Brigus

Thanks again for your comments. You've convinced me to get a new one - I've been searching ebay for a new one when I get a spare moment. If no luck there, I'll pick one up from a parts wholesaler nearby. Cheers

That would have been a good idea Paul, but unfortunately it was quite mangled from a few days' worth of scraping speed cushions. If only I had dealt with it earlier.

Thanks for your response John - not what I wanted to hear but more-or-less what I expected! I have to agree with you, but the guy at the garage was very sure about it - it's also an expensive part to replace for what is really just a bit of shaped aluminium. I'll have to sleep on it :unsure: Are there any other experiences or thoughts about it out there? Cheers

Hello everyone, My rear heat shield came loose and began scraping on speed cushions. I asked the garage to secure it when getting another repair done, and they said it should just be removed (adding that they remove them all the time). Does this sound right? Can removing the heat shield potentially lead to any problems in the future? Thanks, Brigus

Thanks for the reply Paul. It sounds like we likely have the same/ similar type of exhaust fitted. I've been paying attention to the rpm at which it makes noise - the loud rattle is at idle, although sometimes also randomly at higher rpm. It also resonates at about 2500, much like you describe. I agree - neither should be normal. Looking underneath, it is clearly shaking at idle but I can't see it hitting anything and the heat shield seems ok. It's hard to be sure though with the car on the ground. I'll be taking it back to the garage this week and expect them to sort out the loud rattle at least (free of charge). I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers

Hi - I had my exhaust replaced about a month ago. The original backbox was square-ish, but the new one is cylindrical. Is this a Klarius like you describe? It came in two sections as well. Mine has been rattling something fierce (although only intermittently - can't recall at what rpm off hand). I'm thinking of taking it back to the garage to complain, but if it is the same as yours then perhaps the rattling is normal? Has yours improved over the last month? Cheers

That seems a strange feature to delete - what (if anything) has replaced the gauge on the left side of the instrument cluster?

Do you mean the engine coolant temp or outside air temp? If the latter (and if like mine) you just need to press the button to the left of the message centre.

How large are these spots, and do they flake like rust coming through or are they solid to the touch? I have a couple of small ones, and asked about them at a garage with a body shop (who happened to be doing my MoT at the time) and he said they were actually tiny dents from gravel strikes. The tyres can fire bits of gravel and dent that part of the wheel arch because the plastic liner doesn't quite extend that far. I must admit I wasn't totally convinced, but later I happened to notice the same thing on a vintage car owned by someone I know - and he gave me the same explanation. Even if this is the case, the damaged area is still a concern for potential rust in the future. I plan to have a much better look at mine to see if I can think of some DIY cure.

Welcome along. Lots of good info and advice available here.

The icon of a car and skid marks inside a triangle indicates ESP; if it is the same icon but in a circle within brackets it is your ABS. The ABS light illuminates when you start the car, and if it does not go out after a few seconds then there is a problem.

Thanks John and Paul for the advice. That helped me prepare my mental list of related jobs/ questions for when the garage called back with an estimate the next day. As it happened, their estimate also recommended timing belt, pulleys, oil & filter change, etc, which gave me confidence that they are conscientious about the work. I finally picked up the car on Monday - the engine is purring now and it even seems a bit more powerful than before. It's been nice to be back driving this week - I hate taking the bus! Cheers

Hello, An update on my predicament... well I had a look at the coolant situation a few weeks ago and could not find any problem (although I'm no expert). Anyway, the symptoms got worse (the gushing sound was joined by rough idle at start up, and then yesterday... more exhaust smoke than normal - white exhaust smoke). I took it to a garage straight away who not surprisingly diagnosed head gasket failure. I've decided to have it repaired as I like the car and luckily I caught the gasket failure in time, before any damage was done to the engine. Two questions - The mechanic tells me they can't find any underlying issue that might have caused the head gasket to go. Is there anything that might be hard to spot (or any questions I should ask) or could it simply be that the previous owner was just too rough with the car. I've had my C3 for 18 months, and I've only put on 6,000 of the 68,000 miles. Secondly, are there any other jobs/ components that should be taken care of while this job is done? Thanks,

Thanks for the reply Paul - that would make sense as I had the coolant renewed back in June. I'll have a look when the weather improves a bit. Cheers

I should add that there were no fault codes either. Any comments welcome

Happy New Year all, For a while I have had a strange 'gushing' sound (like running water) coming from the passenger side, but only when revs increase (and not every time). I mentioned it at my last service and the mechanic had no idea what it was about (he suggested it might be air in the manifold?!?). A while ago the hose to my fuel rail came loose and I had to secure it with a cable tie - BUT the sound had already been there and has been the same since. So, my questions are, has anyone else experienced this sound, is it a problem, and what is it about? Cheers,

They are called Roof Bar/Rail Blanking Plates. I'd have a look around the scrappies for a replacement.

Hello and welcome :)

Hi Paul - thanks for your advice. Very glad it's just a radio function. I was concerned since the message appeared right after picking up my car from an air con repair - they must have inadvertently pressed a button. I've cleared it now. Didn't even know there's meant to be a radio manual - must not have made it from the previous owner. Cheers

The word 'Fmast' has appeared in my message centre - can anyone tell me what it means?

It is recommended to change the timing belt every 60,000 miles, but really 40,000 miles is best considering that major damage will result if it fails. The 1.4 auto is known to be poor on fuel economy - I think I get about 25mpg. I used mine every day this past winter, including longer trips, with no worries. Condensation in the headlamps is a weird quirk, but it's not an issue. When I first got the car I was worried about it, but then noticed that every C3 I saw had the same thing - anyway, condensation doesn't affect the lights as once on they heat up and it clears quickly.

North East of.. ? I'm in the Northeast of Scotland - what issues have you got with the car? Happy to help if I can.

Hi Everyone! I've had my C3 for a year now - lovely little car. She's been my daily runner, and although needing some work she has a certain allure. Looking forward to exploring this site and sharing info with fellow owners. I actually like many of the other models too and some of the classics (not just the C3 but can't change the title now) and I've followed the WRC team for years. Any other fans of the WRC out there? Cheers for now,