Citroen C5 Faulty Headlight And Tire Sensor Error

[StarshipUK]

I own what I believe is a Citroen C5 2.2 Exclusive SE 2002 (02 Plate) 2.2 Diesel Automatic Saloon - Green in colour. The car has just reached 100,000 miles.

 

Earlier this week l I noticed the main front headlight on the passenger side of my car was Orange.

 

So I took it to a local garage which specializes in servicing Peugeot and Citroen cars, and they thought it was possibly a loose bulb or something, so I got it booked in yesterday to be fixed or replaced.

 

Now the nights are getting earlier, I drove the car in darkness over the week the light then became a very pale blue and started flickering.

 

So I took the car in and went off to have a Breakfast while waiting. The Garage then phoned me.

 

I bought the car second hand a year back, and they told me the gas in the bulb was dodgy and illegal blue tinted bulbs had been fitted in the car (asking me if I had bought them and replaced the original ones!), and they would both need to be replaced with legal white ones. I agree for them to do this.

 

Upon my return to the garage, the bloke then tells me that the correct bulbs are infact fitted and my car is one of only 200 in the UK and only 200 in the chassis range which are fitted with Xenon Lightbulbs, which are legal!

 

They charged me for the time they spent taking the car apart, removing the battery and everything to do nothing but tell me my car has Xenon bulbs, which they charged me £40 for the time they took to take the car apart and find this out, and not actually replace the faulty lightbulb in the car.

 

Of course they had no new replacement bulb to fit, and are buying one in special order which is going to cost me £97 for one new bulb (which they are ordering from Citroen), and probably another £40 to have it fitted next Saturday...

 

But since they disconnected the battery, not only did the time and date have to be reprogrammed on the clock, but the computer is now throwing up messages saying "Tire Sensor Missing" and "Tire Punctured", when all 4 tires are perfectly OK and at the same good pressure.

 

Does anyone know if this sounds correct, or if they might be pulling a fast one in not knowing the car had Xenon Lightbulbs fitted, and charging so much for a replacement lightbulb, and if anyone knows anything about those Tire error messages I would be grateful.

 

Thanks,

Steve.

[kfk]

The public are often quick to point out that main dealers are expensive compared to the 'local specialist'. Now whilst this may be true when getting a vehicle serviced and having standard 'fitting jobs' carried out it isnt the case when they are presented with something unusual.

 

I would consider that they should have noticed it had Xenon bulbs before they took the vehicle apart so i cant really see why you were charged for there lack of knowledge. I would hope they will fit your replacement bulb labour free on that basis. With regards the cost of the bulb....thats about right.

 

The Tyre sensor......i suppose i should ask the obvious, has the wheel that its saying has got the fault, got a sensor fitted?....this can be identified by checking if the tyre valve has a solid metal stem......if it has a rubber stem and is flexible it is an ordinary valve......so, if it has a rubber valve, check your spare and see it that has got the sensor fitted......if it has a solid valve fitted (one with a sensor) try over inflating the tyre to see if the fault dissapears, or finding a gauge where you know it is giving a correct reading, dont assume the guage you are using even if new is accurate.....look for the easy option before you start pulling the car to bits.

[Randombloke]

But since they disconnected the battery, not only did the time and date have to be reprogrammed on the clock, but the computer is now throwing up messages saying "Tire Sensor Missing" and "Tire Punctured", when all 4 tires are perfectly OK and at the same good pressure.

 

When I had 3 tyres with reporting valves on the car and the fourth as a spare I suffered this problem. The reason the fourth properly equipped tyre was not in use was a slow leak - this meant that it would either give errors from the boot or after even longer not appear to be fitted.

 

I'd check all five tyres are pumped up and maybe put the spare on the car if it has a reporting valve, and one of the working wheels hasn't.

 

The Tyre sensor......i suppose i should ask the obvious, has the wheel that its saying has got the fault, got a sensor fitted?

 

Question! My car only ever gives me low pressure abuse. It never indicates which tyre the abuse or message came from. How can I tell which tyre or wheel was the source of an underinflated or punctured warning?

