Tesco MK1 Activa owner

[Deanxm]

Hi all

Parked up in Tesco this evening in the XM watching Ronin (yes i am sad) while swmbo was fighting the masses for some food, i noticed out of the corner of my eye the only Activa i believe is on the island, its a Silver MK1 and as it went past i thought it looked like the heater matrix was dead due to all the windows being steamed up. I did think about following him for a chat but that may be a bit stalker-ish so i stayed put, luckily he had seen me and came back into the carpark for a chat, nice bloke and the Activa looked very good, just had a respray with colour coded door handles and trims, Nice aftermarket alloys, twin pipe stainless exhaust system and it looks really well looked after, turned out his heater matrix is leaking but also has a problem with the hydraulic pressure warning light coming on sometimes and brakes going spongy, low assist to the steering and the suspension going funny so i pointed him to this forum, i believe he is a ccc member now too.
As he was leaving though i noticed front ride height was well down and it didnt look right whilst parked, given a little time for a look see it could be a simple fix.

Anyway Didnt get your name but if your lurking......you need to get on this forum, it will save you a fortune and help you keep your exellent car in tiptop condition.

D

[CitroJim]

Good work Dean

He will enjoy a very, very warm welcome here.

Don't fancy a heater matrix this weather though. I suggest a bottle of Forte Stop Leak!

Your signature is very apt at the moment

[Deanxm]

Yes Jim thought i would change to a a more seasonal signature

He said he wasnt going to use it too much over the winter but that the local citroen dealer here wanted just over a couple of hundred quid to do it..............seemed very cheap but for that price i would let them do it , he was concerned that the dash may go back squeeking and rattling though if they are rushing the job which is a fair point, dont think telling him my matrix took me 15minutes to change in the XM cheered him up though

D

[lexi]

Are there no Smart methods for doing Xantia Matrix?. It` just that on Range Rover it is the same PITA job. However I spoke to a guy with a P38 and he told me that on an American forum they had come up with a mod that involved some clever hose and dash cutting to do the job in under an hour.

I think a bit of concealed dash was cut and pieced back in ( unlikely on Xantia). Guess what. When he got Matrix out it was..............a VALEO

[Deanxm]

I dont think that is possible with a xantia but then ive never done one, but it looks like there is no way to get the matrix out with the dash in, its just in a real pita place, the xm should have a section of the heater box cut out to get the new matrix into its cassett type slot without bending the corners of the fins down a bit but there is no bloody way im cutting my heater box apart over a £30 matrix or taking the parking brake pedal out either, mines been in for maybe three years now and it still works a treat, good strong antifreeze is the key here i would say then valeo or not the matrix will have a good long life!.

D