8th Jun 2011, 05:13

"Worryingly I owned a Ford Anglia, and I have better memories of that."

So did I! Just about the most reliable car I ever had. Early/Mid-60s, (1962 model), took it to Spain one year, Yugoslavia the next (4 people camping, talk about overloading), raced it at Snetterton, drove it flat out everywhere (pre-70 mph limit), and NOTHING would make that car die. Everything easily fixable (I once changed a head gasket by the roadside! That was the most serious thing that went wrong with it.).

Yes, my current C5 (second one I have owned) is infinitely more comfortable, gets better fuel economy, etc etc, and I still do lots of European trips in it, but I will never have the confidence in it that I had in my old Anglia.

12th Jun 2011, 12:34

Oh dear! Why didn't I read all the comments prior to my purchase of my Y reg 2000 HDI less than 6 months ago. I have not fared quite as badly as some of the contributors, but...

Rear brakes replaced ie calipers, discs, pads and various pipework. £380.00 thank you very much sir.

Next was a new tyre. Can you balance both front wheels please? Took them an hour to balance. Result - a bit worse than before steering judder.

Latest one - immobiliser fault on dash after finishing a 12 hour shift - magic. Friendly breakdown man got me going after giving the key a good clean with wd40, and some in out action in the ignition.

All confidence in this vehicle has now gone.

Think I will carry on running it until a major fault appears, then I will put it to death. RIP C5.

4th Jul 2011, 08:36

As all stories before, I bought a 01 2.2 HDI, but it had a 04 engine fitted with 62k on it. It saw more diagnostic machines than a hospital. Citroen couldn't fix it - all codes, limp mode etc. A local man got it going, it went like a train for 6 months, then the turbo went. 1400 euro +VAT and labour! Found a site on the net, turbo rebuilds for 360 euro, and the car is now running again.. but now it's put up an ESP fault, won't pass an NCT (MoT) with this on the dash. Apparently a BSI unit is at fault.

I am going to bypass all non-safety looms, except the air bags. This should mean happy days, bog standard, no more messing. Wish me luck.

21st Sep 2011, 14:07

Hi, my 2002 HPI SE Exclusive also sounds (sounded) like a diesel.. but that has been for nearly 3 years... 40K miles..

BUT that was until last Saturday.. when it just died on the motorway.. with every error possible being displayed...

Now car is parked at home, I don't know how to fix it. It seemed like it ran out of fuel, but gauge was reading third of a tank, and the computer was saying I had 120 miles left.

Any ideas people?

10th Nov 2011, 19:22

I have just received the anti pollution light. What does it mean? Can I still drive the car? Do I need to take it into the garage and spend another 300 pounds on it?

2nd Dec 2011, 16:19

Oh my, oh my... never again will I go and buy a car on a whim without at least some research. I have not yet suffered the plethora of problems listed above, but am now waiting...

I recently bought a 2002 C5 Estate 2.2 Exclusive automatic.

One thing I will say firstly is a positive. For someone that suffers permanently with back problems (especially when driving), this car is an absolute dream for comfort.

One problem I am having, which does not seem to appear on the previous posts, is with the display screen. The screen has the sat nav etc etc, and everything works great for about an hour, then the display slides to the left very quickly, and keeps sliding, as if the horizontal hold has stopped working. If I turn the ignition off and back on again immediately, it will be fine again for an hour.

Any ideas??

The guy I bought the car from provided a whole host of receipts of work done, which did include a replacement screen a couple of years ago; could it be it needs another new screen?

6th Dec 2011, 10:14

Any success with the repairs?

Mine just did the same; lambda probe and fuel pump.

29th Jan 2012, 16:10

I was going to write a lengthy post about my problem with my C5, but your post describes my problem exactly. Can I ask, did you find a solution? I love my C5, but can't afford to be taken to the cleaners by a dealer. My husband is convinced it's something or nothing, but he's stumped on this one.

Thanks.

Paula.

6th Feb 2012, 18:41

I have a C5 2.0L HDI. The car cut out without warning. Pollution fault on the screen. Also low engine oil. I checked the oil; perfect level. Had a local mechanic erase the error. Started fine, but the minute I put down the boot for extra power, it died again. Had the error removed again, and it started and is going since. However, bad judder at idle and terrible judder at 70 mph. What's going on? What's causing it?

Liam.

15th May 2012, 16:53

This happened to my C5, and the passenger side window. It was my own fault; I'd previously left the window open, and rain got to the controls on the driver's side. I took the control out, got to the chipboard, and wiped it over with a cleaning pad; you know the kitchen ones; sponge on one side, green wiry stuff the other. Anyway, polished off the sensors, put it back, and it's generally OK now. Not as responsive as it was, but it works, and no random wind downs.

9th Jul 2012, 12:27

I completely concur with your feelings on Citroen.

Took my 03 HDI back to dealer after service (£200+), as I had only done 15 miles, and the engine went into limp mode. Called the main dealer and they said bring it in. What they meant to say was "oh goody, another mug punter". Charged me £100 for a diagnostic and reported back that the fuel solenoid was faulty (£382). Questioned them that they were sure this was the problem, and they confirmed 90% sure this was the issue.

Gave them the go ahead, and 3 days later they called and said the car was much better! I asked what they meant by a lot better, and the young lady said it cured a lot of what was wrong... So, I said limp mode has been cleared then... "erm, well no it hasn't. Our technician has discovered now that your fuel pump has gone, but we are 99% this will fix the problem. It will cost you £800 for a fuel pump SIR". When I said do you guarantee this will fix the problem, she said we can never guarantee that. What a joke. These people call themselves experts/technicians. Took the car back, covered in bird muck, and slightly worse than when I delivered it.

Yes, I would be up for a class action against Citroen, and I have some very powerful national newspapers who will lend their support.