had a saxo 52 plate 1.1 desire for little over a month now and already have a few tips and stories to tell fellow saxo owners in the case of similar events happening.
first thing is french electrics are absolute crap; as soon as you can get rid of the immobiliser as it will, at one point or another, make your life hell. Engine would crank but not fire and immobiliser light kept flashing. Turns out, if you let the battery run low/flat, you risk locking the immobiliser completely = no go. I found this out (sadly) and had to resort unlocked ecu/complete auto electrician test. Get a third party immobiliser
two, CV boots like to move without letting you know. Was noseying around checking nothing was lose when i noticed a thick greasy deposit on drivers side wheel. Turns out the retaining metal jacket had completely sheared, bathing my brakes and track rod ends in lovely grease from cv joint, so just packed it with lithium grease and used a jubilee clip as a temporary fix to keep it attached to the hub until i can find something better.
Thirdly, if you ever hear a knocking noise from a saxo, be worried. It could be one of a million things eg CV joint/gearbox mount/engine mount/ cat/ exhaust/ etc. Get underneath with study axle stands/ramp if possible and have a good root round, you'll be surprised what else you find... As i found with fucked suspension rubbers.
Enjoy your french 'masterpiece'
first thing is french electrics are absolute crap; as soon as you can get rid of the immobiliser as it will, at one point or another, make your life hell. Engine would crank but not fire and immobiliser light kept flashing. Turns out, if you let the battery run low/flat, you risk locking the immobiliser completely = no go. I found this out (sadly) and had to resort unlocked ecu/complete auto electrician test. Get a third party immobiliser
two, CV boots like to move without letting you know. Was noseying around checking nothing was lose when i noticed a thick greasy deposit on drivers side wheel. Turns out the retaining metal jacket had completely sheared, bathing my brakes and track rod ends in lovely grease from cv joint, so just packed it with lithium grease and used a jubilee clip as a temporary fix to keep it attached to the hub until i can find something better.
Thirdly, if you ever hear a knocking noise from a saxo, be worried. It could be one of a million things eg CV joint/gearbox mount/engine mount/ cat/ exhaust/ etc. Get underneath with study axle stands/ramp if possible and have a good root round, you'll be surprised what else you find... As i found with fucked suspension rubbers.
Enjoy your french 'masterpiece'
