Xantia 96N

Ignoring the mirrors (scrappies) and the dent (optional for looks only). I paid £50 for regassing (not vital yet) and £50 for a glow plug change and I supplied the plugs myself from Halfrauds at £30. I was intending to change them myself but it's impossible unless you really know what you're doing. The specialist I take my car to said he could have got me better plugs cheaper.

So just over £100 for the regas and replugging and then £20 for the mirrors say, and you've got a car that you can keep going to 200k miles and you say it's in good nick. No brainer really.

I have to agree with your logic here it is a total no brainer, to replace the car will cost hundreds or possibly thousands, and the replacement could have a nasty problem that the buyer doesn't know about that then costs X thousand again to fix.

Best to ignore the "actual" value of the car and look at it from the point of view that spending a couple of hundred quid will keep it running nicely for a while probably longer. I would only consider getting rid of it if lots of things were going wrong and it was really tatty and going to cost more than 500 quid to keep on the road for the next year as 500 quid is the starting price of most half-alright 2nd hand cars which will run for a year.

thanks. the alternator and cooling fan problems were the main 2 issues which i wouldsay would be the expensive bits. you both seemed to overlook them.

i would like to keep the car as it drives great. apart from that dent its like new, no scratches etc. thats why id like to fix the dent as it would make it look a million yen.

Rob

Go and get the bits from a scrappy, or just buy a dead Xantia of a similar age strip the bits you need and then scrap it yourself.

Ok I missed the alternator bit of the original post. Scrapyard again I think, most places allow you to bring one back if it doesn't work.

there which seems to be rattling alot.... and to me (although its hard to tell with the fast movements) it seems to be catching agasint the side. This to me means somethings worn and it needs replacing. This would probably be easier to buy new. cheaper than an alternator anyway.

If it turns out it is the unit. there are 3 types. (ratings in A) will i tell teh difference visually so would i know which to use.? If mine is not the largest.. 110A if i remember. would it benefit me to put a bigger alternator on for the sake of it? i do alot of driving at night. with lights on .heater etc. whilst it clearly wont struggle. would be be better off?

Rob

Hmm. I've just had a glance in me Haynes BoL. The belt path for an air con diesel is quite involved. From the top of the engine the belt goes down, round a manual adjuster some where in the middle, up, round the alternator, down, round the compressor, across to the crankshaft pulley, upand forward to the automagically adjusted roller then up and round another pulley. To adjust seems to be a case of adjusting the manual tensioner enough to put a pin into a hole on the automatic tensioner. Without a piccy it's a little hard to explain.

Personally I would have said yes fit a bigger one if you can. But I have to admit that I'm not sure if there are any issues you need to be aware of.

may be a bit warmer to work in. i'm away for a fewdays with the band. so i'll be taking the cit relay anyway so i'll look into the job when i get back around tuesday.

From what i've heard it is supposed to be autmatic adjustment. but looking at the book and ur description seems to say there is manual adjustment on it. Ah well. it'll get done at some point.

DO you (or anyone) happen to know the citroen relay inside out. Its an 04 1800. 2.8hdi (bloody lovely thing.. prefer it to my car but at

24mpg i think i'll just use it for the rig) remote central locking will lock... but not unlock the passenger door. still a warranty job but rather than mess about i wondered if there was a simple solution?

Rob