Help,, End Of My Tether!

[Guest sallyann-10]

I bought a Citroen C3 1.4 hdi Exclusive 2003 for just under £4,000 from a local garage last year. Six months later the car broke down completely. The cars ECU is completely broken, cannot be read by ECU specialists and is unrepairable. I went back to the garage where I bought it from under the Sale of Goods Act as it had only been six months and I had also reported to them a strange noise coming from the dashboard on startup which they had refused to look at during this time.

Citroen had quoted me over £1,000 for a new ECU fitted but could not guarantee that that would be all the problem was.

Out of pure curiosity I contacted the previous owner of the car from the log book who now tells me that he had the ECU replaced by Citroen main dealer in Reading less than a year previously, but extra engine parts. I thought this was great as all the parts would then be covered by Citroen warranty. I contacted Citroen in Reading, but they are refusing to replace the parts under warranty claiming it would have needed a Citroen main dealer to have reported the fault within one year, they are saying it is no good me having an AA report saying it has happened or my garage report !!!!! But what makes me really angry, is that they say they only replaced the ECU and other parts at a cost of £1300 to the previous owner to get the car mobile so that it could be traded in and Citroen could sell the car on because the main faults with the car were major, including the wiring loom and engine harness. Therefore the ECU was not faulty, it was being thrown out again by the faulty wiring. If I replace the ECU etc. it will just be thrown out again in a few hundred miles. so basically, Citroen put a dangerous car back on the open market. They sold it to Canfords Wholesale who sold it to me at FULL MARKET VALUE knowing it was a faulty vehicle and would only last a few miles.

Can anyone tell me what an engine harness would cost?? I have to get some idea for court?

the garage I have bought it from have offered to have the car back this week at long last.... i have been fighting this since October. BUT... they claim they can fix the car for the grand total of £400..??? They must have magicians instead of mechanics. However, I do not want that car back. I would rather see them in Court.

Anyone got any advice? I am a single mum who has spent every penny on this car thinking it would save me money. Boy I was wrong.

[seefive]

Hi

Sorry to hear this tale of woe!

 

As I see it, you have 2 options here

 

1 - sue the people who sold you the car. £4k for a 6 year old car has to be top dollar, and it really should have been warranted for a year at that price. If you can provide proof of its recent history, and the fact they ignored your fault report, I think you have a fair chance of success. Did you get a warranty with it, by the way?

 

2 - get on to Citroen UK in Slough, and ask for a contribution. My son works in the post-warranty dealer desk for Renault, and you'd be surprised what they pay for out of warranty. If this is a known fault and the car has a decent service history, they should certainly look favourably on it, especially as their own main dealer has been involved (You talk about Citroen in Reading, not sure if you mean Slough) Don't let them fob you off, and make a nuisance of yourself. Threaten them with consumer groups, BBC watchdog etc if you have to.

 

You could also talk to Citizens advice, who should be able to give you some free legal advice.

 

Good luck

[Guest sallyann-10]

thank you.

I only got a three month warranty and that really was not worth the paper it was written on.

I have today had the car towed back to the garage I bought it from and told them I have rejected it under the Sale of Goods Act.

I went to a local Citroen Dealer yesterday and told them what the Citroen Dealership in Reading had told me about the previous ownership. They say the work involved to put it right would amount to £3,212.14 and possibly more...

not sure how the garage who sold it to me say their mechanic can fix it for £400.

I fired a letter off on Saturday to Citroen Head office in Slough to the new MD who is a lady. I heard back today!!!! I was well impressed. She says she is very sorry to hear of my trouble with the car and has handed my letter to the right department and I should hear something within a week...

 

I have been getting legal advice from Consumer Direct. They tell me I have a good case in small claims Court.

 

Solicitor says not so sure because I would have to prove that the ECU was faulty when I bought the car, which obviously I cannot do...and would the garage I bought it from have known that the car was a bag of bones? But, they have to sell a car that lasts a reasonable amount of time, and this car did not..

 

I wish I had a crystal ball!

 

Funny how car salesmen are nice when you are buying, but turn into complete Ba****ds as soon as something goes wrong.

