organist

Finally took the plunge and got rid of my C3. I have to admit that I have recently got a bit fed up with the very variable performance of the car. It is a 1.4 Hdi (92), but I find the engine really peaky. I drove a Skoda Fabia Vrs the other day and fell in love with it. The build quality is STREETS ahead of Citroen, and the performance is fantastic and wipes the floor with the C3. It is cheaper too! So there we are. After 3 years of ownership, would I buy another C3. Regrettably I have to say no. The dealers are rubbish, the cars rattle constantly, the ride is piss-poor, and after driving a Skoda, there really is no comparison with the little French thing. Bye Bye!

The screen demister works so well on the exclusive (climate control) models because it switches the air conditioner on too, drying the moisture in the car. Remember, air conditioning keeps the air in the car dry as well as keeping you cool in the summer. It can be used with heating too!

Point taken, Oliver, but for every difficult situation there is a different one: I have an 03 Citroen C3 1.4Hdi 16valve with the exclusive trim, and apart from a software update to the child locking system I have had absolutely NO problems with the car at all. It is pretty quick, very economical, and one of the most characterful cars I have ever owned. They are not all bad, mate!

You need to hold the dashboard locking (NOT the Child lock, the big round one) button down until you get a confirmation 'bong'. This will switch the auto lock on and doing it again will switch it off.

Not sure why the 1.4 Hdi 92 16v diesel engine is discontinued, it seems fine to me. As for not having power low down, I would agree that if you catch it with less than 1500rpm on the clock, it's dead. So just make sure you have at least that on then clock and it goes just fine. Now the engine is loosened up (21000 miles) I am getting really good mpg and on a trip to Germany recently I had an indicated 121 mph out of it at one stage! But what is really good is that it will cruise for mile upon mile at speeds of well over 100mph for hours on end!

If you can't even park a C3 unassisted (one of the easiest cars in the world to park) you should not be driving any bloody car!

I test drove a C4 the other day and both the wife and I absolutely hated it. The model had a 1.6 diesel engine in it and it was absolutely gutless. The other thing which is really poor is the relation of the top of the door opening and the seat - it was impossible to get into the thing without banging your head on the top of the door opening. The rear headroom was very poor and the instrumentation unnecessarily complicated. I'll stick with my (ultra reliable and FAST) 1.4 Hdi 92hp C3 thank you very much!

It maybe that the oil level in the engine was a little low, and the hill was steep enough to allow the oil to the back of the sump, uncovering the sensor. This would cause the management light to illuminate.

Go find another dealer!

Self cancelling child locks can be fixed with the latest software update from Citroen. This also allows the car to lock itself automatically at speeds of over 4mph, which is often invaluable in built up areas these days.

Because the lenses are not on the front 'glass' of the headlamp, (because the beam is controlled by the relector) fitting beam delectors is really a rather hit and miss affair with these kind of lamps. As far as I see it, you have two choices. 1) at night, switch the lamps on and, with the lamps shining on a wall, experiment with the beam deflector so as to eliminate the left hand assymetrical 'flip', which is what will cause upset to the little French people. 2) Don't bother, (after all, they couldn't give a tuppeny ***oops*** when they bring their cars over here (for the most part)) but merely lower the lights with the headlamp level control sufficiently so as to not cause dazzle to oncoming cars. After all, you only need the lights to BE seen most of the time, not necessarily to SEE. However, You have the added advantage of being able to raise the lights when on an unlit country road. This is what I do!

You could always plug the belt in behind you and then sit on the seat - used to do that on the Volvo I had (long before seat-belts became compulsory!)

Can be done in situ - I've done it, but you need dexterous fingers (am a professional pianist and organist) to do it. A handbag mirror (NOT mine!!!) can help lots in the replacing of the bulb retaining clip. The connector is easy!

Try smashing the window with the alarm set - It will work then!

