XANTIA EXTERIOR TRIM

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ACTIVE8
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XANTIA EXTERIOR TRIM

Post by ACTIVE8 »

Hi I would appreciate extra information on this subject, because my car is only six years old, but has a problem with the exterior trim where the chrome effect trims are showing signs of deterioration. Why is this happening on what is a relatively young car?
Is there a way around this problem as it makes the trims look bad?
I did enquire at a main dealer, and the strip is not available seperate from the trim & is too expensive![:(]
martyhopkirk

Post by martyhopkirk »

Hello, The trim is chrome painted plastic, covered with a laquer.
even fairly vigorous polishing can strip the laquer and then the "chrome". TBH the only way round this if they are suffering badly is either to source some new inserts at a scrappers, or have them repainted by on eof the chip away / dentmaster boys. They did my accident damaged Xantia bumber recently and it now looks mint.
ACTIVE8
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

Thanks for the information I will contact Chips Away/Dentmaster, & see if they can do the same for me.
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np
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Post by np »

The ends of mine in the bumper are the same.They were like that when i got the car 3 yrs ago.It was only 4 yrs old at the time.My Dads old Xantia`s started to go at only 2 yrs old.I`ve seen older cars that are fine though.
ACTIVE8
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

I think it's amazing that Citroen didn't pay more attention to the build quality of this part, because it's something that is very noticable, & detracts from the pleasure of owning the vehicle. Also sods law means, that those of us that care for these cars on this forum, find that we can suffer from this problem. Whereas there are people outside of this forum who probably couldn't care less about their car, & skimp on maintenance, & probably wash it infrequently or stick it in a car wash, & yet their trims are probably in better condition.
C'est la vie.
I wonder if it was a problem for Citroen with these cars when they were in their warranty period or did the trim issue materialise when the vehicles where out of warranty & they made money out of customers because they are not cheap!
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Post by David W »

I can't be sure but I think it is a bit more than laquer covered painted plastic Marty, I'm pretty sure it is more like a moulding of silver plastic contained between a backing and a clear plastic top layer.
It is odd how the newer cars are often affected. My 1993 has a tiny bit that is quite in keeping with its age, Dad's 1998 has more than mine and a 1999 he looked at last year looked terrible with about 10% of every strip affected.
If I had to deal with this I would look at masking it up and painting silver on top with a plastic compatible paint. Even if not perfect close up bet it would better from a few yards.
David
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Post by JohnD »

My Xantia is also a 1998 model which I've had from new. The plastic inserts began whitening very early on - just outside the warranty period.
martyhopkirk

Post by martyhopkirk »

Had my rear bumper repaired quite recently as i wrecked it backing the car into a wall at work (the only day I ever took the Xant to work!)
Initially managed to make the wife think it had happened whilst she had the car - but thats another tale....
Got a company called chip away to come an repair it ( it needed the large scuff and crack to the corner repairing and repainting) the chrome on tis corner was also "whitened" i assume from over vigorous polishing by the previous owner as both corners are the same.
The Chip Away bloke said he would repair that too as it was only sprayed and coated with laquer - watched him do most of the repair work, though as he was here for over 3 hours and it was cold I didnt stop outside for too long. Mind you I did learn that the undercoat for the dark green (Emerald Green) car should be grey primer, then a black basecoat before the green coat.
All I can say is he did a sterling job, didnt appear to remove any plasic over trim (may be different on earlier cars) and the mend is now invisible - all this for £95.
Just left with one corner which still looks a little scratched (whitened) - funny how it seems to have only affected the rear bumpers not the front.
I suppose another option - though not sure how good it would lok would be to cover with a thin strip of silver / aluminium tape - or even replace with reflective saftey tape (though I immagine that may look a little pants!).
Hey ho, good luck.
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Post by Richard Gallagher »

This plastic trim is a right pain on the bottom. It went 'manky' on the front bumper my 97 TD VSX when it was 4 years old. I wouldn't mind but it sits in the garage for weeks at a time and only comes out for long journeys, otherwise its mileage would be even lower than 29K.
As it really annoyed me I payed out £45 (ouch!) to get a new trim from the dealer, mine is in 3 parts as it is fitted with headlight washers. I don't know if a 'one-piece' would be cheaper.
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Post by uhn113x »

Some of this stuff consists of polished alloy foil embedded in clear plastic. The plastic, over time, releases chemicals that react with the metal, turning it grey.
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Post by David W »

Mike,
That sounds very likely for how I'd guessed it's made....and a plausible reason for it failing. All we need now is a willing chap to saw through some spare trim to confirm!
David
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

Strange isn't it, but looking at a C5 the other day (the latest updated type)it would appear that Citroen have decided that the side trims do not require the shiny detail strip. OK so now that problem is solved, and C5 owners should not have a problem for the future with their trims on the doors,I guess.
Although maybe they now have created another problem, as the front now has extra "chrome effect" trim. So now the sides look more subtle and more plain ,but as for the front end styling,the "chrome effect" is very OTT, and the Citroen badge is now big enough to not look out of place on the front of a truck!! I also wonder how long these trims will last, before they deteriorate into a white finish.
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Post by dnsey »

I seem to remember that when the GS came out, its stainless steel trim inserts were made a selling feature - Citroen pointed out that they kept their looks much longer than the common chromed type.
Times have changed, I suppose...
ACTIVE8
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

I have also seen certain cars that have had (bad taste) extra detail added to them by the owner, not the manufacturer. Mercedes cars have had badges from their truck range fitted to various models. [:)][:D]These badges are in proportion to the vehicle they have come from, and look OK on the truck, but when stuck on the car along with chrome trims on the wheel arches etc then the car looks really tastefull, not!!!(More like pants) Looking at these examples of bad taste really does make you laugh.[:D][:D][:D]If the owner has gone down that styling route, then it's not long before the car is wearing a set of spinners on it's wheels, illuminated washer jets etc etc,[:D][:D]
and the car does not look as [8D][8D]as the owner thinks it is.
The old story of the King's new clothes springs to mind here.
ACTIVE8
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Post by ACTIVE8 »

Sorry, maybe it was the emperor's new clothes, but you know what I mean Harry, as Mr Bruno once said.[:)]
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