Citrojim's AX, Pixo, C3, Running and Cycling Tales

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 05 Jul 2010, 14:47

superloopy1 wrote:You've moved though, haven't you

From just outside Norwich to... just outside Norwich. Didnt think it would make much difference.

Post by **CitroJim** » 05 Jul 2010, 19:33

XantiaMan wrote: From just outside Norwich to... just outside Norwich. Didnt think it would make much difference.

<expletive deleted> I thought you'd moved a fair way away too Gareth., which is why I didn't get in contact. We were a bit pushed for time at the end as Robyn was due at a Guide camp later that day. Had I known you were so close I'd have definitely paid a visit especially as we nipped across to Dave's house and he's only about five minutes from UEA.

Never to worry, I have a feeling I'll be a frequent visitor to your fair city in future so can make up for it then.

Anyway, how's life treating you Gareth?

Post by **CitroJim** » 09 Jul 2010, 22:24

It's been a heck of a week one way or another

the funeral went well on Monday; quite an upbeat affair actually. The lady in questing arranged her own funeral and made some quite specific requests. One of which was to wear bright clothes. I was unaware and went in black

I stood out. Funniest was the final piece of music that was played and kept as a surprise - Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"

Even the undertakers smiled!

Tuesday was a gruelling day at work and then on Wednesday I took my girls and two of their friends to Thorpe Park for the day

We started out a 7.30 to get there at opening time and left at closing time. One very long but enjoyable day

We were all exhausted and on the way out discovered the hard way that the car park now charges £2 per day for parking. It's only recently been introduced and there are no obvious signs to tell you and the first you know of it is when you arrive at the exit barrier. You cannot pay there

I had a rather interesting conversation with the yoof manning the barrier and neither of us were giving way. He told me of 15 signs telling of charges and I just sat tight with a determined look on my face as 20 or 30 cars queued up behind. The deadlock broke when I informed the yoof I was going to get out of my car and resolve the situation. I was intending to walk to a ticket machine after asking directions but yoof seemed to interpret my actions differently and offered to lift the barrier. He did and the throttle went to the floor which, in a V6, is quite spectacular

I'm told by my passengers his face was a picture! All the girls collapsed in laughter and saw it as a highlight of the day

They know me and know what I'm like in such circumstances and yoof may have done so too. I'm not to be messed with basically... They believe the yoof was intending to let me out just so I could drive back in the car park, get a ticket and out again. Shame I missed the turning and ended up driving out of the park

I submitted a comment to the Park by email in the form of a polite observation concerning signage, the manners of the yoof on the barrier and making an offer to pay but so far have heard nothing...

Saw a nasty accident on the M1 on the way home. It was on the other carriageway and involved two cars, a biker and a jack-knifed lorry. Our carriage way was fine but crawling at a snails-pace due to everyone slowing down to see what had happened. Why do they do this? I'd rather speed past it so I see as little of the carnage as possible.

I hope the biker was OK. Hopefully he was as the bike looked largely undamaged.

Yesterday and today were equally gruelling at work and so this evening some spanner therapy was much in need. I refitted the newly painted battery tray to the red Activa and set about checking the pressures in the rear spheres. I did test and fit two new rear corners I had in stock and on testing them found them 10 bars above pressure. The old corners were bang-on but I want them for the V6 which is still riding on non-hydractives at the rear. All the other spheres were fine and considering they are all four years old now and many are regassed items, not bad at all.

I also ran the Lexia across the car and found NO faults at all. That is a miracle, especially for the Hydractive ECU!

Final job was to grease up the height and roll corrector mechanisms and trace a small oil leak. The turbo inlet is a bit oily so soon I'll need to have the turbo pipes off and check the rubber couplings. One is known to split and indeed this is likely as compared to Rattiva, the red one is not quite as lively.

