Oldest XM in the UK - Now with registration!!

[MTXM]

The main work required is to rebuild the front sills that have been quite severely corroded through damaged jacking points Russ, otherwise there is a small hole in the offside rear sill and a section of outer chassis rail to rebuild, as on Pauls 24v. Altogether the condition is really no worse than the Scotland 24v that required welding work for the mot. I needed two cars transporting and a local garage helped out with their truck, although it was essential to maintain a high suspension setting to avoid damaged underneath!! With regards, Matthew T.

[russ92xmsed]

I noticed it was on high! Well that's not too bad then, general XM grot spots it seems, as usual.
What were Citroen on when they designed those jacking points. They are fit for nothing!

[MTXM]

I now have the official letter from Citroen UK confirming the age of the car, although initially they denied all knowledge!! There is a slight discrepancy in that a build date of 8th May 1989 is stated, while all the RP calculators I have checked give 16th May! I have also requested the necessary registration form from DVLA and once the welding is done and mot hopefully secured I will then request the new number. Regards, Matthew T.

[russ92xmsed]

Great news. So would it be on an F plate Matthew?

Typical Citroen can't even use their own build date numbers. Either they are right, highly unlikely!, or some thing interesting is going on there..... Or it took a week to build.

[Eddie nuff]

. . . although initially they denied all knowledge!!

. . . of the car? Surely not!

[MTXM]

As 'F' covers the period 1 August 1988 – 31 July 1989 the reg. will definitely be on that letter Russ. I think there was a similar contradiction with the letter from Citroen UK on the Germany car! For this car the initial advice was that they could not trace the vin Neil and stated I would have to find out where is was built and obtain information direct. It would not need much research to establish that all XMs were built at Rennes in France!! With regards, Matthew T.

[MTXM]

Just a brief update to confirm that the welding on the sills is now completed and interior carpets etc. back in place. Although I am not completely happy with the repairs carried out, the task was quite a challenge and the cost extremely reasonable. The car is at home and in my garage for the first time with a few other jobs left to do, that include refitting the wheel arch linings and front bumper etc. It was also possible to thoroughly clean down and treat the underneath with the rear subframe and spare wheel carrier etc. on the Welder's lift and I also had the exhaust patched up rather than replaced at this stage. The underneath although a little tired is not the worst I have encountered and considering 25 years and at least 10 winters spent in Poland!! There is some paintwork it would be nice to arrange, but before spending any more I hope to get the MOT and registration and ideally have the car in use by the late summer of this year. I attach some photos of the sills before repair and recent work in progress. With regards, Matthew T.

[MTXM]

Further photos!

[Eddie nuff]

And here's me moaning about the state of the sills on mine.

[MTXM]

It was mainly down to the abuse of the front jacking points Neil, which were squashed up and into the floor on both sides. I had a similar problem with another early car, although it was possible to straighten out the jacking point and floor without welding. As I recall Paul had some comparable or possibly even more serious damage to one of his XM. The deterioration of the lower wings is also common and has affected most of my cars, with either repair or replacement being necessary. Hopefully it has been worth the effort to repair and rebuild in this case! Regards, Matthew T.