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2002 Citroen Xsara VTS - another old French bird!!

180K views 616 replies 65 participants last post by  Ben_W 
#1 · (Edited)
So, here we go!

To quote something musical which I've not done for a while, Ice Cube had it right. Today was a good day (ask your dad kids :D )

With the buggy sold and the bank swelled with funds, I did the right thing and pacified the wife by buying a new dining table and promising her a posh holiday next year, on the proviso I could buy myself a new, cheap(ish) toy. Agreement was forthcoming.

I considered several cars. A white Rallye (they are the hottest ticket in Rallye world with another selling in the last two weeks for £5k but I have a Rallye already), a Clio F1 (very nice but not the cheapest) and several other more recent hot hatches. Nothing really, really took my fancy. I then bought the Xsara to break and wondered.........what if? The Citroen half of the late 90's hot hatch pairing.....wouldn't look bad on the drive, would it?

So I began looking. And looking. And looking a bit more. Crap, these are a bit thin on the ground. I found more Rallyes for sale than I did Xsaras. Hmmmmm............and then.....an advert appears on Gumtree and nowhere else, advertising a 2002 MY, 51 plate Xsara VTS, with 57k on the clock and two previous owners, in silver. 57k.......!!!!!!! How many 16 year old sports hatches have that mileage. This is the ad........



It HAD to be worth a look at that mileage and that history. Original P6000's (ditchfinders? But period correct!) Older lady owner for a long time? Deffo not been thrashed then. Decent MOT history backing up the sellers story. Trouble was, I wasn't free until Sunday. At this point, I made the mistake of sharing the link and my plans with someone. That, along with a lesson well learned, is all I'm going to say publicly.

Details being what they are, I noticed the seller had reduced the price to £300 on Sunday night. Much frantic phonecalling, which resulted in me getting a voice mail message numerous times finally paid off with the seller picking up at 21:37 on a Sunday night.

I apologised profusely for the time of my call. It had to be right then otherwise I'd have lost it. I told the seller I knew what had transpired the day before (I apologise again for the cryptic sh!t but like the walls, the internet has ears) and had a lengthy discussion with him regarding the car, offering some advice after asking some questions. The £300 was a result of what he had been told (I'll share privately for those of you I know who ask). An agreement was made that he'd get some advice by lunchtime Monday and I'd go view Monday night after work as it's 50 miles from work. I remember thinking at this point this now turning into some Lincolndanny esque press car kinda chase :D

Mid afternoon, I text the seller as I've heard nothing. He replies, confirming some info I had been after, and crucially, what someone else had offered him and that he was considering accepting. Act cool Trig, act cool.......

I left work dead on time and hightailed it to where he was. I arrived at 17:40 and immediately knew I was onto something. This was my view parking up.





Seller met me at the door and was very keen to show me the car. It was as he said. Completely original, very, very clean (some stone chips etc but very clean) and, completely bog standard.

Having satisfied myself the major component was good, I got busy looking round, especially underneath.

Just wow. This thing is clean. I mean really clean.







.

Doesn't look like it's ever seen a jack, let alone one in the wrong place. The spare even seems to have an original Michelin.....



The rest of it, whilst a little dirty in places, is honest, rust free and just in need of a clean.











A time capsule car. Went for a drive, it drove well enough. Went back, looked through a mountain of history which again, matched the MOT history. I knew at this point I had to have it. Asked what it would take to buy it. Seller said make it an offer. £850 prompted a forthcoming handshake. Deposit immediately transferred (mobile app internet banking, bloody ace!)

In truth, I think I stole it. I've picked up what has to be one of the cleanest, low mileage Xsara VTS's left. Plans are to collect Friday, giving me a whole weekend to really get into/under it. I cannot wait.

Sorry to disappoint Mr Lincoln....I did have a chance at a Ph1 in that green/yellow but had been sat 18 months and the seller wanted £1k.....
 
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#372 · (Edited)
Breaking almost complete.....

All of the big bits with the exception of the engine (and I've a buyer committed to that at the end of the month) sold, and a lot of the small bits also sold or boxed up for spares for mine, it was pretty much stripped. The last job was to pull the dash, the heater matrix and blower motor and then the carpet and sound deadening, leaving a bare shell.

Through 306 circles, I know the stiffener panels (see my 306 project thread) are in demand. Pretty soon after announcing I was breaking it, I got a message from someone who'd had a panel off the Ph1, asking about the other side panel to the one he had. This then progressed to half a dozen pics of metal he wanted for his from end floorplans.

