paul.h

The more info you can provide, the easier it will be for us to offer any help. Copied from above posts: have u owned the car long/ or just bought it. was it previously running what year is it. are other systems working ok. what warning lights are you getting. does your key fob remotely lock/unlock the car Any other info relating to the car what happened/occurred last time the car worked such as was it jump started or used to start another car

There are a few different part nos. for the relay/fan control (but could be 1308CL) and to get the right one you will need to use your car VIN at the Citroen dealer. They are about £30. To add a photo, it needs to be on something like photobucket and a link pasted on here.

Diesel engine oil will always be black as soon as new oil is put in, so the colour is not a good indication of its age. Probably best if somebody else advises on oil flushes but there are pros and cons. It is possible a flush could dislodge bits that later block up the oil system and give problems. When asked, my dealer said they were using Mobil P 5w-30 and this has PSA approval B71 2290. Since they buy it in drums it is not too expensive for an oil change. If they have recently changed to Triple QX I do not know. http://www.mobil.co.uk/UK-English-LCW/carengineoils_products_mobil-super-3000-formula-p-5w30.aspx#

It is at the back of the engine, gearbox end on the cylinder head and held by 2 bolts (10 Nm) and a collar to a heat exchanger and has an electrical connection. To remove it, the fuel filter and support and air piping and air filter housing need to be removed first. The clips at both ends of the cooler may need to be undone and the cooler fastening bolt removed to allow the cooler to move slightly (no need to remove coolant hoses or drain down). The 2 clips and the egr gasket should be renewed.

Judder or shudder as you gradually let the clutch up is not normal, should be nice and smooth. Make sure you check the engine mountings before going for the clutch. Also change the clutch master/slave cylinder fluid as part of a brake fluid change since this can help. Judder before dmfs were used could be oil on the clutch plate from the crankshaft seal leaking, bad wear on the flywheel, the clutch plate worn out or a broken spring, gearbox input shaft flywheel bush worn. With a dmf, the plate does not seem to have the springs and these are in the dmf. You might find you can live with the judder for a long time until it gets really bad but I vaguely remember reading that on possibly Fords, if a dmf problem is left too long it can damage the starter motor and add to the cost.

I think the pipes will be clear plastic and the black cover will just slide back so you can see the pipe. To remove the 4 return lines from the injectors, raise the top locks and then pull up the pipe fitting. I am not sure about the other end of the pipe but it may be obvious when you see it. There is one for sale on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-Peugeot-Fuel-Return-Pipes-2-2-HDi-DW12-GENUINE-NEW-Part-No-1574FX-/251835406852?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa28f5a04 Normal price is about £44 but you should also replace the O-rings (4 needed, 1 for each injector).

Often Citroens have a plastic drawer under the front seats that pull out forward and sometimes people leave the handbooks there.

If the pipe has split a new one includes pipes to all the injectors, not just one, Citroen part no. 1574FX. If it is the o-ring seal at the injector, it is part no. 1607004980. To remove the return lines from the injectors, raise the top locks and then pull up.

I hope not, but vibration at idle could be a sign of the clutch dmf wearing, or possibly worn engine mountings. You could check if the air filter is blocked and if it smokes a bit then maybe a fuel injector or the egr valve is not right.

Without the dpf you do not need to use the low saps oil (PSA spec B71 2290) although it is the only oil listed for the ones with a dpf. So from our 2011 maintenance guide that came with our C4 you can also use the Total 7000 10w-40 (PSA spec B71 2300), 9000 5w-40 (PSA spec B71 2296) or 0w-30 PSA spec B71 2296). So you are back to the confusion. Our summers are not that hot so unless your car burns a lot of oil the 10w-40 is probably not needed. The 0w-30 might lead to oil consumption being thin but will give fuel effficiency. So that leaves the 9000 5w-40 or INEO ECS 5w-30. They cost nearly the same so the choice is yours. The Triple QX oils seem to be a bit cheaper than the Total ones so you would need to see if they meet the PSA spec if you wish to use them (do a search on the specs eg http://www.oilspecifications.org/psa_peugeot_citroen.php). Personally, for the sake of about £10 I would use the Total ones - we had the same choice when I serviced the C3 - the handbook for the petrol vti engines gives the 0w-30 or the INEO ECS 5w-30 so I went for the latter. C2 or C3 spec oils may not be better than each other, they just meet a different spec. This site suggests C3 does not need the fuel economy requirements of C2 http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-789-acea.aspx

The handbook can be read/copied/printed from the service.citroen site http://service.citroen.com/ddb/

Check in your Maintenance and warranty book but you are most likely to need Total Quartz INEO ECS 5w-30. This is about £35 for 5 litres from a dealer or a bit less from the internet. It is a full synthetic oil suitable for cars with a dpf (low saps, which is what C2 spec means). The total 9000 is a full synthetic and the 7000 a semi synthetic and will be slightly cheaper but will need changing more frequently so will cost more in the end. I would be reluctant to use anything other than the oil in the handbook for the 1.6 hdi and would also use a Citroen oil filter and sump plug washer (less than £1 from a dealer). If you are unsure, you could ask your Citroen dealer to do an oil change service, they do not charge much more than you can do it for since they get the oil in bulk.