 

I just cannot afford to let £4,000 go down the pan without a damn good fight.

[Guest womble]

Can't offer any advice as regards the legal stuff but keep your chin up and don't let the b*stards grind you down.

 

Keep the pressure on and don't take no for an answer....

 

 

Good luck and I'm sure those on forum would like to hear the final outcome.

[Guest sallyann-10]

thank you guys,

I have been fighting this since the end of October, but not giving in. I will keep you informed. Have run out of money and worn out my boots!

 

The garage presume because I am a woman on my own they can walk all over me.....they haven't seen my mate yet! haha.

 

look out for the updates.

 

x

[Guest sallyann-10]

UPDATE.

 

I have received a letter from Brian Cheyne at Citroen Head Office. What a waste of time! He just wishes me well and hopes it sorts itself out! What a plank...Does he think the car will just get better on its own! Second letter being fired straight off.

The garage I bought the car from now have the car back. They say there is nothing wrong with the electrics because their little electric meter says so! So they want to fit a second hand ECU and send me on my way. That will be fine for a few miles until the electrics make that ECU go bang yet again. That will be the fourth ECU on this car. So, Citroen say the repairs needed are over £3,200 but won't take any responsibility, the garage say just needs a second hand ECU. (but they are as rare as rocking horse sh**) because they all go wrong and you can't get hold of them!!

 

What do I do?? I am losing the will to live and have worn out two pairs of boots!

 

Never buy a Citroen again, that is for sure.

[seefive]

UPDATE.

 

I have received a letter from Brian Cheyne at Citroen Head Office. What a waste of time! He just wishes me well and hopes it sorts itself out! What a plank...Does he think the car will just get better on its own! Second letter being fired straight off.

The garage I bought the car from now have the car back. They say there is nothing wrong with the electrics because their little electric meter says so! So they want to fit a second hand ECU and send me on my way. That will be fine for a few miles until the electrics make that ECU go bang yet again. That will be the fourth ECU on this car. So, Citroen say the repairs needed are over £3,200 but won't take any responsibility, the garage say just needs a second hand ECU. (but they are as rare as rocking horse sh**) because they all go wrong and you can't get hold of them!!

 

What do I do?? I am losing the will to live and have worn out two pairs of boots!

 

Never buy a Citroen again, that is for sure.

 

Ok - while you are waiting for Citroen UK to see sense, have you done any research on the vendor who sold you the car? Have they got form? previous judgements etc? If so, they are more likely to cave in to threat of legal action. They may well have bought the car at auction without knowing of the problems, but that's their business risk. They can't get away with selling you a car that's not fit for purpose.

 

Unfortunately,dodgy cars are fed into the used car market every day. Main dealers send trade-ins to auction to distance themselves from any liability, but they are acting immorally, if not illegally, if they knowingly pass on a problem like this. That's the angle you should be working on with Citroen

 

Keep going and don't give up.

[Guest sallyann-10]

Ok - while you are waiting for Citroen UK to see sense, have you done any research on the vendor who sold you the car? Have they got form? previous judgements etc? If so, they are more likely to cave in to threat of legal action. They may well have bought the car at auction without knowing of the problems, but that's their business risk. They can't get away with selling you a car that's not fit for purpose.

 

Unfortunately,dodgy cars are fed into the used car market every day. Main dealers send trade-ins to auction to distance themselves from any liability, but they are acting immorally, if not illegally, if they knowingly pass on a problem like this. That's the angle you should be working on with Citroen

 

Keep going and don't give up.

 

 

thanks for your reply. I have checked out the garage, they have got a bad reputation unfortunately and when I paid them a visit they openly told me they had been to Court 'loads of times' !!. I have written straight back to Citroen telling them I am not happy to be fobbed off and do expect them to take some responsibility and that when I write with a complaint, I expect them to deal with it. We will see what happens. The car has been back with the selling garage for a week now with nothing done. I know they will complain because they were expecting just to stick a reconditioned ECU on it and chuck it out the door. You cannot get reconditioned ones for love nor money but like I keep telling them, this will not solve the problem! I may be a woman and blonde, but why will they not listen??

