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A solution to my problem. The car became a topic of discussion at Citroen HQ. Some extensive testing of the car resulted in me getting it back after about 10 days. While Citroen have not told me why the battery exploded they did say I did not have to foot the bill. The battery has been sent to France for further analysis. Hopefully the results will not be kept secret

Yes my car has stop/start and I always leave it on. I am still waiting for a new battery so the diagnostics can be checked. Full marks to Evans Halshaw for keeping me up to date.. I will keep you informed as things develop. The way I see it is either the battery manufacturer or Citroen should foot the bill for repairs to a car which is just over a year old and has 8500 miles on the clock. I would expect a battery to last a lot longer than mine has.

Thanks for the reply. To add insult to injury, I was told yesterday that the battery has a warranty of six months and is not included in Citroen's warranty. In order to carry out the diagnostics, I had to authorise the fitting of a new battery costing £223. Unbelievable !!! If this is the case, there should b a warning notice on the battery stating 'This Battery is liable to explode at any time without warning'. If all this isn't bad enough, I was also told that the dealer does not have a battery in stock and it may take up to three days before they have one. The dealer also informed me that I would not be charged the cost of the battery if the diagnostics showed something else had caused the problem. Will post further updates as and when.

​Hello Everyone, yesterday my battery blew up. I have a C4 Grand Picasso which needed a good wash, I took it to a jet wash station and gave it a good clean. I got into the car pressed the start button and BANG, the battery had exploded. I know people are going to think it was the jet wash, but it wasn't. Everything under the bonnet was bone dry. The car is now at the dealers awaiting diagnosis, has this happened to anyone else? The AA recovery person said it may be the alternator overcharging the battery. If it is the alternator, then it will be the second time I have had a faulty alternator. I am waiting for the outcome of the diagnostics. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. The AA man was astonished to see the state of the battery and he took photographs of it as proof.