 

Thanks in advance for any info.......

[Guest Glen]

Hi Steve,

 

Sounds to me as though the garage didn't have a clue what they were doing! Anyone should be able to tell the different between blue bulbs (which are technically illegal, and are 'normal' 12v halogen bulbs with a blue tint and slightly greater output) and Xenon (which are legal and offer a far greater output and lifespan). Xenon bulbs are not, of course, unique to Citroen - most top-end models from many manufacturers use Xenon.

 

Taking the battery off a C5 is seldom a good thing to do. Many of the settings will be lost - and this includes tyre sensor settings (each sensor much be programmed into the computer - hence you should never swap wheels around), and I suspect that other settings have probably been lost (eg. overspeed alert, Windows options, hazard options etc.

 

They'll need to reconfigure the tyre sensors. Some of the other settings you can reset yourself (such as auto lights on) but others will need to be configured by a programming tool (such as auto-windows up on rain).

 

I'd be tempted not to take the car back to them - if you don't want to go to a main dealer look for an independent citroen spacialist. Installing the Xenon bulb is not as straighforward as a normal bulb (you'll notice that teh xenon light units are mounted on servos - motors that move them up and down to ensure that oncoming traffic is not dazzled as you go over bumps and hills). They also run on a high voltage - about 25,000 volts at startup and then about 8000-10000 volts for normal running. I'll like to see these guys play around with these! Installation is critical to the life of the bulb, and normally installation costs of xenon bulbs are quite high (but rare as the bulbs last a very long time). I've never had one changed on a Citroen but for a Golf it is over £200.

 

You may also find that it isn't the bulb, but the controller or ballast that is faulty, or, possibly, even the servo (maybe pointing the bulb too low).

 

I certainly would not trust a garage that doesn't recognise Xenon lights to actually install one. And you'll somebody with the programming tool to reset your tyre sensors.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Glen.

[Guest Matt_C5]

Hi Steve,

 

Sounds to me as though the garage didn't have a clue what they were doing! Anyone should be able to tell the different between blue bulbs (which are technically illegal, and are 'normal' 12v halogen bulbs with a blue tint and slightly greater output) and Xenon (which are legal and offer a far greater output and lifespan). Xenon bulbs are not, of course, unique to Citroen - most top-end models from many manufacturers use Xenon.

 

Taking the battery off a C5 is seldom a good thing to do. Many of the settings will be lost - and this includes tyre sensor settings (each sensor much be programmed into the computer - hence you should never swap wheels around), and I suspect that other settings have probably been lost (eg. overspeed alert, Windows options, hazard options etc.

 

They'll need to reconfigure the tyre sensors. Some of the other settings you can reset yourself (such as auto lights on) but others will need to be configured by a programming tool (such as auto-windows up on rain).

 

Hi,

 

Just read this and wanted your advice about what settings the car should have and how to reprogram. You mention windows up on rain, I thought this was a fault with my car but now you've mentioned it I think it was raining both times it happened. Can you reset this without plugging in to the car? Do you need special software or leads to see what settings are on the car and to change them yourself?

My lights can't make their mind up and will turn on and off a couple of times before deciding to stay on or off, can I change the sensitivity or how often they check the light levels to cure this? Also, how can I find out if my lights are xenon. Is it obvious from looking at the light? I think they have a small black box connected to the bulb, since reading this thread I think I won't be touching them again. One looks a bit yellow while the other is a brilliant white, not sure if somebody has fudged it in the past and put a normal bulb one side, is this even a possibility?

 

Appreciate your help,

 

Matt

[Johndouglas]

To answer your first paragraph - Yes there are several changes that can be made to the factory settings and they are all done through the Lexia - the diagnostic machine used by the dealers.

 

And do you have xenon lights. Have you got headlamp washers? Cars fitted with xenons have them. If you look at the headlamp casing under the bonnet there will be a label clearly marked "xenon" together with a warning symbol. And no - it's not possible to fit a filament bulb in place of HID.