paul.h

If the boot is actually opening as opposed to unlocking, then there was a recent similar case on a C5 which turned out to be a damp electrical connector at the opening handswitch in the boot (hatch). Drying and cleaning the connections sorted it. In our C4 handbook, the left hand scroll wheel is covered from page 32 and is part of the cruise control and speed limiter. Also if the side lights are on, it is used to vary the instrument brightness (page 48). The right hand scroll wheel is used to scroll through the menus after pushing the menu button to the left of it (page 49 onwards). I tend not to use the steering wheel controls though since they are too close to see clearly.

The top pipe stub on the expansion tank does not go anywhere. Keep an eye on the coolant level, ours has not gone down and it is nearly 8 years old so a look for a leak is worth doing. Also have a listen for a gushing sound which somebody had on this site and it turned out to be a head gasket failure. The original coolant is a type that does not need replacing, could be one of those organic acid types (OAT), so if you do top the level up use the same type.

Copy your note to the C5 subforum and you will get a good response, there are a lot of active members there.

What year and mileage is the car ? Have you had the error codes read and is so what are they ? Note the air bag fault will not be read by a simple engine code reader but will need such as a dealer one - however, it is worth checking the connections under the front seats. As you look at the engine, at the right hand end of the cylinder head is the swirl valve actuator, Citroen call it a diaphragm. There is a plastic cup at the end of the rod which breaks and can lead to poor running and possibly some of your problems. It only costs £19 but is a pig to replace. If it has broken, until you can get it replaced, try tying it back to the ball of the lever it has come off. If about 70k miles or more, then it may be the eolys fluid level is low and the particulate filter in the exhaust needs replacing - however, there are posts on here of people who have instead had the filter removed and the car's electronics modified so it runs without these items. For the tyres message, check all the pressures are correct including the spare and they have the pressure sensors installed - if all is ok then most people seem to live with it. If not done already, a good search on this site will help since these are common things.

You need to remove the cover/etc at the left side (as looking at it) and then the battery tilts over that way to let it be removed. Notes I made after struggling are as follows: Remove the back panel, lift out the left control unit, depress the right locking catch (hold open with something such as a spanner), tilt battery over to the left and then lift out. The rear stop is held in place by the battery but can be pulled out once the battery is removed.

Is the warning light the engine symbol and is the car running normally ? Did it first appear after you sprayed the WD40 everywhere, if so I would wipe off any excess from any of the sensors/their wiring/their connectors before doing anything else. Then if it does not go after switching the ignition on/off a number of times you will need to use a fault code reader to see what is wrong. Only time I have had this warning was when a fuel injector failed and it was only running on 3 cylinders (1.4 petrol sx 2003)

Could be a problem with the switch on the hatch, dirty contacts, contacts stuck together, dirt on the switch. On ours it only takes a slight touch to unlock, maybe it needs freeing off/dirt removing from the outside. When you unlock the doors can you hear the hatch unlocking as when you push its switch ? If not the switch then maybe the wiring to the switch is earthing and causing the lock to open - Haynes shows the switch simply earths its supply wire. If you disconnect the switch it will show if it is the problem. A likely place for a wiring fault would be where the wires go between the body and the hatch.

There is a pinned note at the top of this subforum on how to remove the rear calipers to clean the corrosion that occurs between them and the suspension arm (this pushes the calipers out a bit so they can touch the wheels). All C5s suffer from this (apart from the new latest mark 3 ones) and it is effectively a service item that needs doing every so often.

Turborepair.com shows how to check a turbo but also mentions if the oil return pipe is blocked this will push oil out so something easy to check.

It looks as if it could be the turbo but Haynes does not really tell you how to check it other than to check for excessive shake or roughness when spinning. It runs in a film of oil but when the clearances get too large the seals (if there are any) may fail and lose oil. When ours went, removing the oil filler cap on the engine released a lot of smoke as well as the exhaust. Danger is if the turbo fails mechanically you may get bits of metal going through the engine and need to replace it again.

If you register (as member of a car club is allowed - see General Conditions) on the service.citroen.com website you can see all the dealer parts diagrams as a free service for all the cars and use your own vin no. to filter out incorrect ones. Easiest way to print the pages I find is to use a right click on your mouse. You can also see/print the car handbooks for recent models without registering/logging in. This site also allows you to pay for access to service manuals but I have not used this, but mechanics handbooks are free to download for up to year 2005. So really no need to copy extra diagrams to this site.

A look on eurocarparts website may show if the 2 cars have the same parts.

Good result. It is a pity you have been exposed to this scam but at least you had the sense to question it. I am sure it was Kwit Fit that was featured on Watchdog for this very practice and it was happening in many of their garages. It would be interesting to see if they are still looking into this. £454 is a lot of money for replacing the rear wheel bearings if they had needed doing, the bits (bearings) are £22 each side on eurocarparts website and includes the hub nuts and may only take an hour to do. However, as part of the scam if they took it to its conclusion, then maybe they would not have done the work and just given you the bill and put a few greasy handprints on the wheels. It is sometimes worth asking for the bits that have been replaced so you can see what was wrong with them. Something else to be aware of on the C3. The rear brake shoe friction material is thinner on one of the shoes from new so it makes you think they need replacing yet they still have many miles left. New ones were about £70 from Citroen when I did ours.

