
Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
I have a set of good quality spring compressors Mick 

Jim
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Pleased to report the car completed 308 miles today without a problem other than the occasional strut top rumble which is already in hand!! Both front and rear passengers reported a very comfortable ride and a nice place to be!! It will be ok for Germany next week!! 

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
That was a tremendous day out Mick
Hugely enjoyed and well impressed with the C4 - very well bought indeed 
Goes well doesn't it!
The biggest surprise for me was just how OK the EGS gearbox is
Thanks for a great day out


Goes well doesn't it!
The biggest surprise for me was just how OK the EGS gearbox is

Thanks for a great day out

Jim
Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Well I had an entertaining few hours last evening getting to grips with the android head unit which is installed in the C4. The reversing camera is superb, as long as you turn the reverse image off, and I got the satnav up and running although I am not impressed with the american lady voice's pronunciation!! We have a village down the road called HERTINGFORDBURY, which I know sounds like a committee decision as to what suffix to add to Hertford for the name but she pronounces it HURTINEFEDBRY which is very irritating!!
However the most important thing is that it is now hooked up to my phone allowing me to use Spotify for my music and far more importantly I can listen to Talksport!! Encouraged by those leaps forward I went back on the comparison sites to discover annual insurance can be matched to the Subaru's. So half the mileage, twice the economy, road tax £350 less and 5 years younger!!! Hmmm I feel a difficult decision ahead!!

However the most important thing is that it is now hooked up to my phone allowing me to use Spotify for my music and far more importantly I can listen to Talksport!! Encouraged by those leaps forward I went back on the comparison sites to discover annual insurance can be matched to the Subaru's. So half the mileage, twice the economy, road tax £350 less and 5 years younger!!! Hmmm I feel a difficult decision ahead!!

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Hopefully there will be an option to have alternative voices. My daughter set mine to Yoda.
I wonder how yours deals with Worcestershire and Edinburgh.
One of the directors at the place I worked set off for Scotland in a brand new van. On his return he was asked how he liked the satnav. He had turned it off after a couple of miles because "I didn't want that woman telling me what to do"!
I wonder how yours deals with Worcestershire and Edinburgh.
One of the directors at the place I worked set off for Scotland in a brand new van. On his return he was asked how he liked the satnav. He had turned it off after a couple of miles because "I didn't want that woman telling me what to do"!
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
I wonder how it would cope with Cirencester and Cholmondely!
As I get older I think a lot about the hereafter - I go into a room and then wonder what I'm here after.
Inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened.
"Trying is the first step towards failure" ~ Homer J Simpson
Inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened.
"Trying is the first step towards failure" ~ Homer J Simpson
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
On the EGS front, never had one so have you just got two pedals Mick, brake and accelerator, and you shift gears manually with the stick and all the clutch-ey stuff is done "automatically". Is that just to preserve the experience of moving a stick about for customers or does it have any advantages over a fully automatic box.

If I didn't detest the phase "no br???er" so much it could well be used appropriately for that decision.mickthemaverick wrote: 20 Jul 2024, 08:25 Encouraged by those leaps forward I went back on the comparison sites to discover annual insurance can be matched to the Subaru's. So half the mileage, twice the economy, road tax £350 less and 5 years younger!!! Hmmm I feel a difficult decision ahead!!![]()

Then again you know the Subaru and its foibles, have fixed many of them, and until the dreaded misfire it has done it's duty reliably on many a trip. Looking through the list of cars you have had I imagine doing a replacement with the C4 wont be too much of a wrench, just business! Bit of an unfair comparison at the minute though, one car that works and one that doesn't awaiting surgery, but will you have the enthusiasm to fix the Subaru when there's this new kid in town.

Good luck with your new acquistion...looks like a good one and backed up by Jim and Zel's comments too.

Neil
Last edited by NewcastleFalcon on 20 Jul 2024, 18:10, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Thanks for the good wishes Neil, I have today had all four wheels off and checked pads and pins, all good as are the tyres inside and out. I had to do a bit of bodywork clip replacing as there were a couple missing from the nearside wing. All sorted now, didn't take my phone outside so no pics I'm afraid but they wouldn't be very exciting anyway!!
I have plenty of enthusiasm for sorting the Subaru as soon as the parts arrive as parking the extra car means playing musical cars every time SWMBO wants to access the garage where she keeps her car and she goes out in it most days!
One excellent piece of news is that the new strut top for the C4 was delivered today so I will be taking it up to Jim's to get it sorted with his spring compressors next week. Off out to get some headlamp deflectors and then, with the strut top done, it will be ready for Germany!!
I have plenty of enthusiasm for sorting the Subaru as soon as the parts arrive as parking the extra car means playing musical cars every time SWMBO wants to access the garage where she keeps her car and she goes out in it most days!
One excellent piece of news is that the new strut top for the C4 was delivered today so I will be taking it up to Jim's to get it sorted with his spring compressors next week. Off out to get some headlamp deflectors and then, with the strut top done, it will be ready for Germany!!

