B*llocks!

PiLsY. · Post by **PiLsY.** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:20 am

Parked on a hill at work today. Got a call 20 mins later to say it'd rolled down the hill and into a campervan. Handbrake was still on when I got to it and it'd barely roll, but it seems to have got enough speed up in the space of about 3 yards to smash in the back door of the camper and take half the bodywork off the front of mine. And there was me looking to buy another in a day or 2. Thankfully the guy's decided to sort it outside of insurance otherwise id have lost my 3years 10 months no claims too. Still, looks like I'm a good few hundred quid down, plus can't afford the service/MOT/tax (or new car if I'd gone down that route) now anyway.

Anyone got a bumper in triton green, drivers headlight and fogs they want rid of? Plus it looks like his towbar has gone through my radiator (thankfully have a spare) so at the moment its stuck here.

And to think I was having a good monday too. Lesson learned. Mondays = evil.

Matt.

djoptix · Post by **djoptix** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:09 pm

Lesson also learned, always leave the thing in gear! Citroen handbrakes are the work of Satan...

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:10 pm

Bad, bad day... My sympathies.

Now, don't take this the wrong way, but:
Have you considered the tidy green gti auto that's just popped up on eBay with a £250 buy it now (60k, tax and tested). Give you time to sort your BX out (either fix or dispose of). And auto's don't often roll off on their own if left in P. (You can probably tell I miss my old GTi auto!!!).

PiLsY. · Post by **PiLsY.** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:27 pm

Well I've got a gti already - its MOT prepped, just needs its test. The problem is most of my driving is 3 miles to work and back each day - i'll bugger the engine up in no time doing that. I know from experience they don't like short journeys (something about valve seals needing to expand from absorbing hot oil I was told?), hence the TZD. I was looking at numptychuckers 92k TZD yesterday as a replacement instead of getting mine serviced. Guess that's out the window. I'll have a proper look at it when I get it home (currently @ work) and see if I can bodge it together. Its just added to the list of problems with it though. Shame as the interior's been replaced, as have all switches and electrics over the last month. All that was left was a good service, then it was a case of sorting the shabby panels/paint. Words can't describe how annoyed I am today. Actually felt quite cheery this morning (usually get horrendous Monday blues) for all of 15 minutes until the phone rang. Then the rug gets pulled back out from underneath me and back on my arse again....

Matt.

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:43 pm

Its funny I just a few minutes ago reminded my wife about the BX handbrake

I am letting her drive it today since I manged to break the split pin in the rear wheel of her beloved Ponty whilst tightening up a loose wheel bearing

Many years ago 1990

When I first got a BX (1984 BX14RE) the same thing happened to me in a Car Park when I used to work for B&Q. Over the tannoy I hear my registration number called

Only to find my BX had rolled out of its parking space down the car park 100 yards up a kerb and into another staff members car

Luckly the damage was minimal to just a small ding in the Austin Allegro it hit, which we sorted out no hassles. Just my pride

One of the advantages of owning a Automatic me thinks?

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:06 pm

The BX handbrake is a victim of its own success. In good order its very powerful and I have a road test where they managed to get 0.53g out of the thing which is quite incredible and one of the best around (legal requirement is 0.25g or something)

As you know it has a very fine ratchet and so being respectful of the linkage we apply it nice and gently, make sure the car is stationary and leave it.

It is of course a disc brake. The problem comes if we pull up with hot discs, which of course will contract slightly as they cool - and - suddenly the handbrake - no longer holds.

Early Xantias were the same but people started killing themselves and others when the things ran over cliffs - so eventually Citroen recalled them and fitted them with a new brake lever - which had the first (10?) teeth deleted and a coarser ratchet - which means that the nice action is no longer but cars shouldn't run away.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:08 pm

This also seems to be a BX Chester related problem

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:52 am

Had the same problem with my first BX, came out half a hour later to see it slowly rolling down the hill onto someones lawn, no damage was done, also remember my dads (now mine) Xantia had a recall when it was nearly new to change the handbrake rachet system.

PiLsY. · Post by **PiLsY.** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:05 am

Managed to bodge mine back together. A few woods screws to hold the bumper on, bent the slam panel with a 4' pipe wrench, swapped headlight off the gti, removed the knackered foglight, swapped the radiator. Bumper looks horrid but its on. I'm down a number plate, headlight and foglight (wasn't working anyway) and the bumper is a proper Steptoe and Son affair.

Now I just need to wait and see what the bill is to see if I can afford to do it outside of insurance

...

[EDIT] Just got the phone call off the fella saying its gonna cost..... £250! MUCH better than I was expecting, but around what I was hoping for. Still its enough to put the service, MOT and tax on hold. Looks like the gti will be on the road again. Its in MOT so just needs tax and insurance. And for some reason its cheaper to insure myself on the GTI with directline than the TZD with endsleigh (though endsleigh are cheaper than direcline with the TZD?!). Only turned out to be £340 and 0% if you pay monthly too. The TZD is £450 with Endsleigh and about 9% monthly, or £574 with Directline! Bargain

.

Matt.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:39 pm

Blimey, those insurance deals sound a bit pricey to me, have u not got many ncd? & under 25

PiLsY. · Post by **PiLsY.** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:49 pm

Points mean prizes....I've got 9 so far....

.

Matt.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:17 pm

That's right, 1st prize is a bus ticket.

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:24 pm

Ive got 6 and still pay less than £150!

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:24 pm

Ive got 6 and still pay less than £150!

PiLsY. · Post by **PiLsY.** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:33 pm

Telling me twice just to rub it in?

.

Direct Line came in a good hundred quid cheaper than everyone else based on just the premium on the GTI. A lot of your premium is based on local claims as well though (no matter whether for fire, theft or crash damage). If everyone else is claiming your premium goes up too. I guess its just this area. Its slightly cheaper here than my last address, but if I put the girlfriends address in then it drops to £220. I decided a long time ago that insurance was gay, and I've still seen nothing that can convince me otherwise.

Matt.