Hi all,

I'm new to XMs but have had a Xantia since late last summer. I decided on a Citroen because my 405 was too average. The XM I bought was from Ebay with a strut through the bonnet. So I bought a pair of struts off Brian Primmer (many thanks for that!), hired a car transporter trailer drove from Sheffield to near Glasgow, swapped strut, put car on trailer and drove home. Afterwards I found out the weight of the XM was more than I had read so the Xantia was probably over it's limit, however it performed great and overall did just 40mpg.

Currently the XM is without MOT or TAX and so is off the road until I put right several years of neglect. Such as -

Only one window works, the rear wiper doesn't, the other strut top was about to go, the LHM was filthy, the oil was like tar, the paintwork is badly oxidised and it's very rusty around the subframes etc. Oh and the inside is filthy.

Up to now I've drained the LHM, cleaned tank and filters and filled it with flushing fluid, used a oil flush then changed the oil, changed both complete struts, sorted out the oxidised paint work (makes it look less like a scrap car!), checked air filter, tried to change fuel filter but GSF supplied wrong one, fixed one of the windows, waxoiled inside all doors, removed headlight relay that was corroded and so sticking on and flattening battery. Plenty more to do.

For some reason the wife thinks I'm mad....

I'll be asking lots of questions no doubt.

Steve.

Hi Steve

Welcome to the club. Was that the silver on I saw on ebay? if so, looked quite good apart from a slightly modified bonnet. You sound quite a keen DIYer, which is just as well as you have an XM! They are a lovely car though, and I am sure your wife will change her opinion when she gets to ride in it.

Peter.N.

Hi Peter,

It was this one -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=300080554249

Well I'm not sure the wife will ever go in it, she says it looks like a 70s porn stars car. I didn't know she knew any!

It's been very neglected. Strangely the dot matrix works ok. I think the guy selling it thought it was totally finished because the immobiliser wouldn't turn 'off', it was just the fuel cut off that had tripped (thanks to George from Glasgow for suggesting that the ECU thought there was a fault). The guy selling it didn't see this though because he cleared off to his mum's and left me to it, which as it happens was just as well looking at the state of the car.

I bought my Xantia on Ebay too.

Steve.

Hi Steve

Well, it wasn't a bad price for a late car, yes, it was the one I saw. The only reason we are able to obtain these 'high tech' cars at a reasonable price is because most people and garages don't understand them and can't wait to get rid of them, but I'm all in favour of that!

Peter.N.

Hehe...Hi Steve, and welcome! It's bound to become a nice car indeed.

Is the Xantia behaving??? ;-)

Just out of curiosity, did you notice if it was the top rubber that had sheered, or was it the strut top that rusted away?

regards
George

Hi Peter,

Yes you're right about them being misunderstood, seems to be by both the public and trade, which as you say is good for us.

Hi George,

Funnily enough the Xantia is performing very well, the suspensions quite good and the engine seems pokier after having to tow the XM home.

Both rubber tops are fine just the metal that's gone. I've stripped the metal off (what's left of it) and saved all the other bit's, that way I could buy those repair kits.

Plenty to do.

Steve.

I've added a few photos to flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/xm_on_flickr/

Steve.