Grand Picasso: reliability and 1.6 vs 2 HDi

[Simon2000]

Hi all

I’m looking at buying a post 2015 C4 Grand Picasso, and just trying to make informed choice on reliability in general, and specifically whether the 1.6 vs 2.0 TDi is a better option from a longer term reliability perspective.

From what I can tell the two engine versions would be
- 1.6 BlueHDi (DV6FC)
- 2.0 BlueHDi (DW10FC)

Not expecting to do huge mileage, it’ll generally be school runs during the week plus one to two longer runs (>15 miles) a week, and a 300 mile run every 2 to 4 weeks

I would look at petrol option also given what it’ll be doing but I’m finding them harder to source second hand.

Any feedback on on those two diesels would be greatly appreciated, along with any experience on the general reliability of the Grand Picasso in general. I’m planning on hold on to it for a long time (just about to retire a 2009 Mazda 6 2.2 diesel which has served me well for 10 years)

[GiveMeABreak]

If possible avoid the piloted manual gearboxes (EGS). Go for a manual or fully automatic. The piloted boxes are expensive to fix when they go wrong.
Wiring is another issue we deal with here. Poor wiring, causing strains and breaks in looms, leading to electrical problems which can be problematic to troubleshoot.

Both engines will have SCR systems requiring Adblue, so make sure you keep the tanks topped up regularly. These can fail and be expensive to replace. If possible, get one from a dealer - an approved used car which will have an extended warranty. Further, I would recommend you renew this each year as for the annual cost it can save a lot on expensive repairs and provide good peace of mind.

[RichardW]

Neither engine seems to give much trouble. The 1.2 Puretech petrol on the other hand... The only real wiring issue is the cables to the handbrake / rear ABS sensors which break down. Heater matrix blockage seems a bit common, but it's an easy change out on a RHD car. The real weakness is the AdBlue tank, since replacing it is well over £1000. If you buy a 2017 on they have an improved tank which should be more resistant to trouble - if you buy an earlier one, haggle hard if no evidence it's been changed! We've got a 2017 1.6 HDI, happy with it. You can tell when it's fully loaded, but it never feels like it needs the extra horses of the 2.0 engine - it's a family bus not a sports car!

[Paul-R]

I can confirm that the 120bhp version of the 1.6Blue Hdi is a fine engine. In our Peugeot 308 SW it feels like a much bigger engine than it is. A well matched turbo/engine combination IMHO.

We did suffer with the dreaded AdBlue tank problem. We were "lucky" that it happened while the UK was still in the EU as I was able to get a replacement tank from Poland for about £600 and then was able to strike a deal with my local Peugeot dealer for them to fit it and code it in for a price that didn't make it worthwhile for me to break out the spanners.