Veggie and Activa tales but now rental reviews blog!

Tell us your ongoing tales and experiences with your French car here. Post pictures of your car here as well.
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CitroJim
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Unread post by CitroJim »

Great stuff on the MOT Will \:D/

Yes, the heater box can retain a lot of water after the leak is stopped up.

Image

As this picture shows. Dried coolant on the matrix itself will canny on smelling for ages too.

Image

Fingers crossed on the K Seal doing it's job...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Mine too Jim :)

Insurance runs out on sunday so it will be off the road for a few days until i get paid and can afford the new premium. looks like it will be £400 this year and going fully comp as i need a new windscreen as too many little chips in it now :(
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CitroJim
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Unread post by CitroJim »

That's a lot for insurance Will :o Just renewed mine. Both cars, £480 with Admiral Multi-car :D Seems quite a good deal.

Guess one of the advantages of my advancing years :roll:
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Might give the old navy captian a call then and see what they can do but that's the cheapest so far and my IN10 with 6 points doesn't help but that does expire next year so will be getting a new licence to void it off fingers crossed and be all clean then, a sign of my advancing years i guess and children :)

So she is resting up at the minute, the battery is definately getting replaced when i get paid and the insurance done. Think i will be opting for a 63AH battery intended for the diesel xantias as it will have that extra kick on a cold morning and not be so hard worked with the blower motor at full whack, rear demister and screen wipers and lights on as i always end up having to do of late in the run to work in the morning :(

Started to get into my cycling to work and back as it costs £2.20 per day for a return and even cheaper if booked as a season ticket which is way cheaper than fuel. Though it has got very cold lately and the bike needs a small list of work on it including,

New rear derailer,
new front derailer,
New front strut assembly,
New seat(current one is a rock)

Maybe i should get a new bike but like my car love it too much and it is nearly 7year old!
New pads front and back(though would swap for hydraulic discs and pads)
New handle bar and stem.
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Well last night i finally topped up the LHM as it was a tiny bit low, and put in the new battery.

The car still seems to struggle a little when cranked so may need a service soon with new plugs and all.
The other thing is something went pop last night and i think from the feel of the handbrake noe being very loose that either the passenger side cable has snapped or somehow popped of its little locator on the caliper.

Will investigate more tonight as she pulls to the right when the handbrake is pulled but still does the job enough if i ever got an LHM leak while driving and i rarely use the handbrake anyway, she gets left in gear mostly.

Filled the tank up yesterday and from the last fill i got 21mpg.....
Ah well she wasn't bought for economy!! :D
Shes still clean after i spent a few quid on some autoglym shampoo and gave her a quick once over the other night as well as the swift. nice to see her shine again and the rinse bucket was very dirty after just a few panels so needed empyting and filling a few times for the whole car.

Its great to fly round corners again and feel quite flat though i think the continental tyre seems to slip a bit more than i think it should but maybe it is a harder compound...
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Well the car is still in good order so far.

Off this week and next from work so may try and get the droplink replaced as im sure its knocking or something else is...

Needed to visit the tip today so tested out the ABS as its mostly sheet ice/compacted snow on the roads around us so removed the fuse (fuse F6) and the abs light came on with the engine running. i could now also brake without the dreaded pedal pump kicking in as i tried to stop on ice and allowed the wheels to nicely lock up so i could crawl to the tip and back.

Its very strange that even in 4th or 5th with little acceleration the turbo spool at just over 1500rpm makes the wheels spin which is cool but shows how little grip there really is out here :(

The bodywork is still shining greatly after a good wash that was finished about 30minutes ago after having 3 weeks of caked on road muck and now icepacks forming in the arches from the sluch sprayed up into there and also on the wings and bonnet edge from vehicles infront :( it was a bit nippy but well worth it. just wish i could get time in the day to hoover the thing out!

Think that i may need to get my PR block replaced or serviced at some point as the system isn't leaking LHM from anywhere i can see, but every 10-20 i can here the pump being laboured. the accumulator is brand new so it surely can't be that.

Also managed to tidy up my garage last week. got some nice metal shelving that would have been skipped and boy does it make a difference in the garage. i have now carpeted some of the garage which helps keep it a tiny bit warmer but even now my beers are sat in their chilling as well as some xmas food and snacks as well that would otherwise be in the fridge!

