Citroen XM Forum

Rather than keep posting my queries and updates in Introductions, I may as well start a thread for my car. So here goes:

1993L Citroen XM 2.0TCT SEi auto, in Platinum with black leather. It's formerly the property of MTXM and Captain Slow of this parish, and from there went to Paul Harris at Pallas Auto for 18 months. He traded it in at Wolsey House against a 2.5td estate phase 2, and it was sold to an XM enthusiast in Rotherham. He died, and I bought the car from his son.


I bought it with about 89600 miles on the clock, and as I type one week later it's showing just under 90100. So far, it's near faultless and I love it. Photos shamelessly cribbed from previous owners as I haven't got round to taking any myself yet.

So one week and 500 miles in, and it's booked in for a service and a full hydraulic system check at Pleiades - they're just down the road and seem to be well regarded.





There are a few minor niggles which aren't life and death, but I'd like to know about nonetheless. XMs are new to me, and I'm thus not sure what to expect and what to investigate.

First one, I'm not driving it like a nutter and yet I'm only averaging about 24mpg by the look of it. Is this normal and to be expected? I accept I'm coming from less stressed 2.3 Swede turbos with manual gearboxes (and I can afford to do it, so it's not a financial concern) but it seems a little low to me. To give an idea, I live in the Fens and have a 14 mile commute when I'm commissioned to work in the Bauer Media office - as I have been the last five days. It's long straights on which I tend to sit around the 60-70 mark and right angled bends, I don't tend to go above half throttle, and it's just me, a tow rope, a tyre compressor and some jump leads in the car. (Classic car journalist, force of habit!)

Second, the fuel gauge is... eccentric. It started spluttering on the A1 the other day with an indicated 2 gallons left in the tank, and judging by my 85.9 litre fill I was on fumes. Again, is this normal for an XM or should the fuel gauge be more accurate?

Third, the fuel-related readouts on my trip computer either flash or read 99.9mpg. Is this a sensor issue, and can it be sorted easily? Could this be related to the fuel gauge issue above if it's a sensor? The average speed, temperature and cock read just fine.

Fourth, the suspension feels firmer at the front than the rear when in comfort mode. Is this because I'm following factory tyre pressures of 31psi front and 28psi rear, and is it normal? Or does it indicate a potential problem? The car gets noticeably firmer all round in sport mode, so I don't think it's stuck.



Thanks all!

Nice car Sam, wonder why the previous owners sold it I don't know about fuel consumption but I'd check it first the old fashioned way and disregard that computer? My 2 XM's both their fuel gauges go down more slowly in the first half tank, when reached half empty they go down faster and I think most XM's have that.

I have no more answers for you, front is always a bit harder than the rear and in your case maybe you've got different newer front spheres than the original ones. I wouldn't worry about that and see what happens when the Pleiades have done their fiddling. They can see if the front spheres are the right ones I would think. Nice car, if you can afford it hang on to it. You do get spoiled driving these cars.

Great to have this car back in the club Sam. It's a lovely example. Do add it to the register.

From memory the front suspension issue is what Captianslow was experiencing. But I thought that was fixed......
As Jaap says, wait till Pleiades have had a fiddle.

Captainhaddock - I worked my mpg out the old fashioned way. I might be a Yorkshireman but I won't let myself believe I'm doing 99.9mpg



In the case of the previous owners, I've spoken to every owner the car has had since 2010 with the exception of forum user Captain Slow - I've read his thread above. Matthew sold it because he had too many, Slow sold it because he didn't bond with it, Paul Harris sold it to get a diesel XM, and Wolsey House sold it because they're a dealer. The chap I bought it off was selling because his father had owned it, and he lost his father a couple of months ago. The ad was utterly appalling, and it was only on the offchance of seeing Slow's thread that I thought it worth a look.

I don't want the computer to work because I'm too lazy to do it - I want it to work because it's fitted. I'm a bit OCD in that respect, if a car HAS something I like it to function as intended whether I'll make use of it or not!

It's a keeper, and will be replacing my T5 Volvo as everyday transportBefore that, I used the Stag as daily wheels over winter because the SAAB was sulking. As you can see from my signature, I've an eclectic fleet of old tat!

russ92XMSED wrote:Great to have this car back in the club Sam. It's a lovely example. Do add it to the register.

From memory the front suspension issue is what Captianslow was experiencing. But I thought that was fixed......
As Jaap says, wait till Pleiades have had a fiddle.

More than happy to add it to the register - and yes, it's a cracker. I did want a V6 12v SEi auto, but I reasoned that finding one as nice as this for what I paid would take me years. And to be honest, while the TCT is a bit lethargic out of junctions, the ECU mapping and resultant torque curve mean it's no hardship to take a 50% power drop from the Volvo 99% of the time.

I know Slow (Coincidence, as I use that username elsewhere myself) was having front suspension issues. I don't know if this is related because I don't know how a sorted one is meant to feel. It might be that - as a motoring journalist who has access to such things - my experience of DSes, SMs and CXes has given me an unrealistically high expectation of the XM's softness. That's possible - it's not bone jarringly hard by any means, so it could well be as it's meant to be.

We will need you RP number... Stamped in the passenger door jamb. Then I can add that for you.

Given that this is a thread about my car, I'll stick the others here too for those who are interested. If anyone finds crap old BL tat and winter-special Swedish sledgehammers unutterably dull, please feel free to skip ahead!


They're all taxed and insured all year round. I must be a nutter...

russ92xmsed wrote:We will need you RP number... Stamped in the passenger door jamb. Then I can add that for you.

No worries chap - I'll get that for you tonight. Am I right in thinking I can trace the build date using this?

I wonder if the feel of 'front firmer than rear' is just a strut-equipped Citroen thing. Mine has that sort of a 'feel,' even though the rear spheres are very solid and the fronts still have some float in them. (I have finally ordered some rear spheres for those who have been begging me to do so for months! Fronts hopefully later in the year).

Don't forget the centre spheres (front and back) which is where the softness really comes from.
Neglect those, and it'll always be knobbly.