TIPS to improve seat belt return
My car, the Citroen C6, is in good working order and the interior is very clean, but there are quite a few disappointing areas, such as the paint. For example, there is a scar on the driver's seat where the seat belt metal fitting was pinched.
The reason for this is that I've noticed recently that the seat belt is slow to return to its original position. It takes a long time to return to its original position. Usually it's fine, but sometimes when I get out of the car in a hurry, the seat belt gets caught in the door, and in the worst case scenario, the metal part can scratch the inside of the door, which is what I think is causing this. At first, I suspected a problem with the parts, so I searched for "Citroen seat belt replacement," but I got no results. So I searched for a solution. When I searched on Google, I found a tip that suggested washing the seat belt thoroughly with a mild detergent and then drying it.
This cleaned up the seat belt and improved the winding performance considerably, but it still didn't have the same force as the passenger side. So I searched further and found information that silicone spray was quite effective.
What attracted me to this website was the statement that if the product was not effective, I could make a complaint. They were very confident about this product. I believed this statement and sprayed a little CRC silicone spray on the seat belt anchor (the seat belt passage on the center pillar).
As a result, the problem was completely solved. The seat belt was dirty, but I think the main cause of the slow return was the friction between the seat belt and the anchor. This has been improved, so the return is much better. If you don't like the sticky feeling of silicone spray, I think it would be effective to apply some plastic wax to the anchor part. The biggest difference is how light the seat belt feels when you pull it out after fastening it. If you feel it is a little heavy, taking measures early will help prevent the seat belt fitting from getting pinched.
Progressive Hydraulic Cushion
Originally, Citroen does not seem to be very proactive about disclosing technical information, but KYB, which jointly obtained the patent, and Citroen fans have released various information, so from that information We can speculate about the technology overview.
PHC (Progressive Hydraulic Cushion) has three main parts built-in.
From the left, there are three: Butee hydraulique detente (hydraulic rebound stopper), Amortisseur principal (main valve [damper]), and Butee hydraulique de compression (hydraulic bump stopper). By dividing the total stroke of the shock absorber into three parts in this way, it is possible to achieve different characteristics even though it is a single shock absorber. The 1st main valve [damper] works near the center of the stroke. In this operating region, the conventional valves, the piston and the base valve, provide the damping force. The second and third hydraulic stop parts act near the end of the rebound and bounce strokes, and the bounce and rebound stops serve to absorb additional energy. This division of duties allows the shock absorber's main valve to be configured with a focus on comfort, while the two hydraulic stops only come into play when more severe conditions are encountered, improving both comfort and handling performance. is possible. To accomplish this effectively, both the rebound and compression stops must absorb enough energy and be able to respond very flexibly. This patented technology provides an unprecedented level of comfort and what PSA Stellantis calls the "flying carpet effect", which allows drivers to feel as if their car is flying over bumps and potholes in the road. You can feel it.
As shown in the image above, it is still equipped with Butee mecanique classique (classic bump rubber), but it is much smaller than the convetional model.
By the way, detentee means "rebound", compression means "bound", and butee means "stopper".
I think this video is the easiest to understand. (It's in French)
Here is a video of how it works.
Click here for Stellantis Japan's technical documents (in Japanese).
Besides, KYB's technical documents (in English), which have joint patents, are available here. It's on P23-P28.
https://www.kyb.co.jp/technical_report/data/no58j/all.pdf
According to a press release from KYB, starting in 2022, PHC shock absorbers [dampers] (called DHS [Double Hydraulic Stops] shock absorbers [dampers] in KYB), which have been supplied only for new car installations from KYB Europe, will have part numbers. It says they are sold as aftermarket parts as 3348095 and 3448033. (This is in English)
I actually searched for the parts.
https://www.autodoc.co.uk/kyb/17873322
I was indeed able to find a part for sale, but it doesn't look like a general-purpose part, but a C5AC-specific part and not for other cars. I was disappointed.
