C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

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BrianM
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C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by BrianM »

For those on here with the C5 x7 can you hand on heart say the car is reliable ?. I've mine 3 years now and in the 60k miles of my ownership I have had it back for 9 items failing and a clutch replacement too. Latest failure is egr failing open so car would not start. Dealer has been helpful with the warranty items but I'm afraid that the other half is loosing patience at not having a car for a few days every few months !

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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by mooseshaver »

My 2010 exclusive is great. Best and most reliable car I've had.
C5 III Tourer 2.0 HDi 163 Auto Exclusive
Gone cars.
C5 2.2 HDi Exclusive Estate auto 57. Awesome car. Sadly Could not be fixed by Citroen.
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by Lighty »

Well the engine and box is the most common unit on the market today, so perhaps you are unlucky, I find them very good.
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by qprdude »

Only had mine 11 months and so far I'had the aircon re gassed under warranty . I have a very slow puncture on left rear which needs a few Lbs of air every three months or so. Thats it.

I am part way through a three week 2000 mile trip and this is the most comfortable cruiser it has been my priviledge to own. (Including my S type jag. Rover 75, Toyota Crown Custom annd Honda Accord, among many others)
I know it's a bit early to confirm reliability, but the signs are good so far ( Hope I haven't put the mockers on it)
Bought with 25,000 miles on the clock so low miles really.
Brian, you say 60,000 miles in your three years of ownership, so is that from new? Clutch can be very much down to driving style though. I would expect a 1.6 tourer clutch to let go earlier than a 2.0 or 2.2 saloon, but to be honest, 9 items in 60,000miles and 3 years wouldn't be particularly unreliable in many new vehicles, given some of the technology involved. I've heard worse from BMW and Merc owners. Don't get me started on Toyota recalls.
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BrianM
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by BrianM »

Driving 25+ years and its the first car I've had to put a clutch into :( . Doubt if driving style has changed all of a sudden !. Clutch and flywheel replaced a few weeks ago @72k. Original flywheel had given up @26k !.
That said car is very comfortable and a joy to drive when all bits are working.
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by qprdude »

That's why I asked if you bought it new. 1000 miles by a clutch rider can cause more damage that 50,000 miles normal driver. I've never needed a new clutch in 40+ of driving, but I may have been lucky in buying second hand cars from careful drivers. Sounds like you have had a bit of bad luck, but there are a couple of owners who have had several problems, but mostly minor things that can go wrong in any modern car. The clutch/ DMF is a biggy, but at 60,000 - 70'000miles I would expect a few niggly repairs. I know the big diesels can go on for 200,000 miles, but very seldom without things needing sorted.
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by old'uns »

just unlucky i'd say?
just jumped ship from an '02 manual to '09 auto, both bought around 3 yrs old and with approx 80k on.
old one was real good to be honest, still on original clutch after 242k, crank pulleys the only major problems.
new one i know could be more troublesome, more electrics, auto, DPF etc, already had a couple of niggles, sorted now although just acquired a Lexia so i could end up having sleepless nights knowing i can look myself or worse playing around [-X

problems can occur with any manufacturer, VAG supposedly best things since sliced bread, look up 1.4 twincharged problems even after 3 yrs they're lunching engines left, right and centre and apparently it's 'acceptable' to use 500ml of oil in a 1000k's, never had to top up the old bus between services.

Hang on in there , you know it's the right thing :-D
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by Bob L'eponge »

I bought a November 2009 1.6 Hdi Tourer almost 18 months ago. It was an ex-company car and had 90,000 km or 55,000 miles on it at that point. At 112,000 km (70,000 miles) I had to change the DMF (and naturally the clutch even though it looked hardly worn) due to excessive play in the DMF causing judder when pulling away briskly. I guess this is perhaps a reasonable life, but the original clutch on my last car, a 1.9 Hdi Fiat Marea estate, which also uses a DMF, lasted for 110,000 miles and it was only the release baring that had failed.

The car now has 123,000 km on it (76,000 miles) and nothing else has needed doing at all since I have had it.

