72dudes

Thanks again Colin, useful stuff! I won't be buying the car I mentioned above. When I saw it, I could tell that the offside had been in a smash, as the re-paint wasn't brilliant and there was overspray on the inside of the wing under the bonnet. It wasn't cheap enough to overlook this so I'll continue hunting! Cheers.

Thanks for that Colin, Can you eleborate a little: What is BSI and the economy mode foibles - any signs I should look out for? Does my C5 have this BSI? Cheers.

Hi all, I'm an interloper from the C5 owners forum, and I'm thinking of a Xsara for my wife, who only drives automatics. I've seen a nice Y reg 1.6 LX auto for sale on autotrader on t'internetweb, lowish mileage (47k), price a bit high at £2200 but looks immaculate. Before I rock up and have a look, thought I'd ask you guys what I should be looking out for? As it's generally more straightforward compared to a C5, is there less to go wrong? Or should I avoid? Thanks in advance for your hints and tips!

I think Visa10E is correct as well: All 2.2 HDi models had it as standard AFAIK, and it was an option on 2.0 petrol models. Not sure about the 110 bhp diesels or the later 138 bhp series 2 diesel models. Like Visa 10E I tend to leave it in normal unless the road is very smooth and bendy, otherwise the ride can get jiggly on broken surfaces.

I take it that you are not in the UK. Over here, our "normal" unleaded petrol is 95 RON, and that is OK for petrol engined C5's. Don't know whether they can run on 91 in other countries. I think it is important that you find an owners manual and check it carefully.

This sounds like your average fuel consumption to me, i.e. 20.6 litres per 100 km. Push the button in on the end of the wiper stalk and hold for 3 seconds to re-set all the data gs fan mentions. You can alter the units (from km/h to MPH for example) by pressing the right hand button next to the dispaly screen, when in reset mode (hold left hand button in for 3 seconds until display flashes). By the way, 20.6L/100km sounds terrible, hope the reset starts to give better readings!!

As far as I know, only SX models and above (Exclusive) got under seat drawers as standard.

Just to add to the confusion!! as RB is quoting Nm and JD is quoting ft/lbs which is still more widely used in the UK Pre 2004 2.0 HDi 184 (110bhp engine) 2.2 HDi 234 (136bhp engine) Post 2004 and current model 2.0 HDi 236 (138 bhp engine) 2.2 HDi 273 (173 bhp emgine)

The garage did the work with the Steel Seal for me (drain system, flush, remove thermostat, fill with coolant and Steel Seal, run for x minutes until fan cuts in, repeat over a few days, replace thermostat). We then had the car for another 11 months after, with no more trouble, no coolant loss, until we sold it this June for other reasons. It's claimed to be a permanent fix. Before the Steel Seal, I had white smoke from exhaust, had to add around 1 pint every 100 miles, some mayo in expansion tank, but clean oil in oil cap and on dipstick, no overheating issues though. The issue for me was: new head gasket £450+ on a car worth £1000, Steel Seal option with Labour was £120 and could have been a lot less if I was a competant DIYer. Would I use it in my C5 as the main car worth a lot more? Probably not. Just another option for you to consider in the mix though.

All the above. If it is a blown head gasket and you find it's too expensive, might be worth trying a product called Steel Seal (available from proppa.com, IIRC) About £25, but you absolutely must follow the instructions. I tried it in my wife's Rover 216 and it worked. In fact the garage who carried out the work were very sceptical, but afterwards said they would recommend it!

I've always fancied a CX turbo diesel as a classic car! There's a specialist somewhere near Huntingdon I think who specialises in these. Saw some at a Citroen Owners Club show 2 years ago. Or how about a nice DS 23 EFi Pallas??!! (If you've got £10k to spare and a deep maintenance wallet............

A judder through the seats can often indicate that the rear wheels are out of balance, so worth getting all four done at the same time.

I'm still a water man myself! Hose down, wash with warm water and car wash/wax, hose again and leather dry. Wax polish 2 or 3 times a year. I trained as a car valeter on new/used cars at a Jaguar/Rover/Triumph/BL dealership (showing my age!) over 5 years. Sounds grand but it was a job I had in the school/university holidays. I guess the Pledge idea would work as a quick spruce up, but I'd be worried about leaving tiny scratches in the paintwork/top coat lacquer over a prolonged period. For this reason, I have never used car washes. Barbecue Cleaner works well on grimy alloys too (caustic based, so don't leave on for more than a couple of minutes). Finish off with a good quality tyre dressing (not horrendous shiny sh*te much loved by dodgy used car dealers!)

This was at Marshall Citroen, Bury St Edmunds, but admittedly mine are 205/65 x 15, on a 2.2 hatch. However, they did say that they will match or better any local price. Seefive, those Goodyears sound like excellent value.

Sounds dear, RB. I had a pair of Michelin Energys fitted for £138.96, inc VAT, balance etc. This was at the Citroen dealer who turned out to be cheapest in the region!

