Johndouglas

Hello Nora & welcome to the forum. And another caravanner as well. There are quite a few of us tuggers on the members' list.

I'm not familiar with the C4 under trays, but when my fixings became loose on my C5 I removed them and replaced them with some 5mm bolts with penny washers either side, then a nut to secure the bolt where the fixing had come away. The undertray is then put in place and held with a washer and wing nut.

The two wiper motors must be controlled by an ecu, otherwise there's nothing to stop them choosing their own speed and eventually hitting each other. Why does everything have to become more and more complicated?

But it's for a C3. Are they the same? I believe each wiper arm has its own motor. If so, are they similar or handed?

Sorry Paul - should have said - the car is a 2010 whilst the front tyres have a manufacture date of 0912.

Probably not many C5 X7s in the breakers yet, but you might pick one up at a considerable reduction . Six months or so ago we needed wiper parts for my daughter's Xsara. We got the complete wiper assembly for less than £25. Fitting the parts we required was fairly straightforward.

My latest buy is a 160bhp C5 X7 estate which has just over 30000 miles on the clock. Presumably it's on its second set of Michelin Primacy tyres and they are down to 3mm of tread, which confirms my previous findings of them - about 16000 miles on the front wheels.

My opinion of main dealers is low to middling - but be fair. Putting right a temperature sender fault isn't part of a service. Best you could hope for would be a report on the service sheet. But thank you for coming back and telling us about the solution. It's a fairly common fault reported on the forum.

I also have a Myway satnav fitted into my new 2010 C5. I've been hoping to find the option of a male voice for directions in the various menus. Am I looking for something that isn't there? A bit of deafness plus a lot of tinnitus makes the lower frequencies of a male voice easier to hear than those of a female.

Yes - all HDIs are turbo diesels of either 2.2ltrs; 2ltrs or 1.6ltrs. Not since the XUD series, the predecessor of the HDI has there been an option to have either a turbo assisted engine or an atmospheric engine. Some of the early HDI had the option for not having an intercooler. The 110 HDI had one whilst the 90bhp didn't.

One of the changes made in the C5 X7 that I was quick to notice when I got my new one was the fact that the tailgate struts were now fitted 'in the open'. The struts on my 2005 Estate were just beginning to show signs of weakness when I got rid of it.

Having been a caravanner for 50 years, I've fitted a good few towbars over that time. I agree Paul, the wiring takes much longer than the actual towbar fitting. But it hasn't always been so. The first one I ever did to a Mk1 Ford Cortina Estate required some very accurate measurements to be made, followed by the drilling of holes in the chassis members so that strengthening tubes could pass through. Over the years, fitting the bar has become easier as the electrics have become more complex. This time I didn't use a dedicated wiring kit - just a Smart7 relay. For the supply for the 12S I ran two 17amp wires from the battery across the back of the engine bay, then down to under-floor level. I'd previously put the two wires into heat-shrink tubing. I passed them through the plastic conduit covering the fuel lines, up over the fuel tank where they enter the car under the rear seats. They then pass behind the boot lining to the relay housed behind the pull-off panel where they meet up with the ends of the 7 core grey cable. Yes - I also prefer a flanged towball with a bumper protector behind it. And I also prefer two sockets rather than a 13pin type. Maybe that just a matter of what I've got used to. The two revering sensors work well with no interference from the towball. How they will behave when they see the caravan attached is something I'll discover soon. If they activate with the caravan so close, I'll fit an on/off switch in the supply to the control box.

