John's Greek C5

Tell us your ongoing tales and experiences with your French car here. Post pictures of your car here as well.
johnnyj
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John's Greek C5

Unread post by johnnyj »

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Hi, I'm John and currently living in Crete, Greece. I took a sabbatical from my role as MD of a UK software company and sort of didn't go back. I've had a house in Crete for many years and always gotten around by bike (Yamaha TT600RE) but this year decided to buy a car. Back in the UK I have a Jaguar XF and have been restoring a Triumph TR7 for the last 20 years or so (it is a long project). I also have there a Suzuki V-Strom 650.

As time was of the essence, a trip to the local Citroen dealer to view a Citroen Saxo resulted in the purchase, for 1250 euros, of a magnificent Citroen C5. It is a 2004 model with 202k kms on the clock and I am told it was "doctor owned" and that he traded it in for a new model. I'm glad I am not one of his patients, but it does have quite a bit of service history (probably carried out by another Greek doctor, I imagine).

The car on purchase was typically Greek (yeah, I know, it's French) in that it was covered in dings, scratches and came with a great array of gizmos which didn't work. The inside was filthy and the speare wheel well full of water. It has three wheel trims of one type, and one of another. It was therefore declared in "excellent" condition by the dealer, which is pretty much how all cars are described here. I suppose that, in a land of pick-up trucks driving around with no front wings, it is.

Anyway, I am bonding with the car and slowly improving it which gives me something to do in the generally cold Cretan winter. Although at the time of writing, it is 19 degress and sunny.

Marc from the FCF has been a fantastic help in getting various things working (see https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=64394 so this will be a blog about bringing the old girl up to scratch (of which she has many).

Off the top of my head, we will need to look at:

- Bodywork. I'm not going to try to restore it, but making it shine would be nice
- Rear parking sensors
- Tyres
- Interior trim
- Interior cleanliness
- Exterior trim, like attaching the front bumper properly
- Boot/trunk water leak (actually, it does the opposite to leak, it attracts water)
- Passenger side door mirror (you have never seen such bodgery)
- Air bag fault
- Wheel trims
- Need I go on?

Here's a pic of the car.
20200117_111323op.jpg
More to follow.

John
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myglaren
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by myglaren »

Surprised it has wheel trims. I thought all C5s had alloys as standard, even the black spare 'steely' is aluminuminum.
Bung your VIN in so Marc can see the original spec for you.
And welcome to the FCF :)

Have it already from John's other thread Steve - John's done his intro after his first post :-D

https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=64394

These are the 15 INCH 14-SPOKE CHAMBORD STYLE trims fitted on this (1.8 Petrol)
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mickthemaverick
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

Hi John, and a belated welcome :welc: to the forum from me. I have read your "niggles" thread and glad to see that you have already appreciated the excellent contribution that Marc makes to the FCF. I would imagine the 19 fuse was deliberately moved by the dealer, while the car was in his stock to prevent battery drainage, and he should have corrected that before you took the car, however all's well....I was interested to see you are restoring a Triumph as I completed that 6 year task with a Stag a couple of years ago and it has now moved on to a new owner. I look forward to watching your progress as time goes by. :)
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johnnyj
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by johnnyj »

Hi guys and thanks so much for the welcome. Steve, the wheel trims are extra special as they come with cable ties to hold them on. Must have been a local variant ;). Mick, the Triumph is a bit of a labour of love and you can read about it here https://t-r-7.blogspot.com/.

One of the jobs I have to do is replace the passenger side door mirror, as it has been spectacularly bodged. Currently I am trying to work out if I can find one in a Greek breaker's yard, or whether it would be best to get one from ebay UK and have it shipped.

Drum roll please for what's on the car at present...ta-da!
20200202_132226.jpg
It is a work of art, isn't it?

John
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Paul-R
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by Paul-R »

Virtually an invisible repair I'd say.
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johnnyj
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by johnnyj »

I think so, too. Beautifully crafted. Perhaps the doctor was used to pinning together arms and legs.
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mickthemaverick
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

A riveting picture but it probably doesn't reflect too badly on the perpetrator :-D

I had a quick look at the TR7 blog, thanks John, I will read it properly during the week, got a few jobs on my C5 tomorrow!! :)
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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white exec
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by white exec »

You got a bargain there for €1250. Here in Andalucia that would have cost double!
Chris
johnnyj
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by johnnyj »

Thanks Chris. I think I put a few Euros on it already just by following Marc's wise words, and cleaning it!
John
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DHallworth
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by DHallworth »

I'm not the only one with Citroen's and a Jag then :)

Welcome to the forum!

David.
'98 Xantia Activa V6 :-D
'00 XM V6 Exclusive
'09 C5 2.7 HDi Exclusive
‘10 C5 3.0 HDi Exclusive
'12 C6 3.0 HDi Exclusive
'15 C4 BlueHDi Feel
johnnyj
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by johnnyj »

Yes David, I have two rubbish cars. A 2008 XF and a Triumph TR7! Only kidding, I love them both.
johnnyj
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by johnnyj »

So, here's a thing. The C5 appears to be guzzling petrol (or "Venzini" as it is called here. Confusingly, diesel is called "petrelio" which isn't great if the gas station owner is slightly drunk or my Greek isn't up to scratch) at an alarming rate.

I just can't fathom the LCD computer display which says something like } 6.7/100, but according to the book kindly sent by Steve memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=7403 that is my instant MPG/KPL reading.

It really does drink fuel and I have noticed something else: when I open the window to get some fresh air, all I smell is enriched fumes. When the window is closed, all is well. If it had SU carbs I would be looking at the mixture.

Another one to look at.

Cheers guys & gals

John
furriegurrie
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by furriegurrie »

Check the spark plugs and the airfilter to see if they need changing.
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moizeau
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by moizeau »

You should have 3 readings, toggle the trip using the knob on the right hand stalk. The 1st one is current (recalculating every now and again), the 2nd and 3rd are trips and should show the average over the shown kms. 6.7/100 (6.7 litres/100km) doesn't seem too bad for a petrol knocking round town.
Pete
Notice the BX is still top the list but sadly gone
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mickthemaverick
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Re: John's Greek C5

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

I would suggest that the reading is in Litres consumed per 100 kilometers. Thus 6.7l = 1.78 gallons. 100k = 62 miles giving 34.8 mpg That is a bit low but I would suggest you may have a leak in the injection system, maybe in the surplus fuel return side which causes the fumes. I'd check out the overflow connectors on the injectors and the unions in the return line first as I have known them to have porous issues on the 2.0l engine!. :)
Last edited by mickthemaverick on 03 Feb 2020, 20:58, edited 1 time in total.
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!