Should It Stay Or Should It Go

[stringman]

Hi all,

 

i know this is a difficult question ( and one that really only I can answer) but any advice or opinions would be much appreciated.

 

I have a 51 reg c5 2.2d sx auto estate

it has 84,000 on the clock.

 

1)It has an oil leak (on the underside of the engine)

2)it loses coolant

3)it needs new pads and disc all round

4)it need the big service inc particle filter.

5)the rear exhaust section is rusty (did not fail its MOT though)

6)the trip computer doesnt work

7)the drivers central locking works only periodically

8)it occasionaly ( about once or twice a month) just cuts out.

 

I have worked out some of the costs

 

1) ? £150

2) ? £150

3) £450

4) £350

5)? £100

6) free fix

7) £100

8) ?

 

 

My local indi citroen guy has offered me £1000 as it stands so i am thinking if i px it for another car i should be able to get £1500 for it

so bearing in mind i would need to spend upto £2000 to get it fixed if i add that to the px value i have £3500 "cash"

if i add another £3k then i can buy a 3or four year old car.

 

Obviously you are all citroen lovers but do you think it is worth investing the £2k in the car as an awful lot seems to be going wrong with it now ( it was faultless for years) and i am worried about the car turning into a moneypit. otr should i cut my losses?

 

all thoughts appreciated.

 

cheers guys

[techbod]

your not looking at the big issue and more at replacing the car parts can be a lot cheaper than you think,

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__citroen-c5-...wuscZc5Q20parts

 

( why would it cost £150 to fix an oil leak when you don't even know where its coming from? )

does it need a new particle filter or does it need servicing?

it looses coolant would be a priority the rest are normal wear and tear and typical electrical faults you get with any car.

 

from what I read you have condemned the car without checking real prices for the work and failed to consider doing the jobs your self ( if you cant then get help ) that will save you money in the long run.

 

sorry if im a hard and to the point chap ;)

[seefive]

I'd grab the £1,000 and run! 2.2 diesels are money pits, and the cutting out problem could be one of those problems nobody can fix.

[stringman]

your not looking at the big issue and more at replacing the car parts can be a lot cheaper than you think,

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__citroen-c5-...wuscZc5Q20parts

 

( why would it cost £150 to fix an oil leak when you don't even know where its coming from? )

I dont know that it would cost £150 (hence the ?) but 3 hours labour seems like a good gustimate

 

does it need a new particle filter or does it need servicing?

it needs the major service part of which is replacing the particle filter

 

 

 

it looses coolant would be a priority the rest are normal wear and tear and typical electrical faults you get with any car. Thats my point if its normal wear and tear then things will only get worse

 

from what I read you have condemned the car without checking real prices for the work and failed to consider doing the jobs your self ( if you cant then get help ) that will save you money in the long run.

I am not really able to do the work on the coolant system or the oil leak or the brakes myself.

 

 

sorry if im a hard and to the point chap ;)

 

no worries i did ask for opinions

 

 

Seefive what makes you say than 2.2 are moneypits?

[seefive]

Seefive what makes you say than 2.2 are moneypits?

 

 

Various posts on this site really . If you browse around the problems and fixes, there are plenty of tales of woe on the 2.2's - premature snapped cambelts, limp home problems leading to multiple fruitless trips to the dealer. etc And those fap filters are expensive to replace!

 

It's a buyer's market out there in used car land. £3k will get you a pretty decent 04 plate car/estate/whatever, if you do the research. Better than pouring money into the old Citroen, I'd say.

If you want to stay with Citroen , it seems the pre-facelift (04) 2.0 hdi is a lot more reliable, or the non-HPI petrol.

 

as you say,it's your decision.

[coastline taxis]

Hi all,

 

i know this is a difficult question ( and one that really only I can answer) but any advice or opinions would be much appreciated.

 

I have a 51 reg c5 2.2d sx auto estate

it has 84,000 on the clock.

 

1)It has an oil leak (on the underside of the engine)

2)it loses coolant

3)it needs new pads and disc all round

4)it need the big service inc particle filter.

5)the rear exhaust section is rusty (did not fail its MOT though)

6)the trip computer doesnt work

7)the drivers central locking works only periodically

8)it occasionaly ( about once or twice a month) just cuts out.

 

I have worked out some of the costs

 

1) ? £150

2) ? £150

3) £450

4) £350

5)? £100

6) free fix

7) £100

8) ?

My local indi citroen guy has offered me £1000 as it stands so i am thinking if i px it for another car i should be able to get £1500 for it

so bearing in mind i would need to spend upto £2000 to get it fixed if i add that to the px value i have £3500 "cash"

if i add another £3k then i can buy a 3or four year old car.

