The Equalizer

Hi Y'all I did the job the other day, (Had trouble getting on the forum for a few days) Anyhow, a nice simple job, exactly as Johndouglas said. The Airbox came out easily enough, you got to take the top off it off first by disconnecting the pipe to the rear of the top of the air box. Then just manouvre it out of the small bonnet opening. A 22mm deep socket exactly as iannez said. one i & one out. Job done. The part cost me £7.49. I tried to negotiate with citroen, but they were sticking with there £79.99 minimum charge. :unsure: So they lost out. The whole job took me about 20 minutes, & thats coz I took my time. Many thanks to Johndouglas & iannez for their invaluable advise. :D Regards E

Cheers iannez I got some deep sockets, so thats not a problem. Anything I should know about getting the Airbox off, or is it pretty straight forward? Regards E

I hope your right JD. They might be my famously last words.. lol Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of choice, financially, I am gonna have to. For all my belly aching about main dealers & there labour prices. Its more a case of current financial climate making the decisions. Yeah I know if i bugger it up it could be £1000 I have to lay out, but sometimes, a calculated risk is worth taking. Especially as I have been forewarned about what to look out for, from kind members of this forum. It'll be a few weeks before I can do the job as the wife is running around in for some time & has things to do she can't put off. I told her that I would want the car for a full day to take off the air filter box, test the reversing light switch, go get new one if needed, fit, test, then replace air box. I'll report back as soon as I done the work. Gratefully yours E

Hey iannez TBH mate. I am seriously thinking about giving it a go myself. Motorsales seemed pretty non negotiable on the minimum price of £79.99. I just heard back from the spares dept, & the cost of the switch is £7.95. Can't I do the shorting out test & if its the switch, then take out the old one & compare it to the new one to be sure its the right sized one & then put it in. Don't get me wrong, I'm ok with paying garage prices when I can afford to & its a job that requires a professional, servicing, exhaust, mechanical problems etc, but to replace this screw in switch is gonna set me back £90 all in for a part that costs less than a tenner & is easy to access. I'd rather save the £90 & use against a service & MOT which is due later in the year. I do most of the mechanical works on my motorbikes so I'm not a total numpty with a spanner, or set of deep sockets? I would always accept advice from pro's like yourselves. :unsure: Cheers E

Just been on to my local Main dealer that I bought the car from & have done the servicing & warranty issues. The service dept said that there will be a charge of £79.99 for diagnosis/ 1 hours labour, plus parts. I explained that I am 90% sure that the reversing light switch is the culprit, so a simple supply & fit should do the trick. The service dept said that it ONLY cost me the £79.99 plus the parts. Cheeky sods. See what I mean about taking liberties. I'm just waiting for the spares dept to get back to me with a price for the part, then I can add it to the £79.99 to cost the job. Citroen Motorsales Harlow, Never Again. Regards E

Not sure about that price iannez? I'd be very happy to pay £50. I got a quote from them to fit a dog cage in the car & it was £130. £69 for the cage & just over £60 for the labour. So I got the cage & fitted it myself, & it was a 5 minute job, 2 wingnuts on the floor anchors at the back. I lost total faith in main dealers after that, they seem to think that they can bill in hourly increments, minimum of an hours labour, at £60 an hour. But I do take your point, sorry about my rant, but I get pi$$ed off with people trying to rip off the general public. I'll ring & get a quote. Regards E

Hi JD Yeah, I physically checked the fuse. Also a double check is that I think the fuse was also connected to my full beam. (can't remember) & that was fine. Either way the fuse is good? Cheers E

Hi Y'all My beloved C8 has just limped out of the warranty period & all of a sudden my reversing lights have stopped working? I have checked the bulbs & the fuse, all are fine. So the only other option I can see is the reversing light switch. I popped the bonnet today & had a look around to try to find it, which is tricky as there is not a lot of the gearbox to see, & that is where the switch is I;d have thought. I found a small black plastic clip with a couple of wires that I could just about reach, so I gave it a wiggle, but it made no diference. I just wondered if anyone had any pics of the switch so that I can identify it, where it lives, & how to get at it. Many Thanks Equalizer

LOL Cheers kfk. Regards E

Hey Y'all I was just polishing the C8, listening to some Elvis & suddenly The King stopped singing so I poked me head inside the car to see whats going on & my car had gone into economy mode. So I checked the handbook & in the section under multifunction display messages it said "Economy Mode, see Economy Mode" & I couldn't find any other mention of it anywhere in the book. The only way I could get the stereo back on was to turn the car on & then off. I'm sure there must be a way to turn off the Economy Mode ? ? ? Anyone ? ? ? Regards E

Also Have you noticed that as you step out of the C8, there is no footplate ? Just paintwork, I can see that wearing away. I wonder if you can buy a protective sheath of some sort ? E

Thats a good question. It seems to be a protective coating that lasts up to 3yrs. Protects from surface scratches, UV Light, & keeps that showroom shine. No need to wax. Also get your upholstry scotchguarded, Which with 3 messy kids, seems to be a good idea. My mate reckons its a bargain as his local Vauxhall garage wanted £200 to Supagard his little Corsa. Its got a 3 year warranty on it. Then again as i said on ebay the kit is £20, & I apply it myself & buy a tin of scotchguard spray ? ? Regards E

Right, just had a play about. I got in the car, started the engine, then switched off the ignition & opened the door (but stayed in the car) pushed the button for 2 seconds, then armed the alarm using the fob & waited for the 45sec. This appeared to work ok, the alarm did not go off although i was moving about in the car. Yet when i opened the door the alarm went off. Which means all is fine, the perimiter alarm sounded when i tried to open the door, but the volumetric alarm remained inactive. excellent. I could not see any indication that the volumetric security was OFF. The alarm button in between the 2 sensors, (the one with the led) was still flashing. not solid as stated in the above post. Yet all worked ok. will have another play later. Thanks to kfk for his help & citroeneddie. Can I be cheeky & ask something else. My garage has offered to do the Supagard for £150. Is it worth taking up the offer. I have seen the Supagard sponges on Ebay for about £20 for 5 packs. Thanks Again E

Hi Guys Thanks for your replies, What you have written above KFK is what it said in the manual, I was just having a bit of trouble identifying the volumetric disarm button as there are 2 buttons connected to the alarm. the first is up by the sensors in the middle of the 2 of them & the other is tucked away & can only be accessed via opening the drivers door. I wouldn't exactly consider any of these places as on the dash, more near the dash. Maybe I'm just being pedantic. So is it the button tucked away in the drivers door armpit I should be using ? Sorry for the daft questions, sometimes it takes a while for stuff to settle in my brain, once its there it tends to stay though. Regards E P.S. Thanks also for the warm welcome, I look forward to being an active member of the forum.

Hey Y'all I have owned a Fiat ulysse for some time, a 1998 petrol. however I have just part ex'd for the new Citroen C8 SX 2.0HDI. I have been trying to figure out the alarm. here's my problem, the handbook is as clear as mud. We have a dog that is left in the car rather than in the house. If we leave him in the house he howls till we return, if we leave him in the car he is happy as larry & goes to sleep. So how the bloody hell do i arm the alarm without activating the internal sensors. I have sat in the car for ages with theHandbook, trying to figure this out. If I open the windows to let the air in for the Mutt & lock the dog in the car using the key in lock method, all the windows close, & the alarm is de-activated. If I use the Fob to lock the car, the windows stay open & the alarm is active, but as soon as the dog moves he sets the alarm off. Any help would be gratefully accepted. Thanks E