It was a joy to take the red one out for a spin this evening and cool down in the Arcticness of the aircon

I also found the new rear corners being 190 bars above what they should be makes for a slightly softer ride but without any apparent ill effects in the handling department.

superloopy · Post by **superloopy** » 09 Jul 2010, 23:50

190 bars

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 10 Jul 2010, 07:36

CitroJim wrote:It was a joy to take the red one out for a spin this evening and cool down in the Arcticness of the aircon

The aircon in that car is much colder than any other Xantia for some reason, ideal in this weather.

CitroJim wrote: also found the new rear corners being 190 bars above what they should be makes for a slightly softer ride but without any apparent ill effects in the handling department.

Are you sure about that, 190 bars above? I'll be standing well away from that car next time you visit in addition to wearing a ballistic vest and helmet

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 10 Jul 2010, 09:24

Hopefully you mean 10 bars Jim?

You can't beat AC in this weather, mine is never off.

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 10 Jul 2010, 12:25

CitroJim wrote:
XantiaMan wrote: From just outside Norwich to... just outside Norwich. Didnt think it would make much difference.
<expletive deleted> I thought you'd moved a fair way away too Gareth., which is why I didn't get in contact. We were a bit pushed for time at the end as Robyn was due at a Guide camp later that day. Had I known you were so close I'd have definitely paid a visit especially as we nipped across to Dave's house and he's only about five minutes from UEA.

Never to worry, I have a feeling I'll be a frequent visitor to your fair city in future so can make up for it then.

Anyway, how's life treating you Gareth?

Well next time your in the area, make sure you give me a bell. Dave is in Hellesdon, i'm in Bowthorpe, right next to each other.

All fine here, car and van both behaving well, Vicky only has 3 more months till she gives birth (a girl) and work has been consistent, so i couldnt ask for much more!

vince · Post by **vince** » 10 Jul 2010, 13:12

Jim your a legend

....i can just picture you tearing away from the barrier to freedom....

A triumph for man over the system

Post by **myglaren** » 10 Jul 2010, 13:44

vince wrote:Jim your a legend ....i can just picture you tearing away from the barrier to freedom....

A triumph for man over the system

I saw this yesterday, must be related to Jim

Went to take a car to MOT this morning, thought I'd stop off at the petrol station for some fuel and give it a blast with the jet wash whilst I was there. Stuck the fuel in, went in to pay and get a code for the jet wash whilst I was in. Sorted it and got in my car, just as I was heading to the jet wash area someone was reversing into it in a new Discovery, so I waved my ticket and he just stared, so I got out and politely told him I'd just got a ticket. He immediately went into a huff and went along the lines of "you should have parked here first" to which I said (still politely) sorry there's no signs or anything, just get it shifted and I'll not take two minutes. He refused to do so, so after a bit of verbal, I noticed there was a fair bit of give on the hose, so I just pulled around him and keyed in my code, washing my car next to his. Meanwhile he walked around arguing and getting in the way as much as possible, then noticed I had no tax. I told him he was on his way to an MOT so I didn't need it, but he went "Well, as far as I'm concerned it has no tax so I'm calling the police". This wound me up a bit, so I said to him that I would give him one last opportunity to not be such a (rhymes with hunt), explained the situation to him again and he said he didn't care and was still calling the police, so I stopped washing the car, aimed the jet wash thing at him at point blank range, hosed him down from head to toe with hot shampoo, got in my car and wheelspinned off, shouting "If you weren't such a dick maybe this wouldn't happen". He was dripping wet, surprised he didn't punch me or anything.

I wish any of that story was an exaggeration. I've got a foul temper sometimes. Anyway, the car passed its MOT. Hooray!

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 10 Jul 2010, 15:44

Good on them, some poeple need putting in their place slightly at times

Post by **CitroJim** » 10 Jul 2010, 16:42

OK, you can all come out from the bomb shelters now.... 190 bars was a typo

I meant 10 bars!

myglaren wrote: I saw this yesterday, must be related to Jim

Loved that tale Steve, great stuff! I'm never bad-tempered though and said very little to yoof except to ask him if he'd kindly lift the barrier. I just sat there looking at him for most of the time. He made of me precisely what he wanted to...

