strut tops

[froggy]

Hi, just got an advisory on the mot. they are saying corroded strut tops on my Xantia! my question is, "Kingas" still the best place to source the strut tops?, cheers Terry.

[Hell Razor5543]

From what I have read, Kingas don't supply strut tops, they re-furbish the ones that you send them, and add a feature that prevents them from spearing the bonnet if they fail in the future. This is their website;

http://www.elastomer.eu/en/strut-mounts.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On page 2 of this link there is a lot of information from KINGas;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... lit=Kingas" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[addo]

Series 2 cars don't pop the same way. If you could get an uncorroded set off such a vehicle (maybe from France?) it could be a cheaper option.

[Mandrake]

Series 2 cars don't pop the same way. If you could get an uncorroded set off such a vehicle (maybe from France?) it could be a cheaper option.

A few questions spring to mind -

What's different about their construction, and did they change over at exactly the S1/S2 transition ?

Has anyone on the forum had a S2 strut top fail ?

Do S2 strut tops fit on a S1 car ? I'm curious because when I bought my S1 1997 Xantia in 2005 the strut top rubbers were well on their way out, (cracked, distorted) but the replacement ones fitted by the seller were considerably more robust and sturdy looking and slightly different in design... S2 strut tops perhaps ?

The strut tops on my S2 V6 look ok but I haven't inspected them really closely so I'm wondering what the potential risk might be now its nearly 15 years old...

[Hell Razor5543]

I think that the S2 Xantia strut tops DO fail, as Taffy had a problem with his 2,0L HDi. The pictures of his strut tops were SCARY! They are in this post on page 3 and page 6;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 9&start=45" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[addo]

I've personally seen plenty of failed S1 tops, never an S2 car. Corrosion will affect anything and is not the core weakness of the design; the problem is the rubber tearing and lack of "failsafe" - they all broke here with negligible corrosion. I'd be suspicious of any failed S2 pair as having been swapped at some point earlier.

[Old-Guy]

Do S2 strut tops fit on a S1 car ? I'm curious because when I bought my S1 1997 Xantia in 2005 the strut top rubbers were well on their way out, (cracked, distorted) but the replacement ones fitted by the seller were considerably more robust and sturdy looking and slightly different in design... S2 strut tops perhaps ?

The short answer is "Yes".

In fact service.citroen list S2 strut mounts as replacements for S1. The are a direct replacement without any faffing about. New ones for the standard 6-sphere suspension are still available, or were a few weeks ago, from Citroen. The prices worked out slightly cheaper than Kingas (eurolastomer.com). Judging from the delivery delays, and my interpretation of the date stamps on the one that finally arrived, Citroen are having to scour dealer stocks so the supply may soon dry up.

As that table shows, you also need to change the strut boot because the S2 strut mounts have a larger diameter ring that the boot clips onto. It's not a long or difficult job, but it helps to go about it knowing what the pitfalls are. Having recently done the O/S one, I've written a sensible step-by-step method with a list of parts and essential tools.

If a boot keeps falling down, THE STRUT MOUNT IS ABOUT TO FAIL. I caught mine just in time, having ignored the warning sign for a while because I couldn't see any other signs of failure.