Brilec

Don't know if it is the same, but I had a similar problem with a 2001 Xsara estate. The fault on that was a broken wire in the rubber sleeve by the hinge.

A friend has a van in which the cigar lighter has never worked. Can anyone tell me which fuse controls this, and what other items would be on the same fuse? All the fuses appear to work, as does the interior lighting which is often on the same fuse. However, she does not have the owner's manual, and the vehicle is in France at the moment (though it is a UK RHD model), so getting hold of a Haynes manual is not so simple.

You do the job yourself for the cost of the belt, perhaps £20. Take it to the dealer and pay £45 per hour labour, cost over £100 plus their price for a belt. Haynes manual £15. Which do you think is the cheaper option? If you screw up on the tensioning, you could well end up with a broken engine, so get the bloody manual and don't be such a tight-ar*e

I still can't get my HDI 90 estate to better 47 mpg. Why is it that some are soo much better than others? Even the Auto version at the top of this thread does better. Poor quality control, or something else, assuming similar driving conditions? I also get a surprising amount of black muck over the back after a run (OK it is a white car). I thought the HDI was supposed to be much cleaner running than the older XUD engines. Makes me wonder what result it would give in an MOT smoke test. I have to say I am very dissapointed in it. If I could afford to just change it for an alternative, I would. I will see if I can get some Millers additive. Might help, though the last injector cleaner I used made no difference.

Of course it's "not of specific concern to citroen", they sell lots of spares as a result. Highly profitable in fact. As I said in my post in the other thread, this has been ongoing for at least 15 to 20 years on most Peugeot/Citroen models with the wire cage under the back. If the hook is not pulled right up so that the bolt grips the wire, then it is not difficult to spring the wire off the hook.

This issue has been a problem on all Citroen and Peugeot cars for years. In fact for all those with the spare hung under the car. My old 405 had its spare stolen when with the first owner. He had the wire carrier reinforced with19mm steel angle , so that it would no longer bend or spring. He, and I, have had no further problems since. The other thing is to ensure that the hook which locates on the frame is done up completely, so that the treaded bolt locks the frame into the hook. Otherwise the frame can be sprung out of the hook and the wheel released. Then the frame is just hooked back up and you don't notice until you need the spare.

Do a search on Ebay for citroen towbar. There are some there for £81 including wiring harness from Towequipe. Very fast service, and aftersales advice.

Had a friend with a petrol 306 who seemed to get through front disks every 18k on average. Dealer told him it was normal for the model.... He did use it for commuting through London.

Just put in some STP injector cleaner. Will see if it helps. I must say that with the old 1.9td it was very clattery when cold, but got much quieter as it warmed up. On this HDI the oposite seems to be the case. It is very quiet on cold start, but gets more clattery (as in diesel knock) as it warms up.

Your figures seem very pessimistic. I used to get 47mpg with the 405 1.9td estate, cruising at 80. I would expect the HDI 90 to be a little better than that in a manual Xsara estate, which is smaller and lighter. The engine is the same power, but supposedly more efficient. Or was all that advertising blurb just bullpoo.

Don't know what you mean when you say miles per gallon figures are inaccurate, how can dividing the mileage done by the fuel put in be innacurate? It seems we have the same vehicle, Xsara LX Estate HDI 90, though mine's a Y plate, and has done 40,000 miles, probably enough to have run it in. Yet I am unable to better 50 mpg, no matter how gently I drive.

Well I have not been able to get my manual Xsara HDI 90 over 50 mpg yet, including a tank full driving quietly on good French D roads at about 50 to 60 mph. Dissapointed in not the word I would use.