After doing some research, I was relieved that even though it is no longer hydropneumatic, one of the important characteristics of hydro, which is ``balance of comfort and cornering performance,'' has definitely been inherited. I would like to believe that it will continue to be refined and improved as generations pass.
*In order to make this article easier to read, the damper body is referred to as a shock absorber, the main damper inside is referred to as a main valve, and the auxiliary damper inside is referred to as a stopper.
Citations: fiches-auto.fr, stellantis.jp, kyb-europe.com
Nous sommes en hiver.
Nous sommes en hiver. This is how you say "It's winter" in French. In English, it would be "It is winter." If you simply translate it on a translation site, it will become C'est l'hiver. This is also correct in French, but French people generally say Nous sommes en hiver. ``We are in winter.'' All seasons in French are masculine nouns with the article le. By the way, in ``It's spring now.'', the a that represents ``in'' and the article le are contracted to become au, resulting in Nous sommes au printemps.However, when the sentence begins with a vowel or silent h, en is used. For example, en hiver. Also, "It's Monday." becomes Nous sommes lundi. By the way, lundi is an adverb, so it means on Monday. Unlike the month, you need to be careful because if you add an article to it and say le lundi, it means something like "on Mondays," which means a daily habit. In English, both the month and the day of the week are proper nouns, so they are capitalized, but in French they are both written in lowercase. Also, when expressing age, it is expressed as J'ai 50 ans. This is also often done with the expression Je suis 50 ans. English-speaking French learners often make mistakes. Instead of I am 50 years old, the French would say I have 50 years. These are basic things that every French learner should know. As you can see, translation is not simple because it involves cultural factors such as differences in ideas, rather than simply replacing words. Translation sites also have their limitations. Without further ado, here in Kashiwazaki, Niigata, we are being hit by heavy snow in December 2023, just like last year.
Gradually, the snow fall became heavier and it looked like this:
The Hydro Citroen, which allows you to raise the vehicle height and escape from bad roads in such situations, is really practical in snowy countries. If they import a 4x4 with this, it would be a big deal.
There are several websites that actually introduce the usefulness of the Hydro Citroen in Niigata, an area with heavy snowfall. I placed the links below for your reference.
Now, on a personal note, I'm currently launching an English blog. We are in the process of converting this mirror site Hatena Blog to English. I'm also considering a French page. I would be happy if I could use this opportunity to connect with Citroen fans around the world. I dream that it would be fun to be able to communicate in various languages such as English, French, and Chinese.
I could find the valve cover gaskets for ES9 engine of Citroen C6 V6 3.0
PSA ES9 engine is a very good engine. And it is also known as Renault LX7 engine.
However, this engine also has its drawbacks. This is because the ignition coil tends to fail and oil leaks from the valve cover.
Replacing the ignition coil with NGK's ignition coil U5008 will greatly improve durability.
However, the problem is oil leaking from the cam cover. In addition to the cam cover being discontinued, you cannot purchase the gasket alone. Cam cover ASSY is sold. Particularly bad are the left and right bank plastic cam covers (0248J0 and 0248J9). Looking at repair cases in Japan, most repairs are done by applying liquid gasket. RSUNO in Saitama, Japan posted an article on their blog about how they made a cam cover gasket.
Since I have distanced myself from the Citroen Special Shop in Japan, I looked for information on Europe.
Then I found a FB group called "ES9/L7X (PSA/Renault V6) owners and fans group."
Then, I found an article about Russian-made cam cover gaskets.
Following the link, it was on drive2.com: Russian version of Minkara (as I call it) .
I read the article and found the parts vendor, but sales have already been discontinued, I thought these reproductions and sales might be out of the question, even in Russia.
So I stopped searching in Russian and searched in French, and finally found the parts for sale.
It was a reasonable price, including shipping. I found it at a shop in Antibes, France: a city on the Cote d'Azur, between Cannes and Nice. Even though I say Antibes, I haven't actually visited there, but I've only been shopping via email...
