6th Apr 2011, 04:27

Citroen C4 1.6 VTR+ Coupe 2006 (50000 miles).

I had the same depollution light come on in November 2010, when the car cut out it didn't like to be restarted, but once going would only pull away at over 4000 RPM! I rang Citroen (Marshalls, Cambridge) and asked if it was safe to drive to theirs or would I need to tow giving them all the symptoms the car was suffering. I drove it to Citroen and after looking at it for three days they blamed dirty fuel. They said that supermarket fuel had carbonated up the valves and cylinders causing me to lose pressure on No 3 cylinder.

It may have taken Citroen a lot of time (I had a courtesy car for just over a week!), but Citroen paid out a goodwill gesture for 60% of the bill. Marshalls Citroen themselves paid 20%, (I believe this may have been down to them saying if I drove the car to them it wouldn't damage the car!). The cost was astronomical so I am very glad they paid out, (replace 8 exhaust valves, cleaned up the head (£300 just to remove) and cylinders, replaced cambelt (did this early as they had removed it to remove head same me money at next service!). The total came to over £1200, I ended up paying under £300.

It did take a bit of arguing, but if you believe the car is too new with too little mileage to be suffering the fault, ask for a goodwill gesture from the manufacturer. I've had one from Citroen and had one from SAAB on my last car. It may have been annoying the car going wrong for the second time in one year (wiring loom fused September 2010), but I cannot fault Marshalls Citroen as they did all they could to help.

29th Jun 2011, 14:22

At least I'm not alone - I too am now suffering from anti pollution fault grief with a Citroen C4 VTR Coupe 1.6 2005, 53000 miles.

A couple of weeks ago it suffered from a sudden loss of power whilst driving along; sounded awful, was vibrating heavily, and would not go over 10mph. The anti pollution warning message & engine management system warning light came on. Had to call the AA, who diagnosed a faulty crank shaft sensor. A local garage changed the sensor, only to find the car still misfiring badly. They had to change the coil pack too at quite a cost, and the car is now running as smooth as can be. HOWEVER, as hard as they tried, they were unable to clear the engine management light and warning message on the display. Since then, various diagnostic tools have been tried to clear this problem, all to no avail.

I am currently doing all the research I can before continuing my attempts to get this fixed, as it seems even if taken to a Citroen dealer, this problem is a massive can of worms. I have owned the car since January, and have had multiple other problems, none of which were straightforward to fix. This problem is the worst yet! I just want shot of this car now ASAP, as it IS the work of Satan - I will never buy a Citroen again.

8th Jul 2011, 00:09

I 100% agree. Such a nicely designed car, but the rest is just crap. Dealers have no idea, and as he mentioned, they are hopeless. For a long time I've been seeking a solution, but no chance yet, that's how I found this page. I won't repeat the same mistake a second time, and will never buy any Citroen again.

22nd Jul 2011, 03:08

I have a C4 HDI early 2005. Anti pollution light has been on and off over the last 2 years intermittently, but has been on permanently now for about 5 months. No problems until last week when it lost power while overtaking, had my granddaughter in the back, very scary. I stopped and revved the car, and the power returned, although she is still losing power on and off. My local garage has said they have not been able to identify what the problem is, and because of their lack of a sophisticated computer, suggested I take it to my Citroen garage. Having no real faith in the Citroen dealer, as they failed to rectify or identify the anti-pollution warning 2 years ago, I am going to try using a diesel flush product first to see if this clears the problem. If not, it looks like an expensive trip to my local Citroen dealer.

1st Aug 2011, 00:28

My Citroen C4 won't idle along with anti-pollution warning.

I drive a C4 Coupe 1.6 petrol, and for the last couple of months it would just cut out at idle speed, then it progressed with time to a point where if you put your foot on the clutch, it cuts out. With Citroen dealers in South Africa, you don't find much help, and worst of all, the lack of assistance comes with a price. That said, I phoned about four different dealers, and one service manager gave me good advice. He suggested that I take off the airbox and check if the butterfly in the throttle body isn't sticky, as he has found this previously. So, I went on to buy some old fashioned "carb cleaner" and cleaned the butterfly. And that was the end of it.

31st Aug 2011, 10:02

Hi everyone.

Lady owner of a 55 plate VTS C.

I bought the car 7 months ago. If that!

About a month into driving it, there was a funny burning/gas smell, and the engine light came on, and the de-pollution system faulty sign came up.

I took it to a Citroen dealer. They gave me all this rubbish about pipes and connections not being attached properly, so they "fixed" it. They also said rev it right up, and that should clear it if it happened again!

A few weeks later, the engine light came on & stayed on. It's still on now in fact! The power goes every so often, & there's no oomph in what's meant to be a fast car!

I went back, and said this shouldn't be happening. A few hundred quid later on labour, and they tell me I need a new ECU unit. No idea what that is, but I asked how much it would be; £200 apparently.

Anyway. I just want to know if I can get this fitted somewhere else for half the price, as my trust in Citroen dealers has now gone right down the pan!