 

Obviously you are all citroen lovers but do you think it is worth investing the £2k in the car as an awful lot seems to be going wrong with it now ( it was faultless for years) and i am worried about the car turning into a moneypit. otr should i cut my losses?

 

all thoughts appreciated.

 

cheers guys

Hi

Your first mistake was getting the 2.2 diesel as its realy a finacial time bomb with the particle filter. the second mistake has been that youve allowed all the faults to build up intead of getting them sorted straight away. Some of the prices youve quoted are very hi

1 oil leak = probally comming from the turbo/rocker cover/sump or oil seal. Not realy expensive fixes

2 coolant leak = again probally a daft leak as if it was something major i.e head gasket youd no about it

3 new pads and disc= just done one for a customer 4x discs at 22 quid each (local discount store) and 2x pads at 15 quid a set total bill 180

4 big service= dealers

5 rear exhaust= 56 quid at local discount store including new clamp 20 for fitting

6 trip computer= you fix

7 central locking= remove drivers door panel squirt of brake cleaner then wd 20 quid (done loads)

8 cuts out = diagnostic at dealers= probally get it done a bit cheaper if there doing your big service

 

Now im obviosley in love with these citroen as they are the most reliable and cheapest both in purchase and parts that ive used for taxis in 22 years. You may think citroen are bad well heres a few.

vectra 2.2 diesel= diesel pump every 100.000 = 2800 quid dealer fix only also all vectras over 100.000 keep throwing up ghost fault codes.

mondeo 2.0 diesel duratorq= flywheels every 6 monthe at 750 quid a pop and i have seen grown men cry with these also wishbones every 2 months

vw passats love water pumps the list is endless

I would shop around for better prices for repairs if i were you not forgeting the main dealer as they will give you discount on a list like that also for parts aswell. or have a go yourself as it not as hard as people make it out to be

cheers

steve

[davidad]

You may think citroen are bad well heres a few.

vectra 2.2 diesel= diesel pump every 100.000 = 2800 quid dealer fix only also all vectras over 100.000 keep throwing up ghost fault codes.

mondeo 2.0 diesel duratorq= flywheels every 6 monthe at 750 quid a pop and i have seen grown men cry with these also wishbones every 2 months

vw passats love water pumps the list is endless

Here's a few more that I know of:

BMW diesel turbo failure - a very common problem on some pre-2003 models

Jaguar S type gearbox failure - a friend of mine got through 3 auto boxes in 100k miles

Audi brake failure - collapsing vacuum pipe = no brakes ;)

Vauxhall Zafira diesel oil consumption - 1 litre every 700 miles seems quite common and within manufacturer's tolerance!

[Guest Visa10E]

Simple answer, get rid, I'm a 2.2 owner and the in the 6 months I've owned my car its done nothing but relieve me of cash, with pretty much every area of the car suffering some sort of design fault from the engine, windows, central locking, steering column, climate control, stereo, and thats before I even get started on the particulate filter or the truly rotten Citroen dealers or the below average fuel economy, the only thing I can recommend about this car is the motorway ride and thats it, on that front its the best cruiser I've ever had so unless you do any decent motorwway mileage I'd get shut while you can still get some money for its as that's what I'm going to do. I mean what on earth is the point of the FAP when, a 150bhp BMW 320d is quicker, about 5mpg more economical and only costs £110pa to tax, what is the system actually performing given these stats? And all this on a car thats only done 74k. As any citroen fan on this site my clock my username is Visa10E which refers to my first ever car a 1986 Visa 954cc 10E 140,000 miles, that was more rust than bodywork, but was the only car that I've ever owned that never let me down. Bottom line is I've been a Citroen fan for years but the C5 experience has seriously tainted my rose coloured specs...

[stringman]

Thanks for all that

 

I was considering the mondeo but have heards lots about the flywheel.

i dont do a huge mileage - bout 10-12000 a year but its about 80% motorway.

I have to admit i have just fallen out of love with the car.

 

I am thinking of a volvo v70 as they seem big safe and reliable.

 

 

anyone want to buy it from me LOL

[coastline taxis]

Thanks for all that

 

I was considering the mondeo but have heards lots about the flywheel.

i dont do a huge mileage - bout 10-12000 a year but its about 80% motorway.

I have to admit i have just fallen out of love with the car.

 

I am thinking of a volvo v70 as they seem big safe and reliable.

anyone want to buy it from me LOL

Volvo lovley safe car for you and your family to drive round. Loads of creature comfort only problem being its just one thirsty car. The mpg is shite

[stringman]

Volvo lovley safe car for you and your family to drive round. Loads of creature comfort only problem being its just one thirsty car. The mpg is shite

 

must confess i thought it was 38mpg compared to the citroen 40mpg but on closer inspection it may be 35mpg.

but at least it would hold its value!

