raveydavey

I'd agree. The difference in mileage when the first light goes off can vary massively. I've known mine go off at as little as 70-odd miles or stay on until over 142. As long as there are no signs of a leak and fuel consumption is staying fairly constant there is probably nothing to worry about.

It's very wierd that it only happens in the same place though... You say it's just off a roundabout - I wonder if there is a layer of diesel or similar on the road surface (buses and waggons are terrible for this - ask any biker!) making it a bit slippery just as you put the power down and it's confusing the ECU?

A friend of mine had this very same problem on his Peugeot. The dealer gave him two options (the car was out of warranty) - new stepper motor or they would just set the flap to external air supply and disconnect the motor. Given the price they were quoting for a new motor he just had it disconnected, which they did FOC as the car was in for a service. He's had no further problems.

What sort of price are they looking at for it? If it's near the £3,995 mentioned elsewhere on the thread then that seems a bit steep to be honest, given the mileage. I've got a 2003/03 1.4HDi 8v which I've owned from new and have done 72k without the engine missing a beat - although obviously that is a lot less than the car you are looking at. Correctly maintained PSA diesel engines generally have a great reputation for longevity, but as another poster has said, I've not seen a C3 with that sort of mileage on it. My own personal opinion would depend on the price that is being asked, the vehicle history and what you're going to be using it for. If you're going to be racking up big mileages in it, then is this car a good idea, given how cheap you can pick up C3's with lesser mileage?

Yes, it's in the pre-facelift handbook too. Can you believe that some cheeky beggar is "selling" that information on ebay? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Citroen-Service-Ligh...1QQcmdZViewItem :huh:

Thanks - I'll bear that in mind if it happens again!

Regular readers may remember how my remote locking stopped working and I couldn't lock the car a few months ago, which fixed itself a couple of hours later as I pulled up at the dealer... Anyway, last week this happened: Pulled up, let the engine idle for a few seconds (as you do with a turbo engine) and turned off. Took the key out of the ignition and the steering lock wouldn't engage, no matter how much I twirled the steering wheel. Put the key back in the ignition, took it out and the steering lock worked. I then got out of the car , shut the door and pressed the remote lock button - nothing. Here we go again i thought. Tried a couple of times, still nothing so opened the car door to try turning the ignition on and off. At this point the "lights on" warning buzzer started, even though the lights most definately weren't on. Anyway, I put the key in and switched the ignition on. Warning buzzer stopped. Switched the ignition off, took the key out and engaged the steering lock - all OK. Got out of the car, pressed the remote locking and that worked OK too. And has done ever since. Now much as I like the car and I love the 60mpg I'm getting from it, the seeds of doubt are starting to be sown. It's a 5-year old car with 70k on the clock, that cost over £300 to get through the last MOT - whats going to go wrong next..?

I'd suggest what smokescreen has mentioned. Did you know that the handbook specifically states that you should also press the footbrake down when applying the handbrake on the C3? My C3 has creaked on and off since I got it 5 years ago, so I wouldn't worry about it. Making sure the handbrake is fully applied seems to resolve it. I did ask at the dealer about the creaking at the first service and got some flannel about difference between the "atmospherics" in France and the UK.....

Excellent choice of car. I've got an 03 plate example of that model with 70k on the clock and it's still giving me 60mpg week in, week out. With diesel at up to 122.9p a litre, every mile counts nowadays. The 1.4 16V HDi is known to have a few issues, despite the extra horse power.

You don't say where you bought the car from. I hope it was a reputable dealer because someone, somewhere has got a key for your car. I don't say that to worry you, but as something you should be aware of. It's especially important in this day and age as you can't "hotwire" a car anymore due to the transponder immobilisers, so theives are very aware of the need to have a key. Rather than getting just a replacement key you might want to consider a new lock set / immobiliser recode.

I'm talking about the black plastic cover that sits on top of the engine on my 2003 1.4 HDi 8V Desire. My C3 is a diesel, so it says "HDi" and has the Citroen logo on it. It was broken a couple of years ago by a dealer while the car was in (they denied it when challenged, but they were the only people who'd been under the bonnet apart from me and I certainly hadn't broken it - or tried to glue it back in place...) Anyway, it's being getting increasingly loose up to the point where it won't stay attached at all, so I've taken it off and stashed it in the boot to avoid it falling off all together while I'm driving along. From what I can see it serves no real purpose other than to make the engine bay look tidier. I know Mercedes fit such covers primarily for reasons of appearance and to stop inquisitive owners fiddling with stuff they should leave alone. There appears to be nothing under it that needs protecting and I've priced up a second hand one from a Peugeot Citroen salvage specialist and they are wanting £35 (inc delivery), so I'm tempted to say sod it and leave it off. Any thoughts?

