Buying A Xsara VTR

Clio Cup

Clio Cup

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Jul 18, 2003
Messages
119
Location
Beacon Hill, NSW
I'm looking at adding a VTR to the family to keep a Clio company. Anything in particular that goes wrong, or what to look out for? Any advise appreciated. :)

The one were looking at has had the passenger window motor replaced under warranty but I've heard these go on a regular basis. Also this car has bad squeaks from the front brakes and the seller advised it needs new discs soon.
Apart from that, I can't find any other faults with it.

Thanks in anticipation
David
 
Hi David

I love my VTS, and I would recomend diving a VTS befor you buy the VTR, It is a bit more money but if you can find one you'll appreciate the difference. :2cents:

My brakes squick but I have been able to get rid of that buy blowing the dust out on a weekly basis with compressed air, works a treat.

Cheers

MAtt
 
mattg said:
Hi David

I love my VTS, and I would recomend diving a VTS befor you buy the VTR, It is a bit more money but if you can find one you'll appreciate the difference. :2cents:

My brakes squick but I have been able to get rid of that buy blowing the dust out on a weekly basis with compressed air, works a treat.

Cheers

MAtt
Click to expand...

Um, I wouldn't do that if I was you .... God knows what is in that brake dust. Strongly suggest a good hose (killing any dust) would be a MUCH better idea :eek: :eek:

seeya,
Shane L.
 
David what a great combination. They are a great car. What a great look to have both those cars in the driveway...:2cents:
 
The only particular persistant problem that I noted with the VTR I had was that the door trims would always come loose at the back and would need to pressed back into place, a problem which I have the VTS also. All other issues I had with the VTR were one off's and were handled under warranty.

1. Front crank seal leaked oil after 4000km, fixed under warranty. I haven't heard of this happening in any other Xsara. It was never a problem after that.
2. Central locking motor in drivers door started to sound dodgy. They replaced that under warranty
3. Fuel pump sounded noisy, replaced under warranty
4. Left hand trim under front window started to warp. Not really a problem but it looked at bit crap. It was replaced under warranty.

Apart from the brakes being a bit squeally at times, I had none of the disk warping problems that occur on Mk1 Xsaras. As Matt said, blowing out the dust with compressed air or even water seems to alleviate the problem somewhat.

Troy.
 
I have a 2001 5 door 1.6li auto(first batch of Xsara which arrived in Aust. and I bought it from ATECO's lawyer). Here's the list of things dealer replaced under warranty.

1. rubber hose at a/c heater leaking
2. driver side rubber door seal cracked
3. r/h engine mount cracked
4. Eurovox radio not working
5. Indicator stalk assembly replaced (can cost you over $1500 if not claimed during warranty)

All these happened when the car only had 20K on the clock! Recently I also changed the bonnet strut, luckily the strut from the commodore fits. Now, I have a grinding noise when turning right. Midas, Pug dealer, and Pedders can't locate noise. Suspension check shows everything fine but noise is present. I just have to live with it. Test drive the Xsara and make a tight u-turn, listen if there's some noise.

What MY Xsara are you looking at? Does it still have some warranty?

Weekly I wash off brake dust but Midas adjusted my front brake calipers. Squeeks gone and no need to clean weekly.

Good luck.
 
Juan M. said:
5. Indicator stalk assembly replaced (can cost you over $1500 if not claimed during warranty)
Click to expand...

Was your indicator stalk assembly the Com2000 type like used on all other current Citroens/Peugeots, or the old type with the horn button on the end of the indicator stalk rather than the steering wheel? The really early Mk2 Xsara's used the old type stalk, which was the same as the Mk1. My VTR had that type of stalk.

Troy.
 
The horn button is on the end of my right stalk so I assume mine still uses the Mk1 stalk. It was replaced exactly with a same looking one but now it does not stick anymore to left indicating even when going straight. My Xsara also have radio controls on the steering wheel, unlike the newer one's I've seen.
 
BTW Troy, I like your Avatar. It reminds me daily how nice looking my new VTS alloys are on my 1.6 5 door :D
 
Juan M. said:
The horn button is on the end of my right stalk so I assume mine still uses the Mk1 stalk. It was replaced exactly with a same looking one but now it does not stick anymore to left indicating even when going straight. My Xsara also have radio controls on the steering wheel, unlike the newer one's I've seen.
Click to expand...

Ok it is the Mk1 stalk. Jeez, at $1500 that makes it more expensive that the com2000 stalk that the later cars use. I was thinking that the $950-$1000 for the com2000 was expensive.

The old radio control on the steering wheel are much nicer to use (I had them on my Mk1 Xsara) than the later radio control stalk on the newer cars. It's a shame the VTR didn't get them.

Troy.
 
Thanks guys for your super swift replies!

