'16 Cactus - 1.6 HDi - P20EE / Urea Light Flashing (and more...a bit long, sorry)

[c4 grand picasso]

Hi, i had the same problem with my c4 grand picasso 2015.
Mine it show engine fault have the vehicle repaired and exactly after filling my car, and citroen app running.
Citroen wanted to charge hefty amount to repair.
And as i had a bad experience with a citroen dealer before, so i went on ebay and bought a complete diagbox( after market of course).
And plug it to my car and ran a full diagnostic then i went in the ecu and pressed on show faults, the fault was addblue topup, i filled the addblue tank and then adjust it in the system and it has cleared the fault
If you still need the instruction i can help you with all the steps
By the way: delete citroen app or put it

[GiveMeABreak]

This is a little more than adblue topping up!

[thetapeworm]

Sadly I know it has plenty of Adblue in but I appreciate the input, when the issue first happened I was hopeful of a quick fix but 9L of Adblue was all it would take.

Having the updated venting Adblue cap fitted might have been a curse here but presumably the system was failing already from it not being done years ago.

Citroën really need to get on top of this IMO.

[GiveMeABreak]

They have replaced the tanks on later models - they swapped out a lot more metal parts with plastic ones as the metal components were rusting up (no surprises there), the venting system was improved as this was causing pumps to fail. On older systems a vented cap was utilised to replace the original. But I'll be getting extended warranty when my manufacturer warranty expires in a year or so, just in case.

[thetapeworm]

That's the worst thing about all this for me, they know there are issues, they know how much it's costing people, they need to just recall the cars, take the hit and build customer confidence because it's sure as heck tarnished my opinion of the brand, a shame as they still offer some really interesting cars that stand out from a lot of the much more expensive white goods stuff out there.

Extended warranties will definitely be factored in on future car purchases!

[GiveMeABreak]

I can personally recommend the Citroen Extended Warranty - never had a claim refused for my C5 X7. I think over the 3-4 consecutive years I was invited to extend it, I had over £6.5k of work done for an annual cost of about £230, so was well pleased. Some examples of what I had done: New driver Wiper motor module, complete electric window motor and regulator, crankshaft oil seal and replacement of already new clutch that was contaminated, suspension pipe, new A/C condenser, new A/C compressor, 4 new uprated TPMS sensors, new steering rack etc.

[thetapeworm]

I don't know if I'm more impressed by what they've covered or just terrified about all the bits that have needed doing

[GiveMeABreak]

Before I finally decided to sell her (after a lot of deliberating as I didn't really want to let her go) at 72k miles, I had not renewed the warranty for a few years again as I was not doing the mileage - however sod's law - it needed another steering rack and a front hydraulic suspension strut and the passenger window regulator decided to go too, so that was another £3k of work at dealer prices. So I had my local garage replace the regulator only this time, they also fitted the new rack, had the timing belt service water pump and pulleys done and Citroen did my strut, but I supplied the strut myself.

So if you have a complex car or any Blue HDi with an SCR system I would wholeheartedly recommend a manufacturer extended warranty.

[thetapeworm]

I'm a firm believer of closing off a saga if I've started it so here's the update on this one for anyone following or reading in the future...

I've just picked the car up (it's been with the dealer since I posted as much on the 6th, my spare car also broke shortly after so we've been on the bus for a couple of weeks) and following some polite backwards and forwards with Citroen customer care they accepted that this is a common issue they're aware of, have attempted to stop the issue with the updated vented cap for older cars and that they've redesigned the tank and some of the bits fastened to it since then in order to help stop these issues happening. As a result of this they agreed to cover all costs associated with this for me, even the initial £144 diagnostics.

Citroen dealerships apparently aren't allowed to steer customers in the direction of Citroen as it's deemed to be generating their own revenue but they are aware of the issues and know that Citroen usually help out with costs.

Neos Brothers have the new tank available for under £700, based on my invoice Citroen can also get the part for around this mark despite originally quoting me £1000 plus VAT for it so if you do have to buy one please haggle with them!

It's been a roller-coaster of emotions from the initial errors and worry about getting my family home, the initial "extras" on the health check winding me up, the quote of £2000 and the delay in getting the car back but all said and done Citroen themselves have rescued the situation well, I just wish they'd hold their hands up, issue a proactive recall and get all of these tanks replaced with the improved one so that nobody ends up having to pay for the investigations and repairs themselves in the future.

On the plus side when I come to sell the car I can advertise it's had this done and hopefully that will make it slightly more appealing, for now I'm just glad to have it back so we can do things again... like pick up parts for a broken Saab

Hopefully this helps someone in the future, if one person benefits from my ramble and doesn't have to pay for this then I'll be happy.

[GiveMeABreak]

Well done and a good end to the episode. It was worth pursuing and this has paid off for you.

[thetapeworm]

It would appear the saga is not quite over, I've just put diesel in for the first time since the Adblue tank was replaced and minutes down the road "Engine Fault: Have the vehicle repaired" and the "SERVICE" light came on.

[GiveMeABreak]

Time for a 'U' turn I think.... (back to the dealers).

[thetapeworm]

Indeed, I might be way out but I'm thinking EOLYS system related though due to it coming on after refuelling so I can see them trying to put it down to coincidence.

I think I'll call Citroën first and then the dealer just to be safe

[GiveMeABreak]

If it was additive related you would get a specific message - like additive level low or Risk of Particle filter blocking or similar. These non-specific messages can indeed be related to the SCR system, so best call them and get it booked back in. They may need to check their operations after installing it.

[thetapeworm]

Weirdly we've just been out and it hasn't come up but I'll give them a call tomorrow.