Work required after 75k service - advice

David Mahon ( snipped-for-privacy@amigo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Cit Dealer? Take it a decent independent Citroen Specialist. Better work, half the bill. Where in the country are you?

As for the actual work...

Possible. Only way to be sure is to get the wheel up in the air and check for play. When's MOT due? Any play in the steering/front suspension?

Very likely - almost guaranteed - if they've never been done yet.

In article , Adrian writes

Hampshire (northwest)

David Mahon ( snipped-for-privacy@amigo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Anywhere near Wokingham? Pete Sparrow, PTS Developments, is *superb*.

I was going to point you in the direction of the Citroen specialist around North Camp/Ash Vale, but then realised that that's more like NE Hants than NW....

AstraVanMan ( snipped-for-privacy@Whataloadofforeskinbollocks.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Yep, West is

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

Umm. give Pete a shout anyway - he may know somebody THAT end of Hants...

Yes.

Yes.

Depends who you get to do the job.

It sounds like they're taking advantage of your lack of knowledge of all things mechanical and are blatantly taking the piss. I'm guessing you get it regularly serviced, right? There's no way that the rad should be corroded unless it's got no antifreeze in it.

AstraVanMan ( snipped-for-privacy@Whataloadofforeskinbollocks.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I doubt it. Not unless the balljoint is REALLY knackered (in which case you'd feel it through the steering) or there's no fluid left in the reservoir (they always leak, but never that badly).

Agreed.

By a dealer...

From the inside out, no. From the outside in - the fins corroding off - absolutely. The rad on my XM did that. Look at it a bit fiercely, and the fins just crumbled into dust. Then it ate it's way through, and gained a pinhole leak.

In article , AstraVanMan writes

Ash Vale near Farnborough? That's not so bad - I could walk round the bike shops there while its being worked on.

In article , AstraVanMan writes

What kind of figure (rough idea) are we talking about?

Take it to a local repairer, not a main Citroen dealer, Front wishbone with joint is around £60 for parts, maybe 1 hour fitting,could be done in less. Rear wheel cylinders around £15 each, an hour to fit,so long as the old ones come off easy enough.It's a good chance to change the brake fluid at the same time, so say, £10 for new fluid plus half hour extra labour. I'd reckon on 2.5 - 3 hours total, around £100 for parts, so £200 total would be reasonable. There may be a couple of additional items advised as well - the wheel alignment/tracking should be checked/adjusted when you have the suspension apart, and they may advise new brake shoes if the fluid has leaked onto them. Alan.

Bulb is obviously minimal - balljoint, if it's the main lower suspension balljoint, will probably be about £40 + an hour's labour for fitting, each wheel cylinder probably about £40 + an hour each side fitting. Probably about £300 or so.

But really, replacing the balljoint shouldn't take anywhere near an hour, nor should doing each wheel cylinder - should be 2 hours tops, but it all depends how much piss they take.

Possibly a lot cheaper if you go for a small specialist/one man operation who only charges around £30/hour.

In article , AstraVanMan writes

A quick internet search suggests the bulb isn't as minimal as it seems :-( - have to take the bumper off, or at least the wheel and wheel arch liner.

I think I'll get a quote from one. Unfortunately the main dealer is just up the road, which is rather convenient.

In article , AstraVanMan writes

Can you give me the details of that one in Ash Vale (website/email or phone)?

All I can remember is that they're on Lysons Avenue, and that itself might be wrong. Dead simple to get to though - just off the A331 (main road from J4 on the M3), off at North Camp, past the station, over the railway bridge, bear right at the next roundabout and you're there. Here goes - just googled for it:

Citroen Car Centre (Ash Vale) Lysons Avenue Aldershot Hampshire GU12 5QF [ phone: 01252 373716 ]

Similarly I've not known cylinders to leak since the days I used to have Minis.

Everything apart from the bulb is potentially imminently dangerous and necessary unless you think the entire NSF hub coming adrift resulting in complete loss of control or brakes failing isn't a problem.

I have no idea what "excess play in NSF the ball joint" means, other than a ball joint somewhere near the front passenger is a little looser than expected, hence my question. For all I knew it may have meant the car would just rattle a bit when going round corners. As it appears to be a serious problem, I'll arrange to have it fixed.

Basically if there's excessive play in the balljoint it means that a whole part of the suspension has free play where it shouldn't, and that free play, could result in suspension moving when it shouldn't, potentially flicking the car into a nasty spin.

I think.