mitch

It's been a year since I reported the front spring breakage on this thread. I've still got the HDi Exclusive which had its 2008 MOT test last week. Just to complete the story - last year the broken spring was replaced by my service agent and cost me £200. I emailed Citroen and presented my case for compensation. Citroen sent an encouraging reply and told me to get my service agent to put in a claim on my behalf. This was done without fuss and a few weeks later, I received a cheque for £200, which was pleasing. I've been concerned that the other spring might fail at any time but so far, there have been no further problems. At last weeks MOT, the mechanics had a really close look at the unaffected spring, and without access to fancy metal testing equipment, declared it to be in good condition. Here's hoping ......

Thanks for the tip. I thought something was a bit strange about all this. It was the rather shifty way I was spoken to by the service manager that suggested to me this was a conversation he'd held many times before.

My '02 HDi Exclusive went into the workshop yesterday for it's annual service and MOT. I have owned it from new and it has performed without fault or problems for the last five years. The service mechanic had to issue a MOT failure when he discovered that a substantial section of the front near side coil spring had "disappeared". The car had the suspension cup recall modification carried out about two years ago. I asked if there was any history of C3 front spring failure, and if the recall was a quick fix to a larger problem. I was given a rather vague story about pot holes and poor roads and just being unlucky at 35,000 miles. But I sense that there's more to all this than I am being told. This problem is going to cost £200 to fix, if and when the service agent gets hold of the required part - which interestingly seems to be in short supply. I'm tempted to ask Citroen some awkward questions but I'd really like to hear from any other owners who've suffered failure in one or both front springs. Is this happening a lot? Are the diesels more at risk? I've owned many, many cars over the past 35 years and although many things have broken, this is the first time I've encountered a coil spring actually breaking apart. Perhaps it's a reflection of the way Citroen achieve their "bargain" prices?

My '02 Exclusive HDi was one of the first UK cars when it was delivered in June 2002. There is no trip computer, but does have the control button on the stalk. I talked to my local service manager about this a couple of years ago. Apparently - and this is the story as I got it - the "trip computer" is in fact present in early C3s, but the French forgot to include MPH in the software code. With the production line already rolling, Citroen simply decided to delete this feature from UK cars until someone managed to sort things out. So it took about two years before trip computers became standard.

Here it is - the "sporty" C3 that Citroen said they would never produce. Looks a bit naff to me ....... http://www.carpages.co.uk/citroen/citroen_images/citroen_c3_18_01_05.jpg

My C3 Hdi Exclusive will be three years old in June. It has performed faultlessly since the day it left the showroom. The only warranty claim has been for a new aerial to rectify poor medium wave reception. Even several month-long trips to Sweden, driving on clay and gravel roads as well as motorways, have been tackled without problems or drama. Running costs have been as cheap as it's possible to get. My local dealer has been friendly and efficient, showing real interest and commitment. As a long time 2CV owner, I am now thinking of swapping the C3 for a Pluriel HDi later this year. But the impression I get from many of the posts is that all Pluriels are total dogs, being leaky, unreliable and constantly causing grief. A situation that is apparently made worse by lazy, uncaring and incompetent dealers. So - if you have any experience of the Pluriel HDi, could you give me some idea of what life is like as an owner? Is it really the bucket of trouble which seems to be a constantly presented picture in discussion forums? Surely Citroen have got it right by now - haven't they?

Twist the mirror control knob until it points at the floor. I know it doesn't actually say it anywhere. Then (assuming the ignition is on) the mirrors will fold back. The mirrors also heat up and demist but only in combination with the rear screen heater.

I've been buying and driving Citroens since the late 1960s. I really cannot understand these constant stories about poor quality. I realise they don't exactly build them to BMW standards, but I have yet to own one that has let me down. I seem to remember suffering a warped front disc on a 1978 Dyane, and a dodgy airbag light on a 1999 Xsara. I have a C3 HDi at the moment. It was bought new in June 2002 and nothing has gone wrong. At all. Sorry, but it's true. My dealer is always supportive and well informed. At the 1000 mile service, they noticed a small scratch on the dash board and insisted on replacing the whole unit. That's it. If I have a moan, it's about their insistence that the work was carried out. I didn't really care. I not sure if this is relevant, but my local dealer has been selling and maintaining Citroens since 1980. There are a lot of new boys about who seem to have jumped on the discount bandwagon, and have little or no understanding of the company they represent. The secret of a good Citroen lies in the thoroughness of the pre-delivery inspection, and the quality of subsequent services. Look after it and it will look after you. Go ahead and buy a Pluriel. I intend to when they bring out a diesel. (I know they say they won't, but just have browse some some of the French web sites). Car discussion groups can give a totally unbalanced perspective of a car or maker. If you look at the new Mini owners chat (www.mini2.com ) you would think that this car drops to pieces as soon as you sign the cheque. What about the 50,000 owners who are happy with their cars? John M

