How to get into a dead Citroën Xantia
Discussion
My late father, who died in January, owned a 1999 Citroën Xantia estate, diesel, which has been sitting rotting on his driveway and hasn't moved for over a decade. Needless to say, the battery is utterly dead. I'm not going to bother recommissioning it - I just want rid of it so will be contacting a scrappage firm.
Unfortunately the car is locked and I will need to get into it to clear out a massive load of junk that's stored in it - I'm guessing a car scrappage firm won't take it unless it's reasonably empty.
I have found the key, but obviously pressing the button on the fob does nothing. Likewise, inserting the key into the driver's door and turning it also does nothing. It doesn't feel like there's a mechanical link to the lock - I'm guessing that the locks are entirely electrical.
It's a bit of a long shot, but does anyone know of a secret method of entry that they could PM me? Obviously, please don't post anything that would compromise the security of anyone's car.
Fortunately, the bonnet is not latched down and I can open it. I could therefore attach some kind of power supply to the battery terminals in the hope that the car's electrics will work if given 12 Volts, and maybe the locks would work. What sort of thing should I get - would this jump-starter work?
Or should I try attaching my Optimate and see what happens? I suspect the Optimate wouldn't supply enough current to drive the central locking system, and I doubt even more that the battery would accept any charge after all this time. I think the Optimate would probably decide that the battery is knackered and wouldn't supply any current at all.
Ultimately I may have to smash my way in, but would the interior door handles open the doors? I'm kinda doubting it. Or if I went down the brute force route, would a crowbar be a better bet, to simply wrench the door open?
Any ideas gratefully received!
Unfortunately the car is locked and I will need to get into it to clear out a massive load of junk that's stored in it - I'm guessing a car scrappage firm won't take it unless it's reasonably empty.
I have found the key, but obviously pressing the button on the fob does nothing. Likewise, inserting the key into the driver's door and turning it also does nothing. It doesn't feel like there's a mechanical link to the lock - I'm guessing that the locks are entirely electrical.
It's a bit of a long shot, but does anyone know of a secret method of entry that they could PM me? Obviously, please don't post anything that would compromise the security of anyone's car.
Fortunately, the bonnet is not latched down and I can open it. I could therefore attach some kind of power supply to the battery terminals in the hope that the car's electrics will work if given 12 Volts, and maybe the locks would work. What sort of thing should I get - would this jump-starter work?
Or should I try attaching my Optimate and see what happens? I suspect the Optimate wouldn't supply enough current to drive the central locking system, and I doubt even more that the battery would accept any charge after all this time. I think the Optimate would probably decide that the battery is knackered and wouldn't supply any current at all.
Ultimately I may have to smash my way in, but would the interior door handles open the doors? I'm kinda doubting it. Or if I went down the brute force route, would a crowbar be a better bet, to simply wrench the door open?
Any ideas gratefully received!
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
I have found the key, but obviously pressing the button on the fob does nothing. Likewise, inserting the key into the driver's door and turning it also does nothing. It doesn't feel like there's a mechanical link to the lock - I'm guessing that the locks are entirely electrical.
They're not entirely electrical - they are mechanical.BUT... the lock barrel has probably seized. Have you tried the other front door and the tailgate?
Breaking in and using the internal lock won't help, because the doors will be deadlocked if it was parked and locked remotely with the alarm on.
There is a much simpler solution, though - why not simply swap the dead battery for a good one? The alarm WILL go off when the fresh battery is first connected.
If you're going to get all medieval on it, and crowbar the doors open, why not just weigh it in without bothering to open it? Or - even better - there will be people happy to give it a home, even if it's just for a parts donor.
TooMany2cvs said:
There is a much simpler solution, though - why not simply swap the dead battery for a good one? The alarm WILL go off when the fresh battery is first connected.
If you're going to get all medieval on it, and crowbar the doors open, why not just weigh it in without bothering to open it? Or - even better - there will be people happy to give it a home, even if it's just for a parts donor.
Firstly, I want to avoid spending the cost of a new battery. Buying a jump-starter will at least leave me with a useful device, or I can eBay it once I've finished with it. Secondly, I don't have time to fiddle around installing a new battery. I certainly don't have time to advertise it for parts - I need rid of it quickly. I can't answer anybody's questions about what parts are serviceable, because I simply don't know.If you're going to get all medieval on it, and crowbar the doors open, why not just weigh it in without bothering to open it? Or - even better - there will be people happy to give it a home, even if it's just for a parts donor.
I explained why I can't just scrap it without opening it - it's full of stuff that needs to be emptied out.
It may also be necessary to get into it and release the handbrake and steering lock to manoeuvre it, because the car is parked on a curved driveway that is too narrow for a truck with a grabber.
Your point about the alarm is interesting though. Attaching a power supply might recharge the little battery that tends to form an integral part of the alarm siren - meaning that I'm creating a lot of noise with no way to shut it off.
I'm beginning to think that re-powering the car might not be a good idea, and that perhaps I should empty a can of WD40 into the lock, and if that doesn't work then use a crowbar.
Type R Tom said:
Could you "borrow" the battery from your current car? Swap them over. You'll probably find you could draw enough power to run the systems from a simple jump start anyway.
