Citroen Grand C4 Picasso - EGS and timing belt

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200sx
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Citroen Grand C4 Picasso - EGS and timing belt

Post by 200sx »

Morning all,

I've placed a deposit on a 57 plate C4 GP 1.6HDI EGS at a local main dealer. I drove three others before opting for this one.

I have a couple of minor concerns though and I hope you can put my mind at ease.

1. The gear change isn't as smooth as the 2000mile demo car I drove but slightly smoother than the other used cars. I can feel an ever so slight knock on upchanges as if the clutch isn't engaging smoothly. Downchanges are fine. Is this a simple case of a software update?

2. The car had it's timing belt replaced at 37k, currently on 39k. If the service schedule for this is 120k why was it done so early? The dealer doesn't know why but they class this as a bonus.

Thanks.
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Post by Chlorate »

Some people just like to change timing belts early. It's definitely a plus knowing it was done very recently, means you don't have to worry about it for a good long time.
Personally I wouldn't leave any timing belt for 120k, even if that was the service interval.

-Alex
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Post by 200sx »

Early is good, but 80k early? :?
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Post by wheeler »

Sounds like its been owned by someone that has had a belt snap on them before & left them with a huge bill.
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Post by 200sx »

What are the chances of the timing belt snapping on the previous owner? I'm assuming other components would've needed replacing as well? The service history only lists the timing belt. I'm assuming the engine is not of a non-interference design, never known a diesel that was.
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Post by wheeler »

Sorry if you misunderstood, i was meaning the previous owner has probably had a belt snap on a previous car & is now extra cautious.
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Post by 200sx »

Sorry Wheeler, I didn't make myself clear.

What I meant to say was:

Assuming the previous owner didn't have the belt replaced to play safe. Could the timing belt have snapped and been replaced with no other parts needed?

Another possibility is it could have failed a visual inspection and required replacement?

What I fear is the replacement of the belt due to failure with damage to other components remaining untouched. Is this possible?
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Post by JohnD »

If a pulley became noisy or the water pump was replaced under warranty, would it not be advisable to change the belt and note it in the service record.
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Post by cachaciero »

36K would I have thought been in the warranty period in which case the work would have been done by a main Citroen agent and if so there would be a record within the Citroen system. Take the registration to a main dealer and ask them (nicely!) what they can tell you about it's history.

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Post by 200sx »

Just been on the phone to the supplying dealer. They've investigated the reason why the timing belt was changed. It failed a visual inspection, frayed (sp?).

They've never heard of adjustment on the EGS system. I'll see how I get on with it when it's in my hands so to speak.

Thanks for the advice!
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Post by Citroenmad »

Ive heard mixed reviews of the EGS gearbox, most say its hard to achieve smooth gear changes and the changes are usually drawn out.

As its a manual gearbox and clutch with an automatic operation its not going to be like a genuine automatic gearbox.

The sensodrive gearbox in smaller Citroens and Peugeot are of a very similar design, they also have the same gear changing traits as the EGS. I know there were software updates for the sensodrive cars to improve the changes.

Our Peugeot has a sensodrive gearbox, while I do quite like it and it makes driving in slow traffic or around town a doddle, it does have its draw backs: drawn out changes in auto mode and as the clutch is on or off, edging up when parking takes practice. You need to treat it more like a manual in some circumstances.
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Post by quintet »

I've known the pulleys for the timing belts to be noisy + had the odd issue with water pumps too, i would guess something driven by the timing belt has failed & been replaced under warranty, however the actual timing belt would not have been covered by the warranty in this particular case (it's classed as a wear & tear item & isn't usually covered under warranty) & i suspect the dealer would have simply recommended to the then owner to have it replaced when the old one was removed in order to replace whatever had failed (ie water pump, tensioner etc) which is why there is a 'cash sale' receipt for it being changed, however the rest of the work done under warranty won't show up, there should be a record of exactly what was done @ the dealership that carried it out, all the work carried out at Citroen dealers should be traceable on PC & paperwork, if not then they're likely to land themselves in trouble if/WHEN they get inspected.
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Post by Chlorate »

It could just be a case of someone being strapped up by a dealership and warranty services. My grandfather had a similar case where VW wanted to change the timing belt on his Polo (*twitch*) on the second service, after a swift telling them to procreate with themselves a second garage said the belt was fine.

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Post by Citroenmad »

Chlorate wrote:It could just be a case of someone being strapped up by a dealership and warranty services. My grandfather had a similar case where VW wanted to change the timing belt on his Polo (*twitch*) on the second service, after a swift telling them to procreate with themselves a second garage said the belt was fine.

-Alex
A lot of VWs need a cambelt and water pump every 40K or 4 years. They have been known to fail at around that mileage! The water pumps have plastic impellers which break off, leaving the pump useless.
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