[techbod]

buy it new and see how it holds its value :rolleyes:

[techbod]

Simple answer, get rid, I'm a 2.2 owner and the in the 6 months I've owned my car its done nothing but relieve me of cash, with pretty much every area of the car suffering some sort of design fault from the engine, windows, central locking, steering column, climate control, stereo, and thats before I even get started on the particulate filter or the truly rotten Citroen dealers or the below average fuel economy, the only thing I can recommend about this car is the motorway ride and thats it, on that front its the best cruiser I've ever had so unless you do any decent motorwway mileage I'd get shut while you can still get some money for its as that's what I'm going to do. I mean what on earth is the point of the FAP when, a 150bhp BMW 320d is quicker, about 5mpg more economical and only costs £110pa to tax, what is the system actually performing given these stats? And all this on a car thats only done 74k. As any citroen fan on this site my clock my username is Visa10E which refers to my first ever car a 1986 Visa 954cc 10E 140,000 miles, that was more rust than bodywork, but was the only car that I've ever owned that never let me down. Bottom line is I've been a Citroen fan for years but the C5 experience has seriously tainted my rose coloured specs...

I used to wear those glasses lol and seriously remember the vauxhall problems and they still persist even today and not even comparable to the lovely Citroen's which are 100% better and miles ahead in looks like the DS,

vauxhall did make some nice motors though but not before 25years ago when style counted

[coastline taxis]

I used to wear those glasses lol and seriously remember the vauxhall problems and they still persist even today and not even comparable to the lovely Citroen's which are 100% better and miles ahead in looks like the DS,

vauxhall did make some nice motors though but not before 25years ago when style counted

how much are you wanting for it

[davidad]

I mean what on earth is the point of the FAP when, a 150bhp BMW 320d is quicker, about 5mpg more economical and only costs £110pa to tax, what is the system actually performing given these stats?..

You're completely missing the point of the FAP system. What it does is filter soot particles out of the exhaust so you don't get the blasts of black smoke commonly seen when following a VW/Audi/BMW/Merc etc and makes an FAP equipped diesel one of the cleanest on the road. That isn't reflected in the road tax as it has no effect whatsoever on CO2 emissions on which road tax bands are crudely based.

 

As for FAP being a moneypit, I am quite happy to do my environmental bit and pay the £400 or so every 75K (120k on the latest versions I believe) in the knowledge that I'm driving a cleaner car.

[coastline taxis]

You're completely missing the point of the FAP system. What it does is filter soot particles out of the exhaust so you don't get the blasts of black smoke commonly seen when following a VW/Audi/BMW/Merc etc and makes an FAP equipped diesel one of the cleanest on the road. That isn't reflected in the road tax as it has no effect whatsoever on CO2 emissions on which road tax bands are crudely based.

 

As for FAP being a moneypit, I am quite happy to do my environmental bit and pay the £400 or so every 75K (120k on the latest versions I believe) in the knowledge that I'm driving a cleaner car.

Thats right it stores all the little particles of soot in its filter then 9 out of 10 times when you have a problem with it the best way to fix it is to blast it down the road in 3rd at 70mph so it can clear the filter out. So instead of putting a bit out every day its saved up a let out in one go. cant see the point of it. I would of thought that car owners who realy want to do there bit for the enviroment should get electric cars

[mlkey]

Hi all,

 

i know this is a difficult question ( and one that really only I can answer) but any advice or opinions would be much appreciated.

 

I have a 51 reg c5 2.2d sx auto estate

it has 84,000 on the clock.

 

1)It has an oil leak (on the underside of the engine)

2)it loses coolant

3)it needs new pads and disc all round

4)it need the big service inc particle filter.

5)the rear exhaust section is rusty (did not fail its MOT though)

6)the trip computer doesnt work

7)the drivers central locking works only periodically

8)it occasionaly ( about once or twice a month) just cuts out.

 

I have worked out some of the costs

 

1) ? £150

2) ? £150

3) £450

4) £350

5)? £100

6) free fix

7) £100

8) ?

My local indi citroen guy has offered me £1000 as it stands so i am thinking if i px it for another car i should be able to get £1500 for it

so bearing in mind i would need to spend upto £2000 to get it fixed if i add that to the px value i have £3500 "cash"

if i add another £3k then i can buy a 3or four year old car.

 

Obviously you are all citroen lovers but do you think it is worth investing the £2k in the car as an awful lot seems to be going wrong with it now ( it was faultless for years) and i am worried about the car turning into a moneypit. otr should i cut my losses?

 

all thoughts appreciated.

