Mike O.

Has anyone found a cure for the squeaks/creaks/chirps coming from the arm rest and the centre console it sits on when the driver or front passenger leans on it? Now the car is so quiet after extensive noise deadening this noise has become more pronounced and needs attention. What do the members think would bring some relief? WD40 applied somewhere? Tightening of something? Rubber sheet applied somewhere? Regards, Mike O.

I am starting to think, that Citroen people have been changing some suspension elements from one year model to another without telling anyone. Just like they have been doing with acoustic side windows or interior equipment levels. Cheers, Mike O.

Hi Derek, No noise at the back, hmm... Maybe the previous owner noise deadened the rear? That is the first thing I did when I got the car - the noise was coming predominantly from the rear. Are all the rubber elements in the front suspension OK? I am not sure how many there are, but they certainly isolate the body from the moving suspension elements. I frequently am a passenger in a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. It has a frame isolated from the body by some elastic compound - now that is a solution for crappy road surfaces. Ride comfort on my friend's over pumped tyres (he has done 130,000km on them and will still do a few more) is not quite to C5 standard, but the silence.... Cheers, Mike O.

Derek, Have you compared your car to a brand new one of the same (more or less) spec? I would do a test drive on the roads you know to be noisy to have an idea... And immediately after I would drive your car on the same roads - this will tell you if it is your car or just a C5 design fault. What possessed you to buy it with 19" wheels? I remember reading a British test report, where the tester said he felt sorry for Citroen engineers, whose fine efforts were ruined by the marketing guys putting big wheels with low profile tyres on the C5. Are you sure the air pressure in your tyres is not too high? Be careful, yours are low profile tyres and as such very prone to damage on bad roads, so you can't go very low... Don't be afraid of Dynamat - it is so easy to apply in reasonable temperatures (it becomes more pliable as the temperature rises - not a problem in Sydney) and it does make a difference. Cheers, Mike O.

Where are you located Derek? In the coarse-chip-bitumen crazy Australia? Having said that, I have recently noticed that quite a few roads in/around Sydney have now been covered with a much quieter bitumen mix. So much so, that I still have not done Stage 3 - the car is basically quiet enough now, even on more than half-worn 17" Michelin Primacy HP tyres. In a year or so they will be changed to Toyo Teo Plus, which will further reduce the decibels inside the car. So, the cure consists of: 1. Changing the wheels to 17" (I don't think 16" wheels on Mk3 would be legal in down under). 2. Having quiet tyres on them. 3. Noise deadening the car body itself. See my previous posts. Cheers, Mike O.

Has anyone replaced the OEM Xenon "bulbs" with the new Philips Xenon Xtreme Vision D2S or OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Unlimited D2SI used to buy Osram Night Breaker Plus or Philips Extreme Vision bulbs for my previous C5s and the results were very encouraging... The Bi-Xenons on my current 2013 2.0HDi Exclusive Tourer are rather disappointing with the OEM "bulbs".

Yes, car reviews... Here in Australia Mazda is always "fantastic" and wins everything... About 2 years ago Sydney Morning Herald did a comparison test of small cars, which here means Mazda 3, VW Golf, Peugeot 307 or 308, Hyundai i30 etc., in total I think 8 cars. Do I need to tell you which one won the test? Mazda 3 was the slowest, thirstiest, noisiest, smallest inside, with the poorest ride etc. Dead last in all important categories, yet it won the test supposedly because of the "sporty handling". Go figure.... BTW, it is Australia's best selling passenger car. Who said thousands of people can't be wrong?

Just the 17" alloys instead of the 18s the Exclusive comes with here and extensive noise deadening (80% done). When one of the Xenons goes I will replace both with the "+70%" or stronger bulbs from Osram or Philips.

Since the fronts do much more work than the rears, including the critical for safety things like steering and braking, I always put the new tyres at the front. What brand? In Australia we have Toyo Teo Plus tyres that I have used on previous cars and was very happy with: quiet on the dreaded coarse chip surfaces passing for bitumen here, comfortable ride, reasonable in the wet, low fuel consumption, reasonable mileage, not too expensive...but they have to be "Made in Japan", not China, Thailand or Malaysia. They beat the Michelins (price, noise) and various Malaysian made Continentals (wet braking, traction etc.) hands down.

