Decision Time

[Bren]

I have had my xantia since march 2006, and I can honestly say that it has been the most versatile car I have owned (note I did'nt say it was the nicest!). It has taken me down to Devon for the annual holiday, to the Norfolk Broads and has pulled a trailer so overweight the axle broke! It has been serviced regularly and has had a few other things, spheres etc. The biggest job was when the wiring to the electric fans burnt out - I had the whole kit and kiboodle rewired to a seperate switch so I can operate the fans independantly of the air con - cost me £200 though!

The Timing belt is due for replacement, the rear spheres could do with replacing and the MOT is due at the beginning of next month. However my biggest concern is the brakes - they intermittently seem to stop working. I press the brake, the car begins to slow and then its as if somebody has removed the pads! The ABS light then illuminates and then normal service is resumed. The car failed it's MOT last year because of the ABS light being lit, one of the front sensors was replaced but I still have this problem.

My car has covered 121,000 miles with a full service history and is in excellent condition - the air con works, the heater matrix does'nt leak (now I am tempting fate) and the body work is spotless, the seats all have covers and are like new. However, I am beginning to think that sooner or later that I am going to have an accident because of the brakes, and I am tempted to look else where because my dad does'nt have this problem with his mondeo (it may have others though). It only seems to be citroen that have this problem, and I am not prepared to spend a fortune tracing the cause of the problem due to the car's age. All opinions are appreciated.

[Kowalski]

A possible cause is that your accumulator sphere is flat, the part costs £19.50 + VAT at GSF, they can be changed in less than 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.