ABS - Happy Days

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Ross
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ABS - Happy Days

Post by Ross »

Just to let you know - not really for feedback - just sharing the joy of a 1.9TD VSX - or possibly looking for sympathy ?

The abs light came on in about Feb this year just in time for te MOT - you would think it was almost by arrangement

Previously have had new Timing belt water pump and tensioner set fitted together with new spheres all round, handbrake cable, four tyres, new battery, new radiator etc etc so Im in for a few quid.

Took the ECU to a company who took 6 weeks to fix it - plugged it in light still there and they said it was a relay - changed the relay - light stayed on so I parted with £150 and thought about it

Took it to Citroen Dealer for diagnostic - he said front offside sensor - fitted that - light still on - another £120 gone.

Went back to the Dealer he said it was the ecu/sensor/relay had this all checked and done - parted with - wait for it - £500.11 and it still didnt work - to make it worse the dealer really didnt know what to do so I went back to the ecu company.

They have found it was all due to a broken wire somewhere? causing the ecu to provide incorrect readings via the pc link - they have fixed the problem got the car mot'd but have advised the rear offside sensor still gives an intermitent fault reading which evidently didnt happen at the MOT station (really!) - parted with another £400

So far the ABS has cost £1100 plus - all for a car that cost £400
Now I am waiting for the headgasket to go at about 120k

Funny thing is its still a great car - must be mad - still a great forum
andmcit
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Post by andmcit »

Ouch - well, you certainly get sympathy from here!

It IS nice to have the brakes 100% mind...

Yes, these cars are wonderful WHEN they're all happy with things - only auto gearboxes pack in at 120k miles though, so the HG should be OK!

More likely a potential failure at this age will be the heater matrix - it needs close scrutiny to prevent such a HG malady - keep a high concentration of anti freeze/summer coolant and try deionised water as recommended by Valeo/GSF with a new replacement matrix...

Andrew
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Mandrake
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Post by Mandrake »

I think this is more of an indication of the state of the service industry and the competence of the people working in it rather than the fault of the car itself....

Far too much reliance is placed on computer diagnostics these days when many of the problems are the same old same old - broken wires and intermitant connections etc...

You're highly likely to run into the same type of ABS problem on any other car....although it's possible that the dealer networks may be more on the ball with their diagnosis than the Citroen ones... :?

It's been said on here before but Citroen's are really great cars IF you can do most of the maintaince yourself...

Regards,
Simon
Simon

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dnsey
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Post by dnsey »

Surely you can claim your money back from the companies who gave incorrect advice, and sold you unnecessary parts?
Ross
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Post by Ross »

In fairness ( and I have to keep this in mind) the dealer only did what was shown as being defective by the system in the order it was reported to the IT system - obviously if it reports it wrong due to a failed wire the Dealer falls into "bolt on new part "mode and the bill goes up helped on its way by the £80 +vat labour charge.

Look on the bright side - only two sensors to go and I'll have a new set

lol
mezuk04
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Post by mezuk04 »

Mandrake wrote:I think this is more of an indication of the state of the service industry and the competence of the people working in it rather than the fault of the car itself....

Far too much reliance is placed on computer diagnostics these days when many of the problems are the same old same old - broken wires and intermitant connections etc...

You're highly likely to run into the same type of ABS problem on any other car....although it's possible that the dealer networks may be more on the ball with their diagnosis than the Citroen ones... :?

It's been said on here before but Citroen's are really great cars IF you can do most of the maintaince yourself...

Regards,
Simon
Couldnt agree more, lets face it, it usually is the case of the most simpliest of things that cause these problems. Thats an awful amount of money to be spent on an ABS problem, and I certainly would put it down to people doing a bit of 'guess' work, and when your paying money like that, guess work just isnt good enough.
Volkswagen Golf 59' 1.6TD S :(
Peter.N.
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Post by Peter.N. »

We shouldn't really running Citroens unless we can repair them ourselves (unless we have plenty of money) although the same could be said of most modern cars. I fitted a new headgasket to my XM last year, Citroen cost around £1,000, more that I paid for the car! So far I have been able to repair all that its thrown at me, but they are such nice cars to drive... I have an intermittent ABS fault, but it always works OK when I take it in for MOT! I am hanging on to this one as long as I can as it was the last with purely mechanical fuel injection.
mezuk04
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Post by mezuk04 »

I wait for the day I suddenly become knowledgeble in car mechanics :cry:
Volkswagen Golf 59' 1.6TD S :(
Peter.N.
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Post by Peter.N. »

With me it was neccessity. I had my first car in 1956, I was earning £5.00 a week, paying £1.50 HP on the car, a 1939 Ford Prefect, and giving my mother £2.50, leaving me £1.00 per week to run it! If anything went wrong I had to repair it or no car. Its a good way to learn though. Mind you, if all cars were as simple as in those days, just about anyone could repair them. My problem now, is that I dont bend as easily as I used to!
mezuk04
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Post by mezuk04 »

My problem now, is that I dont bend as easily as I used to!
Shouldnt laugh at that but that was quite comical.....Although I do have slight back trouble :(
Volkswagen Golf 59' 1.6TD S :(
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Post by Johnno »

I also have an intermittent ABS fault - and an MOT now due! It's a conspiracy, I tell you!!

The light comes on every now and then - more likely in damp conditions, suggestive of an earth short?

I know what you mean, Peter. Growing up in NZ, the cost of new cars was such that old vehicles were maintained and retained. The high second hand value meant this was not only necessary but worthwhile and a host of small engineering businesses supported the whole thing (spare parts were expensive). Had my first car in 1974 - a 1952 sidevalve Morris Minor. Then a 1955 Austin Westminster, a '63 Vitesse, a '65 Woleseley 1660, a '65 Wolseley 1300 and a 1979 Honda Accord before moving to the UK.

Must stop blithering and get back to work!
John
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RIP - '07 C5 2.2 173 VTX+ Estate
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Johnno - sounds like a sensor - outer insulation has cracked or simply gone porous.

Fun to find as its unlikely to show on normal metering. fault code may reveal.

Worth making sure all plugs etc are clean.
jeremy
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