Have noticed on here people talking about removing the dim dip system & by-passing relays but what does it do (or what is it supposed to do?) as have noticed that I have the silver cannister on the front of the chassis and have also founf a black container underneath the steering wheel (assume the didode?) in the birds nest of wires that i have inherited from many previous owners bodged electrics!!.

much of that bodgery was citroen

dim dip was a uk only thing where a car on side lights/positional markers when moving had the dipped main headlamps come on at reduced output

citroen bodged this in by taking the ignition live and feeding it in to switch the headlights on if the light stalk was in sidelight mode

as it was Citroen electrics it fails in all sorts of weird ways one of which is an inability to switch off the engine when the lights were on! as well as overheating light switches and intermittent faults like you have

the whole thing is a F'king disaster waiting to happen and should be binned as soon as possible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting#Dim-dip_lamps

If it was "required" to be used in the UK after 1987, is it "OK" to remove it then as ours is a 1989 car??

yes

So is it just a simples as removing the diode and briging the contacts on the relay??
Why are there two relays what does the other one do???

emu_p
there's a wiring diagram and description of the setup here, print it off and trace the circuit if you fancy giving yourself a headache...

http://www.2cvstuff.com/Files/DIM-DIP.pdf

Note that the calculations are based on having standard 40/45 watt bulbs installed, with 55/60 watt halogens fitted, the light switch will be under higher stress.

ken

Our car has higher 55/60 Halogens fitted so would you recommend that i do away with this dim dip set-up altogether??

Also noticed that somebody has Joined the green & yellow wires together within the loom and then extended onto the lights with a single wire WTF ???

emu_p,
as Sean advised earlier...

"the whole thing is a F'king disaster waiting to happen and should be binned as soon as possible"

ken.

I blame Volvo for it.

What happens under the dashboard re the diode holder???

Do I need to just remove it and tape up the empty connectors?? or join them together???