c5 suspension

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grabo
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c5 suspension

Post by grabo »

i have been told to scrap my mot failed 2002 Citroen c5 2.2 diesel,best car ive had,failed on NSF fluid suspension unit leaking,OSF fluid suspension unit leaking,OSR fluid suspension unit leaking,NSR fluid suspension unit slightly deteriorated,can this be tested ive had it set at maximum height for 4 days it has not moved a mm, drives like a dream,i read the seals can go any idea of the cost and difficulty in changing them would be welcome,thx in advance
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Peter.N. »

Unless the leak is serious I would be inclined to take it to another garage. If you do need to replace the units they are available for not a lot of money on ebay.

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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Lighty »

Get the car cleaned up before you take it again, can't fail if there is no sign of a leak :)
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by myglaren »

it is probably the gaiters leaking, that or return pipes come adrift.
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by grabo »

Peter.N. wrote:Unless the leak is serious I would be inclined to take it to another garage. If you do need to replace the units they are available for not a lot of money on ebay.

Peter
going to another garage tomorrow fingers crossed give em a good clean up hardly any sign of a leak before i cleaned em up anyway'
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by grabo »

myglaren wrote:it is probably the gaiters leaking, that or return pipes come adrift.
cleaned gaiters etc took it to another garage sailed through game on
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Mandrake »

What a throw away society this world has become when a perfectly good 10 year old car is recommended to be scrapped due to a few minor oil leaks in some rubber boots. :shock: :roll:

Sometimes I think these garages are dead lazy, and aren't interested in any jobs that are more difficult than fitting expensive off the shelf components that they can charge high margins for. :roll:

You would think that an ongoing world recession would reverse the trend towards an increasingly throw away society where nobody can be bothered fixing or maintaining anything, at least temporarily, but apparently not! :lol:
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by bencowell »

If you use a garage that knows about Citroen suspension they will know the difference between a small leak that is not a problem and when it's a big leak!
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Mandrake »

I took my V6 into a local Citroen dealer for the MOT largely because I didn't want any bull about the suspension not working properly from garages that don't know any better. :roll: :lol:

Back in New Zealand MOT day (or warrant of fitness as we called it) was always an amusing and frustrating experience with a Citroen, Citroens being very uncommon there the suspension always caught them off guard.

They'd be scratching their heads when the rear of the car would jump off the brake testing machine like a spring due to the height corrector compensating for the brake dive, they'd be puzzled when they couldn't get their jack out from under the car due to jacking the car up letting the pressure out of the suspension, and they'd be checking the headlight aim without any regard for leaving the engine running, or avoiding getting in and out of the car...

Fun times... :roll:
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Citroenmad »

Indeed, people who know nothing about Citroens will give them a harder time come MOT time, as they simply dont understand them.

It is not uncommon for the front stuts on a C5 to look slightly damp with the car in the high position.
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by grabo »

So anyway i took my c5 to a different garage after changing all brake pads for the hell of it,i suspected it would pass this time, and cleaning suspension up,which did not look that bad to me anyway,and you guessed it,PASSED,and i can say this garage was very maticulous,i watched his every move,so basically the first garage ripped me off for £44 (-expletive removed-) how do you deal with this bollox. [-X
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by myglaren »

Complain to the DVLA about the first tester.
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Gibbo2286 »

myglaren wrote:Complain to the DVLA about the first tester.

Not a good idea, they'll require you to produce your car at the station for their own inspector to go through it with the original tester and who knows what they might find?
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by Bob1954 »

bencowell wrote:If you use a garage that knows about Citroen suspension they will know the difference between a small leak that is not a problem and when it's a big leak!
The pressures involved with Cit hydraulics are so colossal that were it a real system leak, it would could/would never have been taken for MOT in the first place, as it would have made a problem quite apparent. Citroen strut problems show up obviously such as when the leakage return pressure is high enough to will blow the pipe from the gaiter. Only had that problem once in 40 years.

The procedures for MOT presume traditional shock absorbers leak prior to failure, and a dusty or wet gaiter is an obvious indicator of a prior or current problem.
A experienced MOT tester will examine Citroen hydraulics outwith the strict interpretation of procedure, and wipe down a suspicious area to see if it weeps.
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Re: c5 suspension

Post by citronut »

myglaren wrote:Complain to the DVLA about the first tester.
VOSA Steve :roll: :-D :wink:

also if the strut/cylinder seals were leaking the car would sink as soon as the engine was switched of
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