Access is impossible I'm afraid. Can't get another car anywhere near it. And I'm not going to jeopardise my own car by removing the battery from it and plugging it into a car whose electrics might immediately knacker the donor battery for all I know.Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Firstly, I want to avoid spending the cost of a new battery.
You've got another car, haven't you? Use the battery off that. It won't knacker the battery.Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Buying a jump-starter will at least leave me with a useful device
It probably won't work. You'll connect it to the battery, and the battery will be so shagged internally that it'll just suck it dead.Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
I explained why I can't just scrap it without opening it - it's full of stuff that needs to be emptied out.
Why? The scrappy will take it full of crap. If you WANT the crap, then that's a different matter - but that wasn't the impression you gave.Guys, let's just take it as read that I am NOT going to spend time fiddling around swapping batteries. I don't have time.
I also don't have time to receive endless queries from people asking "is the [insert name of part here] serviceable?" or "does it have the [insert variant of part here] or the [insert other variant of part here] fitted?"
I also don't have time to receive endless queries from people asking "is the [insert name of part here] serviceable?" or "does it have the [insert variant of part here] or the [insert other variant of part here] fitted?"
You're going to a lot of effort to avoid a simple battery swap, it's a 10 minute job? Amount of time you've spent posting on here about it you could have just swapped a battery. If you can't be bothered, then stick it on Gumtree for 100 quid and make it clear it won't move or unlock. Someone will come round, put a battery on it and pull it onto a trailor.
If I stick it on Gumtree I'll get endless questions from morons who haven't read the advert, asking whether I can deliver it, does it drive well, does it have the [insert variant of obscure Citroen part] fitted, does the aircon work, etc etc.
I'm not going to spend money on a new battery for it. I'm not going to remove the battery from my own perfectly serviceable car and then struggle to find the pesky code for the radio, etc. Swapping batteries is not going to be a 10 minute job on a car I'm unfamiliar with, whose mounting bolts are probably rusted to hell, and where the car is totally overgrown with brambles making it very difficult to work on.
Clipping a jump-starter onto the battery terminals, however - now that is not a 10 minute job; it's a 10 second job. But if it's going to make the alarm siren scream and continue to sound even after the power is removed, then I'm becoming unsure about even doing that. I have no idea where the alarm siren is located on this car - I'm guessing it's placed somewhere deliberately inaccessible.
I'm not going to spend money on a new battery for it. I'm not going to remove the battery from my own perfectly serviceable car and then struggle to find the pesky code for the radio, etc. Swapping batteries is not going to be a 10 minute job on a car I'm unfamiliar with, whose mounting bolts are probably rusted to hell, and where the car is totally overgrown with brambles making it very difficult to work on.
Clipping a jump-starter onto the battery terminals, however - now that is not a 10 minute job; it's a 10 second job. But if it's going to make the alarm siren scream and continue to sound even after the power is removed, then I'm becoming unsure about even doing that. I have no idea where the alarm siren is located on this car - I'm guessing it's placed somewhere deliberately inaccessible.
Duke of Kidderminster said:
I'll say it again. Break the window, empty the car, take off the handbrake, push it down the drive, scrap it.
stop getting shirty with everyone and JFDI
I'm only getting shirty with one particular person who always seems to fail to read what people write, and always turns a simple question into a three-page argument.stop getting shirty with everyone and JFDI
I actually think the brute force approach is probably best, although I'd be tempted to use a crowbar and try to actually open one of the doors to give better access.
I will, however, try the WD40 approach first.
ChrisR99 said:
Someone's touchy.OP, don't use WD40, try and stretch your wallet and time to some actual penetrating fluid, like PlusGas.
You could probably use a large screw driver to leverage the door frame and insert a wire to open the lock, which might work.
But i stand by everyone else, buy/steal/borrow a working battery.
Well a generous blast of penetrating fluid this afternoon freed up the lock and the driver's door opened - albeit with a bit of a struggle. Alas I can't open a rear door, and the front seats are entirely electric so I can't fold or slide them out of the way - so removing all the crap via the driver's door is going to be somewhat awkward, but possible. Hopefully I can fold the back seats down to gain access to the boot. God only knows what it all is - my Dad was a full-on hoarder just like you've seen in TV documentaries, so it could be absolutely anything.
Then it is "simply" a matter of clearing the driveway, including numerous fairly mature trees that have grown up around the car since it last moved. I don't yet know whether the handbrake will actually release, or whether the wheel bearings have seized - so it might still be a struggle to move it.
I'm glad I didn't buy a new battery. I did buy a jump-starter, but it's still in the box so hopefully Halfords will take it back.
Then it is "simply" a matter of clearing the driveway, including numerous fairly mature trees that have grown up around the car since it last moved. I don't yet know whether the handbrake will actually release, or whether the wheel bearings have seized - so it might still be a struggle to move it.
I'm glad I didn't buy a new battery. I did buy a jump-starter, but it's still in the box so hopefully Halfords will take it back.
It's a near criminal waste of what used to be a decent car. And it's not the first time Dad has done this - he left a Sierra XR4x4 to rot on the driveway years ago as well (only the 2.0 litre version, but still...)
The car is sitting very low on its haunches. Did it have air suspension?
The car is sitting very low on its haunches. Did it have air suspension?
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