A genuine Hid discharge headlight setup HAS to be fitted with an automatic washer system (to minimise glare when the lenses are dirty) and a self-levelling system to go some way to avoid the lights being too high when going up hills. They are absolutely blinding if you do get a face full of these on a dark country lane. There are aftermarket Hid systems available but unless they are also fitted with the above washer and self-levelling systems, they are totally illegal! Of couse, when you are behind the wheel of a set of these, YOU can see perfectly! In a recent auto express test, the 'blue' bulbs that you can get for headlights to look like an HiD system (they don't) cause a great deal of glare to oncoming motorists. They are absolutely useless for seeing where you are going also!

The HDI 92 engine is the most efficent engine in its class. Just five years ago, anyone who thought it possible to squeeze 92 horsepower out of a 1.4 litre diesel engine would be branded a liar (much like the present Prime Minister, I fear!) :) Any vehicle which can do in excess of 70 mpg (if driven carefully) and nearly 120 mph (when not driven so carefully!!) seems pretty efficient to me. Conventional Headlights are very inefficient, as anyone who has driven a car fitted with Hid lamps will testify. Our 3.2 Gsi Vauxhall Vectra has such headlamps. They consume less than 35 watts each and give a light output of about 2/1-2 to 3 times that of a conventional 'bulb'. The colour temperature is approching that of daylight also, which makes driving at night a totally different experience. You can buy 'blue' type conventional headlight bulbs, but these are miserable in comparison, and are usually only fitted by idiots who can't afford a proper Hid setup.

The higher output (92ps) 16v diesel, which is the same as the 70ps 8v diesel but with a variable geometry turbocharger and a 16 valve head is peculiar to the C3. This is the engine which should have been fitted to the Ford Fiesta, but Ford thought it too expensive, and used a 1600cc on instead (also developed with PSA Peugeot Citroen)

Wouldn't bother retrofitting a trip computer - just get a new car!

Child locking is fine when the software is upgraded, and as a bonus, you have the ability for the car to lock itself automatically when you drive off. I would not even consider anything other than my rather stylish C3 Diesel 92hp, which has more safety features and facilities than any Yaris or overpriced German rubbish!

I think you'll find that the Power Steering is actuated by an electronic system - no fluid needed

Please be advised that there is a modification to the software for 52/03/53 registration C3's. This enables the child locking system to actually remember that they are set. Previously, after locking the car and returning to it, the child locks had to be set 'on' every time. I forgot once and nearly lost my 4 year-old onto the M3 near Southampton!! :rolleyes: The new software package also enables the 'auto locking' function, so that the vehicle will (if you desire) automatically lock the doors as soon as the roadspeed increases to over 6mph. This feature can be disabled with the ordinary dashboard locking button. The software fix is 41.0. After a month since this 'mod' hs been carried out, I can report that this has finally sorted this out and everything seems to work as it should.

Mine has never cut out in 1700 miles..........and, by the way, it's a diesel.

Bit risky this - fumes from the exhaust can be sucked back into the car - with disasterous consequences. If you do this regularly (!), keep all the windows open. The French probably don't have the feature for the light reminding you about the doors being left open, which explains why they aresuch poor drivers - they are permanently gassed! ;)

Reverse Gear will select the rear wiper if the front ones are also set to be on. Richard the organist

Dear All, I'm just wondering (as a driver who has a full Advance Driving Test Pass under his belt) what the Citroen Dealer is talking about when he says that "C3's have to be driven differently because of the sensors......." What a load of cobblers!!!! You surely to goodness didn't swallow this did you? I have never treated my C3 differently to any other vehicle I have driven over my twenty years of driving cars, and it hasn't failed me yet. As regards the lady who holds her car on the clutch - I would suggest that she uses the handbrake - Clutches are a lot more expensive than brakes: I wouldn't fancy replacing a clutch on a C3 - oh no! By the way, I also have a 1992 Toyota Carina (Old Style) which has just completed 139,000 miles on the ORIGINAL Clutch....... I rest my case! Richard the organist ;)