BX excess, can it be a success?

[mat_fenwick]

Yeah, too short and the wrong shape No witty comments required please

[BX Bandit]

Much like your..........oh

[Des Smith]

These window in the roof jobs are nasty, they hardly let air in and they always end up leaking.

Ahem! I quite like my 'window in the roof'. What's really nice is that it lets the daylight in (even when shut) and I get reasonable ventilation with it open. The manual operation is a pain, but then again, most of the electric sun-roofs in my previous cars have always been temperamental to varying degrees and required a lot of TLC to keep them reliable. They're on a par with air-con for grief. As for leaks, 23 years in situ and nothing yet, which compares favourably with the leccy versions. Sooo many ads seem to include the words 'sunroof doesn't work - sealed to stop leaks'

So to recap. 3 BX with sunroof. 2 knackered, 1 working.

I rest my case...

[mat_fenwick]

What's really nice is that it lets the daylight in (even when shut)

Agreed. In fact, I'd settle for just a window in the roof, but if I was going to go to the trouble of cutting a great big hole in the roof I may as well fit something which opens...

[Tinkley]

There's always the manual 'overide' for the 'leccy ones....

Both my powered ones actually work! But I never use them or slide back the internal cover, personal preference I suppose. The cover is a pain as it rattles and so does the cover for the manual access... of course if it wasn't there it would be a lot quieter.

[citsncycles]

I've had a few cars with sunroofs over the years. The Skoda factory glass ones used to break their catches, then the wind would suck them far enough open to unclip them at the front and away they'd fly! The Montego's roof never opened properly, while the steel sliding one in the Wartburg would never close! The glass one in the 14 TGD was quite nice actually, and didn't leak (I suspect it may have been a dealer fit accessory).

The best ones though are the large fold back roofs on the 2CV's and Dyanes I've driven.

[Thread Bear]

Not much to report after a pretty crap few days of being treated as a patsy in a complex deal, a seriously ill dog and any other shite anyone thought they could foist on me. Mostly sorted to advantage, dog to be operated on tomorrow, so that's me skint out, and advantage taking deal will rebalance later when I became the person who preps and sells the stuff off, as no one else has the ability to put it all together. Something that got forgotten in the shuffle. Not aided by being invited to a thank you meal for a 'successful end' of the job - with one car and all the doors yet to be collected by you know who despite an empty van coming away - only to find our host had no money and we had to pay for our own thank you meal! My bud was then glad he was taken ill and had not joined us. So my time has become chargeable as its a broken contract I have no no incentive to mend. Hey ho, time to be called an awkward sod, again! Its what I do well.

Meanwhile in a forgotten garage the BX 1.4E resides. I think that's what it is. My bud popped round in his 'Citroen never made this model' BX and we had a quick look. If Citroen fitted that sunroof they want shooting. I can believe a dealer might have done it as half them are shysters. The go faster stripe is an add on that were all the rage at one time and available on a sort of 10m roll. There are no discernible extras other than a pair of headrests. No wheel trims are fitted, the ones pictured, when those arrive, were in the boot.

Gary has had his citrobatics checked and the front pronounced lazy, well we know one of the struts is not much cop. The front ride height is to low, probably putting the rear out in looks. No time to adjust while he was here - he is able to reach under the car whereas I cannot.
Did several runs moving crap on said dodgy deal above and had a flash of a silver BX, Gti?, going out of the A417 Lechlade on Thames as I was turning in toward Faringdon on Sat evening. Bit busy to do little else than think 'Bugner me, a BX'. Engine has really settled down and is smooth, power coming in as it should. Clutch spoils the party by slipping occasionally. The tyres are beginning to irritate as they are giving a lot of road noise in an otherwise quiet car now things have settled down and squeaks, creaks and groans banished. Might have to try the Pirellis once I have the rims sorted out. Many passengers have vocalised being impressed at the quality and comfort that this old design offers in comparison to new vehicles. Also at the reserve of performance if it is needed, along with the handling, though with these tyres I need to know the road for that smooth line that passengers are aware of pace without concern. Alteration of direction, once set up, immediately means tyre complaints. Cheap and cheerful they are and long living they will not be, I fear.

[Thread Bear]

Still fighting my PC on imaging.

[Tim Leech]

Aww bless her, she needs some love.

The sunroof may have been dealer fitted, or possibly done at UK port for the UK market?

Strange there is no leader decals as they should have had them, in grey to match the bumpers, as all other white BX's had colour matched ones.

[Thread Bear]

Its a special lightened one to go faster?

[Tim Leech]

Its a special lightened one to go faster?

Ahh must be that, BX Leader Superleggera!

[Tinkley]

More like SuperLeger or SuperLege...

unless we have changed countries...

Never seen a Leader without those 'horrible' IMHO decals though. Maybe that is why they are not there. Most Bx were fairly unobtrusive, though the 16v has it's points, but SHOUTING Leader was not a + point in my eyes. Maybe it was just the times, maybe I'm too young to remember..

[Tim Leech]

I like the leader decals, guess its just a matter of taste.

[Thread Bear]

Managed to break into the locked pictures with a new patch downloaded into Gimp. A right hassle which I do not understand but I think I can now get some of my pics uploaded which I could not before. See engine falling out thread - played out thread but pic shows what a mess it is.

Below are the two wheel trim sets which might provide some clue as to what is going on. The rear badge does say 1.4E if you cannot pick it up. But then the Leader probably relied on the huge side trims to relay that particular message, naff in the extreme in my book. I would have bought something else with my money should I have ever been daft or wealthy enough to buy a new car and watch my investment shrivel away like a mayfly's hopes of a moonlight flit.

Does the engine pic ID the unit as to type that was being discussed? Seems to have a shiny exhaust which could be a bonus. THere is some rust but not defined till I have had a good sniff round. Later I might post the reason why that has not happened.

[Stinkwheel]

Well its a TU engine as used in later BX's 14's and MANY other PSU group cars.

The seats i think, point to it being a special edition model of some sort (i.e. Flight, Preview, Leader etc)

It doesnt look too bad solidity wise, hope its as good as pics make out.