C4 Engine Fire

[glenns44]

Hello everyone.I'm a newby and would just like to warn you about the c4 I have and the company I bought it from.7 months ago I purchased a c4 ,57 reg from Evans halshaw in Leeds with full service history and recent service.68000 miles.1.6 vtr plus,diesel.dealer and car great for 7 months,apart from a leak which was fixed on the warranty in April.Friday 29 august car goes in for next service,10000 miles done to and from work.takes car in at 8:30 was told would be one and half hours and waited.3 hours later got car back,they couldn't find a part was the excuse,plenty of apologies from manager.anyway 5 hours later after picking r lass and son up,usual trip up to father in laws,service light comes on,engine management light starts flashing,diesel particle filter warning sign and speed control warning sign come on 2minutes later gets to in laws r lass and son get out ,I get on phone to Evans halshaw and explain what's happening ,I look through rear view mirror and see blue smoke still on phone, gets out to look at rear of car then notices smoke from front of car'stil on phone 'lifts bonnet and sees fire,puts phone down after telling car dealer,panic sets in but I remember how safety aware father in law is and and quickly puts out fire with powder extinguisher. 5 minutes later after a good chat noticed a clear oily liquid dripping from car,in exact same place as before (this leak supposedly fixed under warranty) anyway to cut an already long story short Evans halshaw told me it was nothing to do with service and was going to set on fire anyway.so be warned if this is true ,be careful,car was back at garage next day,5 days later still no phone call so went down,they tell me the diesel particulate filter was half blocked with soot and had caused the fire and I have to claim of my insurance.just waiting to hear back of Citroen and Evans halshaw HQ after a nice little email to them....this could have been so much worse...please could anyone tell me if this has happened to them .I never realised cars could be so unsafe.

[Johndouglas]

I noticed a clear oily liquid dripping from car,

Sorry to hear about your misfortune but can you be a bit more precise about the leak. Where it was from and what fluid it was. Up to 2012 Citroen produced 2,855,000 C4s worldwide and I haven't heard too many reports of them catching fire. We need to know more about the details.

[paul.h]

Can you also add details of what was done in the service and what hp is your engine and if possible, exactly where was the fire - was the diesel filter changed, brake fluid changed, oil/filter changed, eolys fluid level checked. The exhaust particle filter (dpf) is at the very front of the engine although not all C4s of this age had them since our 2008 1.6 hdi 110 hp did not have one. Only time I have ever heard of one or a catalyst being able to cause a fire was possibly if it was parked on long grass with the cat/dpf under the car and very hot, but one at the front of the engine would not do this and being high up any fluids should not drip on to it and then it has a heat shield around it.

 

I would also talk to your insurance company. Evans Halshaw may or may not have some responsibility for what happened and they will have liability insurance, but if they do not want to pay out then the sooner you involve your insurance may help you get a quicker result.

[glenns44]

 

I noticed a clear oily liquid dripping from car,

Sorry to hear about your misfortune but can you be a bit more precise about the leak. Where it was from and what fluid it was. Up to 2012 Citroen produced 2,855,000 C4s worldwide and I haven't heard too many reports of them catching fire. We need to know more about the details.

leak was front passenger side,it was parked half on kerb,didn't drip when level on road.I don't know much about cars but it wasn't engine oil and it wasn't water .it was clear and definitely had some kind of additive in it.

[glenns44]

Can you also add details of what was done in the service and what hp is your engine and if possible, exactly where was the fire - was the diesel filter changed, brake fluid changed, oil/filter changed, eolys fluid level checked. The exhaust particle filter (dpf) is at the very front of the engine although not all C4s of this age had them since our 2008 1.6 hdi 110 hp did not have one. Only time I have ever heard of one or a catalyst being able to cause a fire was possibly if it was parked on long grass with the cat/dpf under the car and very hot, but one at the front of the engine would not do this and being high up any fluids should not drip on to it and then it has a heat shield around it.

