Citroën C6 - La Grande Barge
Discussion
4th June 2006, that's when I knew I wanted one. A modern, stylish hydro Citroen, and little would we know, the last of its kind.
Fast forward a few years, my luxo-barge days were upon me and occasionally I'd look at them and think "Hmm, not brave enough yet." Like many of us, I spent Covid watching our forumite Kitchski's UPnDOWN youtube channel - SM, DS and C6 content. Perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/@UPnDOWN
Roll round 2025, having owned 2x FFRRs in a row, I decide I want a saloon with better ride quality, so the C6 is back on the table! Having been screwed out of a blue-over-cream car (with a parts car spare) as a project, I resumed my search.
I knew I wanted a cream interior, as I hate black, and preferably one that didn't need a complete going-through front to back to get it running as it should.
I messaged Kitchski/UPnDOWN out of the blue as he'd mentioned that he wasn't using the C6 much in his last couple of videos on it, and might consider selling it. After a couple of days to think about it, he agreed to sell it on the gentlemen's agreement that it would get some love and not be broken for spares.
His previous thread and videos were a great start to getting it into really fine fettle. Fast forward a couple of days, I hired a trailer, brimmed my L405 with diesel and set off for a long day to collect it
Loaded on the trailer
Having intended to set off back home as quickly as possible (being a 5+ hour journey), I ended up chatting cars and looking at all the projects for the best part of 3 hours, really good to meet another petrolhead with a taste for weird French things.
I asked for the original wheels rather than the 3 litre wheels Rich had been running it on, they needed a refurb but I was going to do that anyway
Next morning I returned the trailer and had a good look at it - despite having a wash the weather conspired to filth it up pretty well, but a good start of a project anyway!
Fast forward a few years, my luxo-barge days were upon me and occasionally I'd look at them and think "Hmm, not brave enough yet." Like many of us, I spent Covid watching our forumite Kitchski's UPnDOWN youtube channel - SM, DS and C6 content. Perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/@UPnDOWN
Roll round 2025, having owned 2x FFRRs in a row, I decide I want a saloon with better ride quality, so the C6 is back on the table! Having been screwed out of a blue-over-cream car (with a parts car spare) as a project, I resumed my search.
I knew I wanted a cream interior, as I hate black, and preferably one that didn't need a complete going-through front to back to get it running as it should.
I messaged Kitchski/UPnDOWN out of the blue as he'd mentioned that he wasn't using the C6 much in his last couple of videos on it, and might consider selling it. After a couple of days to think about it, he agreed to sell it on the gentlemen's agreement that it would get some love and not be broken for spares.
His previous thread and videos were a great start to getting it into really fine fettle. Fast forward a couple of days, I hired a trailer, brimmed my L405 with diesel and set off for a long day to collect it
Loaded on the trailer
Having intended to set off back home as quickly as possible (being a 5+ hour journey), I ended up chatting cars and looking at all the projects for the best part of 3 hours, really good to meet another petrolhead with a taste for weird French things.
I asked for the original wheels rather than the 3 litre wheels Rich had been running it on, they needed a refurb but I was going to do that anyway
Next morning I returned the trailer and had a good look at it - despite having a wash the weather conspired to filth it up pretty well, but a good start of a project anyway!
macron said:
Genius!
What happened with the blue/ cream one?
It was up for sale in Bradford - the guy selling it had an interesting yard of cars in a mill (of course!), but it was a reasonable deal.What happened with the blue/ cream one?
The car as-advertised needed a lot of bodywork and odds-and-sods like mirrors (as they were both broken), and a complete set of suspension. Handily he had a "spare" blue-over-black one as a parts car.
We agreed a deal on a Monday for both cars, collecting Friday. I'd already been to see the cars so he knew I wasn't a complete time-waster. He text me on the Wednesday (after I'd hired my trailer) to say they were sold.
Anyway, it all worked out for the best as this one's much more interesting (and breaks my streak of blue-over-cream luxobarges, at 3 in a row)
So far I'd only driven it a few hundred yards after pulling it off the trailer, and as the weather was good I decided to crack on with the big job that would stop me using it as a running project.
The list stood at:
- Fix the handbrake as it was having a hissy-fit
- Refurb the wheels with fresh tyres
- Replace the gearbox as the torque converter was knackered...