[Guest sallyann-10]

UPDATE....

Citroen do not want to know. Brian Cheyne is a complete idiot. He says he takes no responsibility and hopes I sort it out..

The garage I bought the car from have now admitted they cannot fix it, it is too specialist for them... they have told me that they will not charge me for their diagnostics ! (bloody good of them eh!).

as an act of goodwill, they will tow it free of charge to the Citroen garage where they expect me to pick up the £3212,00 bill (which is just an estimate for the said needed work)...

 

Wow, what a bargain!

And to top it off, If I don't agree to their wonderful offer, they will now charge me daily storage fees.....

 

All this from a so called local family run business offering a 12 month money back guarantee. They actually said to me that in their opinion, any car under £5,000 is classed as an 'old banger'..

 

So far, I have lost £4,500, have no car, no way of getting it fixed, threats of more charges and no way out.

 

I am hoping that the previous owner will give me a statement confirming that the problems existed when he sold the car and I need to get an independent report done on the car. How can a 7 year old car have four ECU's without their being a major problem???????????

once that is done, I will file for Court.

 

Please, no one buy a car from these cowboys, and that is what they are... CANFORDS AT THE CLOCK GARAGE, RINGWOOD ROAD, BOURNEMOUTH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

[seefive]

UPDATE....

Citroen do not want to know. Brian Cheyne is a complete idiot. He says he takes no responsibility and hopes I sort it out..

The garage I bought the car from have now admitted they cannot fix it, it is too specialist for them... they have told me that they will not charge me for their diagnostics ! (bloody good of them eh!).

as an act of goodwill, they will tow it free of charge to the Citroen garage where they expect me to pick up the £3212,00 bill (which is just an estimate for the said needed work)...

 

Wow, what a bargain!

And to top it off, If I don't agree to their wonderful offer, they will now charge me daily storage fees.....

 

All this from a so called local family run business offering a 12 month money back guarantee. They actually said to me that in their opinion, any car under £5,000 is classed as an 'old banger'..

 

So far, I have lost £4,500, have no car, no way of getting it fixed, threats of more charges and no way out.

 

I am hoping that the previous owner will give me a statement confirming that the problems existed when he sold the car and I need to get an independent report done on the car. How can a 7 year old car have four ECU's without their being a major problem???????????

once that is done, I will file for Court.

 

Please, no one buy a car from these cowboys, and that is what they are... CANFORDS AT THE CLOCK GARAGE, RINGWOOD ROAD, BOURNEMOUTH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

 

Look at the last couple of posts here. May be worth you speaking to these folks

 

http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/index.php?showtopic=9449

[Guest sallyann-10]

Look at the last couple of posts here. May be worth you speaking to these folks

 

http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/index.php?showtopic=9449

 

 

thanks for that. Citroen UK are a nightmare. Initially I had a good response from the Managing Director Linda Jackson who said she wanted to resolve my problem but as soon as it got handed over to Brian Cheyne, he is a total arse and does not give a monkeys.

 

However, the update on my situation now is that the garage I bought my car from have had my car back now for almost three weeks. The say they cannot fix the car and the only thing they are offering is a tow to the Citroen garage! They say they are now charging me storage fees...! Nice try lads. On Monday I issued them a Notice Before Proceedings Letter giving them the option of having it repaired by Citroen at a cost of over £3200.00 which was their estimate. Failing that, give me back my £4,000 that I had paid for the car, or replace it with another diesel low tax vehicle of the same value and spec. They have 14 days to respond.

However, I now want to go to Court, as today I have managed to get Citroen in Reading, who had the car in previously with the previous owner, to give me a report on the car which states that the car has a history of two ECU's previously fitted in 2009, (within a week) and to say that the wiring is knackered (in technical terms) and that the car was beyond economical repair and that is why the car was traded in. He states that the car has a wiring fault that spikes any ECU fitted to the car. I have the previous invoice and report.

 

This is exactly what I need for Court, it proves the car had the fault when I bought the car...

 

BREAKTHROUGH at last.

 

That along with the fact the garage have been awkward, difficult, rude and not offered any form of resolution hopefully will see me right in the end.