 

cheers guys

 

Personally, I would get the 2L 110 HDI. I got my first one on a 52 plate with 82k on it in January. Its not the best example, has a rattly column to replace and a few minor issues, like the door locks. The car has now done 106k, and I have to say I am mightily impressed. At a steady 55, I get 60ish to the gallon, just a few weeks ago I went up to Scotland, fully loaded with 4 adults, 500 mile drive, got there on two thirds of a tank... 51 to the gallon at 70, and all the hills / windy roads etc.

 

Now for the costs.. why did I get a Citroen? I wanted a diesel due to the miles I cover (30k a year). I decided to go french as in my opinion, they are about the best diesel engines. They designed the engine that went into the Jag S Type, now also in the new C5. Their engines are respected the world over. I looked at Citroen, Renault and Peugot. The outcome, well, the Citroens are so cheap compared to their alternative marque equivalents, so while you may have to throw a few bits at it, you would be able to either get into a newer Citroen than most other marques for the same money, or get something a bit cheaper and do the work when you get it if it needs any. I have been in the motor trade for 24 years, all the way from dealers to the manufacturing plant. I can hand on heart tell you all makes have their problems, some more than others, but you have to also account for the part prices, which in Citroens case is pretty reasonable.

 

Would I have another C5? Without hesitation. Why? Not because I am a Citroen nut, but because it has been the cheapest car to run I have owned. Cheap to buy, economical, big and comfy, cheap insurance and tax, and a pretty good NCAP rating as an aside. Good luck with your decision. And to answer your question, I say take the money on offer and go after a 2L 110 HDI with your cash.. One more point to pick up on, if your car has so many issues and costly repairs needed, why would the dealer offer you £1k so readily? Easy... It is going to cost him squat to fix and sell on, nice healthy profit for him. The issues are superficial, brakes and exhausts do wear out, they are consumables. You will have this on any car at some point.

 

Mike.

[davidad]

Thats right it stores all the little particles of soot in its filter then 9 out of 10 times when you have a problem with it the best way to fix it is to blast it down the road in 3rd at 70mph so it can clear the filter out. So instead of putting a bit out every day its saved up a let out in one go. cant see the point of it.

That's not how it works. The soot builds up in the filter and is periodically burnt off at a very high temperature.

[davidad]

That's not how it works. The soot builds up in the filter and is periodically burnt off at a very high temperature.

To clarify that, the soot burns and is converted to ash and it is this residual ash which eventually builds up and requires the filter to be replaced. The important point is that the soot particles which can be harmful to health are never emitted from the exhaust into the atmosphere. That is very different from cleaning an engine out with the old Italian tune up trick.

 

I notice that Renault now have a particulate filter which they claim never needs to be replaced and will last the lifetime of the engine.

[stringman]

To clarify that, the soot burns and is converted to ash and it is this residual ash which eventually builds up and requires the filter to be replaced. The important point is that the soot particles which can be harmful to health are never emitted from the exhaust into the atmosphere. That is very different from cleaning an engine out with the old Italian tune up trick.

 

I notice that Renault now have a particulate filter which they claim never needs to be replaced and will last the lifetime of the engine.

 

 

Mlkey in answer to your question the dealer knows about the service, particle filter and brakes. he doesnt know about anything else.

 

Whilst i appreciate that all cars lose horrendous amount these days i try to change my car every four or so years and c5's certainly been the biggest drop in price.

I am trying to buy a car that holds its value a bit better.

and the problem is that i will never get the fgreat mpg because i need an auto.

 

Coastline- you ask what i want for it- well i Want £25,000 but i would be happy with as close to £2k as i could get!

[mlkey]

Whilst i appreciate that all cars lose horrendous amount these days i try to change my car every four or so years and c5's certainly been the biggest drop in price.

I am trying to buy a car that holds its value a bit better.

and the problem is that i will never get the fgreat mpg because i need an auto.

 

It is a buyers market right now, and the same applies as what I said earlier, with a Citroen, you will be paying out less in the first place, so therefore although your eventual selling price may be lower, so your purchase price would of been, so you are likely to lose a similar amount. Re economy, the 110 2.0L gives the best economy of the bunch, the auto giving from about 32 to 55 mpg. You will be hard pushed to beat that unless gettting a small car. The tax is dearer though than the manual. Would be interested to know what you end up with if you don't mind?

 

Mike.

[stringman]

It is a buyers market right now, and the same applies as what I said earlier, with a Citroen, you will be paying out less in the first place, so therefore although your eventual selling price may be lower, so your purchase price would of been, so you are likely to lose a similar amount. Re economy, the 110 2.0L gives the best economy of the bunch, the auto giving from about 32 to 55 mpg. You will be hard pushed to beat that unless gettting a small car. The tax is dearer though than the manual. Would be interested to know what you end up with if you don't mind?

 

Mike.

 

will let you know what i get of course