C5 LDS Fluid- what and where to buy

[Gibbo2286]

Sounds like an awful lot of hassle for something that's readily available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1L-Central-Hy ... 45fdca364d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[xenton]

Having to order it 6 days before you need it due to delivery time isn't what I'd call "readily available."

[Mandrake]

If you're planning to replace the oil as part of some scheduled maintenance, what difference does it make whether you can get it the next day instead of a few days time, especially if waiting a few days means you can get the correct stuff at a decent price ? I have to agree with Gibbo.

[xenton]

Gibbo stated that there was no point going to the hassle of finding and checking the compatibility of an alternative, when the correct stuff was readily available. I checked his link and saw that the delivery time was 6 days and simply stated that I didn't think something that took 6 days to arrive was readily available. It is simply a statement of fact, nothing more, nothing less.

I will order some on the bay from that very link - many thanks to Gibbo.

However, readily available to me is being able to go to a local motor factors and buy a bottle off the shelf not either a)having to keep a stock or b)waiting 6 days for some to arrive.

[imperial21]

LDS is on the shelf at GSF if you have a branch near you.

[myglaren]

The dealers will have it too and their prices on consumables can be quite competitive.

[Gibbo2286]

I think GSF are just being careful what they promise when they say six days on their site, I'm pretty sure mine came within a couple of days,

[xenton]

Turns out I have a GSF not 10 mins from where I work. Happy days.

[CitroJim]

My advice would be to definitely not use it.

It reminds me of the discussions we've had on here regarding LT71141 ATF for use in the 4HP20 autobox. Many aftermarket purveyors of ATF claim their 'one size fits all' brew is compatible with LT71141 and hoards and hoards of other specific ATFs. In fact it's often just DEXRON III in disguise and as such is definitely not suitable as careful perusal of ZF's own (albeit confusing) documentation reveals.

I suspect this LDS substitute stuff might fall into the same category.

LT71141 is compatible with nothing else and is for use in certain ZF transmissions only. Similarly, LDS is compatible with nothing else and is for use in certain Citroen suspension systems only.

So, don't use it. Hold out for some genuine LDS.

[xenton]

Thanks Jim, I know I have a GSF nearby now, so can get the proper stuff.

[citroen_smith]

Hi Folks, forgive me for bumping an old thread but I was recently in need of some LDS: the jubilee clip on the power-steering-pump side of the hose which returns the fluid to the LDS tank had split, which led to the loss of a fair amount of fluid as the pressure pushed the hose off the stem on the pump. Any way, this page is what comes up when I search for "where to buy LDS" and I thought I would share my experience of trying to get hold of some in 2024.

Our local garage provided a new jubilee clip free of charge but did not have LDS in stock. Our C5 is our only car, so it was not going anywhere until we got a top up. We have reasonable public transport near home but few garages or motorist shops in our area are easily accessible by public transport and those that are also did not have LDS in stock after I 'phoned around. Some shops/garages offered to order it in for us (one at an eye-watering price) but then we would need to make a trip to collect it, so we might as well get it delivered. I found two online stockists who were both charging c. £14 per litre inc. VAT, both have a ".co.uk" domain name but are actually based elsewhere in Europe, nothing wrong with that, but we ordered 2L on the Saturday and we received them on the following Friday. So we had no working car for a week already.

As it turns out, 2L was not enough (I should have checked the Haynes manual or the owners manual, as the system contains 5.4L in total, so that is the theoretical maximum quantity) so I ordered another 3L. This time I found a GB stockist selling LDS at c. £11.60 per litre inc. VAT: they are called Chemodex and they are based in Worksop (49 units in stock at time of writing), so I ordered on the Friday evening and I received the delivery today (Wednesday). However, this company were nowhere near the first page in the search results. All tolled, it took 3.6L to top up the system to the HYD line with the suspension on its lowest setting.

Now the jubilee clip broke less than 10 minutes' walk from home, so I am hoping that driving it home did not damage anything. When I topped up, I set the suspension to minimum, turned the steering wheel from lock to lock six times then raised and lowered the suspension a few times then topped up to the HYD line again. Is there anything else I should do before I can consider the car good-to-go? Any advice on how to clean up the LDS that was sprayed under the bonnet by the leak?

Any way, I just thought I would share my experience of buying LDS in 2024 as finding this stuff at an OK price from a GB retailer (i.e. one who can deliver quickly) proved quite a frustration. Edit: I thought I would play it safe and get Total Fluide LDS, I realise there are a handful of other manufacturers but the owners manual says that Citroën recommend Total.