2 little known features of Xantia's , I think !!

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 01 Jan 2010, 23:57

Remember cruise control has a switch on the clutch pedal too on manual cars

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 02 Jan 2010, 00:04

Toby_HDi wrote:Remember cruise control has a switch on the clutch pedal too on manual cars

Not on UK Xantia's as cruise was only available on automatic models in the UK.

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 02 Jan 2010, 00:06

Ahh yes indeed.

Engage brain before posting Toby...

deian · Post by **deian** » 02 Jan 2010, 00:58

i see why, whats the point of having cruise control on manual cars, go up a hill in 5th and it slows down too much, what does the cruise computer do then, at least with automatic it can change down

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 02 Jan 2010, 09:52

I like cruise, auto or a manual it doesnt matter. Two of our C5s have cruise and they are manuals, i want it fitting to mine too. Ive rarely had a situation where i have needed to change down while using cruise, only on very steep hills and then i wouldnt be using cruise. If you do have to change down then as soon as you press the clutch cruise cuts out and you can just press resume to kee to the speed once you have changed gear. I mainly use it at motorway speeds and around town - to stick to the limits. Ive never had to change down on a motorway to maintain the speed, very few cars need a change down to get up a hill at good motorway speeds. Where it is hilly, twisty or your having to slow down a lot then you wouldnt use cruise. We have an automatic VW with cruise and its not really an advantage having an auto.

If it does come to a steep hill and is in too higher gear it will obviously slow down. The cruise on C5s only works in 4th and 5th gears.

Post by **myglaren** » 02 Jan 2010, 10:22

Citroenmad wrote:I like cruise, auto or a manual it doesnt matter. Two of our C5s have cruise and they are manuals, i want it fitting to mine too. Ive rarely had a situation where i have needed to change down while using cruise, only on very steep hills and then i wouldnt be using cruise. If you do have to change down then as soon as you press the clutch cruise cuts out and you can just press resume to kee to the speed once you have changed gear. I mainly use it at motorway speeds and around town - to stick to the limits. Ive never had to change down on a motorway to maintain the speed, very few cars need a change down to get up a hill at good motorway speeds. Where it is hilly, twisty or your having to slow down a lot then you wouldnt use cruise. We have an automatic VW with cruise and its not really an advantage having an auto.

If it does come to a steep hill and is in too higher gear it will obviously slow down. The cruise on C5s only works in 4th and 5th gears.

I found the same as you in my Accord - the C5 has no cruise.
Can't say if it only worked on the higher gears now, don't remember ever having to change gear except at roundabouts, junctions etc.

I used cruise for the same reason as you - avoiding speeding fines! Using it as a hand throttle was a bonus too.

deian · Post by **deian** » 02 Jan 2010, 11:52

i agree with you all of course, cruise control is lovely and is only meant to be used for "cruising" at high speeds where the hills aren't designed for downchanges as such, so i understand, but i also understand why they aren't on manual cars in this country (because of that technical issue of being unable to change down IF the ar encounters a steep incline), there is a steep one on the A55 in north wales called Rhuallt, but the cars the cruise control is featured on is powerful enough to do it in top gear, at 80mph of course, you do need a good run up.

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 02 Jan 2010, 12:10

Anyone know how difficult it would be to retrofit cruise to an Exclusive ?

Post by **myglaren** » 02 Jan 2010, 12:19

I've seen a few people have had dealers retrofit it to C5s for around £180 so it can't be that difficult.

deian · Post by **deian** » 02 Jan 2010, 12:34

are we talking exclusive auto's here? if not maybe the cruise ecu available in this country needs feeds from an autobox ecu and engine ecu knowing there is an autobox attached etc

all technical stuff

£180 from the dealer is probably cheaper than it would be to buy as an option when buying the car new, thats a fair price,

i would expect the parts to cost £180 (ecu??) and then labour on top of that

Post by **myglaren** » 02 Jan 2010, 12:41

For the C5, as far as I am aware, you just need the stalk, which I believe is £130, plug it in to the steering wheel ECU - forget what it is called - and boot it into life with a Lexia. It is about a half-hour job (so I am told)

Xantia may differ but not by much, I presume.

deian · Post by **deian** » 02 Jan 2010, 12:46

thats quite cool, just goes to show that all the electronic trickery isn't all useless when it's just a matter of plugging in the right switches/sensors and just reprogram the ecu's

cars are designed to be as modular as possible these days, not such a bad thing then

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 02 Jan 2010, 12:52

It's for my Xantia Exclusive manual. If thats all it is I'm up for that !! I've had cruise on a couple of Mercs in the past and it's one of the best driving aids ever on a long motorway journey !!

Post by **myglaren** » 02 Jan 2010, 13:14

I'd begin by getting a quote from a couple of dealers to set your baseline costs.
You may be able to get a stalk from a breaker or eBay and the rest should be plain sailing.

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 02 Jan 2010, 13:27

myglaren wrote:For the C5, as far as I am aware, you just need the stalk, which I believe is £130, plug it in to the steering wheel ECU - forget what it is called - and boot it into life with a Lexia. It is about a half-hour job (so I am told)

Xantia may differ but not by much, I presume.

Not possible on a Xantia I'm afraid, if it was that simple I'd have it on mine. The reason its so simple to do an a C5 is that they have Multiplexed wiring whereas Xantias do not.

I had the cruise mod done on my first Berlingo and it worked well, but when I changed that for a 1.6 HDi it couldn't be done as the ECU had had it specifically designed out for the UK market.

If anyone with a Xsara, Berlingo or C5 wants this mod done to their car I still have the cruise control stalk plus of course a Lexia to complete the job.