 

I would also talk to your insurance company. Evans Halshaw may or may not have some responsibility for what happened and they will have liability insurance, but if they do not want to pay out then the sooner you involve your insurance may help you get a quicker result.

they did vehicle health check,environmentaly friendly fuel system treatment for £9.95 extra.it says they carried out 87,500 mile service.its only done 79,635.no mention of any filter changes.its not a very detailed checklist. most checks that were done have a green tick.I pay 21.70 per month for the service plan we also took out mechanical and electrical breakdown plan for£399 .car is 110 HP and dpf is definitely at the front we were shown at garage.the fire was directly behind the radiator in the catchment space.to me it just looked like oil had dripped onto the sump cover and caught fire it wasn't a big fire but has caused £3800 worth of damage.my insurers are sending an assessor,hopefully this week.thanks for the reply and hope this info is a bit more help

[paul.h]

Liquids that are in the engine bay front passenger side are brake fluid, battery, gearbox oil and coolant anti freeze. These are all clear but the gearbox oil and brake fluid would feel oily, a battery leak is unlikely and would need a new one and the antifreeze would feel slightly oily. Possibly it would be anti freeze from one of the many hoses but you would notice the coolant tank level would be low.

 

The oil filter is at the front top passenger end of the engine, changing this can spill some oil but if it leaked then oil would run down the front of the engine or maybe spray out if there was a hole or seal not fitted properly. The fuel filter is at the back of the engine, gearbox end so if leaked it would run down the back and it should be replaced every 40000 miles.

[glenns44]

'Liquids that are in the engine bay front passenger side are brake fluid, battery, gearbox oil and coolant anti freeze. These are all clear but the gearbox oil and brake fluid would feel oily, a battery leak is unlikely and would need a new one and the antifreeze would feel slightly oily. Possibly it would be anti freeze from one of the many hoses but you would notice the coolant tank level would be low.
 
The oil filter is at the front top passenger end of the engine, changing this can spill some oil but if it leaked then oil would run down the front of the engine or maybe spray out if there was a hole or seal not fitted properly. The fuel filter is at the back of the engine, gearbox end so if leaked it would run down the back and it should be replaced every 40000 mile'

 

I forgot to mention,cars automatic egs.don't know if this would make any difference,sorry bout that.thanks once again for the reply,you really know your stuff,only wish I had the time and the patience to learn the inner workings of the car.apart from the family its probably one of the most important and unappreciated parts of my life.

[paul.h]

A quick look at car prices and it may be possible your car is borderline on its value against the cost of repairs. As a result, the insurer will likely consider writing it off and making you a cash offer. I would have a look at things like Autotrader to get a better idea of what the car is worth but there seem to be a few for about £3800 of the same age but lower mileage. If you can, try to see your car with the insurance assessor. The 1.6 hdi has a reputation for turbo failures at low mileage and with a fire near it this may not have done it any good but the repairs may not include a new one, so if the insurer does make you a good offer and you can always try to get them to increase it, it could be worth thinking about replacing the car.

 

If I was in your situation, knowing I could replace the car with the insurance money, I would be trying to get the insurer to make a good offer for the car so they write it off since it will never be the same again after it is repaired.

[Quackie]

Hi they might have sprayed the engine with a silicone or engine degreaser I done that with an old mk3 cavalier and that went up in smoke 3 hours later on the driveway.

[coastline taxis]

This is what i think has happend

Your driving along and service and dpf lights come on = car has entered regeneration mode

dpf temprature goes up to 1000 degrees celsius and the ecu then pumps eloys oil in to burn soot off.  either a damaged or faulty repair/inspection has resulted in eloys being sprayed onto hot exhaust and igniting.

 

Why didnt they tell you the dpf was half blocked when you went to pick the car up (50% is nothing ) and more to the point ( Depending on mileage ) what were they doing in the dpf side of things when the car was only in for a service. Also would be asking for more info on the friendly fuel treatment and what part was holding things up. Sound like someone has mucked up when itsbeen in garage

[paul.h]

glenns44 has not been on the forum since 8th September so we do not know the outcome of the insurance assessor visit.