miles and replace dpf 120k miles. Thoughts are the exhaust dpf may be blocked and need replacing/cleaning or possibly the pressure sensor on it may be faulty - to check would need a diagnostic check. If the dpf is blocked, then at high revs the problem is more likely to show up.

The parts diagrams give the same part nos. for all mark 1 and mark 2 C5s for the front strut - left one is 5271 H4 and the right 5271 H5. The spheres vary across the models. If you get new ones they also include a new top nut and O-ring that goes below the top nut. Before going to the expense/bother of replacing them, take the suspension to max height and wipe down the existing ones including inside the gaiters to see how bad the leaks are - then take the suspension down and up a few times and see if more lds fluid leaks out. If it does not, you could consider taking it back to the garage and see what they say (or pretent they have been replaced if you clean up the various nuts). I had one replaced last year with a new one and when I got it back there was a lot of lds fluid down the new one - at first I thought it had not been put on right but then realised the gaiter had a lot of lds in it from removing the old one and once cleaned out it was ok. So if you do replace them, make sure the gaiters are cleaned out or the garage will fail it again. One problem when getting used ones, if they get covered in lds during the removal, it may not be possible to decide if they are any good until they are on your car.

If it still has a warranty, then I would get in touch with the dealer. A replacement screen will not be much (if that is what it needs) but it is better if the dealer pays for it. Used ones on ebay are less than £50. If it is the wiper stalk that is at fault, the complete unit under the steering wheel has to be replaced including the lighting stalk and on ebay these are up to £150 for new and a lot less for used ones - but a replacement one may need the steering angle sensor calibrating at a dealer.

coastline will be back later but the test may suggest your air flow meter needs cleaning or replacing. With it plugged in, if it is giving wrong info then the fueling will not be correct. With it unplugged the car will go in to a limp mode that lets the car run well enough.

Just a thought, has the previous owner put a replacement screen in since ones from lower models do not all have the trip computer. Are you able to ask the previous owner when it stopped working ?

A slight oil film on the front struts is not normally a MOT failure but it pays to wipe them before the MOT- but it would need to be a MOT station with knowledge of the C5. Fitting time for new front struts is less than an hour each so can not be too difficult and should only need to follow the Haynes manual. You will also need a couple of litres of new lds fluid and a sphere removal tool.

The Lexia is the Citroen equipment but Chinese copies are available from such as ebay to put on to a lap top. This equipment allows you to check all the sensors and see what is not working as it should. Maybe you could ask the garage for more info on what equipment they used and what was checked - possibly only a check for fault codes was made.

Welcome to the forum, was the garage a Citroen dealer or specialist using a Lexia type of diagnostic machine ?

The wheel torque settings for the C5 (X7) are 110 Nm for steel wheels and 90 Nm for alloy wheels.

Apart from the locking problem, does the car drive and behave normally - if so it may be worth trying a Citroen dealer diagnostic check before considering a replacement car. You could also check the wiring where it goes between the body and tailgate for any damage.

I do not know the exact location but often they come out under one of the front footwells towards the middle of the car.

Welcome to the forum, have you tried a Citroen dealer ?

I found the mark 2 C5 handles better than the mark 1 when I changed from a hatchback to an estate, both 2.2 hdi but new one with the higher bhp. The seat material of the mark 2 is not as good though.

It may be worthwhile checking the drain holes at the bottom of the door pillar and sills are not blocked and stopping any water from draining out. Also may be the drains at the rear of the engine bay where the bulkhead joins the wings.

Welcome to the forum, which engine is on the C8 ?

I had a small drip (a lot less than you are describing) of lds from the lower end of a gaiter, replaced the gaiter thinking it had become porous or not seating fully. Then tried a tie wrap around it but in the end (a year later) I had to fit a new strut for it to stop so the seals in the strut may have been worn or damaged but fluid never came out of the plastic vent pipe - it should only be letting air in or out as the strut piston moves and the gaiter is compressed and vents it in to the axle. It sounds to me as if you have got the 2 plastic pipes connected wrong or the replacement strut is leaking. The other plastic return pipe at the sphere end is the one that is connected between the clip wires and should be returning lds back to the tank. From memory, with the gaiter fitted correctly the hole in the strut should be under the vent pipe connection on the gaiter. Also make sure the wire clip is not in the groove around the strut. Was there any sign of lds on the replacement strut gaiter before fitting - if so yours may be worn so the supplier might give you another one ?

The official figures for the 2.2 hdi 136 bhp engine auto are 28.8 mpg urban, 51.4 extra urban, 39.8 combined - so round town officially you will not get 30 mpg. The same year 2.0 138 bhp manual is 36.2 / 56.5 / 47.1 - so this has a better chance of 30 mpg round town. With an auto you also have the possibility of maintenance problems/costs.

The key Sainsburys provide needs to be one with a remote, not just a plain key. Without the remote part it can not be coded and include the immobiliser chip to allow the car to be started.

It will also be worth checking the air con drain to under the car is not blocked so that condensation on the matrix will drain away. Just park the car with the air con on and see if there are damp patches underneath on the ground. To help avoid the air con becoming smelly due to mould build up, I turn off the air con but leave the blower running for the last mile of a trip to dry the matrix.

The C5 is not the easiest of cars to park due to its size, the windscreen pillars being large and rounded at the lower corners, the lack of shapes on the bonnet giving reference points. As well as using the door mirror I will get a passenger to open their door to check the kerb distance. The door mirror may be a self indexing one that turns down to show the kerb when reversed is selected - if so it needs the mirror selector door switch moving across to the left mirror and leaving there. If not then this can be done manually by selecting the mirror and adjusting its position with the arrow buttons on the switch. It will be somewhere in the handbook. The other thing to try is park the car near to the kerb, then sitting in your normal position, look for something on the car such as a wiper arm that is in line with you and the kerb at the point where you can first see it in front of the car. Then when parking use this reference point.

This was asked before and Citroen do a tinted rear window - see this post http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/20971-tinted-windows-on-2008-x7-saloon/

This sounds like the engine coolant anti freeze expansion tank cap. Being a French car I guess the F and O are French for close (fermer) and open (ouvrir) and the arrows the direction to turn the cap to do this. The book symbol just means to read the handbook. The ! probably means beware - if the engine is warm the tank will be under pressure so if you must open the cap then, do it slowly to gradually release the pressure and beware if it is hot that steam may come out with a risk of scolding so a rag wrapped around the cap will help. In our C5 handbook there is also a note that when the engine is hot the engine fan could operate, even with the engine switched off - so obviously keep hands and clothing away from this area. The power steering uses the same LDS fluid supply used by the suspension system.