My C5 HDI update/experience so far - New(ish) owner

[timborob]

Paint code on the drivers door shut

Thanks myglaren - Steve
I will check out what it says tomorrow and post back

[Citroenmad]

Hi Chris

I hope to get some better than OEM discs and pads fitted which are
Drilled and vented but am relying upon my Mechanic friend to get them and do the job in a few weeks time.

He says he has changed many brakes and comes well recommended on the Rover forums and was the guy who sold on my Rover 75 for me.

I ended up doing 6 miles in 1 hour 20 minutes!


Hey that's another Nice VTR i can now say I've seen


It looks pretty good in Silver too and expect its easier to keep it looking good as finding mine gets dusty looking quickly.

Does anyone know how many C5 VTRs were actually made
I know there wasn't many C5s sold here in the UK as a whole.

Can you tell me how to attach photo's in the post like that as haven't worked it out yet!

I'd say the black grille on the bottom looks just as good (if not better) than the chrome grill i have especially as mine needs poilshing up!

I have the car parked at work tonight so can't confirm the paint code today but will make it priority to look for tomorrow
I did put a small picture of it in as my avatar so maybe you are good at guessing dark blue shades?

Also will I find the paint code under the bonnet or in the door frame?
Thanks

Thats interesting Tim, is it because you find the C5s brakes a bit weak?

Ive got to say i find the standard brakes extremely good, one of the best ive used. I do tend to use my brakes hard and i dont find a problem with the C5. Ive had brake fade on other cars, but never on the C5.

Ive just got the standard spec brakes on mine, TRW discs and Mintex pads. They do the job nicely, though they do give off quite a lot of dust.

I do try my best to keep the car looking tidy, there isnt really a mark on it apart from a scraped alloy which is visable there. Not sure if its worth getting it repaired or not. It does stay looking clean for ages, which is one reason i like silver cars.

Ive no idea how many VTRs were made, i think they were in production for around a year, they come in 03-54 reg. 54 being very late as the facelift was out in late 54. It effectively replaced the SX spec, the SX always had dual zone climate which was not on the earlier VTRs but was addded to VTR spec in late 53/early 04. The VTR also has an alarm, 16" alloys and a rear wiper over and above the SX, so it was a bit of an improvement.

Everything else, spec wise, its the same as the SX. However i do miss the rear sunblind which the SX has on the parcel shelf but the VTR doesnt.

There is a thread around with how to import pics, but if you make a account on somewhere like www.photobucket.com, upload the pictures you want to there, then copy the bottom link which appears under each picture, paste it in with your test on here and that will be that.

I do quite like the black grille yes, though i do quite like the rear spoilers. Have you looked on the citroen accessory site? The price for the grille and spoiler comes to around £400! I think i can live without There are some accessories id like from there though, the reversable boot mat im going to get ordered. Its on my to do list, along with the cruise control.

Edit: Actually there is a boot spoiler on ebay, brand new, for £40. Im just looking for pictures of C5s with them fitted to see if i should get it or not

Going by that picture in your avatar, your C5 looks like the darker of the two blues - Admiral.

[timborob]

Paint code on the drivers door shut

My sticker reads :

09597CJ
10449
KPKD

According to what I can find out this means I have a Mauritius Blue
coloured car
Correct please If I'm wrong

[timborob]

Thats interesting Tim, is it because you find the C5s brakes a bit weak?

I was told by another Mechanic after initial inspection that my inside RHS front disc was badly scored and will need replacing by next MOT and I know the rear discs are also quite worn, so I decided that i would get the whole lot replaced as plan on keeping.

Since the brakes are important on a sporty saloon I thought I'd get better ones if i could than standard and since they are still quite cheap for what they, then it's worthy for me to get done.


At present my back brakes do start to squeal after use in traffic but seem to be strong enough and predictable.

I do try my best to keep the car looking tidy..

I can clearly see that!


My car unfortunately does have quite a few paint scratches on it
some are new and caused by the tow truck that collected the car and trailered back to the dealers, The straps he used to hold the car down at the front have rubbed at the paint, Hopefully a T-Cut session will remove most of them

Ive no idea how many VTRs were made, i think they were in production for around a year, they come in 03-54 reg. 54 being very late as the facelift was out in late 54. It effectively replaced the SX spec, the SX always had dual zone climate which was not on the earlier VTRs but was addded to VTR spec in late 53/early 04. The VTR also has an alarm, 16" alloys and a rear wiper over and above the SX, so it was a bit of an improvement.

Everything else, spec wise, its the same as the SX. However i do miss the rear sunblind which the SX has on the parcel shelf but the VTR doesnt.

Doesn't sound like there will be many then
My VTR is registered August 2003 and must say it was better to get it over the SX because of the rear wiper.
The Rover 75 I had before didn't have one and it was missed from previous car as what a pain it was to have to get out and scrap it all the time, dust/grime builds up quicker than you think nowadays.

There is a thread around with how to import pics..

Thanks I will open an account with them and send on some pictures after i have a clean car

I do quite like the black grille yes, though i do quite like the rear spoilers. Have you looked on the citroen accessory site? The price for the grille and spoiler comes to around £400! I think i can live without There are some accessories id like from there though, the reversable boot mat im going to get ordered. Its on my to do list, along with the cruise control.

