paul.h

How do they justify that, do you have a lot of claims and what excess is it or are all your drivers 17 years old ?

There are 4 different rear struts for each side. The right one depends on if the car is an estate or hatchback and also the RPO number. To get the correct one you need to use the car VIN in the parts diagrams.

Usually a mechanic will not put any copper grease on the wheel hubs unless you make/instruct him. Whilst he has the wheel off and the car jacked up it should not be much more effort to get to the washer pump/wiring so why not ask him to have a look at that end and maybe provide a replacement pump to fit if it is not too expensive ? As a minimum he could see if the pump runs in opposite directions with a 12 volt supply - then if it does the problem may be with the wiper switch comms 2000 unit.

Remapping does not seem to appear much on the forum and in the future it may cause a car to fail the MOT since there are moves to check the car is standard by plugging in to the cars EOBD plug. The aim is to check the car still meets the emission standards. So if you do remap the car make sure you are able to put it back to standard by keeping a copy of the ecu software or consider a plug in device that can be easily removed. I have moved your topic in to one of the subforums since outside of one it will not show after a few days and will be difficult to find.

Welcome to the forum. From the above posts by JM53BEL, you need to activate the lights first using a Lexia and then they will appear on the car menu. So it is a case of getting a Lexia, or going to a dealer or if you are near to a member with a Lexia, asking if they will activate them for you. There is a pinned post one of the C5 subforums with a list of members able to help with diagnostics.

The only manuals I am aware of covering your car are a French RTA manual http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rta-B737-Citro%C3%ABn-Depuis-2008/dp/2726873758/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395154852&sr=1-3&keywords=Citroen+C5 which is similar to a Haynes but you will need to use a French to English dictionary and the Citroen service box dvds which can be seen on ebay. The procedure on your other post seems clear to me but then I have worked on my cars for over 30 years. If you have not removed a door card before or any plastic trim bits, then unfortunately it is easy to break things if not careful and it could cost more in new parts than paying somebody to do the work. Your circular cap does not need to be touched to remove the door card.

See if there are any more responses but I would be visiting the dealer, if it is nothing mechanical then maybe there is a software update. We had one in October 2013 on our 2011 C4 manual which cured the time/date resetting. It also made some changes to the door locking. I do not know how long you have owned the car but has the auto gearchange always been the same ? I had a look in a sales brochure for the C5 and in the English version the only mention of electric seats is for electric lumbar adjustment and massage. I could not find a different language version to see what a left hand drive car has.

Without the detailed info requested by coastline taxis the following is just based on my experience. Additional questions are what year C5 are you thinking of - a 2001 to 2004 mark 1, a 2004 to 2008 mark 2 or a newer model, is it a hatchback or estate and on the caravan, if you already have it, what is its MIRO and MTPLM. I have towed a caravan with various manual petrol and diesel cars and the extra fuel used has usually been about a third - eg a diesel normally giving about 45 mpg drops to about 30 mpg and a petrol normally about 35 mpg dropping to about 25 mpg. These are driving sensibly within normal speed limits, so about 55 mph on a motorway towing vs about 65 mph not towing and no quick accelerations/hard braking etc which would increase fuel consumption. Also the caravan has not been loaded up to its limit but rather nearer the MIRO and the caravan weight well within the cars towing ability, probably about 80% of the car kerb weight. Taking the caravan to 60 mph will increase the fuel use quite a lot with it not being aerodynamic. From a 2003 brochure for the mark 1 C5 hatchback for the 2.0 l petrol fuel consumption it gives for the manual 24.6 / 44.1 / 34.0 mpg urban / extra urban / combined and for the auto version 21.2 / 46.3 / 32.5. Both have max towing weight braked of 1500 kg but the kerb weights not inc driver are given as 1318 and 1325 kg for the manual and auto. So a suitable caravan MTPLM at 85 % of these would be about 1100 kg. Based on my experience if fuel use increased by about a third when towing, these cars may give about 22 mpg. The mark 2 fuel consumptions for the 2.0 litre petrol are similar but the car is a bit heavier - 1394 and 1448 kg for the manual and auto hatchback kerb weights, so a suitable caravan MTPLM would be about 1200 kg.

If these prices are for one spring it is more than on the eurocarparts site, but if for 2 then they are a lot less. (£21.91 and £36.60 for one Anschler or Sachs spring from Eurocarparts). If the paint is still on your existing springs, Citroen use a colour code on them with up to 3 paint bands which can be used so you get the right ones. Citroen do them for normal and for heavy duty suspension - but whether this means the car will not sink as much under the same weight I do not know. To get the part nos. for your car you can look at the Citroen parts diagrams as a free service on the service.citroen site by registering as another professional, member of the Citroen Owners Club. Then you can get the Citroen price obtained by getting the part no. from service.citroen and then using it in the citroencarparts.net site. - example £54.63 for a 5102G5 heavy duty spring . A call to these people may give you relevant advice http://www.springcoil.co.uk/suspension_springs.html

Welcome to the forum. Fire away with the questions and members will be happy to help. There is also a Picasso forum that will be worth you joining and there is a link to it from the home page.

Before spending any money, why not try everyone in another C3 at a dealer/car supermarket since it could be fitting new springs might not make any difference. The MAD inserts are £166 for the C3 so not cheap either. 70 stone is 445 kg so that would be the car fully laden + any fish you catch.

