Spare Wheel Theft

Hi JohnD

Snap. Had the same thing happen to me 6 months or so ago.

Report the crime to the Police, get a crime number. Just give them teh information you know. I had no idea that mine had gone until I had the first years service.

Phone Citroen HQ and tell them. They will contact your dealer and arrange for a spare wheel lock to be supplied and fitted free of charge.

They will not however pay for a tyre or rim

I had loads of rows with both Citroen UK and my dealer who both know about this problem but dont fit the lock before delivering the car!!!!

It seems that the 15" tyres are most prized by the light fingerd brigade.

Thank you Thanatos, I will try that. Did you have to apply a lot of pressure or were they reasonable?

15" tyres seem to be like hen's teeth round my way. I can buy them new but I need a spare wheel for my Xantia because the spare has gone a bit rusty around the bolt holes. Can I find one in the scrappies, can I heck.

Hi JohnD

I was given no information about this free lock by my dealer.

The lady I spoke to at Citroen HQ was very helpful indeed. BUT they will insist you report it to the police first. If you give the HQ a crime number they will give you another number (blowed if I can remember what they called it now) and HQ will tell your dealer. Armed with both these numbers your dealer will fit a 'k locking device'

Once the HQ had spoken to my dealer, the dealer was very helpful.

The thing that annoys me immensley, is that all the dealers, Citroen HQ and the Police know about this problem, but no one tells you when you buy the car!!

Regards

Hi Malc

It cost me £29 for a new wheel (not including tyre) for my multispace from a Citroen dealer.

Regards

Hi

Did you get this sorted??

JohnD ( snipped-for-privacy@dsl.pipex.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I went into two Cit dealer parts depts the other week. Both had prominent notices saying there had been a number of spare wheel thefts and that they could supply a lock kit.

Just dicovered mine gone !

£125 lighter.

Any ideas on how they do it ? I don't need specifics - but is it brute force as suggested by Mr Citroen or as I suspect - having demonstrated it in the show room simply unscrewing it.

CElliott ( snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

If it's anything like the one on my XM, there's a clamp that's on a screw thread - as you unscrew (from inside), the clamp's lowered. You can then unhook the clamp. There's also a safety catch (like on the bonnet).

I suspect that the scrotes just use a bit of brute force and ignorance and bend either the clamp or the carrier.

It's not just a Cit problem - Vauxhall also sling the spare under the boot floor. In many ways, it's a good place for it.

Hi

It can be done with VERY little force.

There goes a 185*15 wheel and tyre :-( (or whatever size you have)

When I spoke to Citroen UK I was sent a letter telling me that they could not make the wheel more secure, as when a person gets a puncture they do not the inconvenience of discovering that their spare wheel is difficult to lower.

I told the 'plonker' I would rather have the inconvenience than to discover the dam thing had been nicked!! It cannot get more inconvenient than THAT?.