New Spheres

[pinheadplanet]

Hi

 

How long should sheres last?

 

I bought a 2008 C5 Exclusive and found the ride quality to be crap compared to my Mk 1, what happens is on uneven roads the car pitches from side to side which means you do too, it's like being on a boat, anyway Citroen have said that it needs 4 new spheres all round. It's done 48k, is that about right?

 

Funny thing is when I spoke to the mechanic and he told my spheres were gone I asked "so did the diagnostic machine identify that?" to which he replied "No, you can tell just by pressing up and down on the corners of the car". So if he identified that by pushing up and down on the suspension for 10 secs what the hell was i paying an hours labour for, for it to go on the diagnostics machine??? Anyway let's leave that aside as it's getting done under warranty.

 

thanks

[Johndouglas]

Well if they're doing it for free, you have no worries, but I'm very much surprised that the spheres need replacing at 48,000 miles.   Generally C5 spheres last longer than those on the previous Xantia and BX model.   My own C5 is just below 100thou and I have no grumbles about the ride.

[pinheadplanet]

Well, my fear is that there's nothing wrong with the spheres and they'll replace them and it won't make any difference to the ride quality.

The warranty runs out Friday!

[paul.h]

Is this the current version of the C5 made from 2008 or the mark 2 made from 2004 to 2008 ? Depending on model, you may find there are 6 spheres including the 2 approx in the middle of the axles on the front and rear firmness regulators. If you have the sport setting on the height adjusting switch does this make a difference ? Maybe the height regulators also need spraying/freeing up so they are more responsive.

 

Having never replaced spheres, I thought a symptom before replacement was the suspension stiffened up - if so, maybe the old car needed them and the fluid replacing.

[pinheadplanet]

It's the new model (2008-2013).

To be honest you cannot tell so much difference when the sport setting is activated, on my old one there was lots of difference when you activated the sport mode.

[paul.h]

I had a 2004 mark 1 and now a 2007 mark 2 and on both the sport setting firms up the suspension - useful sometimes when pulling the caravan, when very windy, lots of bends. Let us know how it behaves with the new spheres.

[DaveHerns]

I thought Citroen guaranteed the suspension for 5 years /125K miles ? They did when mine was new in 2006