Citreon Xantia?

[Bailes1992]

Anyone own one?
I can get insured on a 2.0 Turbo Xantia cheaper than my current 406. Plus there much cheaper to buy.
I'm mainly looking at a 2.0HDi Exclusive model at the moment. It's green with cream leather.
Whats the deal with the suspension on these? I know they use shpears but how does this system work? Can you highten or lower the car as you wish? How easy/expensive is it to change the sphears?
Now I have a Ford Focus comming my way so not even sure why I'm looking at Xantias but I've just taken a fancy to them.
Whats common problems on them? How reliable are they? Whats the handling like?

Ta, Bailes

[Welly]

They lost favour in the end because of scary repair prices from main dealers on the suspension but by all accounts a DIY'er can change the spheres surprisingly cheaply (it's a common problem).

I think the sussy is more about ride quality than outright 'handling' and it'd probably wallow around through the bends unless you get an 'active' model with the bells and whistles sussy.

I've just found something that'll scare the crap out of you........http://www.shanescitshed.com/xantia/xantiaspheres.htm

[Bailes1992]

So they simply unscrew and screw back in?
How much are the sphears? If there cheap surley it would be worth just changing the lot if I was to get one?

[steve_earwig]

The main problem on Citroens with hydraulic suspension is the hydraulic lines, when they rust out they can be hideously expensive to replace.

Yes you can change the ride height but (if it's like my BXs) there's 4 positions - from front to back: minimum (all the pressure's out of the system, you don't want to drive it like this! Gives clampers a headache though ); normal; high (gives good ground clearance, again low speed & short distances); max (system fully pressurised, mainly for maintenance, system will be rock hard and jolt the teeth out of your head if you try to drive it like this!)

The spheres contain a pressurised gas (nitrogen? Can't remember) behind a diaphragm, they loose pressure over time and need to be re-pressurised/replaced occasionally. Citroen have designed them so they self-destruct if all the pressure goes out of them.

All the hydraulics on the car run off the same system, I seem to recall stuff like under heavy braking the transfer of weight to the front spheres forces more pressure into the braking system. Scarily, if the system de-pressurises while you're driving for any reason you'll loose all the hydraulics - car on bumpstops, no power steering and NO BRAKES!

If the spheres on the suspension are de-pressurised the suspension will be rock hard and if the accumulator sphere is de-pressurised you get the distinctive click, click, click as the pump tries to maintain the pressure. These clicks are something like a couple of hundred bar so they also put a huge strain on the system.

Hmm, that's about all I remember, did I get anything right? I'm sure there's masses on Wikipedia and I reckon it'd be well worth tracking down the owner's club (I'm sure there'll be one) to have a squint on their forums.


My bro had 2 Xantias which he loved, I don't remember him having many problems apart from the driver's door falling off one of them

[waue1978]

I had a 2000 HDi 90 & it was great. BUT...

It got hit in the rear while I was waiting to get on to a roundabout. Tow bar took most of the hit (& wrote the other guy's car off) & bodywise all that needed fixing was the rear bumper, however after that day the suspension suddenly got very firm & it actually ended up being more uncomfortable than most lowered little boy Saxos. Honestly don't klnow if it was down to the shunt or just coincidental timing, but it is worth bearing in mind that the suspension & that magic carpet ride can possibly be adversely affected by many things.

Replaced it with a C5 2.2 HDi - never had one problem with the suspension on that & is still the only car that has ever taken our giant speed bumps where I live comfortably. Just a pity it was fitted with the dreaded FAP filter...

[Bailes1992]

Damm those C5's are cheap too 2.0 Petrol is pretty quick aswell

Whats the C5 like reliablility wise?

[steve_earwig]

So they simply unscrew and screw back in?
How much are the sphears? If there cheap surley it would be worth just changing the lot if I was to get one?

Oops, didn't see this before. Umm, they *should* just unscrew with a strap wrench, they did on the BXs anyway (not sure about the one in the link but that's something different). Sounds like a wise precaution. If they're not completely flat you should be able to get them re-pressurised fairly cheaply.

Goggling for prices, there's masses of stuff on changing them though.

Just spotted they should be changed ever 3 years/50,00 miles anyway.

All spheres 23 quid odd from GSF.

Everything you wanted to know - http://www.citroenet.org.uk/miscellaneo ... ics-1.html



Hmm, no-one seems to want to give prices but there's a 2 year old post on Honest John where a guy says he has all his re-pressurised every year for 25 quid

Edit: No idea, my dad's on his 2nd C5 though.

[Doggy]

Damm those C5's are cheap too

I spotted that & tried real hard to make myself like them.......

Then gave up & got a proper car.

[waue1978]

Mine was great apart from the FAP thing. It'd be down to preference really. You could probably get a really good high spec Xantia for less money (& more straightforward to fiddle with), but it'll be harder to find as most have got starship mileages now. Or a pretty good mid to low spec C5 with good old multiplex wiring, but much easier to find.

How much you spending & what happened to the Focus?

[Bailes1992]

Having the Focus but I'm not sure how long I can keep it knowing its probably going to be doing mid 20's in MPG.

[steve_earwig]

Fockusses are meant to have good handling and, er, that's it.

I thought the first C5s looked like a half-eaten ice lolly, the mark 2 was better but the mark 3... I want one!!


(Petrol powered of course)

[Doggy]

My lad's got a Feckup 1.8 TDDi which feels like a diesel go-kart and does 45 mpg ish. Bought it this time last year for £995 with about 125k on't clock. He loves it

[Bailes1992]

I got good MPG out of it on a run. And I think once the novelty of having the car wears off I'l drive it easy. If I can get 30mpg out of it, it will be cheaper to run that my 406.

[Welly]

I've only driven a Focus once, it was a W reg when it was new as a hire car, 1600cc and it was a dream to drive. To be fair most Fords are a nice drive.

The biggest problem with standard Fords is that the brake discs are about the size of a milk bottle top and just about as effective

I had the shock of my life the other day when routing around in my engine bay (for no particular reason) and happened upon a Ford electrical lead I was nearly sick there and then. I looked at the badge on the grille and it still said Volvo so I kinda felt better for a bit but FORD, urgh, for god sake

[Bailes1992]

Welly... Your T5 is just a Focus ST underneath my love

1.6 is revvy and good fun, nto fast but good fun. Any slower though I think it would be pushing it abit. It's a 1.6 I'm getting too