your views please on Mk1 C5 2.0 Hdi automatics please?

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Marc if your body was full of multiple in operable hernias that could be life threating if a seatbelt pulled tight across your middle I'm sure you might consider it. Insurance compapny Is aware of my ailments as certified by my hospital consultant and aware that my airbag system has been disabled in the xantia it has not affected premiums as they are not allowed to descriminate. I have been through this in some detail it was s hospital consultant that first pointed out the life threatening possibilities I could have had a certificate to make me exempt from wearing a seatbelt but I choose to wear the belt and disable the airbag system instead. Airbags are advisory only there is no law to say they must be active. I simply fooled the ecu into believing that they are still connected. It has had no adverse effects on the rest of the car
Controversial I know but I started driving in cars that didn't have airbags at all I've had a very serious head on accident in a 1979 T reg morris marina and it wasn't an airbag that saved my life it was build quality of the cockpit area.

[GiveMeABreak]

Marc if your body was full of multiple in operable hernias that could be life threating if a seatbelt pulled tight across your middle I'm sure you might consider it. Insurance compapny Is aware of my ailments as certified by my hospital consultant and aware that my airbag system has been disabled in the xantia it has not affected premiums as they are not allowed to descriminate.

Well I am genuinely sorry to hear that Nigel, but to be fair, you cannot expect me or anyone else who may be casually browsing the forum to know this. As your post stands, you have to expect comment on issues like this that concern deactivation of safety devices. If you did not wish to qualify your statement regarding deactivation of airbags by going into your medical issues (and nor should you have to), then I would advise against bringing up those specific issues that are likely to be controversial at all in a general thread as this now is.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Marc,

its been covered in depth in this forum and is a touchy subject with the admin
that's why I shall never tell anyone how to do it to their car on this forum.

However the method has saved many a xantia, BX, Saxo and XM from the evil scrappy in the sky.
long before I learned how to do it. its not a problem going into medical issues I lifted to many snooker table slates before the days of
health and safety back in the early 1980's. I was once nicknamed the human forklift, for all the good it did me.

I still believe that Airbags should be an optional extra because I have a very close friend who lost a 17 year old daughter
to a steering wheel airbag that fired when the drivers window was open, the car rolled forward into a concrete parking post
the airbag snapped her neck pushing her head out of the window. and although these cases are very rare I have a very personal
hate of any safety devices that are forced upon us without allowing us to make a deciscision ourselves.

[GiveMeABreak]

That's fine Nigel - It is perfectly ok to have personal feelings and viewpoints about such matters in general.

A lot of the modern cars like the X7 have both passive and active safety systems. There are up to 9 airbags - 2 front, 2 thorax, 2 curtain and 1 for the driver's knee (7 as standard, with the option of an additional 2 side airbags for rear passengers in addition to the curtain airbags). There are seat belt pre-tensioners with force limiters. These airbags are have both the deployment pressure and volume correlated to the severity of any impact and are only triggered depending on the relevant direction of any impact.

The driver's airbag on the X7 is also deployed at the correct angle due to the fixed centre steering wheel hub. The pedal assembly can also collapse on impact into the foot well to limit any leg injury and the steering wheel by about 6.5cm. Add to that the ABS, ESP / ASR, EBA & EBD systems and you have a pretty safe car with a 5 star Euro NCAP rating. I looked for the Xantia NCAP rating and they only had one for 1997 and that was an overall 1.5, so things have certainly moved on, but ultimately it is about trying to avoid a crash in the first place IMHO, so having good control, avoidance and stopping technology is the first step, but having those passenger cell devices is also reassuring in general.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

My friends daughters accident occurred in a popular brand beginning with F and ending in D. The steering wheel was 180 degrees to the left when it fired I don't suppose there are many activations with the wheel in that position. It I'd the seat belt tensioners that are my main concern for my own needs.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

At 30mph my 2cv had better crash test results than my xantia. I understand what your saying about the fixed centre sir bag on the steering wheel.

[GiveMeABreak]

My friends daughters accident occurred in a popular brand beginning with F and ending in D. The steering wheel was 180 degrees to the left when it fired I don't suppose there are many activations with the wheel in that position. It I'd the seat belt tensioners that are my main concern for my own needs.

Probably not, but with the C4 and C5 for sure, the airbag will always deploy straight ahead at the right angle as this part that houses the airbag doesn't rotate with the steering wheel. Also the airbags won't deploy unless the impact is at a severe enough level to avoid the sort of unnecessary types of activations that may of occurred in the case you mentioned Nigel - and again very sorry to hear that.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Marc. Its OK mate it was a long time ago. The Mother absolutely will not travel in the front of any vehicle except my xantia. Back to the search I have been searching online again today but I fear I maybe looking at the wrong spec cars? The vtr+ seems to be the only car with square wheel centre and the new shape rear end on the estate but I'm concerned that these don't have hydractive suspension. I've seen only one of these new ish estates so far and walked away when I realised it had springs and not spheres. There seems to be a lot of exclusive estates that look similar in the rear as the first C5 estate and different at the front and kind of cut and shut hybrid between the earlier and later models. Trying to find a hydractive estate seems a lot more complex than I originally thought. I do like the front of the vtr+ very much and the interior looks nice to. But its no good if they have done away with the proper Citroen suspension.