Edit: Actually there is a boot spoiler on ebay, brand new, for £40. Im just looking for pictures of C5s with them fitted to see if i should get it or not

Going by that picture in your avatar, your C5 looks like the darker of the two blues - Admiral.

Now at £40 that's good value for the rear spoiler
I wouldn't want to fit one though as my eyes and judgement has been known to be off !


My colour code appears to be Mauritius Blue

[Citroenmad]

I think i paid around £90 for my discs and pads. I fitted mine myself. I had to fit new handbrake cables too, but they got the better of me so i packed it off to a Citroen specialist, as i do for any jobs i dont fancy doing.

Ive got calipers and pads to change on the back of the C5 SX this week, im looking forward to that!

I didnt really think about upgrading the brakes as i find them fine. I do like to splash out on tyres though as i do think the C5s need good tyres. Ive had budget ones on C5s which didnt go well at all.

I was very surprised to find this VTR in such good condition. Other cars i had been looking at were really quite poor, lots of scratches or repairs. It does have a small scratch on the bonnet, but thats about it. The bumpers are unmarked.

The tow truck driver used straps against the body of the car? Seems very unusual, usually they just clamp the wheels with ropes.

Yes, our C5 SX is a bit of a pain without a rear wiper, especially if im trying to reverse up to something in the rain. The VTR with the wiper is much better and the wash comes in handy too.

Yes, well its £40 for the spoiler, but it would need to be painted and fitted by a bodyshop, so that would increase it by a £150 or so.

Mauritius blue? Really, thats unusual. That colour is not mentioned in my 11/2003 brochure, they must have offered that in the VTR before that date. Its a nice colour that.

[timborob]

I haven't fitted any Discs to cars yet but have done to Motorcycles in the past.
Its abit hard for me to do much work on cars as i haven't got a garage
and really not that competant a Mechanics either


BUT if it's simple or I'm skint I'll give it a go


Good luck with your brake change, Atleast you will have the weather
you


I have Cooper Zeon CS6 tyres allround on my car but haven't driven enough in the wet to have any feel for how good they are.

Atleast they all have good tread and are the same, most other cars
i looked at around London had a different budget brand on each corner which did not inspired me at all


The recovery truck that took my car back to the dealer was VW LT35
and i had to drive my car up onto the back of it
(he didn't seem to be that experience that's for sure)

Anyway the marks were not on it before the recovery so i take it he strapped the car down somehow or they were rubbing on something during the 140 miles back


I'm not sure how different Mauritius blue is compared to the Admiral and Oriental you mention but i does look nice enough

[Citroenmad]

I started doing things myself with the cars as ive had quite a lot of bad experiences with garages, people who either couldn't care less or really didnt have a clue. Though i now have a select few garages i use and trust for the more demaning car jobs.

Im not sure when ill get the brakes done on the SX, maybe next week now.

Ive heard of Cooper tyres, not sure who they are made by, usually there is always a bigger company behind them somewhere.

I have Toyo T1-Rs on the front of mine and Michelin Primacy HPs on the rear. Ive just got the Michelins and have just swapped them front to rear. Both are very good tyres, the grip from the Toyos in all weathers is excellent. Mind tyres are reasonably expensive in this size, £266 for the michelins.

Mine came with a set of Michelins, though all were quite worn and ive since replaced them.

You'll have to get some pics up so we can see the colour

[timborob]

I'd like to start doing more minor repairs but think brakes are beyond me at present.

Cooper Tyres are a british firm and were only known to me before for 4x4 tyres (on Jeeps I think) before buying this car with them on.

Here's a link to a site selling the CS6 I have fitted :
http://www.tyrespec.co.uk/products/?pattern=Zeon%20CS6

I have heard good things about Toyo tyres in general and Michelins
have always been highly rated but rather expensive at £130 + each!

The CS6 at around £70 each must be classed as budget tyres in comparison.

I have just joined up with Photobucket and produced these rather dusty pictures of my C5
atleast you can see the colour (abit) and the spoiler and grill now

[Citroenmad]

Yes, i think ive heard of 4x4 Cooper tyres before.

I paid £185 fitted for my Toyos. Which really do grip but they do wear fast, especially on the front. C5s are known to be hard on tyres and im sure my spirited driving doesnt help, but i think ill be lucky to get 12K from those.

The michelins are expensive, but they are a very good tyre, for grip, road noise and very good for comfort. If they last longer than others they might be worth the money, ill have to see how they go.

That does look like Mauritius blue, hard to tell as others look similar in pics. Though your paint code says it it, then it is. The spoiler does seem to suit it, though i think ill leave mine without. Yours looks very clean and tidy, looks to be a very nice example

You do see quite a few tatty C5s now, knocked around ones. Its nice to see good, well cared for cars.

I got some chrome indicator bulbs for my C5, front and rear, it takes the orange-ness out of the lights which makes the lights all clear. They still light up orange fine.

[timborob]

It sounds like you make good use of your VTR on the bends
I'm yet to do that but will let you know what these Cooper tyres are like when i do


My car is in good condition overall, It has a few larger scratches and 2 minor car park door dents on it but thats to be expected around here and not worth doing as you know what will happen soon as it is repaired..

I will give it a proper polish / T-cut when its back from the brakes being replaced towards the end of next month