 

I am currently about £4,500 out of pocket, and I would like it replenished..

 

Please keep your fingers crossed..

[Guest vanmanuk]

Hpefully this is going to be the result that you want & they all will now go in your favour.My C3 is the first Citroen car that i have owned after over 20 years of VW ownership.The last one was a MK4 V5 very powerfil & compfortable car but riddled with problems and thirsty to run.I know how fraustrating it is to have a bad one i had 2 years of it enough was enough.So far very happy with my purchase.I wish you all the best& please do keep us posted.

[Guest sallyann-10]

thank you everyone.

This has been such a long haul..and it is nowhere near over. Court cases like this are never clear or cut and dry. However, I can show that the fault was on the car when I bought it, that the garage have not offered any form of assistance and believe me, I have a file that shows I have done everything to try!

Laws are set in place for a reason and they say they are clamping down on second hand car dealers for a reason. Well not hard enough, that is for sure. When a main dealer can get away with putting a car like this back into the open market, it stinks.

Luckily I work within the Law, and I have a good idea of how to fight these things. Had this been someone else without that knowledge they would not have stood any chance at all.

Citroen UK have been absolutely useless. They will not take any responsibility at all and when I made a formal complaint, nothing was done. That is appalling.

 

I thank everyone who has supported me on this thread... I have been new to all this.

I will keep you posted.. I am building up my file for submission. I am hoping there is light now at the end of the tunnel.

[Guest Glynnpt]

I'm having trouble with my C8. Fuel injectors stuck in the head. Contacted this Brian guy. He just said get the garage to contact us and we can advise. This is a well known problem with this type of engine. The post is on the C8 forum. Citroen are a waste of time. The main dealer was rubbish. Try an electrical engineer. If you are near Woking try PTS. Real Citroen enthusiasts. If he can't advise you, I don't think anyone else can. Website below

http://www.ptsdevelopments.com/

[Guest sallyann-10]

UPDATE.

 

I have today received an email from the garage I bought the car from with an offer of settlement. the previous offer a fortnight ago was for £440.00 - half the cost of a cost price ECU. Of course I told them where to shove that bearing in mind the fact that Citroen had already told me that fitting an ECU was no good, the wiring would immediately spike it, like it had the previous 3 ECU's that had already been fitted to the car.

I wrote a detailed three page letter to the garage detailing everything. I told them all the evidence I had from Citroen main dealer including all past invoices and reports and all warranty details (which believe me took some getting out of Citroen.... a few tears down the phone) and gave the garage 14 days to respond. They have gone over their 14 days and I have started filing for Court, but their email today states that if I take down the V5 and MOT document they will pay into my bank account the full £3,999 that I paid for the car in full and final settlement. At long last.

 

As for Citroen head office and their so called Customer Services....they are non existent and I would not buy another Citroen if they were the last cars on the planet. I would continue walking!

 

Brian Cheyne, is a total disgrace to the Company and if support was cotton wool he wouldn't have enough to make a tampax for a flea!

 

The government is meant to be clamping down on second hand car dealers and yet this is still allowed to go on. Citroen new that they were selling this car back into the car market, all be it to another dealer. They knew the car was beyond economical repair and possibly dangerous and yet they allowed it to be resold. I reported it to Trading Standards and yet they never followed it up....

No one seems to care.

 

I have a feeling that the garage will mask the problem, put yet another ecu on the car and sell it, and the next person will drive a couple of hundred miles and have the same problem again....

 

But, I have fought since October to get my money back and I hope by the end of the week, all this will be over. I then have to look for another car... How daunting is that going to be????????????

 

thanks everyone for your support.. it has been a long haul..

 

:rolleyes:

[seefive]

UPDATE.

 

They have gone over their 14 days and I have started filing for Court, but their email today states that if I take down the V5 and MOT document they will pay into my bank account the full £3,999 that I paid for the car in full and final settlement. At long last.

 

 

Great result. Well done. I know where to come when I get into a fight!!

[Guest sallyann-10]

Great result. Well done. I know where to come when I get into a fight!!