'Can you help me?' he asked.....

'Hold my beer'...... :D

A stripped shell....





I thought about rolling it onto its side but then figured this gave me just as much access. Engine cranes are great!



Rather than try and cut individual sections, it was just as easy to cut a massive square. Didn't take long, maybe an hour or two with Tea stops....





There isn't much left of this one. I'll have made about 3 times what i paid for it, and kept the exhaust and suspension. That should pay to sort the silver one.

Just need to call the scrappers to come and collect it now.
 
#373 ·
One thing I have discovered, through the stripping, isn't attractive.

I knew this car had crunchy sills. Having had the internal rear quarter panel cards off, I can see why.





Rotting from the inside out. Not sure if you can make it out but there is a plug at the bottom of the rear arch. Other than for inspection (and letting in moisture, which you are inspecting for...), I don't know why they are there, but there they are.

Getting the quarter panel cards off is a bit of a pain, involving the removal of lots of trim. I plan to inspect mine by putting a USB camera through the bung and see what's what.
 
#376 ·
Its even more stripped now....it is literally just a shell. I've taken a lot of bits to the local tip but today I got the towbar off, dropped the fuel tank and drained the fuel and removed the fuel pump and took a few bits off the heater assembly. And that's it. Done. Off to the scrappers tomorrow to arrange collection.







Once that was all done, I came inside, had a brew and decided to practice carbon wrapping again following Jim's excellent work on his Clio bits which inspired me. They aren't perfect, but I'm getting the hang of the technique....







Following that, I got a little bit more creative. Not a fan of the fake leather gearshift gaiter so having stripped the spare upright section of the old knackered seat that came with the car, I had a large section of alcantara type material. I carefully cut the original gaiter apart into the sections of material. I'm still in the process of opening out the folded and edged stitching but I've clearly got enough material to replicate the gaiter. I'll see if there were any Citroen racing colours (like the Peugeot Sport colours) I can have the stitching done in.



Next job is to get rid of the shell asap so I can get the silver one out to do the brakes and then get it away for the belt to be looked at.
 
#378 ·
This morning, before the scrappers arrived, I took the last few bits off the Xsara. Couple of bits I'd missed from the towbar and then the spoiler and rear wiper motor (which strangely on the Xsara is rivetted in, not bolted) and then that was that. Done. The lorry turned up about lunchtime, the guy driving had a chuckle at how little was left, chucked a chain through it and promptly hiab-ed it onto the back of his wagon and was gone!

Over a brew, I got busy with some more interior bits. Finished cutting out the gearshift gaiter material sections (yes, it's not lost on me either...a gaiter that mounts onto a 4 sided piece of plastic, made from three bits of material..... typically french!). I'm going to have it sewn with the Citroen Racing colours of red and white.



Then, inspired by jim and his Clio and the work he's done, I decided I wanted to use a few of the spare trim bits from the breaker and wrap them in a 4d carbon fibre type film...

First was one of the sill trims. Quite a complex shape, especially around the Citroen lettering and it's not perfect but, as another friend said, no-one is looking at it with magnifying glass...





Spurred on by that, I threw caution to the wind and decided to wrap the entire dash console. In for a penny etc......it was a bloody awkward shape and probably took me three hours to finish. Lots of heating and stretching and shaping and trimming...







Due to its shape, it's going to need an extra strip adding to finish the recessed section for the instrument binnacle but given the angles etc, the join should be fairly invisible.

I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

Tomorrow, it's about the brakes. The new front discs are on order, as is a fitting kit for the rear pads from the local Euros branch. New brakes format and rear, refit the seat and front bumper and then figure out how I'm getting it to CG cars ......
 
#379 ·
Well, it might not go, but should it do so, it should stop now.

Picked up the discs and rear pad fitting kit this morning, had a brew and broke out the spanners.

The fronts were ugly. The pics say it all really but once I had the disc off, the inside edge was even worse. Definitely the right time for new....



The inside face of the front disc. Lucky if there's been 50% contact.



New gear fitted all round, front and rear but not before I periodically had to drain the reservoir of fluid. Usual thing....don't bother replacing the pads, just top the fluid up.....:rolleyes:



Anyway, the new stuff went on with no issues (right size discs this time) other than having to drill out a couple of disc retaining screws and looks much better. Oddly, my car doesn't have the wiring for the brake pad wear sensor, yet the one I broke, which was built two months before my silver one, did.....odd. Pair of scissors made light work of the sensor wiring.









I then trial fitted one.of the carbon bits I'd done.



