Citroen Reliability..?

hdi_man · Post by **hdi_man** » 07 Mar 2011, 11:41

I have owned my 58 plate C5 for 9 months now...I got the car at 23k miles and it now has 30k miles. Its been in the dealers now 4 times :

- depollution fault, engine cutting out - replaced fusebox for ECU

- suspension fault - replaced steering rack & suspension pump (oil leaked all over my driveway)

- clutch slipping - new clutch to be fitted this week

I am now very unsure about the car, the warranty runs out in 6 months and I think it will be a risk keeping the car. I am thinking of buying a used C class Merc instead.

maybe its just a bad apple....

Post by **Peter.N.** » 07 Mar 2011, 14:13

Sorry to hear about your problems but I'm afraid they are not restricted to Citroens, most modern cars seem to be less reliable and more expensive to fix than the older cars, the sheer complication of them means potentially more faults. Even Mercs have their fair share of problems, not the least of which is rust - believe it or not in this day and age. Some cars can be reliable but its a lottery whether you get one or not.

Have a look on Parkers Guide and read the owners reports on whatever car you are interested in, that will give you an idea of any potential problems.

Peter

hdi_man · Post by **hdi_man** » 07 Mar 2011, 15:06

dealers just called, I AM INFURIATED now ! - Citroen UK have agreed to pay for parts only and labour will be £550 to fit new clutch....

on a 2 year old car with ony 39k miles !!!!

bearing in mind all the other work its already had done I feel this is totall y unacceptable !!!

Post by **Peter.N.** » 07 Mar 2011, 17:23

You are not alone I'm afraid.

Post by **Paul-R** » 07 Mar 2011, 18:04

I wouldn't accept that. Refuse to accept their kind offer and say that it's not acceptable. You could try saying that if Citroen UK have accepted the parts are faulty - they must have to be agreeable to replacing them - so they should pay for whole lot. Don't accept that it's a gesture of good faith if they say that.

Play on the low mileage. The fact that it's been back four times. How patient you've been while they try to sort out the various problems.

You could also mention merchantable quality although I'm not sure whether this will be relevant on a second hand car nearly three years later. Try it though, I would expect an effing clutch to last that long!

Above all, don't give up. Make yourself awkward without being offensive.

hdi_man · Post by **hdi_man** » 07 Mar 2011, 18:55

I will call head office tomorrow to discuss.

I found an interesting thread where loads of peugeot and citroen owners experiencing clutch slip also, as it is intermittent it is caused by Oil leaking into the clutch plates and this IS covered under warranty.

however, dealers would not know this without first taking the thing apart...faulty seal apparently

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 07 Mar 2011, 21:07

Dont lose faith in the Citroen brand, reliability is usually excellent in my opinion. My family has ran Citroens for years and not had one major problem. The German cars we have had have needed a new engine and another a gearbox rebuild, that also suffered with bad rust issues despite being a young car. Not impressed!

EVERY car manufacturer is far from perfect, a lot of cars do have common issues that go wrong and other issues which are less common. Rarely do you find a car which is faultless and remains that way. Especially as cars are getting increasingly complex.

Mercedes recently had to recall all of its C -class fitted with a certain engine as its injectors were failing - this on brand new cars. Mercs appear to be made from old Ford Fiestas and Metros - i mean they like to rust! I know people with Merc of varying sizes and a lot have had to have new body panels under warranty to get rid of the rust.

Most cars you look into have some kind of issues. Its just finding one with less and finding a good car - some cars of the same type are better than others it would seem. How they have been looked after etc.

I had one car, a Seat, which was nothing but trouble, got it at 18 months old and it was in the dealer more than i had it at first. In fact the lady at the service desk said she should keep my driving licence in the drawer as they need it more than me! Every other week it would be back into the dealer for repairs of some description. They once had it for a whole three months! I had a loan car every time but it was very inconvenient.