Differing mpg figures could be simply down to driving styles or the journeys you make - I always get around 60mpg, but I have a 50 mile round trip to work, so the engine is up to temperature and operating efficiently and in 5th gear for much of the journey, but then I usually crawl the last 5 miles home on a night due to traffic, so i don't get the 65+mpg that stimulator is getting. Air-con doesn't make a notable difference either - in the winter you have the lights, heater, HRW, fan, etc on all of which put load on the engine, whilst in summer you just have the a/c on. To me it makes 1-2mpg difference at most. As for your air-con if it's still working I'd leave it alone. Citroen service desks will tell you it needs regassing every two years which I think is tosh. It's a sealed system so unless it develops a leak it shouldn't need touching and if it does develop a leak it will stop working almost immediatly given the pressure the refridgerant is under.. That said it is prone to failures (mine has) due to poor design although there are several superceded parts now fitted, so hopefully newer ones should be better. Whatever you do make sure you use it regularly even during the winter as the gas also contains the lubricant - not using the a/c for a while means it might have seized up next time you press the button... If in doubt get it checked by a reputable independent.

Well, the OSF spring on my C3 has gone, so that was both front springs replaced for the MOT. Total bill, including test, two bulbs and a rear wiper blade, £317 including a large drink for Gordon Brown. Bargain. :( I'm shocked to read that Citroen were picking up the tab for the springs though. I might send a copy of the bill to Citroen Customer Services and see what happens, although as the car is nearly 5 years old and has covered 70,000 miles I'm not going to hold my breath...they never responded to my request they found out why a dealer had supposedly carried out the recall spring cup fit but only fitted a cup on one side. To be honest, given the tales of woe on here and elsewhere regarding the springs I'm surprised they lasted so long, especially given the diabolical state of the roads around here.

I'm guessing your car is a 2004 onwards model - this function is not on earlier models (like mine :blink: )

Is the car still under warranty? If it is then Citroen should sort all these issues out under that. If the warranty has only just expired, then at the very least I'd expect Citroen to contribute towards the costs, or cover them all as goodwill depending on how long ago the warranty expired. The rear wiper sounds like it might be a relay issue if you can hear repeated clicking.

Sadly you need a dealer or other suitable specialist to look at this. If you have a decent independent Citroen specialist nearby I'd suggest you try them first, at least for advice, or you could try a search on yell.com (or similar).

From the sounds of it, your other half is probably right! However, you say your car is an 05 reg so it's either still covered by warranty or it has only just expired, so I'd book it in to be sorted out as a warranty issue. Even if you car is out of warranty it can only be by a matter of weeks, so Citroen should deal with this as a goodwill issue. If they won't then I'd suggest Consumer Direct / Trading Standards should be your next point of call.

A few things spring to mind. It does state in my manual that when engaging the handbrake you should also push the brake pedal fully down to ensure the maximum effort is put onto the handbrake. As you say the car should always be parked in gear in case of handbrake "failure" - I have dealt with no end of cars with damage attributed to handbrake failure where the handbrake is fine, just it hasn't been applied (either at all, or properly). This is especially prevelant on cars with rear disks, as these cool quite quickly once parked up and if the handbrake is only partially applied the cooling can result in the pads no longer making sufficient contact with the disks to hold the car and gravity takes over. Also make sure that the handbrake is properly adjusted - it should be "on" within 2-4 clicks. I've seen cars where the handbrake lever is nearly vertical before it takes effect! Personally I always park my car in gear and with a quarter turn of lock applied towards the kerb, just in case. But then again I once had to rescue one poor chaps Audi from a tree...(his garden was on a slope which then dropped down quite sharply into a wood - the car went down the drive, across the garden and ended up in the branches of a tree!)

