Can Anybody Help Me!

[jenny]

hi, after trying for ages to know what to do with my car, i found this website so thought i could ask for some advice?? i have the same common problems with my pluirel as every body else it seems but i am very fed up and could do with some help!i bought my car just over a year ago in sept 03 and ever since then it has been in the garage 3 times for the leaky seal on the drivers door, also i ahve not been able to start it twice and had to have citreon assist out on one occasion but sods law and it started when they arrived but they thought it may be something wrong with the immobilser. i rang the dealer this morning and was inofrmed that again it would have to go back into the garage, i am sick of being treated as an idiot by the gargae also as because i am a 23 year old girl i must also be stupid...i have never even had the rook arches off so know it cant be that.due to the fact i am at the end of my rag, what do i do now...how can i just get rid of it for good...can i do this if i am on an elect 2 plan????please can any one help me?????thank you x

[jennybash]

I'm not sure about the elect2 plan but from what I know it is a rental agreement!?! I would suggest you read through the paperwork for elect 2 as this should be able to give you the info you require.

I know how you feel about garages treating you as a simple idiot because you are female. Well, if you read your paperwork you can go in quoting info you know about. Be confident and don't let them fob you off.

Jenny

[Maverick]

[quote name='jennybash' date='Sep 21 2004, 02:15 PM'] I know how you feel about garages treating you as a simple idiot. [/quote]
Jenny, don't feel that they have picked you out for special service, I get treated like a berk by my garage, regardless of my gender. I think it is all part of the special service that Citroen train their dealers to provide.

(Sorry that is of no use to you, Jenny. Have you thought of trying to hook up with an owner from here who might be able to point out the areas of concern, and maybe come with you to help on your pre-pruchase walk around the car)

[hertsnminds]

Hi Jenny

As you will have seen from other postings on this forum the level of service you get from dealers varies a great deal.

The best advice I have seen from the various postings is:
1. Keep a detailed diary of all the faults, time taken to fix them etc etc
2. Inform the people you purchased the car from (the elect2 plan finance company) that your consumer rights allow a Citroen garage 3 attempts to fix any 1 fault and after that you can reject the vehicle as unfit i.e not fixable and expect a full refund of any money you have paid (or in most cases a brand new replacement car, that does not have to be a Pluriel)
3. Never give up keep hounding them, go the your loacal CItizens Advice Bureau and find the name of a reputuable solicitor if you have to and start getting them to send letters.

I take pictures of all the faults with my car so that when I take it in to the dealer I can show them what has happened, even if the car does not display the fault on the day it is in for repair.

Hope you get things sorted

Ian
Orange 03 Senso

[lesw]

I would agree with all that Ian has said; I took photographs and documented everything.
The problem with engaging a solicitor and taking it to court is that you are not automatically awarded the legal costs.
I also found Trading Standards unwilling to get involved as were the credit card company. The Dealer did not reply to letters and would not discuss the matter, Citroen UK refered me back to the Dealer. The Dealer had ISO9000 accreditation for customer service but they didn't seem to follow the complaints procedure in the statement on their showroom wall.
My only choice was to discuss it in the media and you will need documentary proof as they will put it through their legal people. I was told that just threatening them with the media would have been enough...........it wasn't.
They didn't like it though!!!!!!!

[gar200]

Refer back to my posts in the legal jargon....

If you quote the law it puts them over a barrel and once they know that you know your rights and what you are entitled to they soon perk up....

Gar.

[lesw]

As I said my Dealer didn't reply to letters. phone calls or personal visits. I hand-delivered letters quoting the law but to no avail.
I'm a Which? subscriber so you can use their legal service (£9.95 every 3 months I think) for telephone advice.
Maybe I was unlucky but when you can't discuss the problem with anyone it gets very difficult!

[JULIEKING]

I made the mistake of buying a citroen pluriel to, had the car just over 6 moths taken it back to the local dealer on Seven occassions, Citroen sent out a technition from slough, last week for four days You guessed it still raining in. The dealer has today informed me that Citroen have aggreed to exchange the car. The problem being it has lost over 3500 and who is left out of pocket me. as citroen dont want the car and the dealer dosent either any suggestion ????????????????????????????

[gar200]

Julie,
you are legally entitled to a replacement car of the same model or another model of equal value or a full refund....dont let them tell you otherwise...

See the legal jargon section for more info....
Gar
:lol:

[patch]

need some advice,i have put a deposit on a 03 pluriel, when inspecting the car i found a lot of water in the boot+a water stain on the passenger seat.The dealer told us that the boot may have been left open???? he then said he would take it to citroen to be checked+I have read some of the quotes about reliability.I have got several hundred pounds off the asking price it seemed very easily,should i give this car a wide berth or are they an enjoyable car to own , any advice would be greatful.

[pork_pie]

The Pluriel is a very badly put together car with problems of water leakage rife thanks to its poorly fitted roof which incidentally the dealers are incapable of fixing and start taking the pi55 out of you by claiming the doors were left open.

If the boot explains the aquarium in the boot then what explains the stain on the seat? That roof!!!!

Imagine their attitude if it was your fault?

Some pluriels are fine.........but they are few and far between.

Look if I were you I would withdraw the deposit because the niggles associated with running a Pluriel is just not worth it.

SOme have had to go through hell getting their money back or even a response from Citroen UK.

Ask for the deposit back and run as fast as you can

Buy something Japanese or if you must, a Citroen with a metal roof.

[hertsnminds]

[quote] found a lot of water in the boot+a water stain on the passenger seat[/quote]

I have had my 03 Pluriel for about 15 months now and they take some getting used to. Because of the seal and drain design when you open the tailgate water can drip into the boot, you just have to allow any excess water to drain before fully opening the hatch. You can also have water in the footwells that comes over the bottom of the door sills (not unique to the Pluriel or Citroen). There are not many Pluriel that do not have water marks of some kind on the seats.

ANY car has the capacity to leak, but convertibles are more leaky than most. You can check all the soft top forums from BMW Z3, to MGF etc etc and they all have examples of leaks.

The Pluriel is the most flexible car I have ever owned, one day a saloon the next a pick-up truck. It is also the ONLY convertible that can change roof configurations at speeds over 20MPH.

Make sure the car you are looking at has had all of the recall work done on it, that means things like new roof arch seals and software updates.

you can also visit this website which may answer a few of your queries
[url="http://www.c3pluriel.org.uk/"]http://www.c3pluriel.org.uk/[/url]

Remember they have made around 35,000 Pluriel and are still making them, not all of them will be perfect, but a majority must be or they would have stopped production by now.

Ian
Orange 03 Senso

[patch]

thanks for your advice, I think i will give it a wide berth.

[CE08LDB]

I think the Peugeot 206CC and KA Street Car has its faults aswell so the Pluriel en't the only one.

[Maverick]

[quote name='patch' date='May 4 2005, 06:52 PM'] thanks for your advice, I think i will give it a wide bath. [/quote]
As mentioned, they do not all leak. Mine has only leaked once, and from the front, never in the back.