My 1990 V6 Sei is finally back on the road

[Dieselman]

Only on the Prv6 engine, always carry a spare Lhm pump belt. Due to being camshaft driven the drive pulley revolves at half speed, but due to space restrictions the pulleys are small, meaning the load on the belt is very high and they wear rapidly, especially if they skid at all, at which point they burn up in very short order.

To stop them skidding they are set very tight, maximum deflection is 5mm.

[dcz1643]

Thanks for this advice. Barry changed the LHM belt down in Lincolnshire, so it’s brand new but I will order one and carry it as a spare. Cheers…

[dcz1643]

Well, she is home. Plenty to do on the cosmetics but mechanically, she didn’t miss a beat. 150 miles, without a break, after 26 years, not bad.

[Dieselman]

Fantastic news. Which one is 26 years laid up, if it's you I can see the cosmetic deterioration.

However, the Xm looks in great condition...

[dcz1643]

I have definitely deteriorated over the years, I was a younger man, when I last drove the XM. I have never driven so long, constantly watching the dashboard and hoping no warning lights come on, well they didn’t and that’s great. The car is like a time capsule, sweet wrappers in the pockets from my kids, all those years ago. There is even a Bart Simpson figure on the dash, that my son put there when he was 8 (he is now 36). The job now is to get the XM to be as good as it can be. I will be looking for some plastic parts, as some of mine have broken down. The automatic gear leaver started to fall apart on the way home (the plastic bit) and the plastic frame/trim on the inside of the tailgate is broken, causing the 13th window to sag. However, if mine have broken down due to age, I suspect they all will have done. Cheers All

[Dieselman]

Bart has to stay.

Auto gear lever rubber coverings always break down. You can buy a replacement plastic lever, alternatively I have looked at having some synthetic rubber covers manufactured, see thread: viewtopic.php?t=11366

As far as the interior rear glass fixing, what exactly has broken? The glass hinges on metal brackets screwed into the roof structure, so shouldn't drop down, the bottom rests on the parcel shelf until the tailgate is opened, at which point it can optionally, be strung from the tailgate to lift it.

Being an early Xm, yours will have charcoal interior plastics, where as from Rp5284 they changed to Hurricane Grey. The difference is barely perceptible, but they are different and a trained eye will notice it.
Member CitJon is currently breaking a Series-2 with an internal rear window.

[dcz1643]

Hi thanks for your reply. Regarding the inner rear window, it is all good, except the chord to open it can’t be used, because the inner plastic frame is broken. I am away at the moment but I will take some pictures when I get home. Regarding the gear selector, I am looking at the polish company Q&K Citroen Classics, to supply new side bumper/rubbing bar brightwork inserts (stainless steel) and they also do a recon service for the shifter and give it a leather covering. Has anyone used them and are they any good? The bright work is £115 inc shipping, which doesn’t seem too bad. Finally, I am talking to a local detailing company to completely clean the car, interior, engine bay and all of the exterior. This includes paint restoration and ceramic coating. Obviously this is more than a valet and includes cleaning every nook and cranny, as well as steam cleaning the carpets and feeding the leather seats etc. I am concerned that this is all original paint and it’s 1990s, they say they have paint thickness indicators etc but could they damage the paint? They have a YouTube channel and they said they would love to feature the XM (normally they do top end Range Rovers and sports cars). They think the bill for this would be in the £1100 ball park (taking the XM over next week for a proper assessment and price haggle), anyone have any experience of such work and does this seem reasonable? I could do some of this myself but at the moment the interior stinks of mould and they recon they will get rid of that, not to mention the possible smell from the 3 mice nests we took out! As always…Cheers

[Dieselman]

I wouldn't bother with paint correction (polishing), or ceramic coatings, or at least not have someone do it for you. Have a regular mini-valet, paying particular attention to the interior, then just polish it yourself using polish applied with a paper towel, then buffed off with a soft cloth.
Paper towel provides greater cutting power than applying polish with a damp applicator.

Xm were painted very well and your paint appears in generally good condition.
There is no reason you can't apply ceramic coating yourself, if you feel it's necessary.

The stainless door trims work well and that price is as good as anywhere else.
The Q&K leathered gear levers have mixed reviews, some people like them, others not so.

Mecaplace do a hard plastic lever, which is shaped and works well, but is hard plastic, as opposed to the rubber covering.

There are currently no suppliers of Rhd auto gear lever covers in rubberised material.

[dcz1643]

Thank you for your reply and your help.

[dcz1643]

Hi again, you are correct in that the hatch inner trim is black. I have attached a couple of pictures of the problem. I am assuming the plastic has become brittle with age and then couldn’t take the weight of the glass. I could probably fix the trim, as it is only broken in this place, or I can just keep the window down. Cheers…