That is interesting. You don't say what year / model your C3 is, but on mine (2003/03 1.4 8v HDi Desire) the glow plug light has never illuminated. I specifically asked at the first service if this was correct and the dealer advised my that the glow plug light never comes on...so why have one in the first place? It doesn't even light up when the ignition is turned on and every other light on the dash comes on briefly. Anyway, nearly 5 years and 70,000 miles later on it has still never lit up so I'd near enough forgotten all about it.

Pardon my ignorance, but are parking sensors really necessary on such a small car with such large windows?

My C3 will do 30mph in 5th, but it's a lot happier if I'm in 4th at that speed! I'd agree with the posts above - you need to trade a marginal increase in fuel consumption for better driveability and mechanical kindness.

Well, I've got a 1.4HDi 8V (70bhp) and it always returns about 60mpg. Bearing in mind that mainly the car is used for commuting to work that is frankly amazing. I've got a 50 mile round trip to work so the engine always gets a good run with the journey comprising a good mix of local roads, "A" roads (single and dual carriageway) and motorway. I also drop my wife off and pick her up again in Leeds city centre on my way - on a morning traffic is light as we set off early, but on a night the return journey takes place in the evening rush. My Garmin satnav gives me an average speed over the last 6 months of just under 30mph for the evening trip. Fuel economy will tend to be slightly worse during the winter - using the lights, heater, blower, heated rear window etc all puts more load on the engine so you use a little more fuel. All the above means I get just under 600 miles out of a tankfull if I run it until the last light goes off and only the warning light remains on (I try not to do this too often). However, when we went on a long weekend to Inverness we managed to get a scarcely believable figure of 78 mpg from the car, so it shows what can be done with extended top gear running and light traffic. (and I wasn't hanging about on the way back). If you're not happy with the fuel figures from your Citroen, have a look at the mpg's (and CO2 emmissions!) for some other manufacturers.

With respect, that scenario seems highly improbable - if that sort of thing could trigger an airbag they'd be going off all over the place as folk drove around. I still think you should insist on Citroen sending a specialist out to look at it and get your own independent report. Look at http://www.iaea-online.co.uk/ for a list of independent specialist engineers in your area Try to find out which specific airbag / SRS sensor triggered the airbag firing too. Funnily, seatbelt tensioners are normally triggered before the airbag as they are used in lower speed impacts which often don't trigger the airbag.

Where is the car now? I'd suggest you appoint an independent vehicle examiner (someone professionally qualified, either IMI or IAEA) to inspect the vehicle and compile a written report. This needs reporting to both Citroen and to VOSA http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/contactus/contactus.htm or Enquiries@vosa.gov.uk given the seriousness of what happened. You need to be insistent that Citroen investigate this fully - don't let then fob you off claiming the car is outside warranty, that is no excuse as airbags are designed to have a minimum working life of 10 years and most fitted in the early 90's are still functioning fine. Airbags aren't supposed to deploy without specific triggers being met.

I had a long and sorry saga getting to spring cups fitted to my C3 (there are other threads on here about it, so I won't repeat it all again). Not wanting to tempt fate, I'm approaching 70,000 miles and I'm still on the original springs...that said if springs are still failing, why bother replacing the existing ones as clearly the parts supplied are still (at best) suspect? It is now over a year since Citroen "customer services" promised a full enquiry into what had gone on and a response and I'm not holding my breath. In fact I'd go so far as to say that in my experience of Citroen customer service staff is that they are either poorly trained and badly informed, or outright liars. Take your pick. If springs are STILL failing on cars that are supposedly outside the range effected then this is a scandal. I'd suggest that you do contact Watchog and Consumer Direct and also contact VOSA ( Enquiries@vosa.gov.uk or http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/contactus/contactus.htm ) immediately and insist that they take action. This only compounds the original scandal that Citroen only fitted spring cups rather than replacing the actual springs, which was simply a matter of penny pinching. It's all very well replacing parts AFTER they have failed - what happens if someone dies or is seriously injured as a result of a spring failing? Or a driver loses directional control and mounts a pavement taking out a few pedestrians? I'm a automotive engineer assessor and if I come across such a vehicle in my professional capacity after a failure I will raise merry hell about it. No offence to stimulator, who has posted many times on here and usually offers good advice, but when other manufacturers have defects on cars serious enough to risk life (which this does) they DO take cars off the road until they can be fixed. Vauxhall did it recently just after the launch of the new Corsa, so it can be done - it's a matter of doing the right thing.