billynibbles

Firstly, apologies - I've seen this mentioned before and even ran a search to try to find all mentions of rust, but it's eluded me. I seem to recall reading that someone has had a problem with rusty C4 roof bar mountings so the other day whilst cleaning the car, I levered up the flaps for a quick look. There was no rust on body parts, but the four screw holes were looking like going that way, so I've 'vaselined' them. Would it not also be a good idea to find four suitable bolts and fit them as blanking plates till someone actually wants to fit roof bars?

I got 7 assorted from an ebay seller for under £20, which strikes me as at least a reasonable price, although I'm not so sure about the "Essence de Camel Driver's Jockstrap", or maybe that's how I make the car smell once the cartridge has run out!

...and the ground when the door's open, which is probably more useful.

I have actually got the lane wander alert system, but to be honest, unless it's to show off the gadgetry, it's left turned off. For one thing, those large 'move over' arrows trigger it off too, as does driving from shade into light on a bright day on a lightish surface like concrete (it does honest!). I'm not sure if a system that might instill a sense of 'OK, I'm over-tired but the car will wake me up' is so praiseworthy anyway.

Good luck for tomorrow. On my own driving test, I actually had to do a real emergency stop as a bread van swerved across my path and into a parking space to my left. All the examiner could think of saying was 'I shan't be asking you to simulate an emergency stop'!

My query relates to climate control. Is there any way just to have outside air blown into the car without it being heated or cooled? The nearest I can seem to get is to kill the fan speed back to zero but then there's no throughput when standing still. The only way I can see that would allow you to blow ambient temperature air into the car, is to set the climate control to whatever the outside temperature is, so that neither heating nor air/con is used. Is this the only way, apart from opening a window?

Just come back from a week touring Derbyshire from west London in VTS diesel. Overall was 55 mpg by the time I got back - the initial motorway run up the M1 got me over 60 mpg. I was trying hard to be frugal though and traffic conditions dictated one of those 50 mph moving jams most of the way. Still, a week's holiday all on the same tankful can't be bad.

Over recent years, I've alternated between buying new or nearly new cars. Till I bought my Citroen, not one of them has had any problems whatsoever. Then along comes my lovely 12-month old VTS coupé diesel - all I can say is that it must have crept out under the radar of Citroen West London's PDIing. Within one mile of taking delivery, the SERVICE light came on because the Lane Wandering System was faulty, and as soon as the weather turned nicer, it became apparent that only the heating side of the climate control was working - having been standing for 4 months since the tax ran out in November 2004, no-one had thought to use the air-con to stop it drying out the compressor seals and therefore leaking. All its refrigerant had disappeared. A rattle then started to make itself heard from the tailgate - this I suspect is a loose bolt rolling around since one end of the spoiler seems disconnected, so no doubt that's where it has come from. My remaining concerns, including the fact that the engine fan no longer operates with its usual gusto, and the car runs a tad hot and lumpy (probably caused by the fan problem) are being addressed this week along with some body shop work to the sill which they finally had to agree couldn't have been my fault since it became apparent as soon as I got the car home. (It had rained every time I saw the car, and the scuff to the sill only shows once it's dry) All I can say is that's it's a bloody good job I love everything about the thing (just a pity Toyota don't make it for them!), and the service levels received since buying it have been great. Mind you, if this is typical, they ought to be good at it! Having said all that, the car hasn't actually let me down - it's just that I hadn't planned on being on first name terms with everyone in their service department quite so soon! For some odd reason, I feel fiercely loyal - can't think why exactly, maybe I like Citroen's quirkiness and innovation. Also, it all comes down to your needs. As a keen cyclist too, a reliable car is only a 'nice to have', not a 'must have' for my job. The C4 VTS is certainly fun (most of the time), there's no denying it.

Many thanks, mate - that just about clears it up. I have actually got the JBL upgrade option, and so presumably did the other VTS in the showroom I was looking at.

