Another fantastic journey - Xantia II

[rmunns]

Just got back home after trip to UK; 2050 miles roundtrip, utterly no probs other than weather.

Dreadful day last Sat when in UK Midlands. Where was all the grit? Certainly not round Bromsgrove / Redditch, totally un-driveable.

Then 485 miles today south from Le Havre. Snow all the way, autoroutes clear (but all side roads unsalted, the French don't do gritting except on autoroutes).

Got to within a mile of home but then stuck in the snow on a hill, as expected. No way to avoid this hill. Waited an hour for local farmer to get his tractor out to pull me up. Thank goodness he was at home. Temp has been -10 for a week, house frozen up......................

But one brilliant Xantia happy on the drive.

[CitroJim]

Excellent You can always rely on a Xantia to shine under the worst conditions

I'll tell you where all the salt was. Down our way It was spread deep and even everywhere...

They're boasting about how much they have stockpiled this year. Looks like where you were they're keeping it stockpiled

Hope the house unfroze OK?

[Peter.N.]

The bottoms will be falling out of all your cars next year

Peter

[Citroenmad]

The bottoms will be falling out of all your cars next year

Peter

Its no doubt all a ploy to get us into shiny new cars

[DickieG]

No salt spreading was done round my way on Saturday, even the primary route dual carriageway was still snow covered on Sunday morning, South Bucks Council are as tight as a ducks behind.

[Citroenmad]

No salt spreading was done round my way on Saturday, even the primary route dual carriageway was still snow covered on Sunday morning, South Bucks Council are as tight as a ducks behind.

Its everywhere around here, as if its not bad enough living in a coastal town they spread inches of salt every day. Id hate to live on a sidestreet in this town, the cars must be sandblasted and rotten. I always dive down another road if I see a gritter coming up but the worst thing is approching one on a dual carrigeway, nasty.

I try to keep my car clean and give the underside a hose down when I do it but there is no beating this weather, my car is constantly white over with salt.

[charentejohn]

I am in a salt free area of France too. White roads as far as the eye can see here since yesterday but saw it coming so don't need to go out, perhaps Wednesday. We have an appointment then but I don't think I will risk my Xantia (deep ditches here and if all white you can't see them) so will take the poor old Renault.

That is one advantage of a car here, no rust unless very unlucky. Just lots of small dints and dings, I seem to find new ones every time I look, I will maybe do something about them later in the year.

[addo]

Curiosity is killing me. How can DG make such a qualitative statement about a duck's clacker?

[DickieG]

Curiosity is killing me. How can DG make such a qualitative statement about a duck's clacker?

That'd be letting you in on a secret

[addo]

Ah. No wonder I was booted out at the first round of recruitment interviews...

[Citroenmad]

so will take the poor old Renault.

What kind of old Renault, something interesting?

I would love to move to France for many reasons, though the fact cars rarely rust is a real bonus. I love to see all the old cars pottering around, sadly less every year but they are still around.

[charentejohn]

Sadly not an interesting Renault (Megane 1.6 petrol auto 1998) but a good old car now probably ready for that great breaker's yard in the sky. Intermittent starting problems now a lot better but auto box still, after 4 years of this and many 'fixes', showing a warning light after 2 miles exactly (less if loaded) and slow to change up on hills. Common Renault fault apparently, which they naturally deny.
Tried everything but no improvement, that said I think I will try for another CT (Mot) as if it passes it does work and only the deafening drumming noise at 50mph to sort out. If my local garage can fix the drumming for under 200 Euro I will keep it, otherwise.....
I hate to let a car that has served us well, despite the irritations, be scrapped and feel I should give it every chance. Just a big softie really. But it comes to us all in the end

Basically if this ends up side swiped or in a ditch in the snow then not too bothered, if it was my Xantia then I would be very bothered.