Drove a VTS on the w/end and it was really nice, but the budget can't extend at present to one. Spotted this VTR for what seems a good price.
It's complied 10/02 and drove it last night, was madly testing everything(including horn), pushed the indicator stalk at the end (as in my Clio)but nothing happened and could only find the horn on the wheel. So I assume it is a Mk2 and not Mk1 stalk?

Can somebody advise when Citroen changed from 2yrs/60k NCW to 3years/60(I know this is now 100)? The owner has advised it is still under warranty until this October, which would be excellent. If we get closer to the deal of course I'll check with the selling dealer.

On another note, the gearbox feels somewhat notchy, particularly 1st, there is no synchro wear it seems but I'm wondering if this is normal. The VTS I tried didn't feel at all like this.

Hosing the brakes-what a simple solution! :eek:
 
Clio Cup said:
It's complied 10/02 and drove it last night, was madly testing everything(including horn), pushed the indicator stalk at the end (as in my Clio)but nothing happened and could only find the horn on the wheel. So I assume it is a Mk2 and not Mk1 stalk?
Click to expand...

Yep, this is the Mk2 stalk, the Com2000, the infamous stalk system used by all the PSA vehicles (eg 206/307) now.

Clio Cup said:
Can somebody advise when Citroen changed from 2yrs/60k NCW to 3years/60(I know this is now 100)? The owner has advised it is still under warranty until this October, which would be excellent. If we get closer to the deal of course I'll check with the selling dealer.
Click to expand...

From memory, the 3 year warranty kicked in from july 2001

Clio Cup said:
On another note, the gearbox feels somewhat notchy, particularly 1st, there is no synchro wear it seems but I'm wondering if this is normal. The VTS I tried didn't feel at all like this.
Click to expand...

I found this was the case with the VTR. First to second shift was a bit notchy and reverse was sometimes difficult to select when cold.

Troy.
 
My Xsara VTR is early May01, from memory 3 year warranty came in at the end of that month.
Have had power window motor go, armrest warp - both replaced under warranty.
Rattle in back seat fixed under warranty.
Had and still have noisy fuel pump; had and still have noisy central locking in driver's door; driver's door trim developed unclipping problem after window motor replacement. No problem with noisy brakes (but my mum's Xantia does).
Intermittent failure of remote central locking; intermittent lighting of airbag warning light (am told is connector under seat needing replacement).
Gear shift is tight, have heard of some being excessively difficult to change.
Only done just under 29000ks, so my car is not a good indicator of life of things. (Think original battery may be about to die, and exhaust is sounding a bit louder - must be time to get a new car lol). Secondhand prices seem to vary by thousands around the country, happy shopping.
 
Thanks for your detailed info Bruce.
Prices do seem to vary wildly, we are currently negotiating on price. Probably the gearbox and fuel pump concern me mostly. Did you mention these to the Citroen dealer and was any action taken to rectify, or was it "normal" :
 
Bruce H said:
intermittent lighting of airbag warning light (am told is connector under seat needing replacement).
Click to expand...

This is a common problem, and not just on the Xsara either. It is easy fix though, they usually resolder the wiring on the connector under the seat.

Troy.
 
Yep, same as my Clio, easily fixed.

BTW, the VTR is not listed with ABS. Were there any brought in with ABS-because on the test drive I stopped hard twice and it didn't lock up, with a slight vibration through the pedal. Wondered if it migh have ABS? Was it an option on the VTR?

No hard pulsating though like the ABS I'm used to on the Clio.
 
Clio Cup said:
Yep, same as my Clio, easily fixed.

BTW, the VTR is not listed with ABS. Were there any brought in with ABS-because on the test drive I stopped hard twice and it didn't lock up, with a slight vibration through the pedal. Wondered if it migh have ABS? Was it an option on the VTR?

No hard pulsating though like the ABS I'm used to on the Clio.
Click to expand...

ABS was an option in the VTR (mine had ABS). The ABS unit is located under the bonnet behind the left headlight.

Troy.
 
Mentioned gearbox and fuel pump - was told "normal".
Mine came with ABS as standard - one of the various packages offered (have only had it operate once and am now eternally grateful car was equipped with it).
Thought of another issue today, that I was also told was normal - start the car when parked on a particular angle and the fuel sender will stick, leaving you with the fuel warning light on until you next turn the car off.

My dislikes about the car -
  1. it doesn't ride on hydraulics
  2. rear vision is limited
  3. seat belt can be awkward to access if you're not long-legged
 
Bruce H said:
[*]seat belt can be awkward to access if you're not long-legged
[/list]
Click to expand...

I found this too in the VTS but now when I'm in the drivers seat I reac down with th right hand and i'm not pulling any sholder muscles now.

Matt :2cents:
 
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