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
That is excellent Mick! Looking forward to seeing you and getting this job sorted and you all ready for Germanymickthemaverick wrote: 20 Jul 2024, 16:27
One excellent piece of news is that the new strut top for the C4 was delivered today so I will be taking it up to Jim's to get it sorted with his spring compressors next week. Off out to get some headlamp deflectors and then, with the strut top done, it will be ready for Germany!!![]()


Jim
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
@ Neil - No gear stick in EGS just the selector on the steering column (or elsewhere, depending on model), and no clutch pedal. You can tell EGS cars vs TC auto, as there is no P position on the selector. Clutch and gear change taken care of by the electronics and hydraulics. Only difference in manual mode is that it doesn't automatically shift up or down - although it will still select 1st if you come to stop. It's not the fastest change in the world, and a bit of anticipation is required when it changes gear to avoid it lurching. No creep at idle. Not really sure why PSA went down this route, maybe they couldn't get a decent deal on a full auto box. Discontinued about 2015/6 when they brought in the EAT 6 (and later 8) box which is a proper TC auto.
@ Mick / Jim, I suspect this is like the MK1 C4 Picasso / 307 / 3008 I have done before - the strut top is held on by a single nut screwed onto the top of the damper shaft - you need a decent 7mm Allen key to counter hold it whilst you undo the nut with a 21m cranked ring (or a 7/8"W which is what I have got that works admirably!). Depending on the C4 layout it may be necessary to remove the wipers and scuttle panel to get access - and you may need to remove the wiper motor(s) as well - you do on a MK1 Picasso, but not on 307 / 3008. The springs are asymetric, so expect the compressors to be on all skewed! Hopefully your new top mount includes the bearing - as these are always knackered and need replacing.
@ Mick / Jim, I suspect this is like the MK1 C4 Picasso / 307 / 3008 I have done before - the strut top is held on by a single nut screwed onto the top of the damper shaft - you need a decent 7mm Allen key to counter hold it whilst you undo the nut with a 21m cranked ring (or a 7/8"W which is what I have got that works admirably!). Depending on the C4 layout it may be necessary to remove the wipers and scuttle panel to get access - and you may need to remove the wiper motor(s) as well - you do on a MK1 Picasso, but not on 307 / 3008. The springs are asymetric, so expect the compressors to be on all skewed! Hopefully your new top mount includes the bearing - as these are always knackered and need replacing.
Richard W
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Ah yes, I sheared off my (Halfords Professional or possibly "Advanced") 7mm to 3/8" square drive adapter on the strut replacement task.
Since bought some impact quality bits (off eBay, Sealey branded from memory) and I've not busy the 7mm in that set, yet!
As said a nice cranked 21mm is also needed, I've a cheap Silverline 21/23 offset ring spanner almost exclusively used for this job.
Since bought some impact quality bits (off eBay, Sealey branded from memory) and I've not busy the 7mm in that set, yet!
As said a nice cranked 21mm is also needed, I've a cheap Silverline 21/23 offset ring spanner almost exclusively used for this job.

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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Unlike olden times, auto boxes are now the 'efficient' mode of transmission for ICE engines, mainly because they would normally change gear when they think it's a good - efficient - time, hence allegedly improving efficiency. EGS boxes probably helped at the time by not having a TC, but things have moved on now and we have proper full auto boxes with TCs ! 

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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
They're great Jim, as long as they're working. I know we hear of them being unreliable but 3 of the families I know near here have 2010/11 C4 Grand Picassos with them, all with 140k+ on them and they've been faultless.
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
I have a set of snap-on 3/8 drive Allen keys so hopefully the 7 will do the job!! Jim has the offset spanner and between us we have two De Walt 'undo anything' impact tools. I bought mine for the suspension job on the Subaru lower arms so it will be handy to prize it out the box again!!
I bought the new top complete with bearing and the top washer and nut so all things being equal it shouldn't be too bad!!
According to the Youtube videos I have watched it is just the wipers, scuttle cover and trim to remove and then you can operate the wiper mechanism from the switch to get the mechanism into the position where you have clear access to the 21mm nut for the spanner and key on an extension. It'll be a doddle

As for the EGS gearbox I have found it better in some ways than a TC box as it has absolutely zero creep when the gear selector, floor mounted in my case, is in the auto position but the car is stopped with no throttle. There is an initially irritating delay in drive pickup when you press the throttle whether in auto or manual mode but I have now completed 400+ miles and got used to applying the throttle just a second or so before you would with a clutch and it is fine. By micro adjustments of throttle pressure you can achieve exceedingly smooth, virtually imperceptible gear changes so I am pretty happy with it. And of course I have bragging rights down the pub having a hyper car style set of flappy paddles

I bought the new top complete with bearing and the top washer and nut so all things being equal it shouldn't be too bad!!

According to the Youtube videos I have watched it is just the wipers, scuttle cover and trim to remove and then you can operate the wiper mechanism from the switch to get the mechanism into the position where you have clear access to the 21mm nut for the spanner and key on an extension. It'll be a doddle





As for the EGS gearbox I have found it better in some ways than a TC box as it has absolutely zero creep when the gear selector, floor mounted in my case, is in the auto position but the car is stopped with no throttle. There is an initially irritating delay in drive pickup when you press the throttle whether in auto or manual mode but I have now completed 400+ miles and got used to applying the throttle just a second or so before you would with a clutch and it is fine. By micro adjustments of throttle pressure you can achieve exceedingly smooth, virtually imperceptible gear changes so I am pretty happy with it. And of course I have bragging rights down the pub having a hyper car style set of flappy paddles

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Re: Mick reaffirms FCF qualification
Thanks Richard et al for the extras on the EGS. I wonder if after the novelty wears off drivers tend to just stick it in Auto and drive it in automatic mode most of the time, or maybe the opposite and they become addicted to playing with the paddles.
Neil
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