Johndouglas

The two C5s which I've owned have both been slower to warm up than a Xantia or BX or even the Saxo which I still have. Just this morning I used the C5 for a quick trip to the shops - a journey of four miles there and back. The two temperature gauges were just reaching their usual spots as I arrived back.

Hello & welcome.

Do you happen to have roof bars fitted? I know from experience that a rack (even without a load on it) will impact on mpg figures. Paul's quoted figures of 36.2 / 56.5 / 47.1 mpg is exactly what I get. Recently I did an airport run of 40 miles each way along a hilly coastal motorway. The figure shown on the display was 54mpg. Now with a bit of running around town it's showing 246 miles at 47.6mpg. On this car I haven't compared dashboard results with actual measured tank filling but on my previous C5 I did and the two results were very similar. Don't forget that fuel consumption figures are always lower in the winter months. Edit. The results I've quoted would be for typical 'summer' figures. The car is abroad at the moment.

As Rob says - much depends on your driving style. A new pad has 12mm of meat on it. It's time to change them when they are down to 3mm - unless they are cracked or damaged. Also the quality of the pads will have a bearing on their life. Front pads wear quicker than the rear ones. If you know when they were last changed, that should give you some indication of their condition - other than having a look.

Yes - I think that with cruise on once the car gets off level ground, fuel consumption increases. The steeper the hill, the greater the increase. I've noticed it particularly when towing up hills. :rolleyes:

Have you tried a BSI reset? If not give it a try. In case you can't find the method, it's here:- Put the driver's window down, lift the bonnet and ensure all equipment is switched off. Ensure all doors are closed and remove key from the ignition. Wait for 3 minutes, disconnect the vehicle battery. Reconnect the vehicle battery, wait a further 10 seconds (do not open doors.). Switch on the side lights through the driver's window. Switch on the ignition and check system's functionality. Hold lock button on key down for 10 seconds. Remove key open & close door test central locking system. Start the engine and complete the system's check. Reset the clock and date. Failure to follow this procedure could result in incorrect operation of many BSI related items.

If you are regularly travelling with cruise at between 70 and 80mph, I think you have the answer to your problem. Try a motorway journey at 65 or so. You'll find it will only take a few minutes longer and you may be surprised at your fuel consumption.

Have you checked that the brakes are not binding. Sometimes a stuck caliper can stop the pads from releasing. Also check the handbrake cable. If the inner cable gets damaged it prevents the pads releasing.

It would be eye watering! You would be better off looking at a car that someone is breaking. Have a look on ebay. See eBay item number: 141901604687 as an example. It's an Exclusive so the seats must be comfy - if they are still there.

I wonder if MAT07 is referring to the plastic cover over the cills and beneath the doors. If so, they are easily ripped off. I did it myself when I had my Mk2 C5. As I was reversing off some waste ground, I caught it on a piece of rock which had been dumped there and the plastic covers were almost completely ripped off but undamaged. Since I was abroad I didn't have easy access to a dealer but I managed to secure them with cable ties and plastic plugs. If you are indeed referring to the cills and yours are broken the new part numbers are:- The left hand front section is 7009G7. The left hand rear section is 7009G8. They are held along the bottom by plastic rivets Part number 6555LE and along the top and under the doors by clips 7578G7

Yes - that's the bar I had in mind. In the picture the undertray is missing. Also they are all different between Mk1 and Mk2. PS - If I remember rightly, each end is held with two bolts. One goes through a thin steel clip.

If it's a bar about an inch wide and a quarter thick, towards the rear of the engine, it may be the bar that bolts each side of the chassis rails to hold the rear of the bottom engine cover in place. If that is so, maybe the bolts haven't been sufficiently tightened and vibration has brought them out. Is the bottom engine cover still in place? Over time they get broken or lazy mechanics don't bother replacing them.

Replacing a handbrake cable isn't too difficult providing you have some decent tools. Before you remove the wheel or jack up the car, remove the dust cover from the drum. You'll need a socket of the correct size (32mm rings a bell) for the hub nut and some serious leverage to get it loosened. Get it loose before you jack up. The nut will be peened into a groove so it needs to be tapped out first. Remove the centre console and disconnect the cable from the equalizing bar. With the hub nut off, jack up the car and remove the wheel and the brake drum. Make a note of where the cable is attached to the car (held with three clips) and route the new cable along the same route. To disconnect the cable from the brake shoes it will be necessary to loosen them from the back plate, but as far as I remember there's no need to remove completely - unless they are worn/greasy or damaged, in which case it's worth doing at the same time.

Did some one once say something about pigs and flying?... :D

Yes - all the above is correct. Having owned a Mk2 and now a 3, the two covers are completely different both in size, shape and fitting.

What voltage does the battery show first thing in the morning before starting? Also make sure battery terminals and earth straps are clean.

At a guess it's probably something that can be altered by Lexia. It's surprising the dealer didn't know.

Right! well that seems to rule out the weak battery. Have you tried a BSI reset? If not, give it a try. The procedure is on the forum but in case you can't find it, here it is:- Put the driver's window down, lift the bonnet and ensure all equipment is switched off. Ensure all doors are closed and remove the key from the ignition. Wait for 3 minutes, disconnect the vehicle battery and wait for a several minutes. Reconnect the vehicle battery, wait a further 10 seconds (do not open doors.). Switch on the side lights through the driver's window. Switch on the ignition and check system's functionality. Hold lock button on key down for 10 seconds. Remove key open & close door test central locking system. Start the engine and complete the system's check. Reset the clock and date. Failure to follow this procedure could result in incorrect operation of many BSI related items.

Don't disregard the models below the Exclusive because they ride on steel springs. Having ridden on "proper suspension :rolleyes:" ever since my first BX in 1990, it was a concern when I considered getting a VTR+. Having owned one now for 18 months, I never think about the suspension. Even when towing my caravan is fine now since I changed the rear springs to MAD uprated springs.

C5s don't like having a battery which isn't healthy. If your battery condition is weak, it seems that all sorts of electrical faults can appear. What is the voltage of your battery first thing in the morning after you've opened the car but before you turn the starter? PS- And also welcome to the forum.

You're right! All the indications are that the C5 will disappear from the showrooms. It's all part of the cost cutting programme that PSA agreed when the French Government and Dongfeng bailed them out a coupe of years ago. It also seems that when the C5 gets replaced, the hydraulic suspension will be dropped as well. Sadly, Citroen sold less than 18000 C5s in the whole of Europe in the past year. However, not so in China. There apparently, Donfeng have announced that sales and satisfaction reports are increasing. Maybe the time will come when China exports used Citroens to the UK.

That's nice to hear that it's all fixed. And thanks for coming back to tell us the outcome. Not every one does..... :(...... Yes! the Xsara with the hdi engine is a brilliant car. My daughter had one from new in 2002 till 2014 and she loved it - also fairly easy to work on too.

I don't know if this is of help to you. Have a look at these:- http://www.emanualonline.com/Cars/Citroen/Citroen-C5-Workshop-Repair-And-Service-Manual.html This e-manual is a pirated copy of service.citroen. Don't ask me why Citroen let them get away with it. It needs to run on an XP virtual machine. They give you the download for it. However, not only does it give the usual service.Citroen information, but it gives you access to the repair procedures. Something Citroen normally make a charge for. You can pay for a download or for an extra fiver you can get it all on DVDs

The hydraulic system has air in it. It needs bleeding. Keep the reservoir well topped up whilst doing it.

That's right! Pull back the rubber lining from the front of the compartment and the socket is hidden behind it.