White N...YBL Estate in Horhsam Yesterday.

[rowanmoor]

As I was driving out of my work car park yesterday at about 4:40 I saw a White XM drive past. I think the number plate was N612 YBL, but I only saw a fleeting glance at it. There was an older (than me so may not have even been near retirement) gentleman driving.

They wouldn't have seen me as I was too far back as they passed (unless they saw me in their mirror).

Was it you Peter?

[Peter.N.]

Sadly not, mine is parked in the field at the moment awaiting a new windscreen - still insured though! Mine is N469YBL.

Peter

[rowanmoor]

Are you getting a new windscreen on the insurance?

I had the windscreen replaced a couple of years ago. It had cracked due to rust. In the 17 years it had been on the car it had never had a stone chip, though I had had plenty if things hit it. It just seemed really resilient to chips.

The Autoglass replacement (a Pilkington one) was not the same. It was not even the same tint. They claimed it was tinted, but I can't actually see any tint at all in it. And as for stone chips - every time an insect hits the screen I get a chip. In the 2 years it has been on there I have had 4 chips big enough that they may not pass an MOT, plus plenty of pits that are large enough to see easily. 2 have been repaired but I still have 2 of them as the number of claims on my history is getting too large for some insurers to quote even though they are all glass and I intent to replace the car before the next MOT.

I wasn't impressed with autoglass at all. Even though they got the correct trim they didn't fit it correctly so it came off once and they would not come out to re-fit it - I had to drive 20 miles to them to do it. Plus they lost (threw away) my tax disc and holder. They gave me £10 towards the replacement holder (it was a metal one), but would not give me anything towards sorting the tax disc!

I comfort myself with the knowledge that the total they charged the insurance company (and my excess) was less than Citroen charged them for the trim let alone the cost of all the work and hastle they had doing it

[Peter.N.]

I am hoping to get it done on my sons insurance as he drives it mostly. Its had a crack for the last three years and passed but it failed this year which I understood when I looked at it - the crack goes the full height of the windscreen.

Peter

[Brucie]

Having just seen Rowan’s reported sighting of a white XM estate in Horsham, I’ve joined the Forum so that I can own up to being the older gentleman who was driving it. You have good eyesight, Rowan, and got the correct registration number, but a bit out on the age of the driver as I’ve been retired for a few years now! As to the car it’s a 2.0 VSX turbo automatic which I have had for just over 12 years.

[Peter.N.]

Hi Brucie

Welcome to the forum. I have had three N...YBLs all 2.1td estates and all registered in Jan 96, never seen another white one though - yours must be the other one. I also am an 'elder gentleman'.

Peter

[rowanmoor]

Hi Brucie,

Welcome to the forum.

If you are about that part of Horsham often you may well see my Green estate about. I work on the North Heath Lane industrial estate and you can even see the nose of my XM in the distance on streetview if you look at the car park closely.

I may not have it for too much longer as it is getting tired and less than economical to keep it running as a daily commuting car. I'm on the lookout for a replacement but not quite decided what to go for yet. Probably a C5 but I will have to see. I could still have the XM this time next year though if I can't find something I like.

[Brucie]

Hi Peter

I once saw another white XM estate about 11 years ago in Northern France and I parked next to it. It was outside a restaurant or possibly a museum (my memory is getting very poor) and met the English owner inside. The other car was a diesel and he made me quite jealous by telling me how economical it was to run! Could that have been you?

Bruce

[Peter.N.]

Hi Bruce

I have been to France in a couple of XMs but I don't think I have been there since we had the white one. The usual route is Cherbourg to Brittany. Don't remember the incident - but that's no guarantee it didn't happen

Peter

[White Exec]

Some nice things can, and do happen in France when you're driving an XM...

A good few years ago, while the French were busying themselves burning and confiscating British beef, we were XM-towing a caravan across northern France. Some farmers, being revolting (as they do from time to time) decided to block an entire motorway with burning tyres and parked tractors, obliging the (sparse) traffic to peel off up the sliproad, and use a few km of local road. Further down this local route, the road was blocked again - more tractors, tyres and farmers - but the whole protest was being overseen and supervised by the local Gendarmerie.

Thinking that we were going to be in for a rough time - British plated car with caravan - we gingerly approached the smouldering gathering, but were totally surprised when two of the gendarmes stood up straight, saluted, and waved us cheerily through. A third officer indicated that we should stop and lower the window, at which point he shook my hand, patted the door affectionately, all in obvious appreciation of our visiting his country with a fine piece of French engineering.

An episode that will never be forgotten.

[Oops, sorry, we were living not far from Horsham at the time...]