Looking at mk3 C5s, experiences from owners needed

[GiveMeABreak]

Don't forget that the height will adjust slightly when opening the doors / starting, even though they are 'anti-sink', so that may account for the slight dip at the back, unless you're saying they are like that when they are started.

[Richard_C]

I have a VTR+ Nav 160 manual tourer. Probably the most comfortable steel sprung car I have owned and a brilliant long distance machine. 600 mile days (e.g. home to Geneva) with 4 and luggage on board no trouble at all.

So far (75k miles) some minor irritations like window mechanism but no big problems. 42 to 47 mpg (I hurry along), tyres last 22-25k front and just coming up to second set rear so 35 - 40k. My car before was an auto, this one a manual but the engine is so flexible you don't have to stir the box too much, often use 5-3 and 4-6 changes when not in a hurry. 4th is a real pleasure joining a motorway, 40 to 80+ (++) propelled by magic torque.

Mine has the sunroof. Fine but its the last thing on the spec sheet I would worry about. No heat issues, but pinches space from load area and when the cover is open you get a bit more road noise reflected around the car from the hard surface above you. If I have 4 passengers I usually have cover closed for better conversation. If I went after another one I would be 'neutral' on having it.

The sat nav and sound system in the VTR+ is not the same as in the exclusive, not mega sophisticated but works OK.

Always seems a bit unwieldy as a city car, long as a long thing, big overhangs and rear window and side windows quite small. But its not really for that.

I got mine almost 5 years ago, 14 months old, 20k miles on it, balance of 3 year warranty, for less than half new list price (list prices were insane) . Lots of car for the money.

[warninglight]

I've been giving this more thought, and seeing what's out there!

I quite like this one and may try to get a viewing towards the weekend as I'll be in the Midlands. This is the one I mentioned previously, looking perhaps slightly low at the back. I realise the boot may have been opened and it dropped!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301975288625? ... EBIDX%3AIT

It is a bit pricey, especially if, as has been said, that seller doesn't really budge on price, but if it's the right car it may be well worth it. There are a couple of other black tourers in Cheshire which I could view on my way down, missing some of the extras but still ultimately manual Exclusives. The price does seem to really vary from £3k for a 2.2 manual with 150k on the clock to £5k+ for a 2.0 manual with 80-100k on the clock. Based on the advice here I'll apply the rule I use when buying Volvos, and buy on condition, rather than mileage.

Still keen to hear from anyone who may be selling something suitable in the coming weeks!

[GiveMeABreak]

It looks fine, but I can tell you he's got a bit carried away with the features list, with some incorrect statements. The voice control system does NOT operate everything at all (it doesn't change the temperature or climate settings for example), the memory settings do NOT store settings for the 'other half' apart from the temperature settings and these are set for both driver and passenger and memorised together. The car doesn't 'take over everything' it's the ESP /ASR system. There isn't iPod / iPhone music support (only Bluetooth for telephone support) in other words it does not stream music via Bluetooth.

Next you can't send text messages, only receive these and again, only via the internal phone that needs a separate SIM card. In other words it will not send or receive text messages with the Bluetooth phone connected. Lastly it is automatic headlight activation according to lighting conditions, not 'light sensing headlamps' !

Im just being picky, I know, but I don't like that people make it up as they go along to sell their car!

At least the steering rack has been done, and clutch, but I would be far more interested in knowing if the DMF was also done at the same time... He doesn't mention that! He doesn't say if it has the Bi Directional Xenon option either.

Anyway sounds fine and at least if you do go for it, you'll be able to correct him on a few things, so he will know that YOU know your stuff!

[warninglight]

I figured that a few of those sounded like bluff and bluster, so thanks for clearing up which ones!

A lot of the long spiel was a copy and paste from a similar spec C5 tourer he sold last week, from memory right down to the mileage he drove it home, so I'm prepared to take it all with a pinch of salt, unless he buys everything from the same auction house!

[GiveMeABreak]

Ok, sounds like it! Seems a good buy anyway, good luck if you go for it.

[bonnyman750]

I traded in my C5 Tourer last month at 145000 miles. Bought in approx 3 years ago with just under 100000 miles on the clock....
2.0l 136 VTR+ in black...
MPG - always around 42mpg no matter how I drove her,
Tyres - 17" - cheapest in Coventry circa £125 a corner,
Main dealer serviced at 10000 mile intervals (with the pay monthly service plan - it suited my needs - not everybody's cup of tea...!) - minor = £140.....Major = £260 IIRC...

Failures....
Steering rack....this issue is well documented on here....suffice to say that the rack was refurbished locally, having to have a new input shaft machined,

Both front window winder cables replaced - 1 x driver's, 2 x passenger's - with kits from eBay...A relatively easy job just fiddly, plus door card clips break easily...kits - £10 each and are handed...

RHR door hinge - filled with water then froze on a particularly cold night - internal roll pin snapped when opening door - home repair documented in another post, £56 from dealer plus repaint...

I suspect that the rear dampers were starting to fail as the car started to 'skip' out laterally when going over large bumps/pot holes but probably to be expected at 145000 miles old...

RHF damper top often creaked on the upstroke when going over bumps...took me some time to isolate the (very annoying) noise as it seemed to be coming from directly behind the steering wheel. Replicated it by lifting the front RH wing at the wheel arch. Dealer quoted £226 to replace both front tops but never did..damper top units are £37.50 each, dealer part...

