BX fail

Willy · Post by **Willy** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:26 pm

Got the graphites on at last this morning... no pics but I'm sure everybody knows what an average grey BX with them looks like anyway. Balanacing not great, didn't get over 30 on the way home but there feels to be a little wobble, Grr.

In other news, noticed first rusty patch!

Well, I did notice it when I bought the car and it's got a teeny bit bigger since then. Same on t'other side but a bit smaller. Fortunately there's none elsewhere. Still, distraught!

Post by **Tim Leech** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 6:53 pm

I wouldnt go hacking at that with a screwdriver as you may end upwith a hole!

Usual BX problem and easily mended though mate.

Notice your not far from me too.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:32 pm

I'd get that rust sorted this summer at the latest, i left mine a bit long & then when paul296 gave me a hand to sort it, there was a golf ball sized hole on one side, so the sooner the better.

I'd always get tyres/alloys balanced 1st before fitting them, one or more might be buckled instead if its that bad? Tyre fitters will advise you what they find. I've got a buckled wheel on my TXD, so it was put on the rear, however i've used it on the front before & apart from when going flat out & there is some vibration, its not actually noticeable at 70mph or less

Willy · Post by **Willy** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 8:15 pm

Since Bob put brand new premium tyres on the beeyex last year I got ATS (who had great fun going up and down in the car in the workshop) to swap over them onto the graphites, I saw them playing around with the balancing machine so yes that's been done, and hence why I've put for up for sale the leftovers. We'll see how it goes when I get out onto the autoroutes.

Now it's been mentioned, I'm sure there are dozens of products available to treat surface rust like that pictured - any personal DIYable recommendations?

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:49 pm

Just buy a bottle of Kurust, its inexpensive & will sort the rust until repair time.

Paul296 · Post by **Paul296** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:33 pm

Kurust and a mixture of old cooking oil and diesel, paint it on and keep a very hawkish eye on it! It won't sort it out but it will (to some extent) slow things down until you can repair it properly - sent you a PM with an offer of help if that's any use?

Willy · Post by **Willy** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:29 pm

Now that rust is (hopefully) under control... some short ramblings on the auto industry. I read recently that Renault is making a part-withdrawal from the UK market, no longer bothering to RHD engineer the Laguna, Wind, Kangoo, Trafic (both passenger), Modus and Espace.

I then remember seeing this:

1990 Citroen sold the AX, BX and XM. 2012 Citroen sells the C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C8, Nemo, Dispatch, C-Crosser, DS3, DS4, DS5 and all their related Picasso etc versions. Mad, flooded market. And we see cars that look as futuristic as the BX that was in production for 12 years like the outgoing Honda Civic - now gone after six. Facelifts every two years and not five or ten as it was back before. Wonder where we're heading... Weirdly the only "modern" car that has stood the test of time has been the Peugeot 206 - 7 million sales and still in production, and now only trailing the Riva, Beetle, R4, Uno and Model T as the best selling car design ever so far as I'm aware.

citsncycles · Post by **citsncycles** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:21 pm

Don't forget that some of the current Citroen range can also be bought with either Peugeot or Fiat badges on. At Gaydon a couple of years ago, I remember talking to one of the sales team showing us the new models about the different specs available from the various manufacturers, as Fiat in particular seems to offer an auto box on more of the range than Citroen does. They said they thought they lost on average 3 sales a week because of this at their dealership alone!

As for Renault, ever since the days of the 25 and 30, the only big Renault that seemed to sell well has been the Espace, which has been rather left behind by the other big people carriers these days, and the Trafic, which is also being sold by Vauxhall.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:11 pm

Citroen UK AFAIK no longer sell the C2, C6 (ie no longer in production, although they still have stock and it appears on the Citroen site) or C8. The C-Crosser is no longer available according to my local dealership (although an SUV replacement is in the wings)... They have just brought in the C-Zero (leccy car) which has no approximate equivalent in their range, admittedly.

I think it is mad, as you say, Willy. For instance why have Nemo MPV, Berlingo MPV and C3 MPV which do just about the same job? The C3 Picasso is highly regarded as a 5-seat MPV. So, also, why have a 5-seat version of the C4 Picasso?!

In my mind they should cut the range back.
C-Zero (political), C-1, Nemo (ditch the C3 in favour of the more practical compact MPV), DS3, C4 (they need it for volume apparently, but the DS4 is a waste of time IMO), C5/DS5, C3 Picasso, C4 Grand Picasso, some SUV or whatever (based upon some Japanese contraption no doubt) and a big van. The Berlingo 'Multispace' should be dropped and be just a van - and the Nemo should also be available as a van too.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:43 pm

Philip Chidlow wrote:In my mind they should cut the range back.
.

Quite agree

They should make,

1. BX hatch,

2. BX estate

3. BX estate with 7 seats.

4. BX that runs on electricity.

Seriously though I would be more than happy to shell out £15k for a new BX if one were available, in fact I tried in 1997 (when for some godforsaken reason I swopped my BX for a new AX) but was told there was none left

Willy · Post by **Willy** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:00 pm

Back to techy stuff

1. An air filter should not be oil filter! I enjoy the way somebody in the past's "solution" has been to just spin it around. Ah well, new one in, I think I did overfill with oil slightly tbf

2. Think LHM needs changing? My homemade dipstick says about 50% green 50% yellow, like mildly dehydrated piss.

Some handy cases here for comparison, but on colour alone is it time to change? Car has done only about 10k/2 years since new spheres went on although I'm not sure if le fluid was changed then.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:05 pm

I'd say the LHM looks OK for now. Compare that to the LHM from the GS, before Kermit changed it:

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:14 pm

Roverman wrote:Seriously though I would be more than happy to shell out £15k for a new BX if one were available

I think that £15k would get one of yours a long way towards as new condition though!

Regarding the oily filter, I'd consider it acceptable to swap the filter orientation round halfway through its lifetime. Different if it's been swapped round instead of changing it though.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:39 pm

mat_fenwick wrote:Regarding the oil filter, I'd consider it acceptable to swap the filter orientation round halfway through its lifetime. Different if it's been swapped round instead of changing it though.

You can pick up a AIR filter for less than £5 so I cant see the point in scrimping for that kinda money.

£15000 would indeed get it to nearly new condition, if I could buy a new everything I would consider it, but alas as we know parts are getting harder to find.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:48 pm

Edited to put in the missing y...

I agree that at the price they are it seems strange not to replace, just that I can't see any harm in rotating.