Xantia's, bad reputation revisited

James.UK · Post by **James.UK** » 12 Jan 2004, 21:01

Hiya Taipan. Why dont you get yourself a nice Citroen ZX 1.9D ?? not many complaints about them on here. and loads and loads of them still on the roads. I realy can't understand why they are so cheap to buy..
From talking to many other ZX 1.9D owners the car is reliable, reliable, reliable.. Its about the only car I have ever owned that if I was asked to go 5,000 miles I would set off in it with complete confidence.. What more can I say.. [:)]

TomH · Post by **TomH** » 13 Jan 2004, 01:44

ZXs are probably cheap and suffered bad depreciation due to the reputation of a few Citroen models for being unreliable and difficult to get serviced!!
I'm pleased with my 1.9D though... bit dated, tinny and a tad slow off the mark... but reliable, and that's what matters!

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 13 Jan 2004, 04:01

I don't undertand [:o)]
Xantias are unreliable ??? That's the first time I've heard that ...
Years ago, DS's were unreliable and couldn't be counted on, then CX's were unreliable and no-one wanted them. Then BX's were unreliable and no-one wanted them and now it's Xantia's !!!!
The only thing wrong with these cars is severe lack of maitenance and every 'dealer/specialist' taking owners for a ride "Gee's mate, it's a Citroen with that wierd suspension, this is gonna cost ya a fortune ...".
I've driven CX's, DS's/ID's, GS's, BX's and now own a Xantia. My wife has done over 80,000km in a little BX19tri in the last couple of years. I've been driving it for the last couple of days and the little hunk of junk has me thrashing the guts out of it all the time in a way that certainly doesn't befit it's nature. I just can't help myself it's such a revvy, go-kart like little car.
The Xantia in comparison feels like it could take on a rubbish tank and come out of it ok. It's SOLID with a capital 'S'. There's no real doubt it's a vastly supperior car to the BX in most apsects, but it'll never be a light, nippy car like the BX, 'cos it's not a light nippy car [:o)].
I've been driving these cars since I was 16years old, and they have been extremely reliable, infact I've never had a breakdown that's left me stranded ... Water pumps always die in my driveway, clutch cables break close to home, tires always blowout when I don't have a bloody jack etc... but they always get you home !!
seeya,
Shane L.

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 13 Jan 2004, 04:04

hmm I can't say rubbish tank (betcha it comes out as 'rubbish' again). What about w a n k tank ... How can I pick on sh!t for brains middle aged women in 4wds if I can't say w-a-n-k tank [:D] [:o)] [:I]

BigMac · Post by **BigMac** » 13 Jan 2004, 04:26

Ive a suspicion that, among the diesel Xants, its the TDs and HDis that are more problematic. Im now on my second 1.9D which has done 150K miles without a major hitch; my first Xant was also a non-turbo model and it expired 5 years ago in a major smash-up with a Tr....t van (I was OK, the Trannie was demolished - the Xant is a SOLID car). But I know of 3 TDs and 1 HDi in this local area which are giving their owners grief of various sorts mainly associated with the engine - head gaskets, cooling the main ones. Is there something wrong with the these models?

Post by **RichardW** » 13 Jan 2004, 13:26

I am a happy (at the moment!) Xantia owner. I like my TD - it could just do with a few more horses under the bonnet. However, at 96k currently I am expecting to have to do the clutch cable clip (twice), the clutch and the heater matrix in the next 30k miles - by which time I might not be such a happy owner! Have a look on E-bay and see how many TDs there are with 120k+ miles on.... I think they need good regular maintenance, but the current trend is for extended minimal servicing, and people have back-applied this to older Xantias - with predictable results. Mind you, have you seen what it's done to the prices?? Roll on getting another 2 years out of the TD so I can buy an HDi for £1.20.
Mind you, needing a 2nd car, I am currently considering buying a 91 BX TZD Estate - with 130k on it. Hmm, am I barking?? Woof Woof!!!!

paranoid · Post by **paranoid** » 13 Jan 2004, 15:02

PEOPLE (MYSELF INCLUDED TILL I BIT THE BULLET AND BOUGHT ONE) JUST STICK THERE HEAD IN THE SAND WHEN IT COMES TO THAT SCARY, DARE I SAY IT! HYRD$$@#IC SUSP*-SION AND PRESUME IT WILL GO DROOP AS SOON AS YOU GET ONE HOME YOU CAN'T BLAME THEM REALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE TOPICS IN THIS FORUM [V][?] WHEN YOU BUY A SECONDHAND XANTIA YOU ARE HARDLY BREAKING THE BANK (IN THE UK ANYWAY) THEY VIRTUALLY GIVE THEM AWAY AFTER A FEW YEARS

CITMAN · Post by **CITMAN** » 13 Jan 2004, 15:23

Yeah my zx 1.4i has never let me down in 60,000 miles, it was purchased with 20,000 miles it knows has 81,000. apart from replacing items which have been needed due to wear tear such as the following: -
Brakes -(Discs an Pads, Rear Shoes and Cylinders)
Suspension - (Rear subframe mounts)
Steering - (Inner Track rod ends)
Engine - (Head Gasket due to oil leak and getting on cambelt which is a common problem on tu engines)

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 13 Jan 2004, 15:41

The Xantia has complex hydraulic systems that are pretty much unique and not very well understood by their owners let alone non-citroen trained mechanics. The hydraulic system is very well made (and if maintained reliable), e.g. my 150k mile Xantia is still on 4 original hydraulic units (not the spheres), could you expect the orginal shocks on a Vectra or Mondeo to do this milage?

