Videoman

All smiles today!!!!!! :rolleyes: Car started without any trouble at all! :rolleyes: CHEERS !! Paul

Well! The new battery went onto the C3 on Friday pm. The last time I had tried to start the engine the car did not sense that I was in N and consequently would not start..... However, first time of asking.... N auto is shown on the dashboard, brake pedal pressed and away we went.... Brrrrrrrrrmmmmm SMILEY FACES all round :-) I have since left it overnight, left the door open ( to 'waste' some battery power to see if I could get Economy Mode working) and it still starts up... first time! :-) Sooooooooo... despite all the INFO Faults and Eco mode and -- auto displays, all that it appears to be is a duff battery!!!!! Therefore Paul h and Mr Taxi, you both had the problem sorted 'spot-on'. Cheers! Paul PS I do hope that tomorrow brings equally successful results!

Paul h... your knowledge has no bounds! :-) Thank you for your replies and efforts. Taxi-man.... thank you for your input too.. It does appear that the battery may very well be the main problem, as Paul h mentioned in earlier posts. I have noticed that once it is 'jumped' from another car, it will start...eventually.... after a little bit of gear-stick movement etc... then up comes N auto and then ' foot on brake ' and start her up! I took off the slave car and then I then tested the theory of battery probs by leaving radio on and door open... within a few secs the Economy Mode clicks in and consequently it went to -- 'auto' .I have ordered a new battery... and after reading the 2 posts above I think that this may sort it! We will see. # With a manual car, it is easy to know that your battery is struggling because it grrrrroans and grrrrrrroans a bit more when the ignition is turned . # With an auto gearbox( with electric gadgetry) , and if a low battery then means that there are probs with the circuitry then you can't tell how charged-up the battery is... you do not have the option of hearing the grrrroan, grrrroan grrrrrrrrrrrroan of a flat bat! :-( I will let you all know what happens when the new battery is fitted, prob early next week now.

The prob happened after a full night of re-charging the battery to ensure it worked ok. I did both things with the battery, cables and terminals, I didn't get any sparks- which surprised me. There is plenty of life in the battery .... well.... things that should work, do work -prior to economy mode. It is a petrol car. ' may be a problem with the selector or whatever an auto has that senses when in neutral ' is probable right... The digital display has once or twice , ( when I have been shifting the gear stick around ) shown 0mph 1 'auto' ( flashing) so, it appears to be sensing the wrong gear and hence if it isn't in N gear it will not start. Now then, who do we know on this site that is an 'auto' expert??? Cheers

the 'auto' flashes continually on the dash board as well... it has done that all morning. So the dash looks like this 0mph -- 'auto' ( which flashes) when it should look like this 0mph N auto . Then, once the brake pedal is depressed it SHOULD go Brrrrrrrrrmmmmm... but it don't!! :-(

All tears again this morning.... fecking thing wouldn't start again!! It must have stopped n started at least 12 times yesterday afternoon/evening but not today!! Fecking electric gadgetry!!! First of all it was in full operation mode but the large N was not on the instrument panel next to the 'auto' word ( this advises that you are in Neutral and ready for starting the engine ) . And of course, it would not start! I pressed the 'lock' button on the key fob and at this point the display showwed ... 'Info... Faulty gearbox' .... hmmm, i thought! So i disconnected the battery as described by the old fella at citroen, and short circuited the battery.... reconnected but that was no good either... except that I am now in Economy mode once more! It looks like a trip to the garage with it.... but the fecking thing started yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have tried moving the gear stick around, but I have not heard the 'clunking' sound like i did yesterday, so there must be some gearbox fault... i can only presume its electrical because she behaved herself yesterday afternoon so lovely. I am soooo disappointed :-( I have just took battery off and on using the menu posted by paul h and for about a minute or two I had full use of everything, even though it wouldn't start ( it still does not accept that I am in N neatral ) but then it suddenly went to Economy mode so the radio went off etc.... :-(

Thank you very much for you info... very comprehensive! :-) This is what happened this pm. I called into the local citroen dealership and spoke to the 'older' fella behind the front desk and showed him my post off this site. He had a think and asked if my battery had been completely 'dead' recently. I thought a bit and remembered it had been totally dead 4 weeks ago and I recharged it while it sat on the vehicle. He said that sometimes the 'gearbox' memory forgets where the gear stick is placed and consequently if it THINKS that I am in R or A on the auto gear stick it will not start. So he said that I could disconnect the battery leads and 'touch them together'. Then wait a minute and then reconnect ( going through the sequence mentioned on this site ) and this may re-set the gearbox . Sooooo... I got home and 'played' with the gear stick, putting it into R and then N and then A, a few times. Each time I heard a 'clunk' sound as if the gearbox was reacting to my actions. I decided to attempt to start the engine.... BINGO!!! :-) I turned her off.... and then put her in N as normal to start an auto... and she started again... and again... and again.... and again! Get In! I popped into the dealership and told the old fella of my success... VERY VERY Happy now! :-) Cheers for your advice and for reading this drivel ! Paul

Hi everybody! First time poster here... please help! I have a c3 exclusive. 56plate, a manual and auto one.. brill car, but I can't get it to start!!!! History:- I have a spare key that works the car just fine, then it fell apart, put everything back inside , clicked it together and sellotaped it up. On Sunday, using the 'proper' key we used the car, no probs. Monday morning, without any reason, will not start, on either key. Monday lunch, after trying a few times without success, I use jump-leads to start it with my rover... after I had pressed the brake pedal because i was in 'auto' mode, it turned over like a good'un. I left her to run a few mins... happy days.. wrong! Monday pm.... will not start again, on either key. So I put the battery on charge overnight.... Tues.... still will not start... This is what happens when I get in the car ( I have not had it that long and I still forget to press the brake etc! )... so # key in the switch, and turn it to first position.... all ignition lights come on, 0 mph, N auto, petrol gauge etc....after 15 sec all those go off and leave on my engine symbol, handbrake, seat belt and a FLASHING battery light. I am apparently in ECONOMY mode too. #Try to start engine and 'pedal' flashes # Press pedal and turn key again... total silence... nothing. The side lights work, indicators work, but NOT windows, blower, radio. Now then, considering it started up with the jump leads yesterday... why the feck is she giving me probs today???? Your opinions are much sort-after, please! Thank You Paul