Vsx Td Estate On Ebay

[Gav]

reliability of the engine should be worry free as they are robust. i've never had any issues with mine, i just treat it to regular water/oil/filter changes when required and i did give it new injectors but then it has done 170k now. i'm still on the same (presumed to be original) clutch too BTW - because the 2.5 is sooo torquey at low revs the clutch gets an easy life. you can pull away even on hills without needing any throttle. (this is the main reason i preferred the 2.5 because it makes driving so effortless)

perhaps a couple of pointers i could offer...
* check the radiator throoughly - its critical.
* Get the water / anti-freeze flushed out and changed - they will know how do it properly as you need to be careful with the bleeding. then at least you know its been done.
* check the exhaust for a pinprick hole located directly under the glove box. the engine motion / exhaust fitting tends to cause a crack on the underside of the pipe just to the front of the joint in this location. WHM could probably repair / patch it but its a pain to get that section off and do it yourself.
* check condition of strut tops, not a 2.5 specific thing but they do have the larger diameter struts.
* check the condition of the ancillaries belt. any sign of wear to the belts edge will mean the adjuster is worn. (its well documented on this sight and not to be alarmed by - even when warn the belt still functions, it just gets slightly narrower with time!)
* check the speedo works and is not intermittent - you will know if it is when you drive it. This is a known issue with the early 2.5s (and not actually an mot failure because they do not test the car at speed!)
* check for proper function of the thermostat - check out the invaluable helpfile on this website. mine turned out to be faulty, whether from mileage or age i dont know. not expensive or that difficult to do.


also if you want a laugh or just to be pedantic:
* get the gear oil changed (its a quick enough job with the right access)
* see if the oil filter is the corret size - it should be longer than you probably expect, not the same ratio of dia. to length.
* ask if the anti-sink sphere has been charged! (its a bit inaccessible, and arguably pointless as well)

then there is the electrics..... the engine electrics are completely trouble free, its just the rest of the car.

dont be alarmed, this is just a compilation of the expertise i have learned from this website or my own experinces.

[Citroenmad]

Thanks again, ill print off your comments and take them with me to remind me what to check.

Do you think anything on your list they would replace? Even the coolent which they could argue doesnt need doing?

Its got digi. climate control, which ive heard can be a little problematic, but no cruise control, which ive also heard stories about. So atleast just the climate to worry about there.

I hope it is a good one, im liking the sound of the 2.5!

[xmexclusive]

Hi Citroenmad

Cruise on a 2.5 is different to all other XM's and fully electronic. The wiring should be there already on all types of 2.5 so you just fit the two switches. There is a self help on here. The only problem that has been reported is incomplete wiring on the first few 2.5 off the production line in 1994. On the theremostat issue a 2.5 should quicky get up to a fraction under 90 degrees on the gauge and then hold very close to this however hard you drive it. If the temperature stays low the stat is defective and needs replacing. If the temperature runs high (95 plus) in hard moderate speed driving or in stop start driving the fan, relays or wiring are in trouble. They tend to drop back to 90 when driving in the 60 to 70 mph range even when these faults are present.

Regards

John

[Citroenmad]

Thanks John, so i can fit cruise to a 2.5! Interesting. Thats definitely something id like to look into.

Thanks for the info, ill keep it all in mind on saturday when i view the car.

[Citroenmad]

One other thing, how common are the rear radius arm bearings going on XMs?

I know its a fairly common thing on Xantias and Bxs, i hope they are ok on this 2.5 estate.

Has anyone noticed, WHMs 2.5 red exclusive has sold against it on ebay. It did look very smart mind.

[Gav]

you will enjoy the 2.5 with cruise. Totally effortless motorway driving - when there's an empty enough motorway anyway. The digi climate works just fine and is great this time of year, i've had no troubles myself. If the engine thermostat is working properly you hot air blowing within a few 100m even with a frost on the car.

To answer your question about getting the garage to do some work... they really should do the change of rad water, the gear oil, and the anc. belt if needed. These items almost certainly will not be on any service documents they have. The rest of the list just gives you something to think about the first w/e you have it and are busy washing it!!

[Citroenmad]

It should make it the ideal motorway cruiser.

We have a 2.5TDi Caravelle with cruise, it just eats the miles. Also my little 1.4 Seat TDi has cruise, so it would be nice if we got it working on the Xm too.

Im surprised at how fast you say the 2.5 warms up, all 3 of our german cars take miles and miles bfroe any heat comes out, i once did 11 miles on a very cold winter morning in the Seat without it even reaching full temp!

Our Xm does warm through fast, but i just put that down to it being a petrol. So good news!