I am getting just over 37mpg (7.6l/100km) from my 2013 2.0Hdi Auto Exclusive Tourer (163), Measured over 16000km.

Hi rusty-pie, There was a weak knock at 40 kph and none at lesser speeds. The road sign suggested 25 kph. The revving was discussed under: Automatic Transmission MisbehavingStarted by Mike O., Jun 03 2014 09:55 PM Cheers, Mike O.

The suspension does not raise itself to a correct level until you take your foot off the brake, so for a good few seconds after driving off it is sitting too low.

My last C5, the facelifted December 2004 2.2HDi SX Auto Wagon (Estate) produced the very knock on some specific speed humps at certain speed. So does my new October 2013 C5 2.0HDi Exclusive Auto Tourer, but to a lesser extent, I think. I will test drive it over these humps tomorrow and report again. To me it is caused by the front suspension reaching the end of its rebound travel and the bump stops being too hard and not progressive enough. We discussed the car's engine 'revving its head off' a few months ago. I have since learned not to press the accelerator so hard, which eliminated the problem.

I had a similar situation when my passengers entered the car about 1 m from a big bump. I then lifted my foot from the brake pedal and drove off over the bump - the underbody hit the bump because the car had not managed to raise the suspension to a normal level within such a short period of time (not much over 1 s). Did you, perhaps, press the suspension lowering button when slowing down to enter the driveway? Mike O.

Hi Stylo, Re.3. I have read in enough places, that the new C5 is going to be made in the Opel factory in Russelsheim, Germany, to be concerned. Like many other Citroen enthusiasts I have signed a petition (available on this forum, from memory) to keep the Hydractive suspension alive. Money talks, so it doesn't look good... Re. Road noise It is a very subjective thing. Test drive the model you intend to buy on the very roads you will drive it later. If you are going to be driving mainly on smooth bitumen, then there is no problem. The problem becomes apparent on coarse chip surfaces (bitumen with gravel pressed into it), and even then many C5 owners when asked about the noise would answer: what noise? The new C5 is certainly quieter in all respects than many Mazda, VW/Skoda/Audi or Volvo models I have driven... Re.5. Auto transmission Again a very personal thing. I personally would never buy a car with a manual transmission (not that I could buy a manual C5 in Australia anyway). If you are after a feeling of being "in control" of the car - buy a manual. If you value comfort, especially in heavy traffic - get an auto. When in Europe (which is every year) I hire a manual car, but it is not my cup of tea at all. Yes, fuel consumption of a manual is a bit lower (certainly not 2+l/100km lower), but the convenience... In my 30 years of driving automatics I have never had to have anything done to the transmission, except for simple service in case of old Holdens and Fords. Now even that is not necessary, they are sealed for life whatever that means. Cheers, Mike O.

Hi Stylo, I got my stage numbering wrong. Stage 1: Back of the car inside - done, nice improvement. Stage 2: Wheel arches - 80% done, again noticeable improvement. Stage 3: Engine bay - not done yet and will probably need to wait till October. I will report the progress. I still love the car. My fishing buddy is a Toyota ((Prado) man, but even he admitted, that the new C5 has easy access to everything in the engine bay. His jaw recently dropped, when I was getting the boat out of the lake, going up a steep slope without a trace of any wheel spin (the magic of the Snow mode). One more thing: with cars like the C5 it is extremely important to have a good dealer. I don't let anyone except myself and Continental Cars in Padstow touch my Citroen(s). Mike O.

Call me lazy, but I have never switched the AC off in my previous two C5s and probably never will in my current one. I have never had a slightest problem with it either - AC hates to remain unused for any length of time. Keep it on. Regards, Mike O.

Thanks qman, I did some experimenting today. Point 1. was cured to a large extent by pressing the Sport button on the transmission.The side effect was, that now the car held the gear (on full throttle) to 5,000 RPM.It didn't revv senselessly though and change gears when I eased on the throttle.I will try the BP Ultimate Diesel next - it is supposedly the best available in Australia. Point 2. I didn't manage to replicate the problem to any worrying extent.BTW, It wasn't a safety issue, just an annoyance.No runaway acceleration, like some Toyotas, just staying in too low a gear with way too high revs for too long after an energetic application and then backing off the loud pedal. I will keep experimenting (and soon drop the habit of pressing the pedal to the metal). Does anyone have a diagram with the power and torque curves of the new 2.0HDi (120 kW, 340 Nm)?I suspect revving diesel to 5,000 RPM serves no purpose, but it would be good to have a look at the power and torque curves... Regards, MikeO.