Having looked at that engine bay I decided that life would be much easier if I removed the engine and box together rather than fighting to replace the box with it all in the car, so...
Wheels were taken off to be refurbed while I'm busy with other bits
Crack on removing the bumper, arch liners etc to get a good look at the front end, very nicely engineered underneath and the arch liners come out without fuss (unlike a lot of cars!)
And the cooling pack off, that's coolant not oil for the eagle-eyed
Here's where my picture-taking intent breaks down a little - I have a gap in my photos where I was actually fetching the lump out, it was a Sunday and I was trying to crack on with it before dark.
So I borrowed a photo from the refit for an impression, here you see the crash bars all removed and a lot more pipework and electrical bits disconnected (virutally unseen). The electrics you have to remove the ECUs and various connectors in the electrical box, and it's easier to just remove it. Note the stylish B&M bag for the electrical connectors that ran into the front bumper to protect them from the weather.
After some jiggling, the inevitably forgotten earth cable and a bit of swearing, it was out! Properly heavy lump compared to anything I'd picked with the crane before.
And the engine bay with it removed - there was an oil leak coming from somewhere that I hadn't tracked down yet, but from the colour and how far it had spread it was obviously somewhere warm to give you some vapour
Engine bay had a few rounds of degreaser and power washer, much improved
So I borrowed a photo from the refit for an impression, here you see the crash bars all removed and a lot more pipework and electrical bits disconnected (virutally unseen). The electrics you have to remove the ECUs and various connectors in the electrical box, and it's easier to just remove it. Note the stylish B&M bag for the electrical connectors that ran into the front bumper to protect them from the weather.
After some jiggling, the inevitably forgotten earth cable and a bit of swearing, it was out! Properly heavy lump compared to anything I'd picked with the crane before.
And the engine bay with it removed - there was an oil leak coming from somewhere that I hadn't tracked down yet, but from the colour and how far it had spread it was obviously somewhere warm to give you some vapour
Engine bay had a few rounds of degreaser and power washer, much improved
With the garage to work in I cracked on fetching off the old gearbox. In this case you have to undo the flex plate bolts through this awkward hole in the back of the block, it looks like plenty of room but actually it makes a pain of itself with various lumps of block so that you have to have exactly the right size of socket to fit without being too long
6 of those later, followed by a load of awkward bolts holding the box to the engine (or rather, I made them awkward), and it was off. Then the fun begins! The original box in the car had its valve body replaced with the one from the replacement to cure a bunch of hard-shifting issues from worn solenoid seals etc, so first job was to remove that and refit to the new box.
Once that was in you then have a sump to re-fit to the front of the box, I gave it a good clean up on both sides before some silicone sealed it up
And with it back on I then had the fun task of trying to mate up a 95kg box to the engine again single-handed
Once that was done and the myriad bolts torqued, I then cracked on and did the cambelt, the old seen here, note how oily everything is
Drowned in brake cleaner and the new cambelt fitted, along with a new freewheel clutch on the alternator. I also found the oil leak - in this case the PCV system in the V of the engine had obviously been removed and refitted some time, but a rubber seal to mate it to the block return had been folded in on itself, so the PCV was leaking oil and vapour constantly over everything. (Sadly no picture, I'm useless)
At this point it was ready to get put back in the car.
6 of those later, followed by a load of awkward bolts holding the box to the engine (or rather, I made them awkward), and it was off. Then the fun begins! The original box in the car had its valve body replaced with the one from the replacement to cure a bunch of hard-shifting issues from worn solenoid seals etc, so first job was to remove that and refit to the new box.
Once that was in you then have a sump to re-fit to the front of the box, I gave it a good clean up on both sides before some silicone sealed it up
And with it back on I then had the fun task of trying to mate up a 95kg box to the engine again single-handed
Once that was done and the myriad bolts torqued, I then cracked on and did the cambelt, the old seen here, note how oily everything is
Drowned in brake cleaner and the new cambelt fitted, along with a new freewheel clutch on the alternator. I also found the oil leak - in this case the PCV system in the V of the engine had obviously been removed and refitted some time, but a rubber seal to mate it to the block return had been folded in on itself, so the PCV was leaking oil and vapour constantly over everything. (Sadly no picture, I'm useless)
At this point it was ready to get put back in the car.
