jeremytaylor

I have a Pioneer head unit fitted to my VTR+. The parking sensors still work, but are loud and can't be turned down. The only other thing I've lost is the radio station display, which is no great loss as I have it on the new head unit. Everything else still works fine, all the buttons on the wheel, etc. Oh, and I've got the JBL in mine too. I think you will find that an adaptor for a Pug 307 will work fine in your C4.

There's a pic now on c4owners.co.uk, on the sat-nav thread.

What was on the toothbrush? Kryptonite? Like I said, I tried 'Back To Black' and that didn't work.

What annoyed me was that the marks appeared after the cars very first clean when the car was only a couple of weeks old! If it was a gradual thing over the years I wouldn't mind so much.

Hatch or Coupe? I've got this exact same engine/gearbox/trim, a Coupe in wicked red. Only had it a month and still running in, but I'm very pleased with mine. The only thing I've noticed with mine is that after just its first valet, the black plastic on the wheel centre trims has become discoloured by some cleaning agent, as have the dust caps. I noticed the same discolouration on the wheel trims of some other VTR/VTSs at my dealer when I took mine in for its first service, so it seems a common problem. 'Back To Black' doesn't clean it off. The only solution I can see is to carefully paint the black plastic with black paint. Anyone else had this problem?

This is interesting, because before I bought the C4 I knew I wanted to fit an AVICS (we've got one in wifey's C8 too). I asked at car stereo shops who said there was no adaptor listed for the C4, so I would lose the remote functions, which I could just about live with. So when I bought my C4, I was surprised when my dealer (Bollingmores in Woking) said they could fit it, with an adaptor, and retain all the remote functions. To be honest, I was half expecting a phone call to say "er, it's not fully working". But no, it's fine. They did the fitting, so I don't know the part number, but I suspect it is the same part as for a 307. Like I say, the only thing missing is displaying the radio name. All other menu functions for the computer and volume buttons, etc. on the wheel work. The unit replaces the standard head unit and the screen folds out so that it is just below where the Citroen Navi-drive screen would be. You can still fully see the clock/date screen but can't access the drawer below this screen with the Navi-drive screen out. It's also a bluetooth phone unit, touch screen, very slick! I have photos but have never been able to post on forums, lol. It says CGI Error! The reverse sensor sound comes from the rear speakers (is this how the sound normally comes?)

I also picked up my new C4 a month ago. It's a Wicked red VTR+ Coupe with panoramic roof, JBL and rear sensors, with the 1.6 HDI engine and EGS gearbox (120g CO2/km and therfore exemption from the CONgestion Charge in the not too distant future). I had my dealer fit a Pioneer AVIC sat-nav and CD changer with bluetooth for the phone as a decent sat-nav is essential for my job (and believe me the AVICS is decent!). My previous car was a Merc E320CDI estate, so you could say I'm slumming it a bit now, but I love it! I have previously had a Smart Brabus with a similar 'box to the EGS, except to say that the EGS is miles, miles better - quicker, etc. I'm currently taking the long way home, so as to get the miles clocked up and the engine run in!

No. I had a Pioneer AVICS sat-nav and CD changer fitted to my shiny new VTR+ Coupe. This had JBL and rear parking sensors and they (the sensors, that is) all still work. But they are loud and can't be turned down. Pardon!? The CAN-BUS adaptor retains all other remote functions, the only loss is the radio station name.

I will be picking up my C4 HDI EGS sometime after 1 March. VTR+ Coupe in wicked red with glass roof, JBL hi-fi and rear sensors, in which I will fit a Pioneer AVICS sat-nav with fold out screen and CD changer. CAN'T WAIT!! I found the gear change very smooth (compared to the Smart Brabus I am currently driving) and the low emissions are a bonus if Ken Livingstone sticks to his word and allows cars of 120g CO2/km to be exempt from his CONgestion Charge.

I know what you mean about the car being hard to replace. Our 2.0 HDI Auto Exclusive is 3.5 years old now and even a C4 Picasso doesn't fit the bill through the lack of sliding doors. If we do replace, it would probably be another C8! Fortunately our dealer is OK - certainly better than some Merc dealers I have used before. But then they are in Woking, not exactly handy for Scotland!

Nice to see the curtain airbags doing their job properly.

Sorry, never happened to our C8 2.0 HDI Auto.

