Citroen Xantia

[Longdog]

Hi all, has anybody out there got any hints and tips for a new owner of one of these eccentric cars?
Be nice!

[Leo]

Think in days rather than hours if you have to carry out any repairs, but a great car nevertheless and spares can be bought cheap if you shop around

[dean36014]

Good cars, I've had two, ran them for 10 years. Make sure the suspension works OK, check the vehicle lifts up and down on the height lever. A hard bouncy ride can be attributed to dodgy spheres, they can be changed with a strap wrench. If you hear a constant load ticking under the bonnet the accumumlator sphere by the pump has had it, it should only tick about every 30 seconds IIRC. Diesel engines are bullet proof, the straight diesels are a bit slow, the turbo diesels go well, the HDI's even better. The HDI engine is a lot more expensive to repair compared to the old XUD engines. Check for LHM fluid leaks, sometimes the strut return pipes can leak, easy enough to change. Only use green LHM to top the system up, any other type of oil is a no no. Check the front strut tops very carefully. there is a big issue with these failing and then the strut comes through the inner wing and damages the bonnet. Extreme failures will completely wreck the bonnet and bend it severely stopping it opening. Basically the strut top/mount is rubber coated, underneath the rubber is a steel mounting flange. This corrodes badly beneath the rubber and they often fail without warning. I think replacements are about a £100 each + fitting. The clutch cable can fail without warning. Its normally a little clip on the clutch pedal which costs about 3 quid, however its extremely akward to change. Mine failed while on holiday, main dealer charged £175 to change and that was about 10 years ago! It is possible to do it yourselve but involves alot of dash board removal or long fingers and alot of patience.
Parts are available cheaply from GSF or Euro Car parts. You hardly ever need to consider a main dealer. Rust isn't really an issue, heater matrix's leak another dash out job. IIRC there was a problem with door hinges parting company from the bodyshell, but i think that only effected estates.
I'd have another diesel one tomorrow if the Misses would let me. Best fuel consumption i got was 62mpg on a diesel. that was at a steady 75mph on the motorway up to Peebles in scotland. Used to get high 30's around town.
Worth looking on the following forum, just about every fault and repair can be found there.
http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/

[Longdog]

That's great to hear and very helpful.The car is an hdi 110 with 74k and full citroen sh.A joy to drive and very refined with no leaks or excessive clicking.I knew most of what I had to check for.I think the front top mounts were superseded with a stronger assy, but am going out now to check.
cheers, Andy.

[Leo]

That clutch clip can be replaced without removing the dash
Take out the front seat, lying on your back, remove the footbrake plunger and the footbrake pedal. You can then replace the clip
The pedal bolt is replaced the other way round

Those clutches can last well over 100,000 miles, so why they used a flimsy plastic clip to attach the steel cable to the pedal is a mystery

Handbrake cables fail, another time consuming job, done by feel

Also had problems with the return pipes on the hydraulics perishing, it's getting to them that is the problem, you need very small hands

[MarkyB]

Never, never substitute brake fluid for LHM fluid.
Every seal in the brakes, steering and suspension have to be replaced if this is done .

[Longdog]

By all accounts the maladies associated are usually down to poor maintenance or lack of knowledge as Citroen don't seem to have as many reliability issues in countries where cars are looked after on the whole by main dealers.
A good few hydraulics are ruined by lack of understanding by "have a go garages".
Thanks again for replies.

[linearaudio]

Yep, go with all that! I've had 4 BX's and now a Xantia TD Estate. Don't let the hydraulics frighten you- its all very well proven stuff. "Pleiades" in Cambridge recondition all the parts if you ever had a problem, but its usually only the spheres that go after about 3 years, available about £23 each from motor factors.
Only critisicsms I had with the Xantia are that being a more robustly built car than the BX added a lot to the weight, and the fuel economy suffers accordingly. Also corner vision front and rear is awful, like in many "moderns" with steeply raked, heavy pillars. And similarly, the loadspace is smaller despite the car being 8" longer than its predecessor! Thats progress!
The HDI sounds a cracker, and should be cheapish as they don't hold their prices well. Have fun with it!

[bigjohn]

the only problem i had with an hdi [peugeot 306] was if the engine management light came on it was a garage job and 9 out of 10 the fault wasnt what the computer said it was,so i got rid and bought a 306 with machanical pump lot more reliable[the old girls upto 268000 mile and still going strong

[linearaudio]

Aaah, yes! And as for intermittent ABS warning lights Don't like Citroen ABS anyway, seems a little fierce, maybe something to do with the pressures/ pipe sizes that they are valving?

[Longdog]

I have a theory that the abs is very sensitive to compensate for the on or off nature of the brakes with not much in between.You need the touch of twinkle toes on the brakes.The Mog will feel like it hasn't got any brakes next time I'm out for a spinette.I have only done about 400 miles but love the car to bits.
I have had a number of German cars prior to this but none compare with the common rail diesel for quiet refined smooth operation.

[martinf]

hello,im new here,but on my 3rd xantia! there very reliable,if looked after,change the hyd fluid every 24000 miles,its cheep and easy to do,theres also some filters in the resivior,clean them too,it will keep the system running ok and improve the lift and steering responce too.

[Longdog]

Thanks for that Martin F, we have just been over to France and the car did good work in snow of 6" + while others were not coping so well. Obviously the genius of the suspension design shows through at times like that. I shall do the lhm at the interval you recommend. Cheers, Andy.