Citroen XM Forum

Parking brake less than 50% (mark as a dangerous defect)

Headlamp not working on dipped beam (major defect)
side repeater not working both sides (major defect)
shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush offside front (top mount) (major defect)

oil leak, but not excessive (monitor and repair if necessary (advisory))
tyre slightly damage/cracking or perishing (both rear badly perished) (monitor and repair if necessary (advisory))
suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (both rear inner sills) (monitor and repair if necessary (advisory))

First one will be easy to do, that just means tightening up hand brake cables
Second should be easy to do, The two lights side light and dip headlight might be a fuse or just bad connection.
Third going to present a problem, think they are on about top of the strut this will not be easy to replace

Dipped headlamps are on a single relay, so it's a connection/wiring issue.
Side repeaters will be corroded contacts, either connector to the holder, or bulb.
Shock absorber mounting must be the strut top is delaminating or the rubber is tearing: replace Rh strut top. Jack car up, de-pressurise suspension, unscrew sphere, unbolt suspension ram from strut top, drive leg down, unbolt hydraulic pipe and other fixings and lower strut top and recover. Expect Lhm leakage. Replace, etc.

Assuming you have a strut top in serviceable condition, this should all be done readily.

By far the biggest issue is the advisory for welding needed at the rear. Sort in due course.

I need to find a new strut top or a good second hand one, they have them in France but want over €400
how can you get tyres looking new, rust I will leave for a few months before getting it done, when he was doing the rust test along the sills he was aft hitting hard with a leather hammer I think.
I will get on and start doing the jobs today, those strut tops do they came apart, if they do, I could take the dome part to a local rubber company.

Forget the tyres, they are just showing signs of age: wear them out.

The strut tops don't come apart without machining, but depending on the failure mode all might not be lost. If the failure is delamination of the rubber from the steel plate then there is nothing stopping you pushing the parts apart, cleaning up both parts and re-bonding the rubber to the steel.
If that is the failure what has happened is the outer surface of the steel has corroded and pulled away with the rubber. Painting the strut tops generally stops this mode of failure.

It would be interesting to see what your local rubber company says, as they may be able to remanufacture these.
The best way to remanufacture would be to make a new steel tube section, which is bonded to the metal plate via the rubber doughnut, which is a universal part. The steel tube is then press fitted into the upper cast section using expansion dimples in the tube wall to lock it in.

Elastomer.Eu fill the new polymer by cutting the thin metal disk off to gain sufficient access, so rebuilding the assembly still built up.

See thread on strut top composition and failures. There is an attached PDF. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8105

That is interesting, looks like mine are phase 2,

Having problems separating the strut from the strut top, do it unscrew or is it push though, a bit of a pain but finally separated, the rubber had separated

I take it you have found the rod to strut top joint is a taper fit, with the large nut clamping it tight.
With the wheel hanging, undo the nut tot eh top of the thread and give it a downward clout to part the taper.

If the rubber has parted company from the steel, theoretically it can be repaired using a strong, suitable, adhesive. Clean the rusty steel from both surfaces, glue and clamp together. If you refit the strut top and suspension leg, you can use the weight of the car sitting on it's wheels, to clamp the two parts together while the adhesive cures.

A member on here used windscreen polymer adhesive to good effect.

That's an idea, windscreen polymer, another way I was thinking of using an old tyre inner tube cut up in small bits with that plastic glue all heated up and melted and mixed, that's how the Lithuanians first go started.
I am going to need to give it a very good clean, there is oil build up from when the pipe broke from the strut leg,
What are those French copies like any idea
https://mecaplace.com/