It looks as if the horn may be behind the front bumper bottom left (kerb side UK). There are 2 and possibly they have filled with water from the flood. Replacement is about 30 mins so possibly accessed from underneath without removing bumper.

The estate tailgate struts are Citroen part no. 8731F4 (£55.14 from citroencarparts.net each). The glass struts are 8731F7 (£17.07 each). These are not the same as the hatchback (8731F5 or F6 if no wiper) and may only be available from a dealer. I would not bother with used ones since replacing them is a common problem so used ones may be no better than your old ones. When the weather warms up yours will work a bit better. If you need new circlips these are part nos. 697985 (£27.50 for 50, so best to get individually from your dealer). Parts do not usually have the Citroen part no. on them, possibly just a manufacturers no. So removing the old ones first would not necessarily help sourcing replacement ones.

Our Citroens have been the most reliable cars we have owned but they have all been low mileage. You will also get a 12 month warranty from a Citroen dealer so if there are any problems they should not cost you anything to fix. On the C3/C4/C5 Technical sections there are pinned lists of Common Problems. On forums most people join when they have a problem so tend not to give a true picture of reliability. A C3 Citroen brochure for Nov 2010 gives the 1.6 vti 120 bhp petrol auto fuel economy as 29.1/52.3/40.4 mpg urban/extra urban/combined with 160 g/km CO2 - this gives road tax as £180 a year. The C4 with the same engine/gearbox gives 28.2/55.4/40.9 mpg and 159 g/km. Possibly the C3 is not as good as you may expect since it is quite tall - you will notice this when it needs washing. Without the auto gearbox, the 1.6 C3 gives 35.3/57.6/47.1 mpg and 138 g/km CO2 so £130 tax. If you did not pass the driving test in a manual car, it could pay to do this in the future to keep your car costs down. If you need rear parking sensors they were only an option on the Exclusive model so may not have been fitted.

When our daughter became the main driver on our C3, Direct Line would not let the existing policy continue (where I was the main driver using it for work, the policy was in my name with her a named driver). We had to cancel it and take out a new one in her name as the main driver and I then became a named driver (but I still paid for it). The car still remained mine and registered in my name - however, this does make the policy more expensive but is allowed. When this car was replaced, the new one was all in her name, registered and owned. The C3 2011 Exclusive should be a good choice. Our daughter's C3 is the 1.4 vti 95 bhp petrol and that is ok on the motorway with enough power so a 1.6 should be even better. The previous 1.4 75 bhp petrol one was a bit underpowered for motorway use. If you try it though and think you could do with something a bit larger, try the C4.

From your post, I suspect you want a car 2 or 3 few years old, but with not too many miles on it, probably similar in size to the Astra to comfortably fit 2 adults and 1 child. As you have said, I do not think a DS3 would be the best choice, despite how good it looks. It may help when you go to the dealer if you take things with you that you expect to carry - a man and a child plus their stuff, then try them in the car but when you go for a test drive leave them behind. You are going to get many different opinions on the car choice but first you should list your needs from the car such as: 1. How much you want to spend and how this will be financed - cash or a loan. 2. The cost of insurance - since this is the first car to be in your name you will not have any no claims discount and the larger the car and the more powerful the engine the more the insurance cost. You can look on such as Direct Lines site to get quotes for a car, even if you are just thinking of buying one. If you need to use a car number plate, use one from a dealer's photo of the model. Depending on where you live, you could be looking at £700-1000. 3. Whether you want a new car or older. 4. How many miles a year it will do - a petrol car costs less to buy than a diesel but if doing more than around 10k a year then a diesel could work out cheaper. Beware that the 1.6 diesel is prone to early turbo failure so ensure ones with this engine have a full dealer service history and you get a 12 month warranty - normal on a Citroen used/approved car - but not from some Citroen dealers such as Evans Halshaw (only 3 months but you can pay for a longer breakdown warranty). 5. How many years you intend to keep the car. 6. Do you have somewhere to keep the car that limits its size - eg garage/drive/roadside parking. 7. What type of journeys will the car be mainly used for and how much stuff will be carried - if short round town all the time then a small petrol car like a C3 is good. But if you will be carrying a lot then something larger may be needed. A diesel car used on just short trips may not be the best due to possible problems from the exhaust particulate filter blocking. If mainly long motorway trips then something larger will be more comfortable and in the event of an accident may be safer. 8. Are you bothered about any particular colours - a new car in white is cheaper than one in metallic, but the white one will need a lot of washing. 9. Will your other car be used as the main family car with this new one as the second car. In my family we had/have a 2003/2010 C3 1.4 petrol, 2005 Xsara Picasso 2.0 diesel, 2008/2011 C4 1.6 diesel, 2004 2.2 diesel hatchback C5, 2007 2.2 diesel estate C5. The C3 is good for short trips round town with occasional long ones, the C4 is used as our main car for short and long trips being large enough/economical on fuel/comfy, the C5 is used for carrying lots of stuff and towing a caravan. If we did not have the caravan and we could only have 1 car, it would be the C5 since it can do everything the others do.