Air Con pipe from pump failed with leak/split in rubber piping - £26 for the replacement and 5 minutes to fit after degas...

The original Citroen locking wheel bolts are rubbish - the 4mm pins broke in the adaptor which I luckily managed to remove and replace with some 4mm rod. Then the RHF locking bolt holes, that these pins fit into, rounded off and I couldn't get the wheel off for a new tyre to be fitted. The main dealer's answer was for them to cut the wheel off and then I would have to purchase a new wheel!! A local garage manage to get the bolt out using a 'GatorGrip' socket after chiselling the anti-theft part off. Needless to say all four locking bolts went in the nearest skip and a far better after market set was purchased with a 'proper' castellated adaptor to bolt contact area...

LHF headlight had a piece of the dip beam reflector break off, causing the diffused beam pattern to fail the car on the M.O.T. - new unit = £156 from ECP - Citroen another £100 for the same Valeo unit...

Gripes,
MyWay Sat Nav only accepts 5 figure postcodes - probably great in Europe but not very helpful over here (never took her over the channel...!). Sister-in-Law lives in Catterick - Postcode DL10, 1-- - punched it into SatNav and car promptly put us in the main square in Richmond...had to use the Google maps app on phone to get us to her door...

Car suffers electrical issues if the battery is anywhere near past its best or, (as I found out) the terminals are anything but clean...unlocked car OK, key in ignition, turned and all dash went off and nothing after...brilliant at 5.30 am and going to work! Had to get bike out and ride to work...Returned and investigated after shift - Positive terminal 'tarnished' - cleaned and refitted clamp - car fired up no problem...!!

Thin rubberised matte covering of the centre console trim plate around climate controls had started to come away (probably from back of hand contact when reaching into small cubby box)...made the lower portion of the centre console look shabby and of poor quality - I did look at replacing it but Citroen wanted something like £50-£60 for a new part

Seating fabric difficult to keep clean - always seemed to have some kind of residue on it and any fluff was a git to get off, and the RH seat arm bolster foam had collapsed and showed as a lumpy appearance as you opened the drivers door.


Likes...
Looks...quite possibly the best looking estate car out there at the moment IMHO...Always took that backward look at her after parking up...
Ride and internal comfort...(apart from the rear damper issue above) drove beautifully with plenty of positive comments from various passengers, front and back, about interior and ride quality...Long distance driving is not an issue
Load space larger than most estates I have been close to...

Despite all the failures/gripes listed above, I was very pleased with the car during my ownership and, had it not been for some personal lifestyle changes and the failing interest in home car maintenance I would probably still have her, or replaced her with a newer model but, (as documented in the post 'Adieu...! in this forum) after weighing up the pros and cons, letting her go was the only feasible answer...

Cheers,

Glyn

[bxzx16v]

Whats the cost of a replacement steering rack including fitting on an X7 ?

Mark

[citroenc5mad]

I have the VTR NAV+ and mine does send and receive texts via the Bluetooth facility. I mean it did on my windows phone not too sure about other phone though.
Everything is standard and I haven't changed anything in there so it might work depending on what phone you have.

[vborovic]

I have the VTR NAV+ and mine does send and receive texts via the Bluetooth facility. I mean it did on my windows phone not too sure about other phone though.

Unless you have an aftermarket Chinese head unit or the really newest SMEG+ (touchcreen) nav unit, not possible ...

[GiveMeABreak]

I have the VTR NAV+ and mine does send and receive texts via the Bluetooth facility. I mean it did on my windows phone not too sure about other phone though.
Everything is standard and I haven't changed anything in there so it might work depending on what phone you have.

Not on the Navidrive 3D which is what would be fitted to this model in 2008.

[Richard_C]

Mine has the MyWay, 2010 no modifications and happily reads out texts from my Windows 8.1 phone.

You have a new text, do you want to read it or ignore it?
Read it.
Nigel Farage is coming to take your car away.
Do you want to reply or have you finished?
Finished.

It might be Cortana being clever, not the car.

Doesn't stream music though. Need the input socket in the glovebox for that.

[vborovic]

Nigel Farage is coming to take your car away

That's up to the phone's voice out capability, the same way that you could use any nav software on it and have it read out the direction through the car's speakers (rather than the phone's speaker).

MyWay doesn't have the USB/AUX input in the glovebox, unless someone did a modification like I did 2 years ago with the USB BOX (or similar device).

[old'uns]

Whats the cost of a replacement steering rack including fitting on an X7 ?

Mark

how long is a piece of string.....
depends on whether or not you can find a recon place or need to replace with pattern or genuine?
also what your garage will charge you? indy or main?
£105 to repair/bodge the shaft seals, from memory local indy was £250 ish to swap out rack, OH took it to be repaired, picked up same day and garage put back following day. I was lucky that he had the room/time to block a ramp for 3 days although he did service it at same time

[GiveMeABreak]

Whats the cost of a replacement steering rack including fitting on an X7?
Mark

Well it's £744.13 inc. VAT for the rack alone - without any clips gaiters etc. - plus the dreaded labour on that as they'll be fitting all the track rod ends, joints and doing all the alignment - so haven't bothered adding up the labour but I would suspect it wouldn't be less than 4-5 hours at least!