seefive

Aren't we talking about a petrol car here? Return of the dreaded supermarket fuel maybe?

Has anyone seen a new C5 on the road? Anyone seen more than one? I haven't seen a single one in the 3 months since launch (unless you count the odd demonstrator being paraded around) I drive around 250 miles per week, and have made several 100 mile trips up the M1 in that time. Not a single new C5 have I seen.. Strange.

Where did you get the diagnostic done please?I have a long standing misfire problem which my main dealer was unable to diagnose. Thanks

Hi KFK On reflection, I agree with your comments here. I was a little harsh in my earlier post on this thread. My local main dealers are very helpful and professional in dealing with problems, although I have always been a bit scared of their routine service pricing. They are scrupulously honest - they one refused to to replace brake pads and discs because they didn't need doing after I had been told they were "desperate" by a certain tyre and exhaust chain. They also keep a technician available to deal with "emergencies" ( blown headlamp bulbs etc) and will often sort things out without an appointment. They did fail twice to diagnose a long-running misfire on cold idle, which I have now given up on, although no-one could figure it out for certain. So Liz - maybe a trip to a main dealer is the best option at this point. They have the full diagnostic kit which an indie garage won't have. It's worth getting a written opinion of the fault and how long it's been there. If the seller advertised the car as "faultless" you may still have some legal leverage here, particulary as you paid dealer retail price.

Hi Liz Sorry to hear of your troubles. I'm guessing you (your mother-in-law) bought this car from a dealer? £4k is about the maximimum retail price for a car of this age. My advice would be - take it back and insist on it being repaired. The 2.2 diesels are notorious for particle filters blocking, and a replacement filter at a main dealer will set you back the best part of £1,000. (£500 for the filter, £100 fluid, plus fitting/regenerating) The car was obviously faulty when you bought it, ( breaking down after 2 days) and under consumer law you can inisist on repair within 90 days of purchase. Stop throwing money at a problem the seller should fix! If they refuse threaten to sue for consequential loss of the caravan... If, on the other hand, you bought privately your remedies are less clear cut, but I would still check out your legal options. Selling a car like this is not on. As for reapairing it at your own cost, try searching for a "Citroen specialist" on the internet. Generally they are better and cheaper than main dealers Good luck.

Thanks I actually bought an aftermarket Sony unit in Halford's clearance sale a few weeks back, and it's fine now. The new unit plays MP3 discs (a real advantage) but doesn't react to the remote control ( a slight disadvantage) I have to switch on and off manually - to get the radio to understand the power protocol of the car would require a "cam buster" - a piece of firmware that goes in the ISO connections and costs more than the radio. If I forget to switch off, the feed goes dead after a couple of minutes anyway. It's actually quite nice not to be bombarded with noise the minute you turn the key, so all in all I'm pretty happy with the result. Citroen can't supply replacements of the original factory Clarion unit, so the only option is Ebay , and they are fairly rare and expensive, so the after-market route is the best option, unless you want your car to retain the original appearance. More information here ( hope this link works - not done this before) http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citro...?showtopic=5796

This is a new warranty, taken out with the AA last month. They seem happy to take on high mileage, high risk cars now. I'll let you know how I get on

It's the socket type - the pins in the socket have moved out of alignment, so won't grip. I've seen the snap-on type kit you describe, but no-one seemed to have them today. Anyway, the clutch went completely on the way home tonight - had to pay £125 to get the car recovered to the garage a bit earlier than planned. Perfect end to a perfect day...

Had a good day today. On top of my current clutch worries, found I had a half-flat tyre this morning. Took to my local tyre place , and the locking bolt is seized solid. Tried 2 other places and no-one can shift it. Got the puncture repaired with the wheel still on (never seen it fixed from outside before, but it seems to be holding ) and have the car booked in to the Citroen specialist who does my servicing. He says he does one of these wheel rescues roughly every 2 weeks. He's going to look at the clutch too. Looks like a big bill coming!!

I can pull away gently by raising the revs, but it got worse today. There's a whirring sound as soon as I push the clutch pedal down, and some vibration on the pedal. The bite position is quite high (always has been) It's still changing gear fine, but I don't like that sound! Any idea what a clutch would cost? I have a warranty that will cover parts only..