However, although it is not a long story, it seems that this business cannot be made public due to licensing issues. If anyone is interested, please let me know in the comments section.
Citations: autocar.jp, facebook.com, drive2.com
Replacing the Citroen C5's bulbs that are prone to burning out with LEDs
My beloved Citroen C5X7 sedan is now 10 years old, and after many years of driving it, I've learned which parts are prone to breaking down. This is purely my own preference, but I hate driving a car with a burnt out light bulb. Another characteristic of this type of failure is that it's difficult to notice it yourself. So, thanks to the latest technology, I replaced it with an LED, which is said to have a lifespan more than five times that of a normal light bulb. This is also my own preference, but I deliberately looked for LEDs made by domestic manufacturers rather than cheap Chinese products.
In my experience, the front positioning lamps (T10) and tail lamps (G18) burn out most frequently. I decided to replace these with LEDs.
First, I used these sites as references for how to remove the unit and replace the valve.
Front positioning lamp
Tail lamp (sedan)
Tail lamp (Tourer)
In particular, citroenclub.com also has many other helpful information on how to replace bulbs in the headlight unit and interior, etc.
As for the LEDs, I searched Amazon for relatively inexpensive ones that were made in Japan and had roughly the same brightness as the original.
Here is the T10.
Here is the G18.
MIYAMA 日本製 LEDバルブ ミドルバルブ シングル ホワイト ソケット 12V MI-230
This is an image after the replacement. The brightness is perfect.
「力なき者たちの力」を読む
「力なき者たちの力」は社会主義体制崩壊後の初代チェコ共和国大統領となったヴァーツラフ・ハべル（ハヴェル）の著書です。ハベルは1989年のチェコスロバキアのビロード革命を実現化した劇作家です。ポスト全体主義と表現される体制側に何度も投獄されるなかで、この本を書き上げ、市民による非暴力活動で民主化を果たした人です。私はNHK Eテレの100分de名著で初めて知りました。
社会主義のイデオロギーに縛られて、事実を口にできない当時のチェコスロバキアは、新型コロナの拡散を最初に発見した医師が処罰された某国と同じだったようです。事実より政治的力が優先する社会は、いずれ、崩壊する社会であるとこの本は伝えています。私が一番共感したエピソードはハベルがビール工場で働いていた時のエピソードです。ハベルは劇作家で1968年までは、彼の作品は劇場で上演されていました。しかし、同年8月にワルシャワ条約機構軍がプラハを占領し、「正常化」の1970年代になると彼の作品は、劇場でほとんど上演されなくなります。「正常化」の時代に当局から睨まれた演劇関係者は、自宅や別荘に少人数の観客を集めて作品を発表するとともに、生きていくために他の職業につかざるを得なくなります。ハベルもこうした「自宅劇場」を利用した一人であり、また1974年から北ボヘミアのビール工場で働くことになりました。この時のエピソードが「力なき者たちの力」に書かれています。以下に要約したその抜粋を紹介します。
