Hi all

Now just after two weeks or so after loosing an immaculate side lamp in a windy drive home, i had another disaster tonight on my way home.

Steadily driving at a good 70mph or so, I had a feeling of the car pulling to the left, and needing to obviously hold the car to the right slightly, I was about half a mile from my exit, when a sudden roar and wobble got worse and I had to fight to hold the car straight, I got to my slip road I needed and stopped at the side to get out and find that my NEAR SIDE front tyre had blown out on the inside AND out side walls!!

The tyre was smoking when I pulled up and a bad smell of rubber...

So, what now, no trolly jack, I had just removed it at the weekend just, but I had the useless original jack, so with no choice had to use it..

Put the jack on the jacking point, on the cill edge, let the suspension down, and crunch.... it colapsed!! however to a point, but enough to notice needing welding back up.. anyway, when it finished colapsing, managed to just get enough height to get the wheel off and swap for the spare.. also suffereing from a hydraulic leak, I dont think there was enough fuild top get the car high enough to get the jack under the subframe!!! NOT MY NIGHT..

So will need to check out the exact damage to the cill tomorrow afternoon and see were I stand... looks like the XM SD DERV I'm fetching on Saturday may come in usefull in the end, and shall enjoy some DERV driving again..

I shall keep you informed. and pics of the tyre to follow!

Regards
citroenxm

Glad to see you're Ok, thats the main thing, could have been much worse at that speed!

I had a similar thing happen when one of the back tyres divorced the rim. Luckily I was only doing about 30 at the time though and limped into a side street.
Says something about the XM suspension though, the fact that you didn't know anything was severely wrong until it completely blew out!

Worrying about the sill really, I suppose daylight will take you more. I hate the Citroen jack, don't trust it at all. I keep an old Vauxhall one for the XMs, purely for the reason that it has a lip which surrounds the jacking point on both sides, and lends a bit more support, less liklihood of it bending or collapsing due to all the weight being concentrated on one point.
I hope its not too bad.

Glad you're alright anyway!

Ciarán

Hi citroenxm

is there a chance this hapenned because the tyre was low on pressure? In a couple of tyres on my car the sides are severely worn and cut, due to running the car when they were low without me having realised.

cheers
G

Not sure why you guys are not satisfied with the XM's jack, it's lifted the car faithfully many times up and down whenever I've done work "at home" (ie on street). I find it doens't need lots of strenght either. My mother had a Clio I with a much worse jack -you needed muscle to work it and after a while the thread has failed!-.

cheers
G

I just find its very ackward to use, due to the angle you have to turn the handle at, I always end up scraping my knuckles on the ground. That, and its not very secure. Theres hardly any 'slot' for the sill lip to go into, and its just far too shaky for my liking.

Ciarán

My XM jack started to bend sideways last time I used it (well I suppose what I mean is is started to bend towards the front of the car - if that makes sense).

I agree they are difficult to use and flimsy. Only for emergencies.

When I remember, I carry a log in the car, about 9" round or thick. Just put the car on high suspension, place the log under the appropriate jacking point and let the suspension down, your wheel is in the air and the jacking point usually in tact.

Those of you that have had CXs will probably remember the fantastic directional stability due to the the centrally mounted steering knuckles. I drove for several miles up the newly opened M5 some years ago, with a flat o/s front tyre without realising it, only the rather rough ride made me investigate, I found a very flat and smoking tyre. Otherwise the car was steering perfectly. Why did they have to spoil the XM by fitting Mcpherson struts?

Peter.N.

Hi all, thanks for your comments.

XM Jacks ARE CRAP!!! I'd just removed a trolly jack last weekend.

Geroge, Tyres pressure were fine, they had been checked the week before, it just happened to be on steels and haddn't made a habit of going down.

As for my cill....

Unfortunally, it has cracked and opened a nice hole in her!!! So I'm gonna have to now learn to weld! I've refused so far as with Xantias I've not needed to weld, but now with these old girls, they are showing signs of letting us down!

Thanks for your concerns ..

Regards to all
citroenxm