C5 Suspension Fluid Leak

[Guest Brian W]

Hi all

I have a 2003 C5 with a leak from just in front of one of the rear spheres.

I have contacted the local Citroen dealer and they have quoted me big money to fix it!

I am pretty sure I could do it myself, but I don't know anything about the fluid pressure etc, so I would rather not.

So, my question is; does anyone know of any reliable independant Citroen specialists in the Ipswich/Felixstowe area?

Thanks in advance

[techbod]

its probably just a seal on the sphere but if you don't know how leave well alone as its deadly in untrained hands,

 

check other garages ( not specialists ) most mechanics know how to do Citroen's suspension any mechanic who doesn't know will give you a wide berth.

[Guest Brian W]

its probably just a seal on the sphere but if you don't know how leave well alone as its deadly in untrained hands,

 

check other garages ( not specialists ) most mechanics know how to do Citroen's suspension any mechanic who doesn't know will give you a wide berth.

 

OK, thanks for the advice. I have had 2 garages look at it but both didn't want to touch it and recommended the Citroen dealer. I have had a look in the Haynes manual and it only has 3 spanners next to it, but I think I'll be a bloody spanner if I mess it up!

I'll try another garage...

[techbod]

wise choice most try to tighten the sphere when the system is up to pressure and that fails big time because you need the pressure out of there and the car jacked up so this in its self poses a problem ( pressure out car on the deck ) so you need to bleed the air out while the rear is on Axel stands,

 

then the tools required like a chain to tighten the sphere or remove it to fit a new seal ( its not really that hard if you understand that much )

[iannez]

to do the job properly the suspension system needs to be depressureised with a dealer diag tool.

if you dont want to do it properly put the car in high. loosen the sphere about half a turn (much easier to do now as everything is locked tight under the pressure). put the car in low and remove the key from ignition then leave everything to shut down for 5min and disconnect the battery. jack the rear of the car up and as the suspension lifts it will draw the pressure from the system making it safe to work on. the wheels must be hanging so no ramps. remove the old sphere and fit new. if you leave the battery connected opening a door will wake the bsi and this will then power up the pump so make sure you disconnect it.

[Guest Brian W]

to do the job properly the suspension system needs to be depressureised with a dealer diag tool.

if you dont want to do it properly put the car in high. loosen the sphere about half a turn (much easier to do now as everything is locked tight under the pressure). put the car in low and remove the key from ignition then leave everything to shut down for 5min and disconnect the battery. jack the rear of the car up and as the suspension lifts it will draw the pressure from the system making it safe to work on. the wheels must be hanging so no ramps. remove the old sphere and fit new. if you leave the battery connected opening a door will wake the bsi and this will then power up the pump so make sure you disconnect it.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I've had a quote from a different Citroen dealer and, unbelievably, they have only quoted £175, so I'm gonna go for that!

Cheers

[Guest Brian W]

Update ;

 

Hi

Sorry for the late update, I haven't been on the forum for a while.

I took it to the local Citroen dealer and they charged me £177 (inc vat) to supply and fit a new sphere.

They loaned me a car whilst mine was being repaired.

They also performed checks on all kinds of other things on the car and pronounced them all fine.

All in all, I am very very pleased with what they did, and I had only used them as a last resort, due to horror stories I'd heard about going to the dealer, but nobody else would touch the spheres, so I had no choice.

I can't recommend the dealer enough, and I would suppose that the price would be a standard price nationwide.

[DaveHerns]

Update ;

 

Hi

Sorry for the late update, I haven't been on the forum for a while.

I took it to the local Citroen dealer and they charged me £177 (inc vat) to supply and fit a new sphere.

They loaned me a car whilst mine was being repaired.

They also performed checks on all kinds of other things on the car and pronounced them all fine.

All in all, I am very very pleased with what they did, and I had only used them as a last resort, due to horror stories I'd heard about going to the dealer, but nobody else would touch the spheres, so I had no choice.

I can't recommend the dealer enough, and I would suppose that the price would be a standard price nationwide.

Are you willing to name the garage ?