New to, well, everything Citroen

[FarceAboutAce]

Hi everyone,

Joe here, long-time hydro Citroen lover and first-time XM owner!

I've had about 6 weeks and a few hundred miles with my 1997 2.1d Exclusive hatch, and I love it. I've done a few bits already but the driveway to-do list still includes investigating why the aftermarket stereo's dead, swapping the original Monte Carlo alloys for some better-looking Morteau or Etoile wheels, and learning some new swear words in preparation for sorting the patchy dash backlighting and other finicky electrical pains.

Looking forward to sharing the fun here

[Dieselman]

A 2.1Exclusive is a nice Xm to have, I take it it has an automatic gearbox.

It's good to see you here, please keep us updated with your car progress. A good Xm is a really good drive, exceptionally comfortable and surprisingly agile, with good feedback.

Morteau wheel trims are just plastic trims and imho, a bit dull. If your Monte-carlo's are straight, I would stick with those. The earlier Exclusive wheels are the 24v Speedline's.
Again, my opinion only, the Etoiles appear too heavy for the saloon body, they were originally specified for the Estate, then fitted to S1 saloons also.

See the range of wheels in the linked to thread. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7553

It's up to you, but feel free to add your car to the register in "Members Cars" viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7089 and add your car details to your signature/profile, it makes technical assistance easier.

[FarceAboutAce]

Yes, it's an automatic. I tried a couple of manuals but they didn't suit the feel of the car and the shift quality in both was pretty poor. This one has had regular, documented ATF changes so I'm not panicking about it also having 193k miles.

It's a lovely thing to do distance in. Town is fine but I was very pleasantly surprised at the exceptional comfort at 40-60 mph on badly pockmarked B-roads near me.

Unless the hydro setup is hiding something awful, the wheels are all straight but could do with a proper tyres-off clean or recoat. I just can't get on with the style though, so Speedlines or a set of Etoiles will be fitted once I find a good set. Sites elsewhere say every XM runs 5x108 PCD and ET45 offset - is this actually true?

Thanks for the other links. I'll add my details to the register and signature

[Dieselman]

I would need to check the wheel offset, but 5x108 PCD is correct, all Xm use the same wheels.

The Xm's tour de force is B road blasting. Bumps, ridges, potholes and bends, just disappear, which makes one surprisingly quick, point to point.
It's when the infinitely variable rate gas springs and Hydractive, really show their class.