It's the standard 16v (not HPI) It just feels a bit, well, juddery when pulling away from stationary. No noise , no slipping- just not as smooth as it was. Anything simple I can look for?

Hi The clutch on my car has started to judder. Car has 112k on the clock. Does this mean a new clutch, or adjustment, or fluid? Thanks

A decent tyre retailer should be able to balance the wheels - they need an attachment that fits on the balancing machine to replacate a wheel hub. The road wheel is then bolted on. The place I take mine (small independent) do it no problem. I have discovered that certain brands of tyre balance better than others - I currently have Goodyears (£48 each) and they balance fine with minimum weights I had this problem last year, but it went away. I found that driving on side lights stopped it happening.

RESOLVED!! A setting on the radio called "auto off" was causing the problem. Having disabled that, I can now sitch off - radio goes into standby, and the feed goes dead after 5 minutes. When I unlock the car, radio comes back on in stanby mode with all settings intact. Push the "source" button and it starts playing where it left off. If I foget to switch off, the feed goes dead shutting the radio down, and unlocking the car brings it back on in live mode - it starts playing before you get in. Putting a complex Japanese radio in a complex French car is such fun!! BTW - anyone have advise on fascia adaptors? - easy enough to get on Ebay, do they fit OK? Thanks

Hi Did you get this sorted? I too have tried to fit a Sony unit, (model cdx -gt210) and can't get a switched feed, despite trying every combination of red and yellow wires ( straight, crossed and merged). When I unlock the car there's a surge of power to the radio which puts it into demo mode and wipes all the settings - no good at all. At the moment I have put the original faulty Clarion/Citroen unit (shutting down at random) back in and I'm hoping for the best. I think the problem is the Citroen wiring - it provides both switched and permanent feed (you can switch the radio on after turning the engine off) Can't overcome this. Tried taking the fuse out, but that just killed the radio completely. Next move will be a visit to the Cutroen dealer to get the power supply checked out.

Hi My radio (standard Citroen cd/tuner) has started switching itself off , then refusing to come back on until it feels like it. (could be 2 minutes, could be 30) I can eject a CD while it's off, so there's obviously power there, but there's no reaction when I insert the disc, as there should be. Previously, it's re-tuned preset buttons to random stations. Time to replace it, or could this be something to do with the car electrics? Thanks for any advice

My petrol car has done 110k and it's as smooth as silk (barring an annoying, but minor misfire on warmup). It idles so quietly I frequently check the rev counter to make sure it's still going - it always is. Everyone who rides in it comments on the comfort and quietness. Doesn't use much oil, and it's still quite clean with good viscousity after 20kmiles, the interval recommended in the service book. I believe the HPi engines are troublesome, but the basic 16v unit seems pretty bomb-proof. To each his own.

Citroens have of course been Peugeot influenced ever since the merger, but this is the first mid-range car to have Japanes blood ( following C1 and C-Crosser), and the first Citroen to be part (unmistakably?) German. I think it looks like a cross between a Peugeot 407 and an Audi A4. Surely there are enough samey saloons on the market already?

Hi Applefishbanana (good handle!!) I'm afraid you're missing the point here. I'm talking about money,not cars or engines. My calculations are, if anything, generous towards diesels. PSA may make the best diesel engines, but with 10k service intervals ( pre-05 models) and the frequent problems reported on this very site, C5 diesels are clearly not economical. As the price difference between diesel and petrol widens on fuel company profiteering, this will only get worse. It's hovering around the 8% mark on average at the moment - knocking a big hole in the fuel volume savings A recent study by The Times newspaper put the break-even annual mileage - the point at which a diesel becomes cheaper to run - at 43,000. Accountancy Age magazine concluded that diesels are invariably more expensive to run. These studies are averaged across all cars, and include all costs - the only way to truly understand the financials. I am sorry if my conter argument upsets you, but please be aware that this board is not for slanging matches - just interchange of ideas, information and the occasional lively debate! Welcome to the site.