 

 

Thanks.... sometimes it is all about the power of the written word and holding your own..! Glad it is all over, but actually the end result was far better than a Court battle would have been. Getting the full amount back was brilliant. In Court they would have made a deduction for the six months that I had use of the car, but the garage did not know that. However, I could have claimed for loss of use during the four months I was without the car.. swings and roundabouts! I am very happy. got the bank transfer the next day and they actually overpaid me by £50...but I have no intentions of telling them! haha..

 

Now to find another car...how daunting is that for a blonde single lady...Will NOT be buying a Citroen under principle after the way their Head Office treated me, although with the help of Citroen dealership in Reading passing on past information about the car, I would not have been able to prove the car had a pre-existing problem and won the case.

 

Job Well Done, however I am keeping the file...the garage have bought the car back off me and will be putting it back on the road without doing the electrics and the same thing WILL happen again to someone else. they may well come to me one day as I did the previous owner, I can then provide them with the whole case file!!!!!!!

B)

[paul.h]

If you have not had to sign any contracts/etc and you have now got the money back in your account, any chance of putting the registration on here ?

[Guest sallyann-10]

If you have not had to sign any contracts/etc and you have now got the money back in your account, any chance of putting the registration on here ?

 

 

I have just checked Canfords Wholesale website and low and behold, the car is on their forecourt for sale...!!! the fourth ECU fitted and back on the market...

the registration number is SO03 OWW.It is a dark blue C3 HDI Exclusive. Selling garage Canfords Wholesale at the Clock Garage, Ringwood Road Bournemouth. check it out on the Web. Trading Standards were made aware, I cannot believe they did not take things further.

 

This car will go BanG again sometime soon, the wiring will spike the ECU yet again. I just hope the new owner finds this forum! if so, you are welcome to my help and my file!

B)

[Guest sallyann-10]

THE CITROEN SOLD ON SUNDAY...SOMEONE HAS BOUGHT IT.. GOD HELP THEM. - Whoever you are, if you ever check out this site, I am here if you need me!!!

 

I reported it to Consumer Direct and asked them to report it to Trading Standards. They said they would pass the information on and if they needed any more info, they would get back to me in five working days.... let's see if they even bother! My conscience is clear.

 

 

 

I have today put a deposit down on a Vauxhall Astra SXI. Bought from a reputable main dealer with a two year warranty... I hope I have some pleasurable trouble free driving to come!

 

the battle is over!

:)

[Guest vanmanuk]

Good luck with the Vauxhall hope all goes ok you deserve a good car after going through this lot.As for that garage what B'stards for putting it back on sale as said some poor devils gonna get a bad un not your fault but one dodgy garage.

[Guest sallyann-10]

Good luck with the Vauxhall hope all goes ok you deserve a good car after going through this lot.As for that garage what B'stards for putting it back on sale as said some poor devils gonna get a bad un not your fault but one dodgy garage.

 

 

Thank you. I can't believe I am going to be back on the road! Four months and two pairs of boots later..haha.

 

Hopefully Trading Standards will step in and do something, if not, I hope the new owners trace me through the log book when something happens and I will sure help them out! Or they may well see this forum... that will shock them..!

[Guest qman3428]

If it was me I would be looking to get the TV involved, they would get citroen to sort it in no time. Bad publicity has that effect! Good luck

[Guest sallyann-10]

If it was me I would be looking to get the TV involved, they would get citroen to sort it in no time. Bad publicity has that effect! Good luck

 

I tried, I wrote to Watchdog many times, they never even responded. Like Trading Standards.... they turned a blind eye. I was banging by head against a brick wall. It was purely my own persistence and a little legal knowledge and in the end harassment to get the information needed from Citroen main dealer for the past history of a car that I owned. Believe me, I worked on this case day and night and lost sleep, weight and money!

 

I just hope the poor person who has now bought the car has less trouble than me. The car WILL go wrong again, the ECU will be spiked by the electrics, that is a foregone conclusion. That will then be the 5th ECU. Citroen need to remove this car from the market. It should have been scrapped!

 

I have not heard a thing back from Trading Standards which just goes to prove they do not care.

 

I can do no more..

:)