Wanted: Front and rear height controllers

[aekostas]

Hello,

I am in the UK, and I am trying to help my dad get his XM fixed (Greece). I am looking for the front and rear height controllers (if that's the correct term), part number 529111 and 529112. Do I stand a chance of finding these new in the UK or Europe?

Many thanks in advance,
AEKostas

[White Exec]

Hi there,

These folk have re-built height correctors (for a price ), but they also do the standard re-furb kits for them...
https://shop.citroenclassics.co.uk/inde ... ion=search
Just enter "height corrector" into the Search box, in their parts shop.

Unless your HC's are actually missing or irrepairably damaged, using the refurb kit (the same one for either front or rear) will get them back to 'new' again. I have done one here, and the job was straightforward, once you have removed the unit.

CitroJim produced a very good "How to...", which is here:
http://www.eastment.net/hcrefurb/index.htm.

Make sure you bleed the hydraulic system properly by the correct procedure after working on it.

[Dieselman]

Why does the car need replacement height correctors, it's rare for them to leak, let alone fail completely.

Barring the fitment position mountings, I believe same height corrector is used front and rear and is the same device fitted to all hydraulic Citroens since the DS.

Pleiades in Sawtry should be able to supply repair kits, or replacement units, or rebuild yours.
It's very rare for the internal piston to wear. If the corrector is leaking, internally, or externally, it is likely to be the O rings need replacing.

Also look for anyone scrapping a car and on Ebay.

[aekostas]

Thank you all for the replies; I informed my dad and we will see what happens. We now also have customs to consider, I think...

[White Exec]

The HC's under those part numbers are listed for XM I and XM II only, and not for any other models.
Likely that the HC body itself is common across lots of Citroens, and the pt.no.differences might just be down to supplied bracketry/links.

Easy enough to renovate. The kit contains all the necessary bits.

[aekostas]

@White Exec have you had anything of this kind of value (~€500) shipped from the UK to Spain post-Brexit? Is it painful for the recipient?

[White Exec]

Yes, a few bumps in what was an easy process pre-Brexit.

For commercial items from the UK, VAT isn't now added to the purchase price, and so becomes payable by the recipient when the package arrives in Spain.

The VAT is charged on the goods, and the (international) postage or courier delivery charge.
A fee is added for calaculating this.
It becomes the job of the delivering courier/agent to collect the monies owed.
For this, the courier/agent will charge a collection fee, which also attracts VAT/IVA.

My experience, so far, is that where the package is sent via Postal services (eg Royal Mail, ParcelForce, etc), when it arrives in Spain, it is passed to postal services here (Correos), who calculate the additional monies due, but - surprisingly - pass the delivery over to a commercial courier (eg SEUR) to (a) make the delivery, and (b) collect the monies due . . . for which they charge.

In some cases (eg UPS), the customer receives an email, alerting them to the impending delivery, and the additional fees due - which can all be paid immediately online. Relatively straightforward.

For SEUR (DPD-owned), the delivering SEUR delivery man recently expected cash (!) for the fees, to be paid by the recipient of the parcel - which, in my case, was our Mailbox company. As a favour, they paid it (€40+ in all, on a £28 purchase from UK-based Chevronics), and I reimbursed them.

All of this crap, some of it pure profiteering, is a result of Brexit. Previously, international deliveries in/out of UK were rapid and seamless. Many UK suppliers, especially where small individual orders are involved, are just giving up, and are no longer willing to dispatch "abroad". The amount of dispatch paperwork for a small order can be the same as a huge one.

An exception to all this seems to be Amazon, who simply charge the VAT at the rate appropriate to the customer, and - presumably - render the collected VAT to the country involved. Presumably... I guess Amazon were not prepared to see large chunks of their UK turnover evaporate as a consequence of the Brexit agreement, and have made alternative arrangements. Operating, as they do, largely corporation tax-free in UK and elsewhere, they probably have the additional headroom.

We now try to avoid ordering anything from the UK. Suppliers in the EU cause no problems, and deliveries are made to schedule and cheaply.

[aekostas]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to explain all that. I believe I have posted spheres in the past from a Glasgow-based e-shop no problem. €40 add-ons for a £28 purchase sounds abhorent, but we are where we are.

I hope my dad gets his beloved XM back on the road one way or another. (Though I heard on the sibling-mill that the aircon is also broken...).

[citroenxm]

I've a good few height correctors from cars I've dismantled..

The height correctors ARE all thecssme but I suspect each model will use its own pt no because they all attach in different ways to the device that operates them.

The attachment can be swapped between them to adapt them.

[Degens]

Is it sorted, as I have one? Can't guarantee it works, as I got it in a box with parts years ago. Let me know if you want to see it and I will take pictures.