Xantia Hydraulic Fluid leak

[Jo90]

Hi, I've 'inherited' my husband's R reg 2.1 TDi Xantia Exclusive which has been a much-loved, very reliable car. However, recently I had a green fluid leak from the passenger side rear wheel arch area. Before I could get it to the garage, a catastrophic loss of fluid resulted in the car being recovered by the AA. The local Citroen dealer said it was just a 'faulty joint' in a pipe and repaired it. Yesterday I noticed fluid again leaking from same place. This time they said the return pipe had blown off, and it was a pressure fault , and advised that a complex set of diagnostic tests would be needed to determine which of 6 (unspecified) possible things was causing the problem.
They also said that if they find which unit is faulty and replace it, it could have a knock-on effect on the other parts which could also fail, and that the total cost of all this could be anywhere up to £6,000!! meaning in effect that I need a new car.
Is this the end for my car??
Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated!!

[CitroJim]

They also said that if they find which unit is faulty and replace it, it could have a knock-on effect on the other parts which could also fail, and that the total cost of all this could be anywhere up to £6,000!! meaning in effect that I need a new car.
Is this the end for my car??
Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated!!

Hi Jo and welcome to the forum

Your garage needs to get a life! Is it the end of your car? No, not by a long chalk! As for it costing £6,000, that is rubbish of the highest order... They want you to buy a new car! (or they have their eyes on a very tasty Xantia for peanuts )

Complex sets of diagnostic tests? Rubbish. All you need is some solvent to give everything a good clean-up, some good eyes to spot the source of the leak and a basic understanding of how the hydraulics work.

My immediate guess is that at worst you have a failed rear suspension cylinder or just simply a leak, either from the anti-sink valve or the Hydractive block. At best, you still have a leaky pipe. How bad is the leak? Say, if left parked overnight, how much green fluid (LHM) leaks and how often/much do you have to top up the LHM reservoir?

Scrapyards will supply any spares you need, or one of the specialists such as Pleiades.

Where are you located?

Final comment. You cannot just scrap a 2.1TD Exclusive just because of this! They are one of the very finest Xantias

If you cannot do the work, find yourself a good, small Indie garage or local specialist to have a look.

EDIT: Sorry, just seen you're in Chippenham.. Must look before asking questions

[myglaren]

Right on Jim.
I'd wager that the guy I use would fix it for an absolute maximum of #500 and more likely less than #200. (Oops - non UK keybroad on this machine I see)

Find an independent Citroen garage and they will sort the problem for a much more reasonable charge, probably a few tens of pounds if there are no major components to be replaced. What's a rear ram costn ow Jim?

Welcome to the forum Jo90 and don't take any of their crap as gospel.

[mpr1956]

Hi Jo... A 2.1 td exclusive is about the most desirable Xantia going, so well worth fixing!! I live in Chippenham, and used Pryton engineering in Purton for my Hydraulic Cits. Give Len Page a ring (01793 772090) and tell him whats happened, and he'll probably give you a accurate estimate over the phone.. - He really knows these cars, and won't mess you about. As for the main dealer, don't be too hard on them.. they probably don't see many Xants now, and their mechanics won't have the specialised knowledge for a "quick fix" Regards, Martin (Pewsham)

[Jo90]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies.