Newbie Questions

[keef123]

Hi there.

 

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a '95/96 1.9 Dimension.

 

Never owened a Citroen before, never owned a diesel.

 

The car seems straight and very clean, drives well and the price is about right, but are there any "hidden extras" which might upset the apple cart and the bank balance?

 

Any and all advice/suggestions/words of wisdom highly appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

 

keef

[DickieG]

Check that the sphere's aren't flat which will cause a hard ride on the suspension, new ones (five in all) cost £22 each.

 

Check for a strange acrid smell from the heater (set the temperature to hot) it indicates the matrix is leaking, £30 to buy the part, a weekend to change as the dash has to be removed :(

 

Does the heater fan work correctly? Problems with this can be caused by the motor resistor or ignition switch.

 

Take a look at the front suspension strut mounts, they will more than likely have a little surface rust (OK), any crusty rust walk away as they will separate allowing the strut to push up through the bonnet, part £130 each side, easy to change.

 

Stand 10 yards behind the car and look at the angle of the rear wheels they should be vertical, if they look like / \ then the rear arm bearings are knackered £35 each side, not too bad to change.

 

Engines and gearboxes are generally reliable, cam belt isn't too bad to change 50K ish miles intervals. Have you seen it start from cold? Heater plugs may be the cause of problems, or possibly fuel leaks.

 

A stiff clutch pedal indicates a worn clutch which causes a plastic clip under the pedal to break, pence to buy but a pig to change as the bolt is inserted the 'wrong way' making it very difficult to remove, once to clip breaks once it normally keeps breaking until the clutch is replaced.

 

I've mentioned a number of faults but don't be put off by that, get a good Xantia and you'll love it if only for the smooooth ride, I do. So much that I've got three at the moment :blink:

[keef123]

Check that the sphere's aren't flat which will cause a hard ride on the suspension, new ones (five in all) cost £22 each.

 

Check for a strange acrid smell from the heater (set the temperature to hot) it indicates the matrix is leaking, £30 to buy the part, a weekend to change as the dash has to be removed :(

 

Does the heater fan work correctly? Problems with this can be caused by the motor resistor or ignition switch.

 

Take a look at the front suspension strut mounts, they will more than likely have a little surface rust (OK), any crusty rust walk away as they will separate allowing the strut to push up through the bonnet, part £130 each side, easy to change.

 

Stand 10 yards behind the car and look at the angle of the rear wheels they should be vertical, if they look like / \ then the rear arm bearings are knackered £35 each side, not too bad to change.

 

Engines and gearboxes are generally reliable, cam belt isn't too bad to change 50K ish miles intervals. Have you seen it start from cold? Heater plugs may be the cause of problems, or possibly fuel leaks.

 

A stiff clutch pedal indicates a worn clutch which causes a plastic clip under the pedal to break, pence to buy but a pig to change as the bolt is inserted the 'wrong way' making it very difficult to remove, once to clip breaks once it normally keeps breaking until the clutch is replaced.

 

I've mentioned a number of faults but don't be put off by that, get a good Xantia and you'll love it if only for the smooooth ride, I do. So much that I've got three at the moment :rolleyes:

[keef123]

Many thanks for that, a lot of good stuff there. I'll keep you posted.

 

keef