Cracking Plastic

Anything about BXs
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m_2975
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
My Cars: 1989 BX 19TRI Estate
1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

Cracking Plastic

Post by m_2975 »

Hi Guys,

Do you guys in the UK have cracking dashboards and cracked vent panels between the windscreen and the dash?

My blue BX used to have it in one piece and a few weeks ago it cracked!!! :cry:

Our Automatic BX 19TRI-122 has it intact and it would be the only one I know of that's in one piece. All the cars that came into the dealership for repairs had it cracked. Is it just our Australian sun or is it crappy plastic?

I would like a new vent but can't find on that's black and in good condition (ie: in one piece and not brittle).
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
Stewart (oily!)
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Post by Stewart (oily!) »

We dont get that over here :? theres not enough sun, in its place we get RUST! most BXs go to the scrappers with just about pristine dashboards, aircon is another rarity here too, it is really only needed for a few weeks a year, we do wear out wiper blades with monotonous regularity too.
Stewart
TZD 19 TD one of the few
Xantia Td estate, going soft
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m_2975
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My Cars: 1989 BX 19TRI Estate
1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

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Post by m_2975 »

Well how about I send you over pristine body panels and you send me over pristine dashboards! :lol:

We could have a good business going here.

Just about all BX's go to the crushers with interiors that are virtually non existent. There's usually nothing left of the dash..in fact anything plastic just crumbles in your hand.

The panels are almost always totally rust free but the paint also gets a bit of a bashing from our sun. Perfect metal underneath though. Simply paint it and it's like a brand new panel.
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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mnde
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1991 Citroen BX16 TGS Meteor - still out there somewhere!

Post by mnde »

I beg to differ about cracked vent panels between dash and windscreen.

Both my Meteors have a hairline crack in exactly the same place! I'm told this is very common. I wonder if anyone has tried filling it carefully with plastic-melting superglue...?

At least the black dash doesn't seem to fade in the sun. I once saw an '87 BX with a grey dashboard that had discoloured patches of dirty brown due to sun damage. Put me right off buying it!

Mark.
Stewart (oily!)
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Post by Stewart (oily!) »

They are actually getting quite rare over here in the scrapyards too, a few years ago my local breakers usually had for or five in the yard, I was there this morning and there are none, earlier this year there was a rather nice looking TZD there, naturally there was a peugerot 405 on its roof :? but it certainly looked saveable otherwise, for cheapo motoring these days the Xantia seems to be replacing the BX.
Stewart
TZD 19 TD one of the few
Xantia Td estate, going soft
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m_2975
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Posts: 503
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 12:08 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
My Cars: 1989 BX 19TRI Estate
1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

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Post by m_2975 »

What a shame. I prefer the BX!!

BX's are even very rare here on the roads. I think that there are less than 50 left in Victoria and I don't know about the other states of Australia.

It's a crying shame because if I want another BX to keep for good I need to do it in a hurry. Only problem is that they are all crap nowadays :cry:

What a pity.

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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Way2go
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Post by Way2go »

Stewart (oily!) wrote:They are actually getting quite rare over here in the scrapyards too.
Stewart
Sleepys quote prompted me to ring the scrapyards in our county to see if they had BX's in so I could get hold of a part for the sunroof (and the deflector - if I was lucky!) but no luck, and each scrappy said that they had not had any BX's in all year!
1991 BX19GTi Auto
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pindimar
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Cracks in the poor plastic

Post by pindimar »

My BX TZi (1990) has many cracks now in the panel between the windscreen and dash. When I got the car there were a couple of cracks on this panel and I have used Armour-all on it regularly and always keep a reflective screen on the inside of windscreen to ward off the sun.

But when I had some work done on the car at a Peugeot specialist at Waitara they parked the car out in the blazing sun without the screen and in one morning not long ago, more cracks apeared than you or I have had hot dinners!

There is also some slight cracking appearing on the dash padding.

I have been told that it is a major operation to replace that panel as the dash has to come out? Is this so (I expect it is)??

Greg (Pindimar)
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cavmad
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Post by cavmad »

Which is why I wish I had more time and space round here to store cars. I`ve been sorely tempted to start breaking BX`s (only ones that are too far gone to save though) as a sort of part-time enterprise.
Michael, I`ve no idea at all about shipping costs but I bet one or two of us could source parts and get them sent over to you. I suppose complete items like dashboards MIGHT be tricky due to size of package and the fact they`d need to be very carefull packed to avoid damage in transit but it can`t be entirely unfeasable?
Vauxhall apologist.
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m_2975
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Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 12:08 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
My Cars: 1989 BX 19TRI Estate
1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

Dash

Post by m_2975 »

Thanks Cavmad.

I really appreciate your offer. I will have a think about it.

While i'm on the topic you will be pleased to know that my baby is back on the road after 1 week of work on the car.
He now has brand new front suspension struts (which I got from the UK and cost me a fortune in shipping!!), brand new spheres all round (500cc spheres to make it really comfy), new front brake discs and pads, new right and left drive shafts, new rear arm bearings (and a new right arm!!), new ignition lock and door barrels, and a set of brand new Michelin tyres. He also got a service with all fluids drained, flushed and changed and all filters changed.

The car is amazing!!!
It feels like it is brand new!!!! I can't stop driving it!! WOW what a car.

I even overhauled the front and back hight correctors and greased the gear linkages.

To share the experience of this car now with one of you guys in the UK would be great.

Now I can work on an A/C regas (and conversion to R134A gas) and the body (even though it is VERY good) as I am a perfectionist. Only when the car looks better than off the production line will I be finished.

Thanks for your support and I will think about those parts (and see what I should have on my wishlist). As you may figure, I am a little cash strapped now for a month or so, therefore I think that it might be a few months before I can explore the possibilities of getting parts form you guys.



Regards,

Michael
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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