I went down to my local Citroen dealer this morning to book the C3 in for a service and walked right into a Citroen demo of the Pluriel for the sales team. The Citroen managerial type in charge seemed to assume that I was a staff member - so I passed a happy hour helping swap the car into its various configurations. A good time was had by all. Bags are provided in order to store the detachable side beams, and a garage floor stand will be an accessory item. There will be a tonneau cover for use in "spider" mode but this too will be an option. The interior is very much C3 like, but the seal fabric is some harder wearing nylon weave stuff. Door cappings are body coloured. The fabric roof is a nice tight fit, and the folding action seems quick and smooth. The back flip performed by the roof when it goes into the boot floor is highly amusing. So is the weird double retraction movement of the back electric windows. The 1.6 will have Sensodrive, the 1.4 is a manual gearbox only. It looks like climate control will be an option on both models. CD player is standard, as are a trip computer and auto wipers. There are enormous great reinforced sills for side impact protection (and to reduce scuttle shake). Good news is that the insurance companies are so impressed with the car's safety features that the 1.4 will be in Group 4 and the 1.6 in Group 6. Most dealers should have received a demonstrator today and these should be on the road by this time next week. Go and have a play. I don't know if it will sell, but it really is great fun. :o

"Leaky roofs are delaying the launches of key PSA/Peugeot-Citroen models. Problems with an Inalfa-supplied soft top on the Citroen C3 Pluriel means only a few thousand will be built by summer", said Managing Director Claude Satinet. Conventional C3 models with an Arvin Meritor-built opening glass roof were not delivered until February, 10 months after the car was launched. "Making that roof has been very difficult," said Satinet. The Peugeot 307CC won't launch until September. Peugeot says the folding roof built by CTS is more sophisticated than on the 206CC, made by Heuliez.

The Citroen Dyane was manufactured from 1969 to 1983. Last UK cars were sold in October 1982. Factory pre-production designation was DN. Say it with a French accent. DeeAnn. It's another of those Citroen jokes. Like DS (DeeEss) "Goddess" in English. The Dyane was probably an attempt to "modernise" the 2CV. It had the same chassis and engines, but uprated to 29BHP. The Dyane 4 (435cc) was sold until about 1974. The Dyane 6 (602cc) became the best selling version. It was probably the first hatchback car on sale in the UK.

Windscreen sensor works fine. It's part of the car, not the screen. It just unclips when necessary. The screen has mounting lugs for the sensor - it seems to be a push on fit - and a little window thingy for it to operate through. Screen for the Exclusive also has the heat reflective coating, hence the bronze colour.

Actually, I had a small battle with my dealer about the dash replacement. The scratch was so small I hadn't even seen it. I really didn't need or want a replacement and I was worried about the new problems that messing about with the wiring etc. might create. The Service Manager had already ordered a new dash top (£485 apparently) and INSISTED on fitting it. Apparently, if parts are ordered under warranty, and not used, the cost is taken from the service department wages budget. I don't know if this is just my local dealer, or Citroen Service policy. Don't ask me how, but I think someone, somewhere is definitely making money out of warranty claims.

We bought our HDi Exclusive in June 2002. During the first drive away from the dealer, my wife commented on the distortions she was seeing through the screen. A couple of weeks later, we took the car up to northern Sweden via Denmark and the new Belt bridges. While happily cruising up the E4 somewhere near Jonkoping, we were overtaken by a Polish artic which was spraying gravel everywhere. I saw the rock heading for the screen but couldn't avoid it. The impact left a 50p size hole in the outer layer of glass. We took the car to a Citroen dealer in Jonkoping. He told us the screen was safe and wouldn't collapse. He also told us that Citroen Sweden were not happy with the quality and fitting of C3 screens. He thought that some screen were being fitted slightly twisted and under tension, and might suffer damage from stone impacts far too easily. The launch of the C3 was being delayed in Sweden while this was being sorted out. Back home, we took the car to Autoglass. The fitter was not impressed with the OEM screen. He fitted a replacement screen made in the UK by Pilkington. Since this was his first C3, he took a day to do the job slowly and properly.The difference is amazing. Crystal clear, no distortions. We also noticed that the replacement has a bronze colour - the original had the moisture sensor but was blueish in shade. A combination unknown to Autoglass. Did Citroen accept a dodgy batch to meet orders or perhaps the factory fitters weren't trained properly during early production?

I was clearing the garage today and found two sets of Xsara headlight protectors. One set is in plain acrylic with the Xsara logo, the other set is factory prepared with beam converters for continental driving. These covers are for the Mk1 (narrow) headlights up to 2000. They are no use to me - I've traded my Xsara for a C3. Any use to anyone for a modest fee? John M