Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by xantia_v6 »

Given that you are unlikely to take the risk of repairing it yourself (although with patience and help from here it would probably be possible), I would suggest that you talk to a couple of independent garages who are familiar with Citroen electrical systems, and talk through your options with them. I don't know of anywhere suitable that is near you, but the cost of transporting your car is probably not too significant.

I would suggest that you call to BL Autos http://www.blautos.co.uk
and Malcolm at Savoy http://www.citroen-mechanics.co.uk

Maybe direct them to read this topic, to save time on the telephone.
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

Thank you for your suggestions.

... just come off the phone from speaking to an independent specialist who basically advised me to walk away ......... He agreed from my information the car was technically fixable, but his view was that there will always be the unknowns of what items may have been damaged as the electrics failed, and so he would expect at best the car is repaired, but we then get other electrical issues popping up, and at worst, that some other major items are found to have been damaged (fried) as the electrics failed :-(

So it seems I am going to have to walk-away .....
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

BL Autos have also said 'walk-away' .......
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

... Savoy garage have also said 'walk-away' "You can't do anything with them once they've had a fire"
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Ask the insurer to replace the car not with cash but with a like for like car, they have more buying clout than you and may be able to get a deal from one of their trade customers, some insurers are offering such a deal in their tv adverts at the moment.
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

I *think* this was mentioned and they didn't offer to do it :-(
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by GiveMeABreak »

That is the main risk. There will always be unknowns, that will not be evident until repairs are started. That is evident enough during the course of normal mechanical repairs as it is. Electrical issues are not as black and white though.

I think it should be pointed out that there are some mechanical components with built in ECUs, not all of which can be just have the ECU replaced independently.

Check insurance premiums too if repairing, I suspect this will be designated under CAT N, so worth checking whether these will increase.

Good luck with whatever you decide though and if you do go for the repair option, there always plenty of support here.
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

GiveMeABreak wrote: 16 May 2018, 11:08 That is the main risk. There will always be unknowns, that will not be evident until repairs are started. That is evident enough during the course of normal mechanical repairs as it is. Electrical issues are not as black and white though.

I think it should be pointed out that there are some mechanical components with built in ECUs, not all of which can be just have the ECU replaced independently.

Check insurance premiums too if repairing, I suspect this will be designated under CAT N, so worth checking whether these will increase.

Good luck with whatever you decide though and if you do go for the repair option, there always plenty of support here.


All things considered (mainly my lack of personal knowledge + lack of money) I have decided to accept the money and walk away.

Feel badly done by as far as insurance valuation, but there again I guess I am in a much better position that I was 6 weeks ago when the insurers initially refused the claim!

Thank you so much for all of your support and advice during my ups and downs and rants :wink:

So now off to get in a nice long phone queue to accept their offer and start the process of finding a new car!

(Considering a Mondeo estate this time for a complete change as seems you get more for your money + plenty around and they seem to have good reviews overall as a serviceable if unexciting car LOL)
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by andy5 »

I'm glad to read that the storage question is sorted out. The valuation, this often seems to be an issue, as insurers in some fields seem to want to cover trade not retail value, but then not do anything to help with replacement.

As for the chances of repair, it is possibly feasible, but I would guess it's the sort of project for a specialist to consider having and run as their own car for some time, but they'd be more circumspect about declaring it completely fixed for either the same customer or bought in then sold, in case of niggly electronic issues carrying on for a few months, a customer coming back getting gradually more and more fed up even though they originally knew there was a bit of risk. In the end, it could just be too much trouble. Do the reports on the state of it describe everything, with a comprehensive list of parts needed, or say some stuff is still unknown as it hasn't been checked? Repairing it also has to compete with recovering some value by breaking it fordecided .

Edit: oh, I see you've decided while I've been writing this. Sad but sensible, I think.
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Best of luck Sarah, at least you have explored all the options and heard the opinions of the contributors here. 👍
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by RichardW »

Sarah

Hopefully you've not accepted the offer yet. See this page: http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/p ... ation.html Your offer seems well below a reasonable valuation. If the insurer won't budge tell them you will refer to ombudsman - AFAIK it costs you nothing (although you might delay getting your money!).
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Now that it's sorted I'll tell you a tale of a man who pushed the insurer too far.

A local guy had a milk business and a village shop, he ran a few milk floats and his personal car was a Vanden Plas Princess, leaving the M5 at too high a speed he was blocked from moving to the left by a car he was overtaking and finished up crashing through the signposts on the roundabout, His insurer made him what I thought was a decent enough offer but he declined it claiming that his car was far above average and should be valued at a premium price.

After considerable angry discussions and his threats to take all his insurance for his business away from them his insurer finally paid up but wouldn't renew any of his insurances, they, in this case walked away.

He bought another car, an Alfa Romeo but then found he seemed to have been black listed by the insurance community and couldn't get cover on the new car or on his business from anyone, it took him months and in the end he had to pay a super premium to a German company before he could get back on the road.
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

RichardW wrote: 16 May 2018, 12:20 Sarah

Hopefully you've not accepted the offer yet. See this page: http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/p ... ation.html Your offer seems well below a reasonable valuation. If the insurer won't budge tell them you will refer to ombudsman - AFAIK it costs you nothing (although you might delay getting your money!).



...well I have accepted the offer, but referring to the Ombudsman was discussed and raised. However, their information is somewhat confusing. At one level they say that any offer made by an insurance company should enble the insured to replace the car with similar - so good so far, but then go on to say that the valuation offer is deemed fair as long as they have taken into consideration more than one industry recognised valuations. Now the initial valuation on my Insurance Assessment was on Glasses at £6460, but when I pushed the insurers they said they had referred as the 2nd to CAP which had a valuation of something like £4750 so averaging the two came to the offer of £5486!

So on the basis that they had used more than one valuation (although strangely using CAP the lowest of the 3 as the 2nd - Parkers being the 3rd and that had a valuation of something like £5750) they had done what was needed.

So no case with the Ombudsman .......
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

... and whilst searching for an affordable replacement I have come accross this:-

https://www.ncvsales.co.uk/used-cars/ci ... 2023338124

A 2008 model Exclusive but seemingly not registered until 2010?

Now I really liked my 2004 C5 which I had prior to the C5 X7 which I have just lost, so would it be a retrograde step to go back to the older model? Are there any ramifications from an older model having maybe sat around unregistered for a time? How would/should one value it? Any other thoughts :-)
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Re: Citroen C5 VTR 160 HDi fuse box spontanously melted

Post by Sezza »

Gibbo2286 wrote: 16 May 2018, 12:23 Now that it's sorted I'll tell you a tale of a man who pushed the insurer too far.

A local guy had a milk business and a village shop, he ran a few milk floats and his personal car was a Vanden Plas Princess, leaving the M5 at too high a speed he was blocked from moving to the left by a car he was overtaking and finished up crashing through the signposts on the roundabout, His insurer made him what I thought was a decent enough offer but he declined it claiming that his car was far above average and should be valued at a premium price.

After considerable angry discussions and his threats to take all his insurance for his business away from them his insurer finally paid up but wouldn't renew any of his insurances, they, in this case walked away.

He bought another car, an Alfa Romeo but then found he seemed to have been black listed by the insurance community and couldn't get cover on the new car or on his business from anyone, it took him months and in the end he had to pay a super premium to a German company before he could get back on the road.


Now you aren't implying that I was causing too much trouble were you? Or even if you are - I think being left without an equivalent car (by a big margin) isn't fair! So gald tht I pushed as much as I did! =D>
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