Safely Jacking the C5

From Matters of Testing



One of our vehicle examiners recently asked whether the Citroën C5 could be jacked safely as he had heard that there may be a health and safety issue that could impact on the MOT test. As our information was a bit sketchy, we contacted Citroën for advice.

Citroën told us that they were issuing advice through their dealer network but would send one of their engineers, along with the latest C5, to our workshop in Bristol. The problem is that when the latest versions of the C5 (those with VIN prefixes VF7RD or VF7RW) are jacked and the wheels are hanging free, the manufacturer’s advice is to remove the LSD (suspension) fluid reservoir cap as there is a risk that the hydraulic reservoir could rupture. Citroën also advise that the C5 should only be raised using the designated jacking points.

Although the cap is readily accessible, it is not acceptable to remove it during the MOT test. As the axles are normally lifted independently at MOT tests, we asked Citroën if these procedures would still require the removal of the cap. We also asked about the possibility of using other mounting points, such as the sub-frame, to jack.

Citroën’s response was that the cap must still be removed when the car is jacked, but need not be removed where only one wheel at a time is raised. However, they would not support the use of anything other than the designated jacking points. We are therefore adding this advice to the Vehicle Specific Information (VSI) database.

Remember, it only applies to those C5s with the VIN prefixes mentioned earlier.