C5 underbody panels - anyone know of a source?

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 13 Jul 2010, 21:28

I was just driving along the M5...erm slowly...when there was a loud bang and a scatter of bits appeared behind me....
Looks like my offside front wheelarch inner and perhaps another panel underneath has gone AWOL.
Is there a good source of replacements anyone knows of? I wont be able to get underneath until tomorrow evening to find out what I need for sure, but at least the OS arch inner is missing, and the centre undertray is dragging along the ground. I knew the offside one was a bit loose.....
OOps!
Any clues greatfully received!

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 14 Jul 2010, 09:33

A bit of research today.
Early C5 Diesels had them fitted, but they were prone to coming off at speed, which is why I guess mine went.
general consensus seems to be that they are there to reduce noise/protect underside components/reduce drag. But are they fitted to the Petrol versions? If not must just be diesel noise reduction.

Anyone here got one/not got one?

Looking for a front Off side Inner wheel arch (front bit) as that looks like it will be useful - the rest may get scrapped depending on your replies...

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 14 Jul 2010, 09:38

The main undertray which protects the engine from the elements holds on the wheel arm liners. So its not really recommended that the car is driven with no undertray.

However if your undertray is still fitted then its likely that the fixing pins which hold on the wheel liner had came out.

The pins which hold the undertray on are a very silly idea in my opinion. They dont give a tight fit and can easily drop out. Usally after ive done an oil change on my car i hear a rattling down the underside of the car as some of the pins fall out. So then ive got to source some more. My undertay is mainly held on with bolts now, instead of the pins, as they are a much better solution.

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 14 Jul 2010, 13:05

Quick ring round seems to indicate that there are not yet many C5's being broken...and I dont like the £60 quid the main dealer wants for a new wheel arch liner. Who knows what he'll want for the full tray!

Does anyone know of any C5's at breakers? Must be the odd one by now surely? or does anyone know of a manufacturer/supplier? GSF dont do them, nor do a couple of others I've rung.

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 14 Jul 2010, 14:13

Ive found a polish manufacturer - I think. They definatly list the right part number on their site, but my polish is none too good....
Anyone here speak enough to let me know if I am buying the right part/process?
Their part is 40 zt which I think is about £8, so if I could work out if they will ship to the UK etc I could well go for that!
Cheers all

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 14 Jul 2010, 15:00

Mine fell last week when I was in France - almost at the ferry port. I had to tie it together with zip ties. I searched through a vast amount of end-of-life vehicles at my local breakers, but not one C5 could be found. The engine undertray is fine. It's the panel between the undertray and the bumper that's in several pieces. Looks as though it's caught on a high curbstone. I spent yesterday and this morning cutting a new one from aluminium sheet. It's all back in place now with the undertray being held with 6mm wing nuts.

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 14 Jul 2010, 15:10

My petrol C5 has a bolted undertray.
All the liners and deflectors have to be firmly in place to keep the car together at speed.
Can’t understand how they’re allowed to pretend that the car can do 130 mph with pinned-together fronts.
The undertray is listed at $A350 here.
Citroën is the only supplier, and parts from Poland costing £8 are either stolen or made of cardboard.

Recent topic about undertrays:
http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=30697

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 14 Jul 2010, 15:24

Does look like the Polish site manufacture.
They only do Wheel arch inners, and for a huge range of cars. If they were stolen I guess they might just branch out a bit and perhaps do more exciting parts too.
£8 seems about right for the actual plastic and machine time, plus payback on the tooling. The Genuine Citroen part is a highly marked up price.
I buy plastics and am aware of the costs involved in manufacture.

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 14 Jul 2010, 15:57

Clogzz wrote: All the liners and deflectors have to be firmly in place to keep the car together at speed.

Your right! I drove my previous Xantia without its undertray for a few months. By the time I got round to refitting it, the wheel arch liners were shattered and broken.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 14 Jul 2010, 19:42

Have a search on ebay, type 'C5 breaking' there are quite a few on there, one must have what your looking for.

There are two C5s in the most local breakers to me, neither has a undertray, not sure if they have the wheel arch liners though.

If the pins are fitted securley i find they stay in, its only when ive had them out that i lose one or two. High speed isnt a problem, the front of my car is still intact. Ive not quite got to 130 mind, 110s only do 119!

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 14 Jul 2010, 21:04

Ah, its all becoming clearer.
Just been under the car (first time ever at the front)
OS wheel arch inner gone, except for a small corner with a bolt in it: main undertray mostly there (and recoverable)

The reason? OK excessive speed (just how fast does a 2.2 go?) but also the whole front end of the undertray was held on with a bit of wire, and also the bottom of the bumper not screwed in at all (so about 7 or 8 missing screws that were not there, ok, they could have fallen out over the years, but whoever added the wire to hold it together knew they had gone).
A bit (?) of speed allowed the air to get in behind it and took out the OS arch.
Simples.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 15 Jul 2010, 09:29

The 2.2 should be good for 127 according to the spec.

You say screws, but they are actually pins, which seems a bad idea to me as they often fall out.

Does the under tray not need to be removed to service the car on a 2.2?

My pins are still in at the front, all there but one which i lost a few weeks ago. There are 4 screws holding the main under tray on though.

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 15 Jul 2010, 09:42

I know what speed it should do chris, thanks. It was a rhetorical question. I was seeing how close mine would get to that/cleaning the injectors.

Pins or screws all I have at the moment are holes. I have no doubt I'll get it bolted back on once I have a replacement.
I think I'll be able to to do a temporary fix anyway, with some stays to hold the wing in. At least I'll be able to drive it then!

Post by **Paul-R** » 15 Jul 2010, 10:29

I've found that some of the hex-headed self-tapping type screws that Renault use on Clios of 90s vintage will screw straight in to replace the missing pins. They seem to make a reasonable "catch" with the metal clips - at least on mine they do!

jimleshed · Post by **jimleshed** » 19 Jul 2010, 09:57

All back together now, except arch inner - I've connected the wing to the undertray with a strut for now. When I took it off the undertray and bumper was attached with just 3 fixings - no wonder it was flapping about at high speed!
Good trick I found - Use those roof bolts with the square nuts instead of the push clip citroen fixings. Remove body clip, take bolt, screw nut on up to head and do up tight, fit into hole where the clip was- head just protrudes enough to stop it dropping through. Attach plastic undertray and bolt on.
Still looking for a wheel arch liner though - all the ebay breakers dont seem to have them - well the 10 or so I contacted.
MIght have to buy a real one at £55 - pah.