New member and new Citroen owner

stevetheskaterboy · Post by **stevetheskaterboy** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:21

Hey to all,

I have just started driving and have just become the proud owner of a 1998 Xantia 2.0 exclusive auto.
I took it on a test drive a few days ago and instantly fell in love, having test driven 13 cars before this one, it was a revelation! Fast, comfortable, well looked after, all the toys and only 80k on the clock!

Now i have taken delivery I was hoping that people here could give me any advice and tips and mantinance, driving and anything that might be helpful to me.

Thanks for your time

hirsty · Post by **hirsty** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:26

Welcome Steve and a great choice of vehicle. ( same as mine )

You will find everything you need on this site to maintain and repair your Xantia. Hope your experience with the car will be as good as mine has been.

Keith

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:29

Good to have u here m8 !! Well done on yr choice of car , they are great !
I see your in Kidderminster , I use a m8's workshop just off the Stourport Road so if u ever need any help with the Xantia give me a shout.
Hints & tips , well my first advice would be maintain it on schedule and sort any faults out promptly before they become serious.

stevetheskaterboy · Post by **stevetheskaterboy** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:34

to be honest when i went to see it and looked at the V5 I got nervous due to having 4 owners, so i rang them up, Turns at The dad of the family bought the car in 1998, got a company xantia in 1999 and transfered it to his wife, in 2004 she gave it to her daughter, and in 2009 she transfered ownership to the dealer so it all worked out well!
Since new its been looked after first by the local dealer, then a specialist citroen garage so even better, just before i got it, it had

*4 new Michellin Energy tyres
*Cambelt replacement
*Major service
*Rustproofing renual

I am very happy with it, and the insurance is reasonable consdering my age (21). I have a disabled mum so comfort was a huge priority but i truly think i have struck god with this

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:40

Thats the way to find them !! Exclusives are quite rare too !!

Post by **myglaren** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:43

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on the Xantia purchase, looks like a good one.
The main thing is to deal with any problems or niggles straight away, don't let them develop into big expensive problems.
There is everything you need to know about Xantias and their care on the forum. Anything you need to know, just ask.

Post by **CitroJim** » 11 Oct 2009, 12:50

I echo exactly Steve's words Steve, a very warm welcome

The only thing I'll add is if you have no record of the gearbox oil having been changed, do it, or have it done soonest. Ignore any "It's not necessary because it's sealed for life" hyperbole and get it changed. there's threads on here of how to do it.

Great too to welcome another youngster to these wonderful cars!

stevetheskaterboy · Post by **stevetheskaterboy** » 11 Oct 2009, 13:03

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I have no idea if the oils been changed but I was thinking of getting it done anyway, Whats the best fluid to use for the gearbox on this?

I learned to drive in a Merc A150 so when i test drove everything else everything was the norm.
The thing that caught me out with the xantia was the brakes, very sharp and effective with very little travel, I wasnt used to that and nearly knocked my teeth out lol!

Much better than the merc where the pedal had loads of travel before I got any form of decent stopping power, but I can say that it does give you confidence with the system.

All in all im dead chuffed and im happy that I could join the citroen fold, always had a soft spot for them, in the end it was a choice of this on or a 97 Xsara 1.4, but the xantia just clicked with me

XantiaDaveEire · Post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 11 Oct 2009, 13:04

welcome to another "youngster"

..sounds like you have got yourself a well looked after xantia which should serve you well.

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 11 Oct 2009, 13:12

stevetheskaterboy wrote:Thank you for the warm welcome.

I have no idea if the oils been changed but I was thinking of getting it done anyway, Whats the best fluid to use for the gearbox on this?

Can't recall the exact viscosity for the trans oil , but it's nothing exotic. Just needs to be a good quality brand.

stevetheskaterboy · Post by **stevetheskaterboy** » 11 Oct 2009, 13:16

Is comma dextron III AQ3 Automatic trans fluid acceptable do you think? My dad uses that on his Merc and has a spare unused bottle (5l)

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 11 Oct 2009, 13:41

If it has the electronic AL4 box don't use anything but the proper oil that you can get from a Citroen dealer, if you use anything else you will wreck the box. It's about £15 for 2 litres and you'll probably need 3 bottles.

stevetheskaterboy · Post by **stevetheskaterboy** » 11 Oct 2009, 13:56

Yeah its the intelligent electronic 4 speed, I have been told to buy total liquid by my friend (he worked at the local citroen garage for 10 years before he left to work at morgan)

I also want to change the LHM at some point, better safe than sorry, how would I go about it and is it tricky?

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 11 Oct 2009, 14:09

The only gearbox oil to use is ESSO LT-71141.

Changing the LHM isn't a particularly hard job, the trickiest bit is removing the tank.

You need to depressurise the system by lowering onto the low suspension setting and then release the valve on the regulator block. Also give the steering a turn from one lock to the other, then most of the LHM will be back up in the tank, which you then take off and drain. Clean it out with petrol and also clean the filters.

If you are going to change it then it would be wise to give it a hydraflush at the same time. GSF do the flushing fluid which you leave in for about 1000 miles before draining again and refilling with nice fresh LHM.

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 11 Oct 2009, 14:12

Watch which gearbox you've got and the fluid it needs as this is a minefield
with the Citroen autos. This is a discussion on the Xantia auto:

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=28274

Andrew