Stabilus Powerise auto tailgate C5 X7, and Diagbox!

[aranciata-oz]

Hi everyone,

Firstly, I've already spoken to a well known dealer in Sydney and Stabilus Aust themselves but even they can't advise if there are any auto tailgate repair specialists in Sydney who can help me remove my existing Stabilus struts and install two new OEM Stabilus struts - long story short is the dealer who sold me the car last year agreed to supply two new struts which I was going to install myself, but time and skill shortcomings are proving to be a challenge (particularly in relation to dismantling the cable system that locks into the tailgate motor unit). The auto tailgate unit in question is the Stabilus Powerise (see attached pic).

Secondly ... Diagbox ... yes I know there's been a lot written here and everywhere about how to set one up, but even accounting for my general ample skills in IT and general handyman and repair, I can't see the forest from the trees regarding Diagbox ... I would really appreciate any of your stalwarts here advising me on 3 things:

1) What old/new PC would work to carry Diagbox - I'm assuming any PC with a hard drive, could work?
2) What Windows OS works best, or is known to work
3) Most importantly ... where to buy the Diagbox - kit and software - I'm open to anything, but obviously one that is known to work.

I'm happy to jump online again to slowly learn more again on how to set it all up (eg making sure it's never connected online to the outside world), but for now any clear answers on my hardware and software question above would be very helpful ...

Thanks everyone ...

 

[seasink]

You don't need much of a laptop to run Diagbox, it's old 32 bit Windows software. It is therefore likely to be run now in a virtual machine.

But PSA only releases the software to dealers, so all of the many copies floating around are not official. Online sellers can include the necessary OBD2 to USB cable and hardware, or you can get this separately.

Look around the forum for software sources and installation.

 

[aranciata-oz]

You don't need much of a laptop to run Diagbox, it's old 32 bit Windows software. It is therefore likely to be run now in a virtual machine.

But PSA only releases the software to dealers, so all of the many copies floating around are not official. Online sellers can include the necessary OBD2 to USB cable and hardware, or you can get this separately.

Look around the forum for software sources and installation.

Thanks @seasink . Yeah I'm conflicted whether to just bring my car in to a dealer and have their updated Diagbox plug whatever gaps I have. On balance I probably still fancy the flexibility to diagnose things myself so yeah I'll try and setup a VM - my old Asus mini laptop from years past was converted to Linux but I'll see if there is a VM that can run Win32 OS.

 

[dmccurtayne]

Hi everyone,

Firstly, I've already spoken to a well known dealer in Sydney and Stabilus Aust themselves but even they can't advise if there are any auto tailgate repair specialists in Sydney who can help me remove my existing Stabilus struts and install two new OEM Stabilus struts - long story short is the dealer who sold me the car last year agreed to supply two new struts which I was going to install myself, but time and skill shortcomings are proving to be a challenge (particularly in relation to dismantling the cable system that locks into the tailgate motor unit). The auto tailgate unit in question is the Stabilus Powerise (see attached pic).

Secondly ... Diagbox ... yes I know there's been a lot written here and everywhere about how to set one up, but even accounting for my general ample skills in IT and general handyman and repair, I can't see the forest from the trees regarding Diagbox ... I would really appreciate any of your stalwarts here advising me on 3 things:

1) What old/new PC would work to carry Diagbox - I'm assuming any PC with a hard drive, could work?
2) What Windows OS works best, or is known to work
3) Most importantly ... where to buy the Diagbox - kit and software - I'm open to anything, but obviously one that is known to work.

I'm happy to jump online again to slowly learn more again on how to set it all up (eg making sure it's never connected online to the outside world), but for now any clear answers on my hardware and software question above would be very helpful ...

Thanks everyone ...

View attachment 221505

With tailgate the whole process is detailed in service box I don’t maintain a subscription anymore because I don’t see the need in paying for stuff so others don’t have to but I did a 508 a few years ago and it wasn’t hard.
With diagbox if you can supply me a pc I can get one up and going for you I’ve tried over and over to help people remotely with this and it just never works windows 10 pcs work best with the vm setups because older stuff is just to slow.

 

[aranciata-oz]

With tailgate the whole process is detailed in service box I don’t maintain a subscription anymore because I don’t see the need in paying for stuff so others don’t have to but I did a 508 a few years ago and it wasn’t hard.
With diagbox if you can supply me a pc I can get one up and going for you I’ve tried over and over to help people remotely with this and it just never works windows 10 pcs work best with the vm setups because older stuff is just to slow.

Thanks @dmccurtayne - I'll try and source a PC laptop and look into service box too.

 

[aranciata-oz]

Update: thanks to everyone including @AlexB for a handy PDF service instruction for the 508’s motorised tailgate - it was just the tonic I needed to embark on pulling out the cables of my motorised struts of my C5 Tourer from the central Stabilus motor, and successfully replacing them with new motorised cable-driven struts. The motorised tailgate is working again!