I agree with Paul.h, a 110bhp 2.0 HDI manual is your best bet and has fewer things to go wrong, arguably. If you're dead set on the 2.2 HDi auto, it would be worth ringing the main dealer where it has been maintained and ask whether the particle filter/fluid/ecu change has been done at least twice, (maybe even three times). They may be able to provide a complete print-out of the history. Also make sure you drive the car first to check for warning lights and messages (specifically "anti-pollution fault", "filter blocked", "fuel additive low" etc. Also make sure the suspension moves up and down through the 4 heights with no problems. If any of these manifest, run away screaming! Actually much of this can be used when looking at any C5, but if you find a good one, it will be an amazing car. P.S. Don't expect much more than high 30's/40 MPG from a 2.2 auto. The manual is better, low to mid 40's, whilst the 2.0 HDi can get mid to high 40's. There was also a 2.0HDi auto available - most were LX's and a few VTR's but they're rare.

Liz, I'm sure that many others as well as myself would be interested to hear the outcome. If you are still logging in, perhaps you could post what happened.

Both times my 2.2 HDi has been serviced (I've had it 2 years) the dashes end up flashing. The oil is usually just over the full mark on the dipstick. I was alarmed to read in the owners manual that flashing dashes mean "fault with guage", and not "over full" (this should be flashing dashes accompanied by the "Max" indicator also flashing. However, as the oil gradually gets used, it progresses to flashing zeros and then steady zeros. Also try re-starting after a run and you'll probably see steady zeros as the oil will not have fully drained back into the sump. My advice is to keep checking the dip stick regularly but don't worry too much about the oil level indicator - it will return to normal in the course of time.

Thanks for the facts and advice guys. Looks like I've got a little while longer before I need to incur this necessary expense.

Had my 7th routine service today at my Citroen indy (£213 - not bad). Afterwards he advised that my timing belt will be due to be done soon, as the car will be seven years old in September. It's only done 59k miles! Now, I've searched the forum and the service manual, and as far as I can tell, the correct interval is 100,000 miles, although several owners have suggested changing it a bit earlier to be safe. Nowhere can I find anything about "7 years or 100,000, whichever comes first." What are other owners opinions and could the Citroen techs please comment. Many thanks.

Sorry to hear that Liz. There's no way it should have needed filter and fluid changed at 36,000 miles, unless it's done lots of short journeys. Was the mileage backed up by a full service history and old MOTs? Anyway, a quick internet search has revealed the following (no idea if they are dealers or independent specialists so do check first: Blackburn Local Car Dealers, for Local Car Dealers in Blackburn ... North West Peugeot & Citroen Specialist. 01254 882887 ... White House Services. 01282 424227. Brookside Garage, Burnley Road, Cliviger, Burnley, BB10 4SH ... www.city-visitor.com - 37kCar Dealers - New in Barley, Burnley » Yell.com Citroen Specialists; New & Used Car Sales; Servicing, Parts & Accessories; Motability, ... Boundary Garage, Burnley Rd, Colne, Lancashire BB8 8LF ... www.yell.comCar Dealers - New in Blackburn, Lancashire » Yell.com Brownhill Garage, Whalley New Rd, Blackburn, Lancashire ... Tel: 01282 611911. New & Used Car Sales; Citroen Specialists. Classification: Car Dealers - New ... www.yell.com You may be able to find more by widening the search. Good luck with the solving the problem. Looking on the bright side, she's had the most expensive things done relating to the anti-pollution fault, so ask the garage you choose to check for a blocked pipe leading to/from the EGR valve. Once it's sorted I guarantee your mother-in-law will have a supremely comfortable economical car with character!

Good news, sounds good! Thanks for letting us know the outcome.

I agree with seefive, if you bought from a garage of any sort, you have full legal redress under the Sale of Goods Act (goods must be fit for service). The garage would have to prove that the fault was not there when they sold it to you. It needs a Citroen dealer or specialist to download the fault code from the computer to establish exactly where the fault lies. I have the same model and have had the same problems - first time it was a turbo pressure switch, second time egr valve related. If you bought it privately then I'm afraid there is no legal recourse - "caveat emptor" or buyer beware, you are buying the car "as seen" with all its faults. It is likely this is why the previous owner was getting rid! You could however appeal to his better nature, if he has one, but he is under no obligation to help you out. As seefive says, £4k is top book retail price, depending on mileage, so I hope you are able to return the car and get it fixed or reject it outright. A chat with Consumer Direct or the local CAB may help, and I think you would be entirely within your rights to sue for the value of the caravan, as it is a consequential loss arising from the fault. Please keep us posted and let us know the outcome.

Thanks for this - mine has done 59,000.

M'mm, interesting: My 2001 2.2 HDi has started to do this occasionally - most noticeable at 35-40 MPH in 4th gear, light throttle but not on overrun, so I'd be interested in opinions too.