My October 2013 Exclusive 2.0HDi Auto Tourer has been a pleasure to drive, however two things, both transmission related, have caught my attention: 1. The auto transmission has been programmed for economy, so it likes to keep the revs so low, that the car vibrates. 2. When I press the accelerator to the floor (more pronounced in low gears) and then lift my foot after realising I don't need that much power, the engine senselessly revs to 4500 rpm before changing gear. Pressing the pedal to the floor is a habit from my previous 2004 2.2HDi Auto SX Wagon. I will soon learn not to do it, but still a modern auto transmission should not react that way. Has anyone else encountered such a situation? Any remedies? Kind regards, Mike O.

Stage three almost finished. Wheel arches are covered with Dynamat Extreme - both the arches themselves and their linings. Again, a significant improvement. I will finish stage three and then do the engine bay. BTW, the engine noise has somehow NOT become more intrusive with the rest of the car being quieter. When all is done, I will drive my car with another Tourer back to back to test the effectiveness of my efforts. My expectations are on a high side... Regards, Mike O.

Hi kaliope, I am always intrigued, why is that only us, Poles, are interested in the variable ground clearance? No wonder the next C5 will most likely not have the Hydractive suspension... I wouldn't by a car without it. I need the SUV-like ride height to reach my favourite fishing spots in rural Australia and still have a superb highway car without the SUV traits: stiff ride, bad handling, high fuel consumption etc. My third, current C5 is a December 2013 2.0HDi Auto Exclusive Tourer. I love it. The only negatives are: 1. Road noise (despite selecting higher profile tyres - 225/55 x 17). I am currently noise deadening it, like I did the previous models. Only a problem on coarse chip surfaces, less common in Poland than in Australia. 2. Poor resale value: not a problem for me, since I am planning on keeping it for a long time. So, long live Hydractive 3+!!! Being a Citroen nut myself, like many of this group members, I don't mind answering any questions about the C5. Regards, Mike O.

I used to like Continental ContiEcoContact CPs (CP for Comfort Plus), but they are no longer available in Australia. The Comfort Contact 1 tyres were comfortable and quiet, but not so good in the wet (Made in Malaysia). My current favourites are Toyo Teo Plus (Made in Japan): very quiet, great ride comfort, good enough in the wet, reasonable price. Wouldn't buy Michelins: expensive and noisy on coarse chip bitumen when they wear out a bit. I don't think Avons are available here, otherwise I would give them a try. My current Michelin Primacy HP tyres are very good performance and ride wise, but already noisy on coarse chip roads despite having done only 8000 km. Regards, Mike O.

My car is under warranty, so it didn't cost me anything. No idea what they have done - the principal said they updated the GPS (the map was old) and Bluetooth software. BTW, the Traffic Messaging and Speed/Red Light Camera Warnings do not work. I will look into it before the next service. Regards, Mike O.

By now you, no doubt, know the answer, but still: On my 2013 model when you zoom in the map with the "central" knob, it changes orientation. Cheers, Mike O.

I have a 2013 2.0 HDi Exclusive Auto Tourer with "the works", including the turning HID Xenons. I still believe that, unless you do a lot of driving in the mountains full of hairpin turns, you are better off with halogens equipped with +90 or +100% bulbs from Osram or Philips, as I had in my December 2004 2.2 HDi SX Auto Estate. They illuminated the road better, especially in high beam. When the Xenon HID bulbs go I will replace them with the new +60% (or so) HID Xenon bulbs from Osram or Philips. Has anyone fitted aftermarket accessory LED lights to the new C5? Driving to remote fishing locations in Australian bush I need lot of light on the road... Kangaroos have the worst road sense of all animals - they will sit at the side of the road only to jump right in front of your vehicle... Cheers, Mike O.