I changed the clutch myself and it was quite a simple, if time consuming, job. Over the last 50,000 km the car has averaged 5.6 l/100 km, or just over 50 Mpg, and that includes quite a bit of cold start, short journey motoring with a lot of hill climbing thrown in for good measure. On a run over rural roads with a 90 km/hr maximum limit I can get over 60 Mpg out of it. Given that the 1.6 Hdi is noted for being intolerant of neglected oil changes I have changed the oil every 10,000 km since I bought it. I also periodically check the torque values of the injector securing bolts. So far the bodywork and interior look as good as new.

Overall I have been very happy with the car but the weight affects the fuel consumption in town and hilly driving. My Marea averaged 57 Mpg and was practically faultless for the first 100,000 miles, then needing new front shocks, followed by the clutch job. It had 160,000 on it when my someone wrote it off for me whilst my wife was driving it. :cry:

Going by me experience so far I would buy another, but that is partly because of the lack of alternatives at a reasonable price. I wonder if there is anything that is more comfortable and quieter to drive out there that does not cost a fortune? I hired a new Audi A3 'Sportback' the last time in the UK and is was awful, with an amazing amount of noise coming up through the car over rough surfaces. If that is the price that has to be paid for 'taught handing' (which is pretty much an irrelevance unless one drives like a irresponsible idiot and /or at illegal speeds) or come to that a slightly higher level of reliability, give me a Citroen any day!
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by Will »

I bought my VTR+ 18 months ago at 68k miles as it ticked over three years old. Since then I've had to replace clutch/DMF at 75k (wear in DMF and the clutch was slipping due to rear engine oil seal contamination). Replaced Aircon radiator thingy - had a hole in, replaced failed stereo, replace front window winder cables.

Most of these appear to be well documented issues and since then the car has been behaving just fine. So I am now starting to enjoy its finer points - ride & comfort (even on springs), refinement and space.

I would add that despite being a real step forward in build quality for Citroen there are still some typical niggles - front grille trim came off in the car wash, glove box lid has broken, lacquer is peeling on all four alloys, dashboard & door trim marks/chips really easily. I've also noticed a series of cracks in the rear bumper wrap, it seems really flimsy. I guess you can get these problems with any four year old car though!

So a good car now that the main annoyances have been ironed out. It is a thing of beauty and overall value for money is excellent, despite the painful initial repair bills!
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by peshta »

Howdy

I have a 2008 1.6 HDi
Everything that I have encountered were known problems and can not be considered as a problematic ones
1. Failed turbo on 120.000km - Known issue with 1.6 HDi engines due to design fault in oil sump "filter"
2. Failed window regulator - Known issue on first batch (2008/9 models)
3. Failed brake switch (under the brake pedal).

Car is now runing 155.000 and that is everything I ever did on it.

So I can not be spoiled and say its a bad car, when I have friends with VW's who are facing much larger problems in their highly priced Passats etc.
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by Bob L'eponge »

Interesting that in the few posts here 3 DMF failures have been reported, all around the 70,000 mile point. Perhaps these units are just a wee bit undersized for the engine. I know that when I was looking for a new clutch unit for my old Marea JTD I found that the clutch /flyshweel size was the same as that on some vehicles that put out vastly more power, including a V6 VW lump. The Marea's gearbox was also about twice as heavy as the one fitted to my C5. Also on the Marea the drive shafts bolted onto external flanges on the gearbox, rather than sliding into the differential itself, as they do on the 1.6 C5, which seems a pretty 'lightweight' way of doing things.
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Re: C5 x7 - just a bad one ?

Post by bobins »

I've had my 2009 C5 for 18 months and in that time it's had its clutch and DMF replaced ( @ approx 36k, replaced under warranty !! by main dealers... although it was apparently duff when they sold it to me ), exterior temp sensor replaced under warranty, holed aircon condensor replaced by me, worn and compressed driver's seat foam fixed by me with £5 of foam from eBay, just about to do the front drop links as they clonk at slow speed.
Whilst I'm not astounded by the car's capabilities and comfort, it does what it does fairly well. I've just come back from a 3000-odd mile round trip ending up in Austria which has taken the mileage to just shy of 50k. I originally bought the car (my fourth Cit), as I got a lot of car for the money, however, having suffered poor customer service from Citroen, I probably wouldn't buy another.
Sadly no longer a C5 owner :(
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