Seems as if we might be having a second trip down to collect it if its what were looking for. Still as long as it gets the things done it needs then 1K miles total trip to see and collect it should be worth it!

Actually, if it does need something then ill be half way there in the middle of next week anyway, so i could pick it up then, that would be ideal.

I just hope it is as good as it sounds, i hope the sills and body work arnt too rusted, bodywork is fine to do but sills id rather not have to bother with.

[Gav]

actually there is a very good reason for the fast build up of heat... the engine produces an awful lot of it by design, hence the cooling water and rad system is so critical. and why the control system maintains a tight engine temp because the whole system is on the limit, but not over it.

[Citroenmad]

WHM is advertising the white 2,5 estate for £1850 in the citroenian, i wonder if that was its original price and its ebay price its current price. I do hope so!

[nirgunapa]

Any news following your visit at the weekend?

Colin

[Citroenmad]

Yes, news:

Its not as good as i was wanting, maybe i was wanting too much.

I dont want to say too much, as Dan at WHM is very helpful and i dont want to say anything bad. However i dont think he knew about the problem we found. Under its boot floor carpet was soaked in water & sand, it was rusty around the seams of the boot floor, small puddles of water under the rear seats and the seats were mouldy, it looked like it had been wet for some time. Plus a few other issues. Spheres were totally spent, but they would be done for its new owner.

This put us off as soon as we saw it, so we did not check its history or drive it as it was obvious it was not what we wanted, it just felt like it may be a whole load of trouble. We dont want the potential hassle of having to repair the boot floor if it has rusted through. It may well be a small issue like a rubber seal gone or something, but along with the fact we thought it had air con (we did not ask it did but asumed 'electronic climate control' ment the digi air con and not the standard VSX non air con system - our fault for not asking) and the water inside the car, black gunge in the drain areas under the bonnet and a ripped off jacking point put us off - given that for £1300 it should be a little better, i would think?

Im sure it will make a great workhorse for someone - the engine sounded nice, the clutch was ok as were the gears. However as i said i didnt drive it on the road but did move it in the carpark. We dont want a workhorse, we want a car which is a pleasure to go anywhere in, you dont have to worry about it having issues while your using it and it needs to look decent. Much like our hatch - it became obvious when we parked next to the estate how nice our xm really is!

So the search continues, id consider a petrol estate, even without air con, but it has to be in good basic condition. I dont think thats too much to ask really, they must exist! Even if it means holding out for a while, it doesnt matter as it wont be an everyday car anyway.

Anyone think im being to picky about it?

This post has been edited by Citroenmad on November 10, 2008 11:58 pm

[Peter.N.]

There are still a few good ones out there, I'm sure I have seen some on Ebay in better condition than that. I bought my green 2.1 estate for £800 just over four years ago, I had to fit a head gasket about 10k after I bought it but it has been utterly reliable for 60k since and is still quite tidy, the only damage on it is what I have done and there is no rust. I bought a 2.1 hatch last year for £250, it needed a clutch but otherwise was in excellent condition. It maybe that in order to get a good one you will have to be prepared to do some work on it.

Peter.N.

[Citroenmad]

Hi Peter, thank you for giving me some hope!

Im quite prepared to do work on one, it just has to be a good base car to start with.

I dont mind, most things can be repaired as long as its a sound car that has been well looked after thats all i want.

They dont suffer much from body rust do they, ive seen a couple but generally they hold up well to that.

A good clean body and interior and a healthy engine is all i ask Even if it does need a clutch or headgasket, thats not much of a problem. Most things can be repaired or replaced, providing its a good enough body to warranty the bother of doing it! Which i didnt think this white one was.

[Peter.N.]

There are a few rusty ones out there now but it usually shows up on the outer panels, the rear wheel arches being the most likely place. My red estate has a little rust on the wheel arch but it hasn't got any worse since I had it. I always flood the sills with engine oil about once a year, you can put in through the plastic trim screw holes below the doors with an oil can. That will stop rust in most of the usual places. If you don't mind doing some work, ebay is probably the best place to look.

Peter.

[Citroenmad]

My hatch has a tiny bit of rust on the rear wheel arch and a tiny bit on the front too. As soon as the van comes back from the bodyshop the Xm will be going to get repaired. Its not really noticable but its best to keep on top of it, its the only thing which lets the car down. One of its front tow eye covers had lost nearly all of its paint, so that will be done too.

Will have to try and source another set of front mudflaps, once mine come off for the wing to be repaired there is no way they will go back on given the state of the brackets. Anyone know if you can still get them from Citroen?

I read you saying about that in another thread, im planning on doing that, thanks for the tip.

I do keep a regular check on ebay, seems that may be my best bet.