Hi
In need of help please.
I have a Citroen C2 VTR - 2004, I've had the car from brand new, it's petrol and has the sensodrive gearbox. We live in Nuneaton, England.
My fiancee was driving out of shopping centre on Saturday and she was using the paddle shift to change gears, when she was changing the car started juddering violently. She pulled over, stopped and started off again.
Proceeded to get onto the motorway, then the handbrake light came on, although the handbrake was fully off! The gears started juddering again, so she tried changing gear using the gearbox, this was ok for a few mins but then it started doing the same, so she pulled over, turned the engine off, then when she turned ignition back on, it seemed the electrics had gone as it wouldn't allow her to turn the key to start the car.
The gearbox also got stuck in gear 4/5, when turning the ignition on all the lights did come on and the handbrake light would remain on even if she lowered the handbrake.
Dashboard was saying ECO MODE - relating to something with the battery?
Anyway called out the AA and had it towed to the local dealer. AA man thought the electrics had maybe gone or it was in Limp mode.
I went round the next day, still wouldn't do anything when u turned the key to start it, and the ECU light was now on on the dash.
Monday came and Citroen didn't have time to look at it, on Tuesday PM they looked at it and got into the car and started it straight away with no problems and drove it into garage. A few faults found on ECU which he cleared, but nothing serious, took it on a road test and found the same thing we did with the gears juddering.
They think it could be either a faulty ECU - they are waiting to source an ECU in (no spares in dealer!!!) to try it or either the leads that go from the gearbox to the ECU have got round caps on and they found a Citroen bulletin that says these could be subject to allowing moisture in and possibly shorting out either the computer for the sensodrive gearbox or the actual ECU. The newer models apparently have square caps on now.
Basically i'm getting nowhere, i know other people who have used the dealer and they have had the vehicle for weeks not knowing what the problem is. Obviously it's out of warrantly and god knows what i'm paying every day just for them to tinker with the car!! Very frustrating, most important thing is i get the car back ASAP, i can't do without it.
Any advice?
C2 VTR - Possible ECU or 'Limp Mode' problem
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