Fast Bug said:
What's the C6 like in terms of reliability and parts availability? They're cracking looking cars that's for sure!
Reliability is pretty good overall - the suspension etc is all very mature tech, engine and gearbox are OK. It's a well-built and well-engineered machine, but it does need some care. If you find a bad one I can imagine it's horrendous. There's a huge resource of info in the C6 owners forum, along with various other bits online.Most of the parts are easy - the engine is the PSA-JLR shared project Lion V6, commonly-found gearbox. Underneath a lot of bits are shared with the other PSA cars (C5, 407 etc) so odds and sods like indicator stalks etc are really easy.
The difficult bits are the suspension struts (if needed) and the rare bodywork like headlights.
jamesson said:
I am constantly amazed on here by people's ability to carry out this sort of work! Lovely old car the C6. Well done, OP. 
Thanks, very kind GeniusOfLove said:
I love everything about this, it's a car I've always wanted to spend some time with, it must be one of the last luxury cars that didn't dick around with faux sporty nonsense.
Is it the same AW 6 speed box everything else used at the time?
Yes there's no real sportiness going on, which is a real pleasure.Is it the same AW 6 speed box everything else used at the time?
Aisin TF80SC yes.
ChocolateFrog said:
I've been so close to buying one of these.
Good luck with it.
Do it before they're gone!Good luck with it.
the griffin said:
Great work so far, Kitch said it had gone to someone who was going to give it the home it needed and have time to spend on it.
The C6 is on my list but I don't know if I'm brave enough.
I'm not sure if it's brave or stupid, I'll be spending multiples of what it's worth to get it sorted out, but I've always fancied one.The C6 is on my list but I don't know if I'm brave enough.
I'd have one as a trial while they're cheap.
Edited by Krikkit on Thursday 30th October 14:48
I took the plunge on a C6 in March since we needed something long-legged, comfy and reasonably economical (fuel-wise) for our increasingly frequent forays from the Highlands down to England. I bought a low mileage 2.2 Hdi with a manual gearbox from an oleo-pneumatic 'connoiseur' in Surrey which needed just a little bit of work to restore the magic carpet ride. Have to say I really enjoy driving it and it's an interesting foil to my M5. Also, mine is only £315 VED as opposed to £735 for the 2.7 diesels, which isn't a deal breaker but a useful saving.
Citroen, since Stellantis took over, don't support the C6 and some spares are now very difficult to come by so a spares car would have been a great idea.
Finding knowledgeable and competent people to work on these cars isn't easy either. I was lucky enough to find a C6owner's forum member - who is a mechanic in Edinburgh and specialises in the C6 - to look after mine. He's been a god-send, and happens to own a few C6s, two SMs (in pieces), some C5s...and there may be others!
The hydro-pneumatic suspension induces panic in most regular mechanics but it's a robust system as long as it's inspected and maintained properly. The garage that has done quite a lot of work on my M5 (non-specialist) won't touch the C6 because the owner says the suspension system is like witchcraft! Actually, it's quite a simple system once you understand it but it's a common prejudice.
(Anyone motivated to buy a C6 would do well to look at the 72k mile dark grey over beige one currently listed on eBay for £4000 and located in Edinburgh. The owners name is Mike and he's the guy who looks after my C6. It's probably the best one on the market right now and is very fairly priced.)
Citroen, since Stellantis took over, don't support the C6 and some spares are now very difficult to come by so a spares car would have been a great idea.
Finding knowledgeable and competent people to work on these cars isn't easy either. I was lucky enough to find a C6owner's forum member - who is a mechanic in Edinburgh and specialises in the C6 - to look after mine. He's been a god-send, and happens to own a few C6s, two SMs (in pieces), some C5s...and there may be others!
The hydro-pneumatic suspension induces panic in most regular mechanics but it's a robust system as long as it's inspected and maintained properly. The garage that has done quite a lot of work on my M5 (non-specialist) won't touch the C6 because the owner says the suspension system is like witchcraft! Actually, it's quite a simple system once you understand it but it's a common prejudice.
(Anyone motivated to buy a C6 would do well to look at the 72k mile dark grey over beige one currently listed on eBay for £4000 and located in Edinburgh. The owners name is Mike and he's the guy who looks after my C6. It's probably the best one on the market right now and is very fairly priced.)
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