Our C3 is 2003 1.4sx petrol. The first twist of the fog light switch (which has 2 light symbols) puts on the front lights, it springs back, then a second twist in the same direction puts on the back light and it springs back. Twist opposite way to turn off each one in reverse order. It is the same on our C4 and C5. The light switch and wiper switch is part of the comms unit below the steering wheel so maybe you need a different one of these - I was told by the dealer these are over £100 when I was thinking of replacing the wiper switch but it is not sold separately. Depending on your car vin number and the accessories installed, there are a few different ones available. If you register on service.citroen.com you can look at the same parts diagrams as your dealer and see which bit you need but I suspect you will need to discuss with a dealer if nobody here has the solution.

How much is replaced probably depends on who is paying - if the garage are doing the minimum to help the sale I would guess they will just replace the belt but good practice is to replace the other bits as well since they also wear out and if they fail they can cause the belt to break. Maybe if they refuse to do the other bits you could offer to cover part of the cost of the parts and at least you have saved the labour costs of a future job.

Are you sure the turbo is ok ? I had one fail on a petrol Saab and that surrounded the car in a big cloud of white smoke.

'Google it, but the site is in French' Somehow I gained a Google toolbar when on internet explorer and one of its tools is a translator, only have to click on it and it translates the pages or highlighted text to understandable english.

Have you checked the fuse is in place ? In our C3 handbook it lists a separate fuse for the front foglights, under the bonnet fusebox, fuse F6, 15 amp. Also to use the front foglights, the first twist of the fog light switch does the fronts and the second does the rear. This may put a signal through the BSI (although Haynes does not show this, only a supply from a relay in the bonnet fusebox) to switch on the lights which might need a dealer visit to have it programmed but I am not sure.

If you intend to keep the car for a few years the cambelt will need replacing anyway so best to do it soon (get a price for this) and then no need to worry about it failing. My C5 service book gives the timing belt change frequency for the C8 petrol as every 75k miles for normal use and every 48k miles for severe use (main use in town, short journeys). Hence replacement in the next year or so is necessary and many people would suggest it is better to replace a belt before the recommended mileage. When doing this also replace the tensioners/pulleys/water pump if also driven by the belt. If the garage will not replace the belt, make sure it is covered by the warranty they are providing.

The Haynes manual shows 3 bulbs at the back of the panel - remove it by prising up the lower edge (slide credit card under) and pull it towards you.

A clutch when needing replacing is normally due to slipping or juddering and not if not fully disengaging. Maybe there is some air in the clutch master or slave cylinders or one of these may need replacing (worn seal). How far down is the pedal pushed before the clutch starts to disengage, should be near the top. Does this point change if the clutch is held down indicating the cylinder seals may be passing ? Is there a sign of fluid leakage from the cylinders where the push rods go in ? If using the Easi bleed, it may help to use a low pressure and also push the pedal down/up a few times to help move any air.

Self locking is not on all the C3s, not on our 2003 1.4 sx petrol. If it is, can be done as noted above holding down the dash door lock button with the ignition on (engine can be running and car moving).

When wheel bearings start to wear they get noisy, often a whining noise a bit like an aeroplane which gets louder as you go faster. If you jack up the wheel and spin it by hand you may hear the noise and feel the wheel is a bit rough when being turned. Even if 1 bearing had failed (unlikely at such a very low mileage), the chance of the one on the other side also having failed is very low. Possibilities for repacing the rear wheel bearings include replacing them complete with the rear brake drum or replacing just the bearings in the drum but care needs to be taken with the ABS sensor in the drum - this is all in the Haynes manual. A new drum hub nut and hub cover needs to be used also since the old ones are damaged when being removed. However, as you suggest, the garage may be trying it on - there have been reports of companies such as Kwik Fit which do this a lot (a web search/Watchdog on TV have shown this) and I would tend to avoid them and go somewhere else. Replacing your front pads and discs is at a low mileage unless you do a lot of start/stop driving using the brakes a lot, I did them on our C3 recently at 36k miles and that has been mainly short trips but they could have lasted longer. It will pay you to obtain the Haynes manual for your car to learn a bit then if work is suggested you can read up on it before agreeing. You can get an idea of parts costs on the eurocarparts web site to see if you are also being overcharged although if you use a Citroen garage they will use their parts but at a higher price. As for a garage, I would tend to use a Citroen dealer or an independant Citroen specialist but there is nothing difficult about the C3 but if familiar with the car they may do the work quicker so your labour charge may be lower.

Haynes does not cover the engine in the 2.2 hdi (136 bhp or 173 bhp). But this engine is in the French ETAI/RTA manual for the mark 1 C5 but not the one for the mark 2 C5 or the mark 3 C5. The Haynes manual for the Peugeot 406 includes the 2.2 hdi (136 bhp) engine. If anyone lives near Warrington then Haynes manuals from WMP (Warrington Motor Parts) on Manchester Road are available at a reduced price.

We have a 2008 1.6 hdi VTS+ hatchback on 40k miles. The C4 is a good drivers car, sticks to the road, accelerates quickly, handles well, bends nice and fast, firm suspension ok on smooth roads but a pain on a long journey when compared to the C5, returns 60 mpg at motorway speeds, brakes good requiring very little effort. Downside - tyres are low profile so expensive (Mich £160 each), fancy steering wheel but if you are getting on a bit the controls on it are a bit close for seeing clearly, windows are small in the back, black interior a bit gloomy, easy to bump your head when getting out against front door pillar. The turbo is supposed to be a weak item, also at the front of the engine is a large plastic part (contains air direction valves from the turbo) which leaks oil on to the alternator unless its joints have been sealed. There is another C4 specific forum which is worth a look and has many postings.