It had so many things replaced, a brand new engine was fitted. I seriously thought about selling the car and getting something else, as it had been so much trouble. But i kept it and debated getting an extended warranty when its 3 year one ran out. I didnt get it, and im glad i didnt. The car stayed in my family after i was done with it and its now coming up 8 and has been no problem since the warranty expired. Ive just passed it onto another family member too. SO warranty isnt everything, and often dealers are the cause of many issues - especially in my case.

You could always get an extended warranty for your C5 if your worried about it.

I cant comment on the new C5s reliability, as ive not had one and doubt i will, but in my experience Citroens are reliable, possibly not quite up to Honda reliability, but not at all near the worst either. Ive yet to have a Citroen let me down, which is excellent.

Id not buy anything else!

MTND · Post by **MTND** » 07 Mar 2011, 22:07

hdi_man wrote:dealers just called, I AM INFURIATED now ! - Citroën UK have agreed to pay for parts only and labour will be £550 to fit new clutch....

on a 2 year old car with ony 39k miles !!!!

bearing in mind all the other work its already had done I feel this is totall y unacceptable !!!

Hi

My C4 with 48k miles is slipping as well

I hear though, that there is a Citroen Bullitin on the subject so we'll see if they look after thier customers?

Mark

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 07 Mar 2011, 22:09

MTND wrote:
hdi_man wrote:dealers just called, I AM INFURIATED now ! - Citroën UK have agreed to pay for parts only and labour will be £550 to fit new clutch....

on a 2 year old car with ony 39k miles !!!!

bearing in mind all the other work its already had done I feel this is totall y unacceptable !!!
Hi

My C4 with 48k miles is slipping as well I hear though, that there is a Citroën Bullitin on the subject so we'll see if they look after thier customers?

Mark

What engine is in your C4, the 2.0HDi as well?

MTND · Post by **MTND** » 07 Mar 2011, 22:13

Citroenmad wrote:
MTND wrote:
hdi_man wrote:dealers just called, I AM INFURIATED now ! - Citroën UK have agreed to pay for parts only and labour will be £550 to fit new clutch....

on a 2 year old car with ony 39k miles !!!!

bearing in mind all the other work its already had done I feel this is totall y unacceptable !!!
Hi

My C4 with 48k miles is slipping as well I hear though, that there is a Citroën Bullitin on the subject so we'll see if they look after thier customers?

Mark
What engine is in your C4, the 2.0HDi as well?

Yep and apparently it seems to be that engine with the 6 speed box that effected in this case.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 07 Mar 2011, 22:15

Good, I have that to look forward too then

hdi_man · Post by **hdi_man** » 08 Mar 2011, 08:39

what does the citroen bulletin say ? - I need to make my dealer away of this, is it for C4 specifically ?

MTND · Post by **MTND** » 08 Mar 2011, 19:23

hdi_man wrote:what does the Citroën bulletin say ? - I need to make my dealer away of this, is it for C4 specifically ?

Sorry I don't know what it says just that its there, about clutches, maybe you can ask your dealer if they know?

Mark

hdi_man · Post by **hdi_man** » 08 Mar 2011, 21:04

well after a number of calls to Citroen UK they have agreed the following:

- if they strip clutch down and its not wear thats causing slip then 100% is covered under warranty. (if its worn I have to pay labour...although £500 seems too steep to me!)

however, the dealer did not want to know this story so Citroen UK have to call dealer to confirm check if clutch REALLY needs to be replaced.

to be honest I think this dealer is incompetent and I may go somewhere else....

addo · Post by **addo** » 09 Mar 2011, 05:31

I'm skeptical the experience with a faulty Benz would be any more satisfying. The main point here, though, is it seems they are attempting to jockey you between a rock and a hard place - does it meet Fair Trading criteria for faulty goods (the car itself)?

I wouldn't surrender the car for any work without that head orifice offer clearly put in their writing, and I'd probably put some UV-sensitive dye on a few bits and pieces...