Charles's 2.1 SD Manual (formerly Citroenxm's)

[citroenxm]

Can I get the towbar please if thats still up for grabs.

Richard - I'd planned to keep it for myself, but the garage told me it was badly corroded, so I fear it's gone into their scrap bin - I can check tomorrow if it's still ok, but Simeon there was emphatic it wasn't worth keeping.

I think Ive got a decent tow bar here, but im not 100% sure if its a hatch or estate bar...

[Richard2cv]

Can I get the towbar please if thats still up for grabs.

Richard - I'd planned to keep it for myself, but the garage told me it was badly corroded, so I fear it's gone into their scrap bin - I can check tomorrow if it's still ok, but Simeon there was emphatic it wasn't worth keeping.

I think Ive got a decent tow bar here, but im not 100% sure if its a hatch or estate bar...

No worries then.
I wasn't planning to do any towing just to use it to protect the car from getting any parking damage.

[Charles M]

Back from the works. Taking the rear bumper off to sort the towbar and get the waxoyl in found a couple of rust holes of no great moment, so they have been welded. The car is a mess as building works are taking place round the corner, but the tyres are noticeably more grippy round corners, a slightly firmer ride but nothing unexpected or damaging to the ride's serene characteristics.

I need to change the existing speaker connectors to female spade ones, no problem as long as I can locate the crimping tool. The Becker has completely different connections to the old radio, which is a pain, but not insurmountable, so I'll have to live with the old stereo for a little while longer.

The tyres (3 - the best went on the spare, which tyre was past it) are now in the car, awaiting a return courier service to Paul.

[citroenxm]

Oeerrr sorry to learn of some holes Charles, I never took the rear bumper off at all..

Hope you dont find any more suprises...

[Charles M]

No problem Paul - from what Simeon at the garage said the tow bar helped obscure them, so if I hadn't taken that off. All sorted and done with no drama or fuss, and good for decades more.

Car is still lovely!

[citroenxm]

Oh good, Great.

Having headaches with harness's now, for my own choice wanting to upgrade the base D to SE spec...

[captainhaddock]

Taking that rear bumper off must have been hard I guess. They do rot, those bolts. What brand tyres did you buy Charles

[Charles M]

Bridgestone A001s - they're all season tyres with excellent wet handling and braking characteristics, just perfect for an English summer!

[captainhaddock]

So basically your car is as new now! new head gasket, clutch, tyres, MOT and some rust protection. It's all you need, hope she'll perform her duties well like mine.

[Charles M]

Indeed Jaap, now with new speakers too. This meant whipping out all the old connectors, fitting new spade connectors and getting them all drilled in. They were co-axials, so I've decommissioned the tiny tweeters above (very advanced to fit them at the time, but heavens, they are tiny!). All I now need is a spare set of front door speaker grilles, so I can drill the centre to ensure the tweeter dome is exposed and not impaired by the large plastic grilles.

Much better sound all round - if I could stiffen the door cards and add some soundproofing behind, it would help much more. Now to figure out to rewire the radio connectors to fit the Becker.