If your wheel is an alloy and it has not been removed recently then it has probably rusted to the hub. It should pull off after just removing the wheel bolts. I have found the best way to remove such a stuck wheel is to slacken the wheel bolts but leave in place in case the car comes off the jack (ideally an axle stand should be used), jack up that corner of the car so the wheel is just above the ground, from under the car hold a piece of wood against the inside of the tyre and then hit the wood with a heavy hammer but do not catch the alloy so it does not get damaged. Gradually the wheel will become free so it can then be removed as normal. The hub should be cleaned up with a file and the contact parts of the wheel should also be cleaned so the corrosion is removed. Before refitting, apply a smear of copper grease to the contact parts of the hub and wheel so it does not happen again. You should do all 4 wheels since if you need to replace a wheel at the side of the road it could prove difficult.

bazzer, was the procedure I posted on your Electric Windows topic no good ?

I have tried heavy duty springs and also Grayston spring assistors (rubber inserts which stop the spring compressing as much) on a Saab used for towing a caravan so the rear end did not drop too far. However, this was not that successful and affected normal driving and raised the rear end a bit. I did not bother again on replacement cars and now use a C5 with self levelling suspension. You can also get spring inserts like an additional spring which goes inside the existing one and these are meant to be more progressive in their effect. There is a short review of MAD suspension spring inserts here - http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=165. How much weight are you adding to the car since I would have thought if it is within the allowed load (about 400 to 500 kg inc people, depending on engine type) the car should be ok - unless the existing springs are broken or maybe need replacement.

Welcome to the forum. Never had an auto so I cannot comment on the gears but if you are dropping below about 1000 rpm then maybe you should be in first gear anyway. Whilst you may get away with this in a petrol, diesels seem to like slightly higher revs at slow speed. Whilst the car is still under warranty I would take it back to the dealer for a check and if they say they are all like this see if there is one there to try out. On the C5 electric seats can be retrofitted since the wiring is already there and it just needs the fuses fitting. You may need to see if this is the same with the C4 - have a look under the carpets near one of the seats for a connector. I have moved your post to a subforum since ones outside do not show after a few days and are then difficult to find.

We may be thinking of different straps here, I thought it could have been the metal band that goes all the way round the back exhaust box and then hooks in to the rubber hanger as in the ebay link. These metal bands rust through but Citroen do not sell them. They are on the C4 as well. On aftermarket back boxes the hook is simply welded on the box.

For the benefit of others, do you have a link to the strap you used so it can be referenced on the C3 pages ?

It could possibly be a crank sensor or a cam sensor. These do not cost much so may be worth changing anyway just to discount them. Are things like spark plugs up to date on servicing ?

First I would try the dealer as a warranty item needing fixing and then if you do decide on a replacement at least you have the old one to fit back again. It may just need taking apart and a bit of debris removing from the previous owner.

It is always difficult doing a diagnosis over the internet but first thoughts are as your original one of a failed clutch release bearing. Please let us know how you get on on Tuesday.

The R clips can rust in over time but if it is loose maybe it has rusted a bit thin or there is an oil weep from the strut on to it keeping it clean. With it loose, pull it out and check its condition and if bad then replace it with a new one (about £2 from Citroen). A bit of grease where the strut rod goes in to the cup may help with the noise, if that is the source of it, but the rod should be held in tight in the cup by the weight of the car on the suspension. You can see the parts diagrams as a free service on the service.citroen site if you register as an other professional, member of the Citroen Owners Club.

This is copied from a post to access the door speakers so should help:- This is edited from the Citroen manual for the front door cards as far as speaker removal. The rear doors are almost the same. Unclip and remove the opening handle trim and if needed disconnect the light connector and seat memorisation control connector Unclip : The grab handle trim then remove the now revealed bolts and the grab handle Unclip and remove the electric window control pad and disconnect its connectors. Unclip and remove the underneath door lamp and disconnect its connector. Unclip the door card side, middle and bottom clips and remove it, disconnecting a connector in approx the middle. CAUTION : On refitting, check the presence and positioning of 2 bits of foam on the door card (approx middle near the top). Remove the 4 bolts to detach the speaker and disconnect its connector. On refitting, if the window anti pinch needs resetting, it says to raise to max height and hold for at least 5 seconds. I have moved your post in to a subforum since ones outside of one do not show after a few days and are then difficult to find.

Welcome to the forum. If your car is a C3 model year to end 2009 and not the newer shaped one, in the Haynes manual it gives how to replace the bulbs in the panel. Remove the radio, reach in through the radio aperture to push out the compartment below the radio, push the heater/ventilation panel in at the top to release the upper locating lugs, then move the unit upwards to free the lower lugs. Turn the panel over and using pointed nose pliers, rotate the bulb holders anti clockwise to remove them. The capless bulbs pull out of the holders - the bulb wattage may be in your handbook, if not see what is on the existing bulbs.

Welcome to the forum. It could be the wiper motor needs replacing. Our C3 rear wiper would not always park in the right position or stop and when the tailgate was replaced complete with wiper motor the problem stopped. Also check if the wiper arms are tight on the spindles. Next thing to consider is the wiper switch which is usually part of the steeering wheel switch unit but this will be expensive.

Sinking rear end could be worn seals in one of the rear struts. Check the front struts for oil leaks down the outside of them but a slight smear is normal.