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Slight diversion from the point, but a DS anecdote: A friend of mine at university had a 1973 Citroen DS. This was in 1997. The hydraulic system failed violentl

by pling 12y ago

Slight diversion from the point, but a DS anecdote: A friend of mine at university had a 1973 Citroen DS. This was in 1997. The hydraulic system failed violently (rapid depressurisation) whilst we were going up the M1 in the UK. The steering basically stopped working and thing sunk like a ship over the space of 30 seconds. I imagine it was sort of like an Apollo 13 moment for him driving. The AA guy turned up, shook his head and said "Bloody French crap" and ordered a flatbed to pick it up. By the time it turned up, all the hydralic fluid was all over the road. This was 15 miles from Manchester so the poor AA guy dragged us back to London begrudgingly. He bought a Mitsibishi Galant VR4 after that which was a wonderful car.

hcho 12y ago
Citroen the company was always underfunded and they could never invest in quality control. I wonder how a hydraulic suspension would fare if produced by today's technology and quality standards. DS has a flying carpet ride feel to it and even the most upmarket cars of today can't reach that.
- pling 12y ago
  Yeah the ride was pretty awesome. Until it broke. Spot on. Then again I have a FIAT (Fix It Again Tony) with a MultiJet engine which has been hellishly expensive to keep alive so today's technology and quality standards are debatable.
- gambiting 12y ago
  I've driven the latest Range Rover(the big one,not Sport), and although it has a pneumatic, rather than hydraulic suspension, the ride was smoother than anything I have ever experienced. It did feel like a magic carpet, frankly.
  - pling 12y ago
    My father has one (early 2014). Very true about the ride. Unfortunately it's plagued with electrical problems. When you plug in an iPhone into the USB charger port, the navigation and heating crashes. The ECU and several CAN bus controllers have been replaced and it still does it. Plus the alternator exploded. Fortunately all under warranty but for a car that has been on the road for 4 months, it's spent 6 weeks in a garage.
    - gambiting 12y ago
      Wow that's pretty bad. I've owned the Discovery 3 for a few years, but I must have been very lucky,because despite having a reputation for really faulty electrical systems, mine never had a single problem with that. I've driven the new Range for a testdrive and as part of the Land Rover Experience day,and I was very impressed. Shame about your dad's car,sounds like bad design.
      - pling 12y ago
        Yeah disco 3's are pretty good I understand. My boss has one. Never complained. I think the RR issues are teething issues with a new engineering line. I drove a 1992 V8 110 county a few years ago. Best car I ever had. Didn't go down well with a young family though, all the climbing and stopping for petrol, so I had to give it up for a people carrier :(
jacquesm 12y ago
I've had that happen to me once, hydraulic leaks are fun. You lose (in that order) power steering - with all the weight of the engine over the front wheels imagine you're instantly the proud owner of a non-power assisted tank, you can still steer but it takes real muscle and it is impossible if the car has no forward speed, everything happens in slow motion. A quick evasive manouver would be impossible but with some long term planning you might be able to make turn of about 3 miles in radius. - the suspension goes. Depending on how big the leak is you either fall like a brick or float down like a feather. After that even a chalkline will feel like you've just hit a kerb. - the brakes go. This is a really neat extra kick in the pants, especially once the lack of steering has caused you to come aimed at something you'd rather avoid contact with. Fun times. That said, when it works it's the best ride you'll ever encounter bar none. And it mostly works. One problem with the ancients is that you're so far out of regular maintenance schedules that it is next to impossible to predict with any accuracy what will fail next. So you carry a lot of spares and you get to know the owners of the major DS garages in all European capitals :)

by pling 12y ago

hcho 12y ago

Citroen the company was always underfunded and they could never invest in quality control. I wonder how a hydraulic suspension would fare if produced by today's technology and quality standards. DS has a flying carpet ride feel to it and even the most upmarket cars of today can't reach that.

pling 12y ago
Yeah the ride was pretty awesome. Until it broke. Spot on. Then again I have a FIAT (Fix It Again Tony) with a MultiJet engine which has been hellishly expensive to keep alive so today's technology and quality standards are debatable.
gambiting 12y ago
I've driven the latest Range Rover(the big one,not Sport), and although it has a pneumatic, rather than hydraulic suspension, the ride was smoother than anything I have ever experienced. It did feel like a magic carpet, frankly.
- pling 12y ago
  My father has one (early 2014). Very true about the ride. Unfortunately it's plagued with electrical problems. When you plug in an iPhone into the USB charger port, the navigation and heating crashes. The ECU and several CAN bus controllers have been replaced and it still does it. Plus the alternator exploded. Fortunately all under warranty but for a car that has been on the road for 4 months, it's spent 6 weeks in a garage.
  - gambiting 12y ago
    Wow that's pretty bad. I've owned the Discovery 3 for a few years, but I must have been very lucky,because despite having a reputation for really faulty electrical systems, mine never had a single problem with that. I've driven the new Range for a testdrive and as part of the Land Rover Experience day,and I was very impressed. Shame about your dad's car,sounds like bad design.
    - pling 12y ago
      Yeah disco 3's are pretty good I understand. My boss has one. Never complained. I think the RR issues are teething issues with a new engineering line. I drove a 1992 V8 110 county a few years ago. Best car I ever had. Didn't go down well with a young family though, all the climbing and stopping for petrol, so I had to give it up for a people carrier :(

jacquesm 12y ago

I've had that happen to me once, hydraulic leaks are fun. You lose (in that order) power steering - with all the weight of the engine over the front wheels imagine you're instantly the proud owner of a non-power assisted tank, you can still steer but it takes real muscle and it is impossible if the car has no forward speed, everything happens in slow motion. A quick evasive manouver would be impossible but with some long term planning you might be able to make turn of about 3 miles in radius. - the suspension goes. Depending on how big the leak is you either fall like a brick or float down like a feather. After that even a chalkline will feel like you've just hit a kerb. - the brakes go. This is a really neat extra kick in the pants, especially once the lack of steering has caused you to come aimed at something you'd rather avoid contact with. Fun times. That said, when it works it's the best ride you'll ever encounter bar none. And it mostly works. One problem with the ancients is that you're so far out of regular maintenance schedules that it is next to impossible to predict with any accuracy what will fail next. So you carry a lot of spares and you get to know the owners of the major DS garages in all European capitals :)