Yeah, the spirit of the Ami lived on in the early Visas, no doubt

OK, C8 review as requested. We've had our 2.0 HDI Exclusive Auto for 2 years and 20,000 miles. We chipped ours to provide a bit more ooomph, and have always averaged about 32mpg. The bad bits: 1. The rear washer pipe became disconnected and soaked one of the rear parking sensors, which was replace under warranty. (Water getting into rear parking sensors is, by the way, a problem with C5 estates). 2. The rear door sunblinds are prone to getting caught in the sliding door if they are not hooked up properly. Minor, I know, but when if I'm listing minor problems like this, it should give an indication of how troublefree life has been. 3. The occasional electrical gremlin, like doors not shutting fully, then opening again. Easily overcome, and the garage can reset the sensors if the problem persists. Occasional false warning (low oil or water level) if parked on a slope. 4. The fold-down kid-mirror sometimes confuses the alarm, so best left up when the car is parked. 5. A characteristic of the multiplex wiring in this and other PSA cars is a slight delay in operation - especially noticeable when you flash the lights or beep the horn. The good bits: 1. A very relaxing family car to drive long distances. We've been to Switzerland, France, Devon, etc. loads of times and it is very smooth on long journeys like that. The big windscreen creates a real fealing of space. But on windier roads, they also drive very nicely 2. Very good vale for money, with a £5k discount from new. 3. Excellent dealer service from Bollingmores in Woking. 4. The front tyres are original and have, probably 3,000 more miles in them. 23,000 miles is pretty good for a heavy old front-drive bus like this. 5. Reliable. We had a Synergie before this which was also reliable. Before that we had a Sharan which was diabolically unreliable. 6. Sliding doors are very handy in car parks, and make putting the kids in and out much easier than conventional doors. 7. Excellent Xenon headlamps.

Citroenmyarse, we couldn' get the standard satnav fitted for the price we had agreed to pay (had to be a special order) and so we've fitted a Pioneer AVIC dvd satnav unit with CD multi-changer between the front seats. Very impressed. The dvd does the whole of Europe and includes TMC auto traffice reports, can play DVDs when the handbrake is on, etc. Where is the dealer fit location of the CD multichanger?

Citroenmyarse, BMW are planning an MPV, like Merc (forget the van one) but you can expect it to cost considerably more than £23,000. And being rear drive it won't have as much space. And it will probably have stupid run-flat tyres. And so on. No car is perfect.

We've had our 2.0 HDI Auto fro 18 months too. No anti-pollution problems at all. Mind you, it does make some weird noises and smells at times - which I assume is all part of the anti-pollution electronics. Bit surprised you are only getting 29 mpg - maybe its related? We get 29 on average from our auto, which is about what I would expect. These are heavy cars but I would have thought 35 should be possible on average from a manual. You can ignore government mpg figures. I reckon the urban figure is about what one can get in the real world.

That's weird that the rear tyres should be so worn after only 16k. Are they like that all the way across the tread or is it just to one side. If it is only on one side it would be the wheel alignment that's out. Had the same with my Merc C270, and they will need to be properly realigned. If you are in the south of England, Micheldever Tyres near Micheldever Station in Hampshire are your boys.

Yes Scooby, there is an anti-pinch function on the doors, but after I 'tested' it, the door started to play up. Sometimes it would shut, sometimes it would re-open. Had the door re-set under warranty. The anti-pinch function is most welcome to me who slammed their thumb in the door of our previous Synergie, leaving it black and blue for too long than I care to remember. The only other problem was our son caught the sunblind in the door. The door motor is so strong it quickly mangled the blind. Again, replaced under warranty (even though it should really have been paid for) although the parts took some time. But then this hardly a major part of the car. The alarm can sometimes trigger when the car is parked with the kiddy mirror is left down because it obscures the sensors. Solution? Fold the kiddy mirror away when you park. The dealers are aware of this. An attempt to steal one of the alloys left a stripped thread on the wheel bolts and hub. Again fixed under warranty when it shouldn't really have been. I'm very happy with our car 2.0 HDI Auto that we've had just over a year now. And very pleased with my local dealer (Bollingmores of Woking), and not just for putting the above through on the warranty. Scooby, you ask if anyone considered a Galaxy etc. before the C8. Well we had an early Sharan TDI before swapping it for the aforementioned Synergie. The Sharan was by a very long mark the most unreliable car I've ever had the misfortune to own and has put me off VW's (and their dealers) for life. You name it, it went wrong and the warranty was well used, to put it mildly! Dealers were useless and expensive. Even if it were reliable, the sliding doors on the C8 are a major advantage in car parks and for general ease of access. The PSA HDI is much smoother then the VW TDI. Handling and suspension similar. Steering on the C8 is nicer, as is the interior. Can't think of one area in which I prefer the VW, apart from possibly 'image', which in my case turned out to be hollow.