Merry Xmas everyone incase i don't get a chance to post before then and enjoy the festive season and fingers crossed for a white christmas day!!
XantiaDaveEire
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Unread post by XantiaDaveEire »

We want to see some piccys :lol:
1998 Xantia 1.9 TD 186k
2008 C4 grand Picasso exclusive 105k #-o
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Well recently the Hydraulic pipe let go again. Mainly due to me bending it a bit too much again on the outlet so i've had it replaced and strapped it down at two points this time instead of one and its holding well.

Also replaced the passenger side wheel bearing yesterday and while it made the rumbling noise i have quieter it didn't cure it.
On further inspection i have found the drivers side inboard CV joint gaitor has split and slowly emptied its grease and its that joint that i suspect is making the noise :(
I know its going to be a pig of a job when it comes to draining and filling the gearbox but more importantly the part where the shaft is supported ina bearing house that mounts onto the back of the block/sump :(

Also while the forte has fixed my heater matrix(touch wood. cross fingers) the top rad hose has had a repair in the past where it has a small outlet towards the turbo. this has now started to leak and let air in and weep water under pressure. It really needs replacing instead of repairing but my temp repair will hold until i can find a new one to replace it as citroens price is too hard to swallow :(

And the gaitor that covers the suspension cylinder on the passenger side after my work yesterday has come away at the top and now won't stay back up :( think i'll have to get the warm water on it or some fairy liquid to get it back in place...

The car still rises very quickly after my suspension overhaul a while back but the only 2 spheres left to do are teh front corners which are citroen original parts as well :) the ride is very nice and soft and hard mode are still working well.
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CitroJim
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Unread post by CitroJim »

Good work Will :D

A PM has been sent with regard to the hose...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Im annoyed with myself about the CV joint as i really shoulda looked under the car before replacing the wheel bearing on the passenger side.
the symptoms it showed were,

Rumbling when in a straight line.
Tiny bit noisier on right hand turns.
Quiet, almost going away while turning left.
Increasing resonance as speed increased but having a distinct increasse in noise between 50-60 and vibration in car.


The bearing has made thigns the tiniest bit quieter and i have bought a breaker bar and the socket for the driveshaft nuts so can do the other when the time comes but still anooyed with myself and dreading this driveshaft replacement.

On the other had the Forte is holding up. Some has come out when the dodgey top hose started top suck air in but the seal is kinda holding and the heat from the last few days has helped the car dry out. If i lived closer to my folks i would have borrowed their dehumidifier all weekend :D

Thanks Jim :)
KP
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141,000 mile present...

Unread post by KP »

Well yesterday after going from doncaster, manchester, liverpool my car had enough and spat its dummy out!

After stopping in at vinces little shop ;) to get some antifreeze i went to blackburn. just before blackburn i noticed the passenger side carpet getting moist. Pulled in for fuel and topped up the header tank as i knew what was causing it and thought it must be weeping a bit.

After my blackburn stop on the way home up the m65 i think it was the weep turned into a small leak. the footwell got very wet.

I had to empty it out using a small piece of hand towel and wringing it out and then topped the header tank up again.

I had to do this a few times on the way home, and to add to the frustration the motorway services at gateshead on the m62 charge £1 for water!

My heatermatrix has definately had enough now and the car must not have liked the traffic as it dumped more water into the system during the traffic stops :( I made it home though as at about 60-70 the engine seems to get enough airflow to cool it to be ok.

Car is now parked up with some bits of the dash taken off and the rest coming off tonight when the kids are in bed and then the major work starting tomorrow after they go to their grand parents for a weekend holiday :)

Picking up John s panels today as well hopefully on the way home as im currently in manchester and may get his jack too :)
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CitroJim
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Unread post by CitroJim »

Oh dear Will :cry:

Going to be a busy weekend then :wink:

Keep my number handy and shout if you need any advice...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
KP
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Unread post by KP »

Cheers Jim :)

jgra1 should be visiting today as well and with the kids at the grandfolks should make it a bit easier to do :)
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CitroJim
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Unread post by CitroJim »

Excellent :D Say hello to John from me...

One tip Will, and I know this means a bit of extra work, remove the turbo pipes complete to give you the best possible access to the water elbow.

It's darn-near inaccessible otherwise and the better access you have the less chance of damaging it.
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
KP
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Joined: 10 Jul 2006, 12:11
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Unread post by KP »

Cheers Jim :)

I've got it off before a few times due to other repairs so will test it first as it shouldn't be too bad and if its a pain will remove some pipes :)