Shame Phil, but you've obviously had a bellyfull of the car before it really had a chance to
endear itself to you! I'm gutted for you as I'm guilty of always harping on about how folk
on Citroen forums should get one before they all end up in the hands of enthusiasts who
won't want to sell them or basket cases beyond redemption or worse; overpriced and tarted
up beyond their true condition dealer fare.

If it's any consolation I can give a fair warts and all appraisal of another Cx for you if it's
within my sphere of influence and can put a good word in for that silver late G plater my pal
has too. If that had it's minor cosmetics sorted I'd tell him to hold out for £1500 - 1700+

Andrew

Good Grief,

you sending a CX back because it has one minor problem ??? If it has little to no rust THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS !!! Anything else is easily fixable. Daravi is bomb proof. I've driven CX's since I was 16years old, and never needed to touch a steering rack or daravi controller. Just stick another control unit in it. It's not difficult. You have listed a couple of minor niggles .... Mate there NOTHING. These cars are mostly 30years old. Get used to little bits & peices needing a little tinkering ... It's an old car ...

Air-con .......................... groan .............................. Why oh why did you have to ask about that. I'm assuming the car doesn't have existing air-con ?? I'll give you an overview soon'ish.

seeya,
Shane L,

It's not really the nature nor the magnitude of the problems that are the issue here, more that the CX was sold to me as being far more of a car than it actually is. In addition, the seller has made no effort whatsoever to help me resolve matters, and has even flatly ignored correspondence sent by my solicitor. That tells you more than anything I could bash out here

To be frank, motor dealers cannot simply add a random amount of profit to the price of their cars and then wash their hands of the deal once it's done - that's called "illegal". In addition, it is also against the law to sell a vehicle in an unroadworthy state, and strange as it may seem I'm not turning a blind eye to it regardless of how simple the solution might be. Whether it's a minor problem, major problem, is easily fixed or takes days, the specialist who sold me the car should not only have been aware of the problem but should have offered to sort it.

I know EXACTLY how you feel about this situation Phil, and no doubt everyone else here will too!
There's nothing worse than feeling you've been 'stitched up' by a seller where they blatantly
misrepresented the Cx and in your case sold it where it was dangerous and undriveable as well
as defective knowingly; there'd be no way this problem on the steering could go unnoticed in
much the same way a slipping clutch or overheating engine would significantly alter the valuation
on the car.

At what point does this mean their 'good name' get's shamed on all the forums as you're not
getting very far with them it seems...

Andrew

Sorry to hear of your woes with this CX, im with Andrew you should get the car in the sort of condition you were led to believe it was in, not dumped on the drive only to have the seller wash his hands of all responsibility. Dont get me wrong, if this was a private sale it is what i would expect ie it would be your responsability to determine what condition the car was in and make an offer accordingly but you pay a dealer the extra premium to sort these things before delivery not pick the vehicle up dirt cheap wash and hoover it then stick 1k on above its true value for the privalidge.
I hope there is a satisfactory outcome to all of this for you......

Regards
D

Thanks for the support guys.

Can I ask a CX question? Is the ventilation system really as shit as I think it is, or does my car have a problem? Even on the highest fan setting, the air coming out of the front vents barely registers. There is a reasonable force onto the screen, and the speed increases if you lower the temperature (which might be the biggest clue) but it all seems a bit, well, naff.

If you've got used to the Xm set up the Cx system will be a bit of a letdown...

The s2 Cx's ventilation was never noted as being a masterpiece but there should be some
output from the central vents. I'd suggest the motor that lives just behind the passenger
glovebox that adjusts the up/down air supply isn't working correctly and the feeble air that
is coming through is likely just leakage around the flap the motor adjusts.

When you switch the various electrical options on the central fascia can you hear a whir
from the general bowels of the nearside dashboard behind the glovebox?

There's also a motor on the throat of the main intake into the heaterbox that can be seen
beside the expansion coolant bottle on the driver's side of the engine bay which can be
seen/heard working when the hot/cold selection is made on the central switches to.

Andrew

The motor does whirr when you click the 'demist' button and the air is diverted to the screen, where the flow seems to improve. It's just when you return the air to the front vents the supply dries up almost entirely. Interested in the mechanism you described near the heaterbox as the cold air volume is significantly greater than the warm air. Thanks as always for your help old bean

I've been going over this on my CX while it's in bits, getting insulated, floors fixed, air-con fitted .... etc,etc.,etc....

When you turn the heater on, the mixer flap circulates the air down through the heater core... A torturous route, so you lose a lot of air flow. The fan is also pathetic. On the Series II it appears to get it power from the ignition with no relay. I've added a relay under the bonnet to feed the fan straight from the battery.

The speed control is in the earth circuit of the fan. As it's transistor controlled, you will drop 1.4volts across the transister. the high speed relay actually bypasses the speed control so you don't drop the 1.4 volts. I found there was 2.5ohms resistance in the earth circuit, so I have added a new earth beside the full speed relay.

Then we have the final issue... There restriction above the fan out under the bonnet. I will fix this soon'ish. I haven't decided how yet. I'll investigate while she's apart.

Take a look here for voltage drop testing etc....

http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65037

seeya,
Shane L.

The heating in the CX really is rubbish, mainly due to the lack of air input. You could get a scoop to fit on the air intake which improved things somewhat, although I have never seen one in the flesh, I did se one on a car in a French film!

I took the aircon out of mine as it kept packing up, only to find as I removed the pipes that there was a loose join - where the gas had obviously been escaping. I think that I still have the compressor and most of the other bits if anyone wants them.

Peter.N.

Phil, I see Cx ownership doesn't agree with you!?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-Citroen-CX-25-G...emZ270325950185

Andrew

Looks like a neat car - until you take a peek under the bonnet. Bit of a dog's dinner. Religiously maintained Hmmm

It doesn't agree with the wife. The car is a bit noisy, a bit cramped, and a complete bastard to get in and out of if you're preggers

It remains a total delight to drive, particularly after the last service - the ride quality is arguably the best I've experienced in any car, let alone in a 20 year old Citroen! Sadly I still have the other CX with the broken steering tied up in legal wrangling so something had to give.

Regarding the engine bay, how exactly does a bit of grime - which is what we're talking about here - in a 186,000 mile car relate to its maintenance history? I suppose I could take a pressure washer to it but then half the electrics wouldn't work.

And in any case the CX isn't exactly a paragon of elegance under there anyway, what with the spare wheel, tool kit, air horns, leads and wires and the like exposed for all to see...

I tell you what though, there a site easier to repair than the XM, well to change a head gasket on anyway.

I like that. That colour just does something for a classic Citroen. My first DS was very similar with a brown targa (?) roof.I don't think the engine bay is too bad. It would be ok with a bit of a clean up. It's been years since I had my CX but I seem to remember the h&v was a bit dire.