In a nutshell, the original problem leading to the inoperative motorised tailgate (pressing the remote boot button or red tailgate close button would always lead to a beep but no movement) was simply two fold:

1. The right side cable head had disengaged from the operating rivet catch of the Stabilus central motor, thanks to the plastic housing connector of the cable to motor, falling apart like Swiss cheese, in keeping with the parking brake stopper “plastic” using dehydrated fondue design of the engineers …

2. Both struts had clearly also lost their pressure, so the other still engaged cable wasn’t enough to lift the tailgate. I noted this loss of pressure because as soon as I installed the new strut on the right side, the tailgate was so much easier to manually lift.

So the solution for (2) was simple - as soon as I managed to carefully pull the left cable out of the motor then diengage it from the rivet catch, the rivet catch on the right side of the motor also appeared, allowing me to engage the head of the new cable/strut. Repeat new strut install for the left.

The solution to the broken right side cable housing in (1) had to involve two long cable ties (what else! This is Aussie technology fixing French f-ups! ) compressing and holding in place whatever remaining housing plastic I had - it worked, for the cable is operating nicely.

Therefore a huge relief and I can say for the first time in a long while I’m enjoying the car again, especially for school drop offs and pickups to load and unload school bags. I also press the remote boot button to operate the tailgate these days just for shits and giggles these days.

I do have a follow up project - how to install a tailgate release button on the dash and even better, that same button to remotely close the tailgate as well, preferably while the engine is still running. I saw this very installation on a C5 Facebook group but as the poster was from a non-English speaking country it was hard to ask anymore questions. I understand the BSI may have to be involved …

But alas I get to enjoy a motorised tailgate again after two years … thank you again everyone.

 

[aranciata-oz]

Update: thanks to everyone including @AlexB for a handy PDF service instruction for the 508’s motorised tailgate - it was just the tonic I needed to embark on pulling out the cables of my motorised struts of my C5 Tourer from the central Stabilus motor, and successfully replacing them with new motorised cable-driven struts. The motorised tailgate is working again!

In a nutshell, the original problem leading to the inoperative motorised tailgate (pressing the remote boot button or red tailgate close button would always lead to a beep but no movement) was simply two fold:

1. The right side cable head had disengaged from the operating rivet catch of the Stabilus central motor, thanks to the plastic housing connector of the cable to motor, falling apart like Swiss cheese, in keeping with the parking brake stopper “plastic” using dehydrated fondue design of the engineers …

2. Both struts had clearly also lost their pressure, so the other still engaged cable wasn’t enough to lift the tailgate. I noted this loss of pressure because as soon as I installed the new strut on the right side, the tailgate was so much easier to manually lift.

So the solution for (2) was simple - as soon as I managed to carefully pull the left cable out of the motor then diengage it from the rivet catch, the rivet catch on the right side of the motor also appeared, allowing me to engage the head of the new cable/strut. Repeat new strut install for the left.

The solution to the broken right side cable housing in (1) had to involve two long cable ties (what else! This is Aussie technology fixing French f-ups! ) compressing and holding in place whatever remaining housing plastic I had - it worked, for the cable is operating nicely.

Therefore a huge relief and I can say for the first time in a long while I’m enjoying the car again, especially for school drop offs and pickups to load and unload school bags. I also press the remote boot button to operate the tailgate these days just for shits and giggles these days.

I do have a follow up project - how to install a tailgate release button on the dash and even better, that same button to remotely close the tailgate as well, preferably while the engine is still running. I saw this very installation on a C5 Facebook group but as the poster was from a non-English speaking country it was hard to ask anymore questions. I understand the BSI may have to be involved …

But alas I get to enjoy a motorised tailgate again after two years … thank you again everyone.

Forgot to add video of the little joy finally returning …

 

[flipperman]

My tailgate has a mind if it's own, opens, doesn't open etc etc.
When I got the car 7 years ago now I went to Citroen to get the tailgate recall done, the guy there said it had already been done. All these years later I think he lied. If it had been done they would have placed a sticker somewhere to show it had been done.

 

[aranciata-oz]

Thought I'd wrap up my thank you's to you all in the best possible way ... I installed a remote switch to release and close the tailgate, by piggy backing into the external tailgate (black) release button. It was something that really annoyed me, the fact that there was no tailgate release/close switch in the cabin when a lot of cars have that. I got this remote switch idea initially from this bloke on Youtube who simply ran a positive cable from the switch all the way to a custom made switch on the dash (

) but I didn't want all that cabling-through-panel trouble and decided to install an ebay/aliexpress remote controlled switch instead - it works just as well, especially a bonus given the remote that came not only nicely fitted beneath the door lock button on the centre console (the car needs to be unlocked for the tailgate release to work), but with its chrome lining the remote was a decent aesthetic fit for the cabin! Thanks again everyone for all your help like almost 2 years ago helping me on this journey - hopefully my remote switch idea here helps in return ...