Johndouglas

With Xenons you don't do anything when going abroad. That advice came directly from Citroen UK when I emailed regarding my C5.

Look here:- http://stores.channeladvisor.com/towbar/Ci...2c%20Commer/C4/ I used this company for a bar for my C5. Very easy fitting!

Is the water level in the header tank falling? Don't check it when it's hot!!!

Yes! I got your message and tried to reply. Unfortunately I don't have scanning facility. Revue Technique is available in Naurauto shops.

No! there's no need to remove door panels. Gently push the springs downwards until they clear the pegs on the sides. Once the pegs are cleared, release the springs and the pocket will close.

Find them here:- http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/C5-L/ You'll need to register.

If you go to the Yahoo C5 site and sign in, you'll find a section of files. One of the files contains diagrams of beam deflectors for the headlights.

If you have Xenon headlights, then you don't need deflectors - Citroen UK told me so. However normal lights need them. You can find the kits in the dockside shops and on the ferry. Halfords also have them.

Try a new air filter and a good big dose of Miller's diesel-clean in the fuel tank.

The time to change a battery is when it's sluggish to start - usually on a cold morning in winter. Battery life is a lottery. In our family fleet we had a new Xantia whoose battery gave up just on three years old. On the other hand, we have a 1998 Saxo still on it's original battery. The 1998 Pug 306 has just had a new one, whilst the 2001 Xsara is still on the original.

If the matrix is indeed leaking, feel the footwell carpet, usually the passenger side. A leaking matrix will make it wet.

On another C5 forum which I go on, someone said Haynes planned to publish a C5 manual next February. Meanwhile I've bought a copy of the Revue Technique. It's in French, but better than nothing!

Check that the nuts holding the rocker cover are tight.

Further to the above. If the tensioner is loose, there's a danger of the pulley coming off which could do all sorts of damage.

Do you have air-con? Each engine has its own tensioner - but which ever it is, the tensioner shouldn't move. Both types have locking bolts.

Passenger footwell - right hand side. Panel comes off and the pollen filter is up behind the ash tray. Some covers have two screws, others slide.

Maybe my C5 is different - but I get a warning sound and also a number of bars, depending upon the closeness to the obstruction.

Get your alternator checked out. The rattling sound could be alternator bearings or even a loose belt. None working of the alt. would also bring on the warning light.

You need a first rate tool kit for a start and some mechanical expertise. Haynes give it three spanners. First the hub nut need to come off. Some cars have the nut staked others have a R-clip. Either way it needs removing. From memory you need a 32mm socket with a very long extension bar. They will be tight, having been torqued up to around 230lbs.ft. Better to loosen the nut before jacking the car. Also use stands. Drain the gearbox. Take off the nut then withdraw the clamp bolt from the swivel hub. Open up the gap on the swivel hub with a small chisel. Push the lower suspension arm down far enough to release the shank from the hub. Pull the hub assembly outwards to free the CV joint from the hub. The driveshaft can then be withdrawn from the gearbox. Fit a new oil seal. If you remove the drivers side shaft, the L-bolts also need removing from the intermediate bearing.

Yes! fully itemised. For instance £38 for 4.5 ltrs of oil (for our other three cars I pay £15 for Total oil at GSF) £13.50 for engine flush (on a new engine with 10K on it?) £13 for fuel line cleaner. £7 to dispose of old oil. And on top of all that £131 for labour. Makes you weep!!!

You've got the timing badly out when you put the belt on. By attempting to start the engine, the pistons have come up when the valves were opening. Consequently one or two pistons have hit the opening valves. Valves will be bent and camshaft in two pieces. You may have got away without damage to pistons. Did you use three bolts in the timing holes and a rod in the flywheel?

Do I really need to remove the right engine mount, or can that be dispensed with? I've only ever worked on Xantia diesels, but if you didn't take the top mounting off you wouldn't be able to lift or lower the engine to get to the tensioner.

I put my C5 in for its first service and they took me for £250. A rip-off considering they only changed the oil & filter and the pollen filter. Air and fuel filters were covered.

I've been fitting my own towbars for thirty years and I recently fitted one to my C5. It was the easiest I've ever done because all new bars have now got to conform to an EU standard by using built in mounting points. Any of the producers of towbars supply full fitting instructions and the job can be completed in a few hours. It helps to put the rear end of the car on ramps. Whilst the fitting of the towbar has become easier, the electrical side has become more complicated because of multiplexing. Use a Smart 7 bypass relay, taking the feed directly from the battery with an inline fuse.

I've been a bit concerned about this because my C5 has Xenon bulbs and I'm shortly driving to Spain where traffic regs state that a bulb kit must carried in the car. But 1) bulbs are £150 a throw and 2) the handbook says its a dealer job to replace them. French traffic law only recommends carrying spare bulbs.