duden

If you want to swap notes, I too live in the Grimsy area -DN37. I have the 1993 (August build) 2.0 hdi estate with 78000 on the clock. Being doing most of my own repairs on various cars for the last 30 odd years. I have the Haynes Peugeot 406 manual for the engine and the French manual for the C5. Looking to have the cambelt and waterpump changed in May. Will be getting quotes from the areas two main dealers and one Citroen independent. Contact me on paul@nospamfrenchstudio.co.uk Obviously you take the "nospam" out. It is only there to hopefully defeat the webcrawlers which can give you a load of spam.

A warning to anyone whose C5 is approaching the end of the third year of the guarantee. I thought I would have my 50,000 service and MOT about a week before the third anniversary of the car. I contacted the dealer and mentioned the rear screen fault and they were very doubtful that this would be covered under the guarantee since the mileage was too high (58 500)! and it was too old. My retort was that surely the gaurantee did not operate on a sliding scale and if it was less than three years old, it should be covered. To their credit they accepted the work and did the job free and also replaced the anti-roll strut which had also had to be replaced at 10000! I went in a few days later and I was informed that Citroen had turned down their claim for the repair, since the car was too old. Fortunately, they were not going to attempt to recover the money from me. What is going on? Check the wording of your guarantee and get your car in for any fault repairs well before the end of the third year and well below the 60000 limit. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

Clearly another issue which all new owners particularly should be aware. Our Renault (Rubbish) dealer covers all exposed nuts with grease as part of the pdi - must be rare. They say it saves them an immense amount of time later! (Old fashioned country garage - though official dealer) We really need a collection of things documented which should be slackened off and greased when acquiring new or second hand C5s. We all know from bitter experience that the front wheels rust on solid - seems an easily avoidable irritation which the dealers know about but never tell you. They could offer to do a handful of the key things like the former for a nominal extra cost which would save them hassle in the long run. What do other think about this?

Champion wipers bought from my local autoparts dealer in Louth. They're usually quite reasonable, but I think Halfords does a twin pack which should work out cheaper. However, I prefer the Champion - so quiet!

Thanks for that! As usual a simple solution and not in the manual.

Just bought new wipers for my old shape C5 estate 2.0Hdi. Can anyone tell me how to stall the wipers in the upright position so I can change them? At the moment in the "furled" position the top of the bonnet stops you from lifting them far enough off the screen.

I bought the Peugeot 406 Haynes manual a couple of months ago - nearly £20 now! It's number 3982 and covers the 2.0litre Hdi engine as on the C5 with of course some differences on ancillary positions like air con. Very useful if you are proposing to do engine work like changing the cam belt but obviously access info is different. I'm still hoping for the french version to come back in print or hopefully to pick up a second hand version.

Sorry about the duplication.

I am considering replacing my late 2003 C5 Hdi 2.0l estate (53000 miles) , but since I seem to have got a "goodun" I'm wondering whether it might be best to hang on. I like the new engine, but the 2.0litre does seem to be a heavier car. I avoided the 2.2l because of the tyre scrub due to the extra weight on the front tyres. It sounds as though at least some of the extra weight on the new model is on the front tyres, in which case I might be better with the 1.6l, but this has the particle filter and five speed box. Also less torque than the old 2.0l though the same power. Was thinking of changing to avoid changing the cambelt! (and rollers and waterpump!) I new about the new model coming when I bought the car but my old one collapsed so I had to change.

C5 Diesel Estate 2.0Hdi Built September 2003, purchased Feb 04. Been delighted with this car which has now done 53000 miles. I log all fuel and have averaged slightly over 50mpg. I regularly get 53 in the warm weather but take a bit of a hit in cold. Tyre wear is good - 25000 front and 35000 rear although I have had several punctures and one involved tyre replacement. Had engine temperature sensor go and anti-roll strut (at 10000miles) Needs no topping up with oil between changes. May change to later model with 1600 engine after first MOT onwards if something good comes up second hand. ( THis will avoid cam belt change and spheres after 80000miles and give me an extra air bag and ESC, although I understand the new model is slightly longer which is a blow! Can thoroughly recommend the car which surely cannot be beaten for comfort and after all I need the space for French trips. Do get the tracking checked though. I've never had a new one yet that was correct and mine was well toed in from new.

First there's something wrong with the bulbs or the voltage if they are going in three months! Second it is a fiddly job because you can't see what you are doing. I only managed it by using a hand mirror (off the wife!). If you take note of the correct orientatation when you take the old one out it should save a fiddle. Finally, consider replacing with one of the high output/long life types. My first dipped bulb went at around 35k and 2 years old, the second around 45k 2and a half years old. Main beam still OK. After all how often can you get the main beam on!?

Just had a look on the Auchan website: (http://librairie.auchandirect.fr/recherche/resultats.asp). ;) They do three books on the C5. The one I want on the early 2.0hdi is being reprinted, but they have the new model one in. I'll keep checking the website for availability and let you know when it's available and what it costs for postage.

When purchasing my 2004 C5 Hdi diesel I was told that the oil was in for life. I would have thought that it should be changed by now (at 52000 miles), although there is no gearbox whine. Since I intend to do at least 100,000 miles should I change it? I am thinking of using a fully synthetic oil. In my Renault (Rubbish) 21 (17 years of excellent service),I used the recommended oil and it was then very stiff in cold weather. I replaced it with a multigrade which cured it. The gearbox was very quiet and smooth.

http://www.elitecat.pl/ needs a user name and password! Can anyone help with that? I have tried to find any reference to Naurato shops in France on the internet to no effect. Is it a general and well known chain of shops?

I find that the rear wiper rubber only lasts about a year (18k)while fronts still going after 3 and 50k. Unreasonably high cost of replacement at dealer or elsewhere at nearly £10. Bought replacement strips - enough for four fills at £3.50. Worth a try!? Anyone else care to comment? :D