At the risk of starting an old farts' convention (founder member, me), I got nearly 800 miles from a tank in my 2.0HDi last week. Partly down to me trying ever so hard to drive as gently as possible to Gloucester from west London (64 mpg), and partly down to the 6-speed version's 35 mph per 1000 rpm, or thereabouts. I even freewheeled (naughty) down Birdlip Hill. I agree that cruising at 70 mph seems to give a constant 50-55 mpg once the instantaneous readout settles down on a flat stretch using cruise control. Would I be right in thinking that the climate control doesn't have such a dire effect on economy as common-or-garden aircon - I'm certainly not aware of it slowing the car down at any time? This is my first diesel and I'm impressed.

Amen to cleaning it off as soon as possible - I left some on a metallic silver Rover whilst on a camping holiday once, and the top lacqueur looked like crazy paving by the time I washed it off. I think birds must be getting bigger - a friend's Merc CLK 230 soft-top looked like a pterodactyl had dumped on it the other day - I just couldn't believe that a bird could take off with that 'payload'! Or perhaps maybe it couldn't and that was the problem! Moral: If a bird s***s on your car, don't invite her out again. :blink:

Finally got the file size down - I should have reduced the pixel count, not the amount of jpeg compression. If it's a demister for the driver to look through, it would surely only be any use to LHD cars - I can't see that it'd show me anything I couldn't see in the door mirror without having to turn round. Since I got the car, there's been no chance to clear a misty window so that theory will have to wait - my days of steaming them up in a country lane are over (official story in case wife reads this) Of course, maybe it IS a demister on LHD versions where it would make some sense - it certainly doesn't seem to be wired to anything in mine, which was a November 2004 version. Funny that the showroom model has it too though. As for a spoiler, well, let's not forget mine's the diesel before we go sticking go-faster bits to it. Frankly, they'd have lost a sale if it HAD one.

As requested by Wozza, I've added a picture. The lines, being quite faint were a bit difficult to focus on, but I think you should be able to make out what I mean. http://www.billynibbles.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/DSC_1038.JPG

Does anyone know what significance there is to the three oblique pin-strip lines in my coupé's off-side rear window? They look like heater elements, but the corresponding near-side doesn't have them. Curiously, the new C4 VTS coupé in the Citroën West London showroom is the same; only the off-side has these lines in the glass. I checked both sides and the laminated glass is all labelled Pilkington, so it's not a question of a replacement window, I wouldn't have thought. All sorts of things come to mind. A 'break here' sign to the fire brigade, bearing in mind the laminated glass? Pilkington's trademark? A reversing 'gun-sight' on left-hand drive versions? Another antenna for GPS, given that the athermic windscreen blocks out radio waves?

Thanks for the prompt help guys. I have now won the bid for a single 'as new' VTS alloy wheel, £36 plus P&P. I never gave the fact that I might have wheel pressure sensors a 2nd thought - I suppose I thought that there would be some kind of permanent 'map' of the car on the display if I had. Presumably it only appears like the parking sensor 'map', i.e. when it's needed. (Didn't feel like letting a tyre down to test the theory though) Having been the Sales Manager's car, complete with the JBL hifi upgrade and vibrating bum lane wandering warning, it only seems reasonable to assume that they'd have fully loaded it. To be honest, the list of what's standard and what's not is daunting to say the least. Looks like I'll have to just get the front tyre and pressure sensor transferred over to the newer alloy. I'll tart up the scratched one at my leisure and decide what to do with it later - maybe even splash out on a 5th sensor. Yes, I did realise that the decorative centres are not included - when I first got my VTS last month, the black bits had gone matt grey, but after persevering stripping each centre down to its component parts, they're orl bootiful and noo, as my wife would say.

I've currently got a bid on ebay for one-only VTS alloy - one of mine is badly scuffed, nay kerbed. Only had my 12-month-old diesel VTS for a month and I've not come across these rigid tyre valves that look a bit like a spark plug before. Can they be bought separately? The reason I ask is that the wheel I'm hoping to buy doesn't look like it's got one from the small photo. If I can get another, it'll mean I can refurb the other wheel at my leisure and then have 5 alloys.