Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

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mickthemaverick
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Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

This thread will tell the tale of my new fleet member designed primarily as a temporary car until my Subaru is sorted. The tale of that can be found on this thread. So assuming you have caught up there I needed something, cheap to buy, cheap to run ideally with aircon and reliable to get the three of us to Germany and back. As I worked around the market place I began to refine my needs taking into account recent info on Tax rates and fuel consumption leading me to try and find a 1.6 HDi, foregoing my recent shunning of diesel in favour of economy, with an auto gearbox. I was unsuccessful so I relented and looked for an EGS boxed option.

I managed to find a 2009 C4 VTR+ which meets the requirements and has just 72000 miles on the clock. I went to see and test drive it yesterday and I was very pleased with the ride and handling so I have bought it. It is in need of some paintwork which I can sort in due course and attention to a split strut top rubber which happened when the owner replaced the coil spring. That may or may not need doing before the trip, I'll take a view with Jim and Zel's advice on Friday. The car is being brought to me tomorrow and I'll put some pics up then.

So here I go on yet another French car adventure!! :-D
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MattBLancs
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by MattBLancs »

Excellent, I did like my former C4. Only a relatively lowly LX, it was a good car.

I'd have thought a 2009 would be the earlier 16v DV6, so I'd check the injector clamp bolts as first job. 7mm Allen key from memory. Not very tight at all but just not loose is key!
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MattBLancs
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by MattBLancs »

Oh, some have a DPF, some don't! (My 2007 didn't. From new, not through illegal removal I mean)
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

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Out of interest my Citroen catalogue to date!! :-D
Citroen BX Estate 1.9 TRS.jpg
Citroen BX19 GTi 16V.jpg
Citroen ZX Volcane.jpg
Citroen C15 Van.jpg
Citroen XM VSX.jpg
Citroen XM Estate.JPG
Citroen Xantia Activa.jpg
Citroen C5 Estate HDi.jpg
Citroen C5 HPi.jpg
Citroen C5 Executive 2.0 HDi.jpg
Citroen C5 Convertible.jpg
C4 Exclusive.jpg
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I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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MattBLancs
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by MattBLancs »

First DV6 experience then looking over that lovely back catalogue?

It's a lovely rev-happy diesel and excellent economy too
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

First owned one but I had a couple of C4 Picassos on the maintenance fleet which both suffered the indignity of my manual DPF clean with brick acid and the hose, and both ran on to their end of life without further issues in that direction. In the Picasso body they were a bit of a pig to work on so I'm hoping I'll find this one more amenable to tinkering! :-D
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I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by MattBLancs »

Think access is ok in the C4, the windscreen overshoots into the engine bay (the bit where the wipers park bottom centre of the screen) and it's a major faff to get air filter housing lid out (comes towards gearbox side from memory, after you've unscrewed the MAF off the front of it (and tried not to loose the bottom 8mm head retaining screw beneath the MAF itself)

EGR is also back there and awkward to get at.

I had snapped gear cables on mine, but you'll dodge that with the EGS
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Michel
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

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mickthemaverick wrote: 17 Jul 2024, 20:17 Out of interest my Citroen catalogue to date!! :-D
I wish I'd taken photos of all mine..

2cv - four of them!
Visa 652
Xantia TD x 2
XM 2.1SD
XM 2.0 TCT Estate
XM S2 2.1TD
Xantia 1.8 petrol
Xantia 1.9TD Estate
Xantia Activa x 2
C5 2.0HDI x3
Berlingo 2.0HDi
Xsara Picasso 2.0HDi
C4 GP x 3 (1.8 Petrol, 1.6HDi, 2.0 16v HDi),
C3 Picasso 1.4 Petrol
C4 2.0 VTS Coupe
ZX 1.9TD x2
ZX 1.4 Petrol x 2
C1 Vibe
Xantia V6 x2
Xantia 2.0HDi 110
C8 2.0 Petrol

34?
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CitroJim
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by CitroJim »

Welcome back to the fold and DV6 ownership Mick :D
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

Thanks Jim, I didn't realise I'd been away :-D

That is a fair old list Mike and considering your age I wonder if you've ever had any other makes? Some of my early pics are representative of my cars as my orginals were lost after my divorce, but I did try to find good identical pics on the internet to replace them in my album! :-D
Last edited by mickthemaverick on 24 Jul 2024, 07:46, 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!
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Michel
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

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mickthemaverick wrote: 18 Jul 2024, 05:55 Thanks Iim, I didn't realise I'd been away :-D

That is a fair old list Mike and considering your age I wonder if you've ever had any other makes?
Erm.. haha , yes, I'll find my old blog and put a list on there of what I can remember..

Beware, I've got ADHD, get bored very quickly...and have a very strange mind.

I've got photos of some of them.

🤣
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

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With the one issue, other than paint, that I am aware of being the torn strut top rubber I've been doing the usual search on Youtube for an appropriate 'how to' video. I'm sure many others do the same thing and we watch and moan about the voice or the conditions or the practices in general so I was quite surprised and happy to find this far more professional approach with good clear camera work and a perfectly acceptable, if slightly patronising, commentary. The main reason I like doing this is to discover the tool sizes I will need to make sure I have them before I start, should it turn out to be necessary. In this case I'm happy to say that with the exception of the spring compressor used I have everything!! :-D

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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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by Armidillo »

mickthemaverick wrote: 17 Jul 2024, 19:09 This thread will tell the tale of my new fleet member designed primarily as a temporary car until my Subaru is sorted. The tale of that can be found on this thread. So assuming you have caught up there I needed something, cheap to buy, cheap to run ideally with aircon and reliable to get the three of us to Germany and back.

...

So here I go on yet another French car adventure!! :-D
Hang on - I was under the impression that Hamburg was in Germany! I know I'm only an antipodean, but I've actually been to Hamburg - it has a very nice Rathaus! We passed through Hamburg on our way to Gottingen, thence to Berlin via Quedlinburg.

Are you saying that you are off to Germany again - but this time in a Fwench car? Sounds like you are pushing your luck to me - why not a nice Opel? On our trip we drove a VW Kombi van - suitably Germanic :).

Cheers
Alec
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

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Yes indeed I am saying that Alec! Having just had a week there in a Japanese car I have no fears of taking a French one, the reality is I needed to get something that would be reliable, have A/C and not cost a fortune in fuel!! This fits the bill nicely and having just given it its shakedown 50 mile round trip to get the paint I am happy with it although it does need the strut top sorting. Don't tell Jim but I am hoping he'll give me a hand with that next week!! :-D
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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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

Well, an interesting day taking delivery of the new steed which is group 15 on the insurance whereas the Subaru is group 24. So you can imagine my amazement when the insurers, Halifax wanted to raise my monthly cost from £41 to £106 !! As I expect to be swapping back as soon as the Subaru is sorted, I decided to keep the Subaru as it is and took out 28 days insurance on the C4 with Tempcover who I have an account with. It cost a mere £108 but I don't run the risk of the Subaru premium being raised had I needed to swap back to it. The new policy only has £100 excess whereas mine has £300 so slight improvement there😀 The rest of the day was spent cleaning and working out how to get the satnav, spotify and youtube working. The latter to enable me to listen to Talksport as the radio is FM only!!! Grrrrrrrr 😖
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!