Robin · Post by **Robin** » 14 Jan 2004, 00:56

I used to work for an organisation that had four Xantias in the fleet ranging from 96 to 98. None of them gave us any real problems despite being 'serviced' by non Citroen garages.
We avoided the clutch replacement fiasco which is symptomatic of needing a new cable by just ignoring the advice. Three of the vehicles went onto 90k miles without hiccup, mine I purchased when I left them has done 110k and has the hinge fault sadly but otherwise I have just serviced it as it should have been, injectors, filters, new clutch cable etc. got Pleiades to give the suspension the once over, three spheres and an hour later and all is well.
Regards, R.

nick · Post by **nick** » 14 Jan 2004, 00:59

If anyone had asked my opinion on Xantias last Saturday I wouldn't have been too complimentary.
On Friday I picked my ’97 1.9TD up from a ‘Citroen Specialist’ who had just replaced the clutch and cable. They had replaced the clutch only 18 months previously, but recently the pedal had become heavy again and I was having trouble getting gears etc.
‘No problem’ they said ‘its still covered by the 2 year warranty, so bring it in & we’ll replace the clutch for free’ So I did. Trouble is, they then decided it was wear & tear so wasn’t covered by the warranty [:(!] (They said it was probably caused by the worn-out cable holding the clutch slightly disengaged all the time)
As they had the car in bits at this stage & I needed it back urgently I paid them to replace it again, plus a new cable. When I got the car back it wouldn’t go into 5th gear – they hadn’t adjusted the gear change linkage properly when they put it back together [:(!]
I arranged to take the car back for them to adjust the linkage, but on the way there the plastic clip on the pedal broke, so I had to drive the 5 miles or so in heavy traffic with no clutch pedal.[:(!][:(!]
At this point I was ready to attack the car with a branch ‘Basil Fawlty style’, but quickly came to the conclusion it was more a case of an incompetent garage than the car’s fault. I suspect the original clutch was a cheapo pattern one, they claim the one they have fitted this time is a ‘proper’ Valeo. They also replaced the plastic clip for free as a goodwill gesture! I won’t be using them again, however.
Despite this recent problem, I am happy with my Xantia. I’ve owned it for 4 years, its now done 130000 miles and its been reasonably trouble free. I’ll just be more careful who I let work on it in future. I do all the easy work on it myself, but didn’t really have the time or the inclination to do a diy clutch change at the moment.
The cost of the replacement clutch (£280) on the Xantia was brought into perspective a bit today when I saw the £3235 bill for a routine annual service on a 2 year old Maserati owned by a client of ours! [:0]
Incidentally, with regard to head gasket failures, I run my current car ( and ran a number of previous Citroens) on a 90% antifreeze mix, and never had any head gasket, heater matrix or overheating problems with any of them.
Nick

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 14 Jan 2004, 02:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by taipan

Am I over reacting?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I would say yes.
Do you just come here to wind people up or what?
I'm on my 2nd Xantia, 100k miles and five years between them with hardly a hiccup.
Where did you meet this "former Citroen mechanic"? Hanging out of the serving hatch at McDonalds?

Post by **Jon** » 14 Jan 2004, 03:13

The Xantia has its problems, but its generally a well made car, fairly safe too, certainly its better made than a BX (OK with the exception of the clutch cable clip and the heater matrix!!). For a start, the metal is much thicker than the BX, found this out when I was working for Citroen and first lifted up a Xantia door skin, metal so good that used a damaged one that was being thrown away to weld into a 2cv!! [:p]Theres certainly no reason to say that the 1.9TD is unreliable and needs lots of head gaskets. As the same engine is also used in the "darling" 306TD (read, expensive ZX), the 406, Expert, Dispatch, 806 and Synergie etc etc; do we hear lots of people with those cars moaning on here. Not often. Provided that the coolant is changed when it should be, the radiator is not blocked and the water pump ain't leaking (picked up at a cambelt change) then the old XUD9TE is a reliable old lump, all it wants is regular oil and filter changes plus an eye on the coolant.
The hydraulics are not that complicated, its mostly BX with the added addition of an anti sink sphere for most common models. Hydraactive is not the end of the world either, I mean, those 2 extra spheres don't exactly complicate things. Even Activa, although it has its foibles is not the nightmare one might think.
I admit that the HP pumps maybe not quite as reliable as the old BX and can leak, but recon units are available.
I might actually put my money where my mouth is and put myself into a Xantia HDi 110 quite soon, watch this space.

blueboy2001 · Post by **blueboy2001** » 14 Jan 2004, 04:07

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Jon

I might actually put my money where my mouth is and put myself into a Xantia HDi 110 quite soon, watch this space.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I thought you'd been there, done that and thrown it back!

lhm_leak · Post by **lhm_leak** » 14 Jan 2004, 04:31

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I might actually put my money where my mouth is and put myself into a Xantia HDi 110 quite soon, watch this space.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Oi! - I want one of these things too[8D]. Just a shame there seem to be so few of 'em around - at this rate we'll probably end up fighting over the single example that becomes available[B)]
Seriously though, as I mention elsewhere, by last weekend my opinions of Citroen in general, and Xantias in particular were unprintable. I've cooled off now, and realised that the only real problem with the car - is it's owner. A small leak that I should have had seen to 3 months ago suddenly became an LHM Niagara. Good job the handbrakes on these cars are so much better than most other makes - if I'd been driving our Cavalier I'd probably be toast.
Other than that, It's been a thoroughly reliable motor car, doing 12000 miles in 3 1/2 months with only regular service items replaced. I think the real measure of satisfaction with any car boils down to the question: Would you buy another? In my case, that's an emphatic YES! (but I want an HDi 110 next[8D]).
Stu.