[GiveMeABreak]

Marc. Its OK mate it was a long time ago. The Mother absolutely will not travel in the front of any vehicle except my xantia. Back to the search I have been searching online again today but I fear I maybe looking at the wrong spec cars? The vtr+ seems to be the only car with square wheel centre and the new shape rear end on the estate but I'm concerned that these don't have hydractive suspension. I've seen only one of these new ish estates so far and walked away when I realised it had springs and not spheres. There seems to be a lot of exclusive estates that look similar in the rear as the first C5 estate and different at the front and kind of cut and shut hybrid between the earlier and later models. Trying to find a hydractive estate seems a lot more complex than I originally thought. I do like the front of the vtr+ very much and the interior looks nice to. But its no good if they have done away with the proper Citroen suspension.

Ok here's the difference Nigel: An easier way to tell the difference between the Mk I and the Mark II models is the front headlights - the Mark I has almond shaped lights and the Mark II has Boomerang shaped lights. The rest of the changes are in interior trim, some dimensions and kit.

A Mark I Estate circa 2001-2004:

A Mark II (Facelift Estate) Circa 2004 - 2007

A Mark III (X7) Tourer 2008 on

For the Mark III C5 X7, Exclusive Trim are the Hydractive versions, the other models are steel sprung.
Mark I and Mark II Facelift models are all Hydraulic.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Great thanks for that Marc I was looking at steel sprung cars. Now I shall only look at mk3 exclusives thanks. what would you consider to be high mileage on an hdi of say six or seven years old? Is 150k to much? I was thinking of going as far as 125k. But lower is always better. I tend not to believe wild claims of 40k unless FSH is in possession.

[GiveMeABreak]

Hard to say, there will always be a price to mileage to condition factor to weigh in. It's how it's been driven that makes the difference, longer journeys are going to be better than lots of short journeys with less miles, especially with regard to particulate filters for one thing. But key is making sure that it has been properly serviced and being aware of any issues and whether these have been addressed on the model you are considering. I had a few issues on mine like the steering rack, the crankshaft oils seal, a rear suspension pipe, a wiper motor, window regulator and air con condenser go on mine within 65k, but I had a Citroen warranty to cover all of these. Others have been luckier, so it's pot luck as mine had a FSH which is why it was offered with a Citroen warranty.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Ive been looking at older motors today and I'm pondering buying a 2.2l 16V 138bhp manual exclusive estate 2003.

I think if I want comfort and the gadgets Ive got to ponder having something left in the pot
for the usual little niggles that tend to come with a Citroen like brake discs and clearing the corrosion from
between the rear arms and the hubs and possibly a new clutch or even a set of nice new spheres from Pleiades.

I only hope that the 16v 2.2 hdi is a good engine to run and 117k isn't to much mileage to be buying one at.

Insurance for me is getting a tad high at approx. £400 a year after some stupid mistakes and a slow rear end shunt this year
and reversing up a hill into the driver behind who I couldn't see because I was reversing up to the brow of the hill.
I think parking/reversing sensors/camera will be a future must, even if they have to be added on.

fuel running costs seem to be going up on all later models of C5's anyway so perhaps a 2.2 diesel estate is a fairly good bet.

I still don't have a lot of confidence in going to buy a car on my own as My Father was always fit and healthy enough to come with me
in the past but I guess Ill just have to get over that one. I will be looking for a small cheapy to run auto for town driving in the near
future as a second car once the 2cv has gone hopefully in the spring of 2017, maybe a C1 or a little 900cc 2 seated smart car.
I have noticed that many older Citroens last a lot longer with owners who have a second little motor for the short journeys.

[elma]

Just go for a few test drives Nigel. It'll give you a better idea of what you like and you'll build more confidence in choosing a good one if you've driven a few and got used to how they feel and sound. You might even drive one you're not expecting to buy and find it so good that you bring it home. I'd suggest looking at local cars which vaguely match your requirements then you won't waste much time. Later when you're looking at one you think is perfect you'll have a good basis for comparison.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

James,

Ive driven thus far a 2006 2.2hdi exclusive hatchback and wasn't to impressed with the ride to be honest.
a 2009 VTR+ estate on springs and that was an awful ride, price was good at 2495 but that's the best of it. (an absolutely huge estate car).
a 2002 hdi lx estate which didn't seem to have a sports button and the suspension wouldn't go up and down in response to button presses.
so I have been trying a little.
what is annoying is that the engine bay is covered up with huge great plastic covers and you cant see the strut tops on older models.
I'm tempted to take some tools and remove the covers to have a good old gander underneath them.
have there been any strut top failures on early C5's?

[elma]

Keep at it then, sounds like you've got the right idea.