Thanks John, I will take you up on that offer soon.
Anyway, I have now owned the XM for a little over a week, and have spent a lot of time in the drivers seat. My mileage isn't usually high, but due to collecting it last weekend, and then a weekend away to Devon I have managed to rack up 800 miles in 8 days!
I always knew this weekend was going to be a baptism of fire for the car, so I took a few brave pills and set off on Friday for Torquay. I had done little more then check the levels, have the front wheels balanced, and changed one central sphere (hoping to improve the ride slightly) since collecting it a week beforehand.
What can I say, the car was excellent on the trip to Torquay. It covered the ground well, the auto box was a godsend when I hit traffic near Canford Bottom. The journey took about 4 hours (only 125 miles), but surprisingly my pregnant girlfriend didn't need to stop for a wee!
We rocked up at our rather plush 4* hotel, and there was something very satisfying about parking a nigh on 20 year old Citroen with a PH smiley on the back in a car park full of boring mundane BMW/Audi/Merc's (along with a GTR and a 370z)
The following day we took a quick jaunt to Paignton Zoo, again, probably the oldest car in the carpark.
After the zoo, we headed up the M5 towards Weston Super Mare (85 miles). There was something about the M5, but I found it stupidly monotonous and found it hard to stay awake. Very odd. Again, the car was excellent, although I had started to notice a small squeak whilst stopping. I know the pads are very low, and I will endeavor to replace them this week. I also noticed a little hesitation when its in 4th, on the longer hills. It's like its missing ever so slightly. It didn't really affect the car, but I was aware it wasn't quite right.
Anyway, here we are in Weston Super Mare. Again, in the hotel car park, it must have been the oldest car by at least 10 years
After a night sampling the wonderful English seaside, we headed to Wookey Hole (15 miles) this morning (Sunday). We arrived nice an early, and saw mist rolling over the Mendips.
After that, it was a 70 mile trip back down the A34 to Southampton. Again, the car performed faultlessly (bar the little squeak and the slight "miss" when straining)
It's now parked outside my house having a rest. A little dirtier, but I'm very impressed with it. The ride still isn't quite what I expect it to be, and it might be my imagination, but its feels as if its getting a little stiffer as the miles tick by. I'd hazard a guess that this is a sure sigh the remaining 2 front spheres (minimum) need changing, if not the rears too. I will also treat it to a set of pads this week, as well as new plugs and leads, along with an oil change and a new fuel filter. Hopefully this will clear up the minor (and I mean very minor) issues. Not bad for a 20 year old French Car
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