4. Is there any trip info on the screen since the button switches can become faulty ? A faulty switch can be repaired and a 1 line screen can be replaced with the one with the trip info and still work (I am sure coastline taxis has stated this in the past). See this from the Common Problems topic: 34. Trip computer does not work or does not display on the screen. This could be due to damage in the switch at the end of the wiper stalk. A copper strip can break but it can be repaired, see http://www.citroen-o...itch#entry30402 and http://www.citroen-o...puter-question/ 5. I usually get parts from my local Citroen dealer. They are often not much different in cost to other sources, they are the right bits and will fit the car and work. If you try a used part, it could have the same fault. The switch is likely to have 3 wires, a supply and an output for up and for down, so you could try linking the connector pins to see if the suspension works and prove the switch is the problem. The switch part no. is 6554K3 or 655484 or 6554EC and is £23/23/18 depending on its colour from citroencarparts.net. 1. A photo from our previous mark 1 C5 shows the pedal is a lot lower than the clutch/brake ones - so this is probably normal. 2. If your last car was a petrol, diesels can take a bit of getting used to, you should change up a gear at about 2000 to 2500 rpm and use the engine torque rather than power. If you do visit coastline, your car may be a low mileage one compared to ones he looks after.

Which engine does your car have and how many miles ?

Depending on what you read, John's comments on the results after fitting a solid flywheel can happen - drive shaft/gearbox problems, not as quite smooth clutch engagement. How many miles has your car done, it is also possible the problem could be an engine mounting, particularly one at the back. The eurocarparts site gives all the clutch and flywheel options and when I have looked before the costs are similar for solid or dmf so your source for the Valeo one may also offer the dmf one at a similar low price. If you are getting near to a cam belt change whether it is 100 or 120k miles, I would be tempted to do it at a lower mileage. Also note these frequencies are for Citroen parts, alternative ones may not last the same.

Easy ones first. 5. This button (only one provided) works only when the engine is off and the tailgate is open. Need to hold the top/bottom of the switch in and stops when the switch is released. Car returns to normal height when the tailgate is closed, any open doors are closed, the rear screen is closed, the engine is started. 4. The wiper switch end button changes the trip computer screen on short pushes and when held in will reset it back to 0 miles. Screens are current instantaneous mpg, average mpg since last reset, miles since last reset, distance left to fuel tank empty at current mpg - this changes as driving style changes. 3. The ride should be smooth but if too firm it may need the suspension fluid changing or possibly a sphere(s) needs changing. 2. The previous owner may have been a sedate driver and the car may have adapted to this. In time it will learn your style but a battery disconnection/reconnection may speed this up. However, when setting off, unlike a petrol, diesels need to be put into first unless above about 10mph. Maybe wait a few days before looking for any possible faults. 0-62 mph is supposed to be 11.6 seconds so should not be too slow (90 bhp one is 13.5 so good job you did not get one of these). It is worth checking the brakes are not binding by seeing if it easily runs down a slope. 1. The pedal does require a constant push on it and you will get used to it but check there are no mats under the pedal stopping it going down. On a motorway it is easy to let the pedal up gradually and lose speed without realising.

A bit like not providing a spare wheel, the weight saving helps the emissions but first time there is a puncture any money savings are lost by needing a tow truck. In Citroens price list for new cars the spare wheel option is £75 but if you get one after the car has been built/supplied it is about £200 for a wheel/tyre/jack/wheel brace/plastic nut cover removal tool/box to hold them.

Do you not want to use a Tom Tom or Garmin like most people ?

It makes you think with the list of things that prevent the s&s working so the battery does not go flat, whether it will actually stop and make any fuel savings. Also if there are higher lifetime maintenance costs due to more expensive parts, it could cost the car owner more than a none s&s car. However, in the official economy tests it will give a fuel saving that in the UK allows the car to have a lower car tax and Citroen to achieve its environmental commitments to avoid possible European fines.

Beware if you use a Chinese Lexia copy since others have reported using these to check the parking sensors can cause a programming fault needing the sensor program to be re-installed. Maybe there could be water in a sensor that might blow out or one of the sensors has been moved and its connector disturbed. Could be a front one or a rear one if you have both. I have edited the topic title so it makes sense.