Thinking of buying a HDi Xantia

[StevenP]

Hi there,

After a brief ownage of a 1989 Peugeot 405, I've recently been looking at a turbo diesel variant, including 306s. Then I spotted the Xantia, and found it offers much better value than a 306 D turbo.

So, I've scoured the adverts, read some reviews and found out some information, should be going to look at a VSX 1999 HDi tomorrow, here's the spec:

CITROEN XANTIA VSX HDi, metallic black, Clarion CD multiplay, ew, rcl, pas, ABS, alloys, rear spoiler, fully loaded, high spec SX with half suede seats, 12 months MoT, £1795 (T).

On ringing up and asking a few questions (the garage actually knew what they were talking about), it has done 104k miles, with new spheres all round, new diesel pump and a cambelt change 3000 miles ago (with receipts) It has part service history and some previous MOT's also.

Just wondered if theres anything else to specifically look for on inspection? And what do you guys think about the model itself? Does the price sound fair?

Cheers,
Steve[/quote]

[j_roc]

If you are not p/exchanging another car in for the Xantia, remember to kick off a couple of quid on the price. Also I would contact (if they live locally to you) the previous owner to find out as much as possible about the car - you dont want to buy a ex fleet car, then taxi, then "1 owner low miles" thats actually done 197,000 miles do you? As for checking the car - push, prod and poke every button a dozen times, look under the oil cap for "mayonnaise" and for dark treacle in the header tank - a sure sign that the head gasket is knackred. Check that the suspension lifts up and down smoothley and quitley through all settings using the lever on the center console. If you can draw a small amount of LHM out of the reservoir and inspect it - it should be a clear yellowish/green colour, annything else says lack of fluid changes. Check that the rear arm bearings are not shot. With the car in normal height, and the engine running stand about 25 feet behind the car and look at the geometry of the suspension should be this - | |. Annything like this - / \ spells shot bearings, a pain in the ar*e to change. As for rust the only rust trap that I have found on the Xantia is on the N/S rear behind the bumper - place your hand up between the bumper and bodywork and feel for any rust. It may seem like a lot on here but it's not really (think about the problems on the Vauxhall Belmont ). Good luck and do tell us how you get on. Hope this helps - Alex.


P.S - ALWAYS DEMAND A TEST DRIVE, NO EXCUSES FROM THEM

[StevenP]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

Sounds like the general used car approach - with a bit added on regarding the LHM and suspension checks Where is the LHM reservoir located? I'm a bit of a Citroen noob..

I saw an Activa for sale yesterday, and walked away as the car was covered in swirly scratches, i noticed some rust on the rear arch which suprised me for an R reg car! Shame they never made a TD Activa in the UK!

Thanks again for the help!


EDIT: D'oh I now realise I should've put this in the Citroen section of the forum!

[bernie]

CITROEN XANTIA VSX HDi, metallic black, Clarion CD multiplay, ew, rcl, pas, ABS, alloys, rear spoiler, fully loaded, high spec SX with half suede seats, 12 months MoT, £1795 (T).

[/quote]


Check the model again at the garage as there never was a VSX HDi.

It's either a SX or Exclusive model

[StevenP]

I've since realised this after a bit of research, I'm assuming its a mistype and its really an SX. Cheers

[j_roc]

The LHM reservior is located in the engine bay (infront of the passenger seat). You cant miss it, it's a square black box with a small sight glass on top of it. Good luck with it - Alex.

[Ciaran]

Also don't forget to listen to the pressure regulator at the front of the engine. It will make a distinctive 'Psssst-click' sound, ideally, every 30-50 seconds or so with the car at idle.
If it's ticking more frequently than say, every 20 seconds, it may be a sign that the accumulator sphere is flat, or that theres an issue with the pressure regulator. I doubt it if all the spheres have been changed though.

Also check the car's height correction. Let it idle at normal height for a minute or so, then put a lot of weight (by sitting, for example) on the boot / bonnet. After a brief delay, the car should rise and lift your weight slightly, then slowly drop back down to 'normal' height. Once you remove your weight, it should shoot up slightly, then slowly drop back down to normal height again.

Inside the car, check the steering and brakes. Make sure that you don't get STOP or ( ! ) lit on the dash for substantial periods of time when turning the steering / operating the brakes, or when the suspension is rising. If they are lit, or you get noises / groans, it can indicate a hydraulic pressure problem, e.g a weak pump or similar. Note that its not abnormal for these lights to flicker / shimmer slightly, when the suspension is changing height, for example, but they shouldn't remain on for long.

Check the condition of the strut tops... well discussed here.

[StevenP]

Thanks for the useful replies! Didn't get to see the car in the end.. garage was closed even though they said they'd be open and the car must've been in the lockup.

Just come back from looking at an Activa however, which has raised a few more questions for me to ask. How quick should the suspension on these rise and fall with the car running at idle. I thought it was relatively slow in reaction to the internal suspension height adjustment, but haven't really seen a Xantia suspension in action before. Other than that, its a pretty nice car. Saying that, should these models just simply be avoided due to their furthre complexity?

Cheers!

[Ciaran]

It can take upto a minute to shift if the fluid is cold, or the car hasn't been started in a good while. However, I'd expect most to have risen, or at least be nearly there, by 30-40 seconds. You would expect to see at least some movement at 15-20 seconds.

That said, as long as the rising is smooth, and theres no funny noises, jerky movement, or lights on the dash, then I wouldn't worry too much.
Revving the car slightly should speed up the suspension movement under normal conditions. Worry if it moves nowhere with formula 1 revs.

I have to note though, that on my Xantia, the suspension does rise slower than my XM did... though that could be down to the suspect accumulator sphere
I also noticed the back rises first on the Xant.... it was always front first on the XM.

The hydractive element of the suspension shouldn't pose any problems, so long as its in working order. Having owned a series 1 XM, I can say HA problems can make for some 'interesting' diagnostics, but its nothing insurmountable. If the rest of the car is well maintained, I wouldn't expect the HA system to have many problems.

[StevenP]

This place gets some quick replies!! Excellent 8)

Well it probably has been sitting for a short while, it's at a garage afterall. The suspensoin was certainly rising within the time that you suggest, and it was indeed smooth without noise.

Service history is stamped upto 110k and its done 116k, no sign of a LHM fluid change since a year or two ago though. It was purely by luck that I saw it, it was quite a suprise to find an Activa for salea couple of miles from home! I've read they only bought 1200 to the uk!

[j_roc]

Out of curiosity will a Hydraulic pump off a 1995/6 1.6i petrol Xantia fit a 1993 TD? As they both have the same no of intlet/outlet pipes. - Alex.

[Kowalski]

Out of curiosity will a Hydraulic pump off a 1995/6 1.6i petrol Xantia fit a 1993 TD? As they both have the same no of intlet/outlet pipes. - Alex.

A '93 pump won't fit a '95, the old single outlet pump (with flow divider) was replaced mid '94 by a dual output pump (one outlet for power steering, the other for brakes / suspension).

The petrols and diesels should have the same type of pump if they're the same age, apart from the V6 which has its own unique pump.