Fillled up on the M1 monday night ( I know - not the cheapest) petrol at 112p diesel - wait for it - 122p!! That's a massive 9% premium, further damaging diesel car economy. How can they justify that kind of difference, when diesel is cheaper to produce? Is this a conspiracy by the car makers and fuel companies to screw over the consumer, by any chance? This is bad news for everyone, not just diesel car owners, as it feeds straight into the prices of goods in the shops. Any comments will be interesting...

I also went to see the Citroen-Audi-Toyota C5, (yes it is a mongrel) and was less impressed. Inside, the roof line is lower and the windows smaller, making it feel less spacious. Gone are the adjustable armrests which are so supportive (especially for me - the old C5 is the only car I can drive without getting neck and shoulder pains, a legacy of whiplash sustained in a car accident). Gone too is the distinctive styling that separates true Citroens from the crowd. This could be a Mondeo, Vectra, Passat, whatever. It just doesn't register as a Citroen should do. Sticking plasti-chrome chevrons on the front of a bland design doesn't cut it, IMO. And why no hatchback? Citroen are obviously pandering to fashion and chasing sales by making the car as conventional/boring as possible. Even the defining hydraulic supension has been taken away in the lower and mid-range cars in an obvious attempt to woo the fleet buyers. The engines are mainly carried over from the old model, so we can't expect anything exciting there. It's a real shame that a quirky, individual company like Citroen is being dumbed down in this way. It's becoming increasingly difficult to work out what's behind a badge - Vauxhalls built in Korea, Audi's built badly in Hungary etc. Citroen are now following the globalisation model - and losing their character in the process...

Trafficmaster do offer a voice only "smartnav". May be worth checking with them .

Here's what ebay says when you search for a diesel.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are considering a Peugeot or Citroen with the 2.2 HDi Diesel engine (or most other HDi models manufactured after around 2001) then you should know that these are fitted with a particulate filter (or FAP as it is sometimes referred) & this filter requires some expensive maintenance. The filter itself is located in front of the catalytic convertor & is intended to keep the emissions ultra low. However, what isn't too widely publicised is the servicing that it requires - the manufacturers recommend replacement at around 75000 miles (or even sooner depending on the type of running that the car has done) at a cost of around £500 (+ labour) for a new filter. It can be replaced with a secondhand (cleaned) unit on an exchange basis for a much lower cost of £130 (+ labour), but this information is seldom volunteered by the dealers! What happens here is that your old filter is removed & sent to France to be extensively cleaned & added to the stockpile of exchange units. If the filter is neglected you will eventually see messages of UNBLOCK DIESEL FILTER on your on board computer which, if ignored, will eventually become ANTI POLLUTION FAULT & will put the car into limp home mode & unable to rev past 2000rpm. The other expensive item is the Eolys fluid that is injected into the filter that is essential to keep the emisions low. It costs approx £20 per litre (only available from main dealers) & if this has been neglected & allowed to run dry will take 5 litres to fill & will also give an annoying DIESEL ADDITIVE MINIMUM LEVEL message on the on board computer. After extensive searching through forums & other informative sources you will find that it is possible to clean your own particulate filter & fill the Eolys fluid yourself, or at a local garage that is familiar with the system, at a fraction of the costs that Peugeot & Citroen dealers charge, but you may find that the DIESEL ADDITIVE MINIMUM LEVEL warning stays & main dealers are very reluctant to get rid of this message for you unless carrying out the entire job themselves. Very few sellers of these vehicles will actually volunteer this information in their descriptions so the onus is on you to ask the right questions before bidding or buying!

Many thanks to everyone for your contributions on this . It's raised some very interesting and important points. Just to be sure, a pre- 2005 2.0 hdi would not contain the dreaded filter? How do the emissions stay low without that? Randombloke -your comment about misfire on petrol resonates with me. I get that every morning when the external temperature is in single figures. Coil pack and CTS have been changed with no effect. Any ideas?

Thanks for the feedback - it's good to get a positive view on the HDI's for a change - most of the posts on this site are discouraging to say the least. I do get the impression that Citroen are trying to force us all into diesels, however. Try finding a petrol C5 on a dealer's forecourt. Almost impossible. Maybe when the new model comes out it will swing the balance back a little. I've heard a whisper that BMW may be supplying the petrol units (Peugeot already use the Mini engine in the 207, I believe). In the meantime I'll stay with my faithful 2002 petrol Thanks again