When I get the bit between my teeth (as I did) It's best not to push it too far.

Post by **CitroJim** » 25 Jul 2010, 10:30

Where have I been? I'll come to that in a bit...

Firstly, what a cracker of a show the National was

I was especially pleased at how the technical session went. I did a talk on Hydractive suspension and used my red Activa as the demo car on a ramp in the restoration workshop at the heritage museum.

I could have gone on for longer than my allotted hour and as it was I over-ran a bit and we were chased out by the CX mob who were next up on the ramp

I've been on holiday. Not your normal kind of sit on a beach sort of holiday but one where I did something rather more productive: I pulled my house right apart from top to bottom; giving everything a well-deserved refresh and a tidy-up and junk clearance like no other. Rattiva and I made 11 or 12 trips (lost count in all honesty) to the dump with rubbish and junk I'd accumulated over the years.

I now have a lovely clean, tidy and very uncluttered house. The garden and workshop did not escape the scorched-earth policy either and now I n longer have a spare V6 engine behaving as a roundabout in the garage. It's now tucked away nicely and disguised as a workbench!

I've also taken a bit of time out to reappraise life in general. Fundamentally I've been doing too much, hence the house getting in such a state, and generally I've been neglecting things due to trying to spread myself a bit too thinly between work, family and Citroens. The former two are critically important and must receive the bulk of my attention and time. Things came to an ugly head when Robyn asked me again to look at her 206 and she had to wait for far too long for me to get round to it. Happy she was not! Accusations flew as expected and it made me smell the coffee... To cap it all, I was suffering exhaustion and so was my V6. It was well overdue for an oil change and the auxillary belt (pointed out to me by Citroenmad's dad at the national last weekend) looked a bit odd. In the event the belt appeared fundamentally OK and the tensioners were fine so the marks on it may well just have been from a poor quality belt or as a result of it clearing rust from the jockey wheels after a period of disuse in the recent past. I've fitted a new belt now (a Gates one) and I'll see how it goes. I need the V6 relaible as I need to take Robyn to Guide camp in Leeds next week.

So, from now on, my involvement will be scaled back somewhat so that I may concentrate most of my energies on family, work and keeping this house from becoming a pigsty again so if I don't seem as active here as usual and cannot get the spanners out at the drop of a hat, you know why.

That said, I've just submitted copy for the September Xantia Files column in the "Citroenian" (CCC magazine) and finally got around to answering a few posts on here. I've a lot of catching up to do but that has to wait a while now; I have a 206 I must go and look at.

Sl4yer · Post by **Sl4yer** » 25 Jul 2010, 22:12

Good for you Jim!

We've been having a clearout ahead of our first baby (due in September). At the last count, we've tipped about 15 bags of rubbish and paper, and filled the newly boarded loft up, and the house is still a tip! Getting there though...

It's all about priorities. I find sometimes that I'm unconciously prioritising the wrong things, and taking a step back can be useful to see that. Family must come first for me, and therefore beery nights in front of the computer will be a thing of the past soon. It's all good though!

Take care,

James

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 25 Jul 2010, 23:07

If you'd popped passed our old house tonight Jim you'd have seen about 10 bags waiting for the dustmen tomorrow (hope they take them!).

We took so much stuff up to the tip, much of it handed over for them to sell which we feel is much better than sending decent goods to landfill.

If you know anyone who wants a washing machine let me know as the new place has one so we've got to ditch our old one which is in good working order and had it's bearings replaced last year. Otherwise next door have said they'll put it into storage.
Likewise with a 21" 4:3 Philips TV.

Our dining chairs and coffee table were left out to vanish via the New Bradwell removal service (chavs do have a use).

KP · Post by KP » 26 Jul 2010, 11:28

Its always good to clean everything out jim, i even have a box in the garage now after carpeting it full of scrap metal to take when i get activa back on the road

If your going to leeds give me a bell and your more than welcome to stop by at any point as well