Thanks for the link Paul. I've got the job finished now. I followed Steve's advice by pulling down the headlining and threading the wiring from the o/s wheel arch space, up behind the corner panel and across the roof. I tried the plastic tube method of threading through the tailgate bellows but no way could I get the tubing through. What I did use was a length of 18 gauge galvanized wire bent double. That passed through the bellows fairly easily. With the new reverse wire attached to the loop it finally pulled through the bellows. Then following MrTignale's advice I sorted out the yellow wire in the bundle he mentioned and connected my new wire into it. Big mistake! My test bulb didn't work but I could hear the central locking clicking. I took the cover off the tailgate light fitting and started testing for current. On my car the reverse light wire turned out to be red/pink. Once reconnected, and my test bulb lit. As the new car doesn't have reverse sensors, I got the Gatgetman set off ebay. I prefer having a fixed flange towball on the car, so decided a two sensor kit was less likely to pick up the presence of the towball. It didn't take very long to fit. The rear bumper already has the holes filled with blanks, so it was a simple matter of prising out the plugs and fitting the sensors in the holes. The control box fits behind the wheel arch and behind the removable boot lining panel, alongside the fridge and battery relay.

You didn't say which side. Is this of interest: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-CITROEN-C5-ESTATE-DRIVERS-OFFSIDE-REAR-LIGHT-UNIT-GENUINE-OEM-/221435383546?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item338e93cefa Or this:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-C5-RE-DE-Estate-Marelli-Rear-Lamp-Light-Cluster-Near-Left-Side-/400701758216?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item5d4baf9b08

Sad to say - it isn't until a model has been superseded and is a few years old that parts begin to be made by other companies. If you don't want to pay the "highwayman", your best bet will be to visit the breakers. Maybe your light fitting will be the same as 2008 onwards vehicles.

That policy can't be standard throughout the range. I collected a new (to me) C5 X7 a few weeks ago and it came with two identical remotes.

I wouldn't worry about it. It will be a drain or vent tube you're looking at. Might be the aircon drain tube. That can give a new owner a few worrying minutes when they arrive back at their car on a warm day to see a pool of water underneath the engine.

What you need is for your C8 to be fitted with a 12N socket. The very job I've almost completed on my C5. The lighting board can be bought complete with the 7pin plug, although it's easy enough to make your own. To prevent causing any electrical glitches in your car's electrics, it's as well to put all the extra wiring through a Smartcom relay. If you Google "Smartcom relay" you'll find many sellers of them. Most of them come with full wiring instructions. Have a look at them, then decide if you want to tackle the job yourself. If you do, then come back for any advice you may need. There are at least four experienced caravanners on the forum who are all willing to advise.

The canister filter is one of the items the early 2ltr HDIs inherited from its XUD parents. Must say they make an easier change than the later paper insert. And they are no dearer than the paper ones.

Snap - Paul. I didn't see you there :P

Diesel engine oil very quickly goes black so that's no indication. The recommended interval for your particular engine is every 12000 miles. I would suggest that if you've recently acquired the car and you don't know its history, then change the oil as soon as - then keep records. At the same time as changing the oil, it's as well to change the filter. Have a new one to hand before you start. The oil you need is any decent 5W40 multigrade to B3 or CF. You'll need 5ltrs. You'll need the front of the car raised and you may find there's a bottom engine cover in place. You'll need to remove that before you can reach the sump drain plug. The plug is a round one with a hole for a 8mm hex socket to remove it. The new filter is screwed on hand tight, but you may need a strap wrench to get the old one moving.

I think when the filter is well & truly blocked, the engine will go into limp mode.

If you're handy with the spanners, it's time consuming but fairly easy. You need sufficient room to get underneath and then have the car well supported with additional support other than the raised suspension. Once the filter box has been removed, it can then be given a soak in an alkaline solution followed by flushing with a hose.

Sorry about the lack of ability to upload pictures. Trying to get admin to put it right. You can always upload to somewhere like Photobucket and then post the link on here. That does work. Regarding your parts. There are usually a few C5s being broken on the UK Ebay site. Have a scroll through and send messages to some of the sellers. Regarding your windows. Have you tried a BSI reset? Go to the Frequent Questions (Technical) Section to see the correct way of doing a reset.

I take it we're talking Mk1 and the facelift C5's and not the X7 (Mk3) models? The handbrake should be self adjusting, although alterations can be made to the cable itself. But first check the brake pads. They may be down to the minimum thickness of friction material.