「1974年、私がビール工場で勤めていたころ、上司はSという人物だった。ビールの製造のことをよく理解し、貴族のような誇りを自分の仕事に持っていて、工場でよいビールを造ることだけを考えていた。しかし、工場の主導権を握っていたのは、この分野にそれほど詳しくもなければ、この仕事にたいした関心もない、けれども政治的に影響力を持つ人びとだった。工場の経営はどんどん傾き、Sの提案に反応しなかったばかりか、Sに対して敵対的な態度を取るようになり、Sの仕事を妨害するようになった。最後は、Sは政治的に有害な人物と見なされ工場から追放されてしまった。」
皆さんは、こんな理不尽な経験はありませんか。無理解で無能な上司に理不尽な命令や指示を受けた時に、ちゃんと反対意見を言える職場でしょうか。どう考えてもおかしいし、こんなことをやっていたら、会社の業績的にもマイナスと分かっていても一応、上司の命令は命令です。黙って従うのが一番無難です。会社が損をしても、それは経営者の問題で一社員である自分の問題ではないと考える自分もいます。でも、一方でよい仕事をしたいという自分のプロ魂もあります。
そんな時、自分は中学校時代の部活顧問の先生の教えを思い出します。それは「チームが確実に負けると分かったら、その後、どう振る舞うべきか」という教えです。「お前ならどうする」「手を抜くか」と言われ、即答できませんでした。先生の教えは、「チームは負けた。でも○○は頑張ったと言われる選手になれ。必ず、そこから道が開ける」という教えでした。チームが負けたからと言って選手生命が終わる訳ではありません。試合の勝ち負けは選手の責任ではなく、監督の責任です。どんな負け試合でも、選手である自分にとって最高のスーパープレーができれば、必ず、どこかから声がかかるはずだということです。この言葉も社会人になってから、自分を勇気づけてくれました。最低の職場の最低のチームで頑張っていた時に、この教えが自分を勇気づけてくれました。監督を上司、選手を社員と読み替え、「チームとしてはこの職場は負けかもしれないけれど、自分は自分のベストを尽くして与えられた仕事を頑張ろう」と、この教えのおかげで心から思うことができました。
悔しいけれど、理不尽な上司に敵対してもつぶされるのがオチです。自分に与えられた職責の中で、最高の仕事をすることが突破口になるような気がします。
ボクシングの村田諒太さんの話で、学生時代喧嘩に明け暮れていたころ、先輩相手に完全勝利だった喧嘩について、「村田は負けた」という噂を言いふらされ、「こんなやつらばかり相手にしていて何になる」と考えて、「リングの上で強いことを証明するのはかっこいい」と考えてボクサーを目指したという話を聞いたことがあります。この話も私を勇気づけてくれました。
馬鹿な上司は相手にしてもしょうがない。自分は結果や顧客のことを第一に頑張り、そこで自分の正しさを証明しようと思えるようになりました。
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外国人妻に日本の素晴らしさを教えられる - La Vie Avec Citroen ハイドロマニア シトロエン C5 C6 と趣味や日々の出来事
2人の名人にヘッドライトの曇りを修理してもらう
滅多に洗車をしない主義なのですが、時たま不意に気分で洗車をすることがあります。そこで、見つけてしまったのが、シトロエンC5のヘッドライトのクラックです。これを放置すると曇りになり、黄ばみになります。そこで、車磨きのお師匠さんであるSさんが経営するこちらのお店に伺って診ていただきました。
一方、中古で購入したシトロエンC6については納車前にこちらのお店でヘッドライト研磨をしていただきました。こちらのオーナーもイニシャルは同じSさんで腕前も名人級です。遠くは関東からもお客様が来られてます。
そのときの画像がこちらです。
磨き前
磨き後
かなり、クラックが酷かったので、ペーパーがけして削ってUVコートで仕上げていただきました。
クラックが見えますでしょうか。
さて、前述のC5ですが、ルーセントのSさんの見立ては、クラックをペーパーで削ってしまうとハードコートも削ってしまい、そうすると今度は黄ばみやすくなってしまうので、ハードコートを残して削るか、もしくは、ヘッドライトのクラックを削って完璧に仕上げてからクリア塗装をするのが良いという提案でした。クリア塗装は怖かったので、ハードコートを残して磨いていただきました。若干、クラックは残りましたが、きれいに仕上がりました。
同じような症状に対して、全く異なるアプローチですが、どちらも今のところ、施工後1年を経過しましたが、とてもきれいな状態です。1つの症状に対しても複数の見解とアプローチがあるのだなと自動車修理の奥深さを感じました。
また、2人の名人の共通意見がヘッドライトスチーマーによる修理は溶剤のジクロロメタンが発がん性のある猛毒物質なので、やめた方が良いという見解でした。
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シトロエンC5グローブボックス修理とヘッドライト内の虫の除去 - La Vie Avec Citroen ハイドロマニア シトロエン C5 C6 と趣味や日々の出来事