I think it looks alright actually!
 
#380 ·
It is done. She is ready.



In between other jobs today, I got the bumper back on, and, after much faffing because of the silly place they put one of the bolts, the driver's seat back in. That is all I can do. I've been in touch with the garage which its going and they are going to collect as I'm struggling for tow car and trailer availability from chums. Just waiting to hear when they want to collect it.

It got a wash tonight because it's not been washed for a while and was filthy. Off to wrap a few more bits over a cider or two.
 
#383 ·
Looking good bud, where did you get the wrap from??? Was thinking about doing the centre consul in the wife's Nissan Juke as there's a few nasty scratches on it.
I got it from eBay jack. Circa £10 for quite a big sheet (1m X 1.5m)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4D-Gloss...537345?varId=490238940765&txnId=1605295412009

After a few attempts, I think I've pretty much figured out the technique. Heat, stretch and work in small sections at a time. This is the part that goes under the centre console part I've already done and around the gearstick.



Really happy with this one.
 
#390 ·
Finally got my account!! :newbie:

What an amazing work Ben, that Xsara looked stunning at the beginning but you made it look even better now. Keep it up, always love to see stuff like that.

I was really surprised when I first saw a pic of mine here, didn't expect that at all!! hahahahaha. Great colour choice on those C5 steelies, I just sold mines today since I have more than enough keeping my OEM Everests and Speedlines 2111.

Hope that cambelt issue gets fixed soon and easily! These are different from 306 GTI/PH1 Xsaras since they run 137 teeth cambelts and auto tensioner instead of 136 and manual tensioner.

Cheers Ben, keep up that great work!
 
#398 · (Edited)
So, picked the car up this morning. Managed to sort the doorcard, it had somehow pulled the doorseal forward and got caught behind it. Freed that off, got in, and headed into Leicester to go to the Citroen dealership to buy more clips for the doorcard.

I had a very new silver BMW pull up behind me and start following me. Id clocked straight away it was an unmarked police car but with everything being above board, no issue. Or at least I thought.

I rolled through some lights, they got stuck at them but caught me at the next set. As we went through those, the road straightened out and widened, at which point the blue lights come on and the officer driving points for me to pull in.

At this point, the only thing I can think they wouldn't be happy with was that just as I went through the first set of lights, they changed to yellow.......but no.

'Hello Sir, your vehicle doesn't have an MOT'

Phew. Massive sigh of relief. To which I then explained I had literally just picked it up from it having had its MOT, which it had passed and got the certificate from the passenger seat.

To be fair to them, they were both brilliant (and the blonde lady officer was pretty hot, in a MILF kinda way :argie:) He was apologetic, showed me his PDA thing that said I had no MOT and then explained that it's probably just a timing/update thing and having seen my test certificate, they were more than happy. He did say he was wondering what was going on because the car was really clean and on a nice set of wheels... 'Not our normal no MOT stop' were his words.

They apologised again for the inconvenience (just doing their job, I didn't mind) and off I went to the dealership which was just half a mile away.

There were three different clips I needed for the doorcard. Two of them, I needed 8 of each, the other one 6.

I had to buy two bags of 20, and one bag of 15. Don't you just love dealers? £37 later and they will be here tomorrow. At least being a common issue with the Xsaras, I should be able to move the ones I'm not using on.



Then it was onto Eurocarparts to pick up some oil to service it with (other oil I bought ended up going into the wife's mini after that had a major leak after being services).

Then home. Drove well, water temps stayed low which is good. Gave it plenty of stick, goes well but I reckon it could do with a tank of fresh super unleaded. Car goes back to Carl Saturday morning to have the Milltek exhaust fitted. The only issue is I turned the fan on and it immediately went to full speed and now won't turn off...this isn't unusual apparently, I just need to do some digging to find the cause.
 
#399 ·
#400 · (Edited)
Yep...I thought that would be the case on the clips though. The normally make you buy in bulk although when you need 8 per door, why they don't do packs of 10 is beyond me..

I think you've linked that company for me before. Unfortunately, they don't have the ones I need, hence my trip to Citroen, but thank you anyway for the effort.

I'd forgotten to mention I've also bought a set of these badges:



Never really been a fan of the yellow and always thought red would be better. These are from https://vehicledecals.co.uk and it's the same guy who produces all the repro Rallye graphics. They should be here this week. Fan failure is most likely down to the resistor packs. I've ordered that today, should be here Thursday or Friday. I'll update on that later as I'll give a run through of how to strip the fan motor to get to replacing the resistor pack.
 
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