12th May 2010, 05:55

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new 2008 Pluriel.

I knew from the start I wasn't going to be buying this car for its driving abilities. I'm quite happy to choose its quirky design over that!

Although I'm finding it tricky to get used to the sensodrive business. I had been driving an auto car for over 8 years, so I will hopefully get used to it, and I have had some embarrassing moments losing power around roundabouts and rolling back on hills!

12th Sep 2010, 13:15

I love my Muriel (Pluriel) LOL. It's an 05 plate in silver. The only problem I have, which someone else has mentioned near the start, is my CD player goes back to track 1 every time I start my engine. It's so annoying!!

Apart from that, and that my aerial is snapped and need a new one, it's a brill car!

5th Oct 2010, 13:52

I have owned my Citroen C3 Pluriel for four years now. All the gearbox problems already listed by others I have experienced. It goes into snow mode, Citroen dealership said it MIGHT be the brain on the computer on the gearbox. Costs £1000, but couldn't say for definite.

Now after the car stopping at traffic lights and being towed again to Citroen, it's the clutch paddle system. I am relived at a proper diagnosis. I've had a new fan put it because it was thought to be overheating causing the problem. The clutch paddle shift will cost just under £700, and I'm hoping this will be an end to the problems.

The car is nippy and great on petrol consumption. However very scary if you think the car might stop any minute with two young children in the back. I have contacted Citroen, who have denied all the problems we are experiencing exist.

8th Oct 2010, 15:46

My wife and I have had our '04 Sensodrive for a little year, driving daily through a long, cold danish winter with NO PROBLEMS whatsoever.

The roof is completely watertight, but I attend to it regularly with tons of silicone spray in any place imaginable - just to make sure it will remain that way.

I don't like the "automatic", but have gotten quite used to the manual mode - take off in 1st gear like a madman, and the car changes automatically to 2nd, even though in manual. Nice!

The car is really not stiff enough, you feel it very distinctively when passing over obstacles with just one side of the car.

On the other hand, our car is lowered, and equipped with "205" tires, that makes the car very swift ie a roundabout.

We absolutely love our car, for its practicality, looks and style. And not least for all the fresh air in our hair!

17th May 2011, 08:57

We've had our Pluriel for 5 years now.

First the good points - the car looks great with the roof down, & is a lot of fun in the summer. We rarely remove the side rails because they make it safer, and you can get caught without a roof in the rain if you've left them at home. It is very practical, with the roof folded and the tailgate down, it will carry all sorts of oversized stuff.

Now the not so good points - when we first bought it, we had a tailgate leak. It took the dealer two attempts to fix it, but it hasn't been a problem since. Our C3 is now 7 years old!

The worst problem is the sensodrive. While it was under warranty, it went back to the dealer repeatedly for gearbox problems, and they never fixed it.

The latest software was downloaded from Citroen again and again, but we still have problems now.

The 1st issue is pulling away at a junction, and finding that the gearbox decides to only allow you to do so at a snails pace. This happens intermittently, so you notice it most when you are trying to get into the traffic flow.

The second problem is when the gearbox 'forgets' it's in a gear and displays the snow symbol. When this happens, the car keeps going, but you cannot manually select gear (including reverse!). If you turn off the engine, it won't restart. Using the gearbox reset technique always gets it going again (eventually).

So, if your thinking of buying a Citroen, avoid the sensodrive models.

14th Jul 2011, 18:29

Hi, I'm interested in the problems you've had with your C3 Pluriel. I'm on my second one, the first one being fantastic, and I wish I'd never traded it in for my new one, which has been beset with problems. The fact that it has cut out at 60mph and I lost my power-assisted steering being the worst.

It doesn't even just happen at speed or after a certain length of time - it has happened whilst slowing down on the approach to a roundabout; having indicated left, I was forced to veer straight ahead as the dash went off and I couldn't steer it. It's also cut out on a steep bank gradient in 2nd gear, even with my foot to the floor. Has anyone else had problems like this?

It's been back at the dealership for the past 7 weeks (the 12th visit in the time I've owned it), and no-one seems to be able to locate the fault, and therefore, is unable to remedy it. I'm reluctant to have the car back, as I never know when it will next cut out, and I may not be so lucky next time.

17th Aug 2011, 09:01

My daughter purchased her Pluriel six years ago, second hand from a Citroen dealer on an 04 Reg, with only 9,000 miles on the clock.

The car has been garaged when not in use, kept clean and has a fully documented service history, and has been driven by my daughter with respect.

A few months ago the Sensodrive gearbox started to play up by refusing to select first gear. It went back to the dealer twice for this problem, and had the software downloaded on both occasions, which gave a fix for a short time before failing again.

On the third visit she was told that the gear change actuator mechanism was the problem, and this would cost a total of £906.00 to fix. The work was carried out, and all was fine for about three months, when the transmission failed again. The car had to be taken back to the dealer by the RAC; she was then told that the clutch actuator was at fault, and this would be a further £562.00 to fix. Reluctantly, this was agreed and the repair was done.

This lasted for three weeks before it failed yet again. The RAC came to the rescue taking the car back to the dealer for a second time. After the ongoing fault finding, my daughter was then told that the clutch assembly itself was dragging and needed to be replaced at a further cost of £786.00.

I got Citroen UK customer relations involved, and started to bang some tables at the dealer that after nearly £2000.00 in repair costs and a loss of confidence in the cars reliability, 'what next'. The repair has been carried out with my daughter having to pay two hours of the labour costs, with Citroen UK and the dealer paying the other four hours between them, a small compensation for the cost and inconvenience caused to my daughter.

Has anyone else suffered a similar fate?

9th Aug 2014, 08:01

Hi everyone,

Well, I too am now staring down the barrel of the defunct Sensodrive gearbox of my 2006 Pluriel.

I have loved my little orange Gaston and hoped he would be with me to the end of my days, but he has other plans, and I have since fallen out of love. It is terrifying when the gearbox "goes" (3rd time), and I cannot believe that Citroen are "unaware" of the problem.

Now I have a car which has stranded me five hours drive from my home and I need to catch a plane.

Does anyone know how much a new gear box costs, and if I get a new gearbox, will it come with the same problem built in?

Cheers, Megan.