21st Aug 2010, 04:47
Bought a 2001 Y reg 1.4i LX 6 years ago, and only had 26,000 miles on it at the time, and have had a lot of problems in the 6 years.
Petrol gauge saying full after 150 miles on a full tank. Dealer said it was in my imagination!
Gear box failed at 55,000. Cost around £600
Indicator stalk packed in within 3 years. £250
CV joints
2 mid sections and 2 back boxes.
Stalls when turning when just started when cold.
Electric window rarely goes up in auto without stopping and coming back down.
Heater stuck on full power, and aircon no longer works.
Coil pack failed. Causing it to stall at traffic lights and jump.
Air sensor. Causing it to misfire.
Clutch (was knackered when bought and made dealer change).
Broken suspension spring on passenger front side.
Pins corroded off of ECU. Had to drill ECU and solder wires onto pins, and then joint onto wires on outside of the ECU plug.
Lock on top of back seat fell apart.
Keyfob stopped working. Not the keyfob, but apparently needs re-syncing to the car.
Central locking would not lock. Wires had broke in the passenger doors flexible tube plug. Had to solder back on.
But despite this and the lack of power, it is quite nice to drive, and I do actually like it.
12th Oct 2010, 03:12
I am considering buying a Xsara 1.6 2001 model, with 180000 km on it. What I read here is shocking, but there is a wealth of positive consumer reports on the Xsara, too. I used to have good old Volvos from the 70s, so I don't know mechanical problems at all, only rust.
So I wonder: The Xsara is galvanised? If the whole car was recently fixed (practically), there won't necessarily be a busload of computers going crazy, as there is a difference between VTR and 1.6 models?
25th Oct 2010, 15:52
I have a diesel Citroen 1.9 Xsara.
When I put the lights on at night, the dash and heater controls won't light up. Looked at the fuses, all the bulbs, and took the whole dash out to check the wiring. Put in different clocks and switches to test, and still can't find the fault. The service spanner light won't go off, and there is a beeping sound when I rev the van over 1500 revs. Does anyone have any answers please?
Thanks.
15th Nov 2010, 15:27
I've had my 1998 Xsara 1.4i X for the past 18 months, and I love it to bits. Had a few issues with the exhaust when I bought it (hence low price), and had a new clutch at 94k miles, but once these were rectified, it's been fantastic. Incredibly reliable, comfortable on long journeys, everything works, no curry smell, cheap to run and easy to drive.
Failed its MOT last year due to emissions, but an oil change and a new lambda sensor fixed it.
My only real issue with the car is that the 1.4 is a bit weak going uphill, so it's a bit of a pain taking it over certain roads.
Bought it at 86k miles, it's now approaching 108k miles. Hope to have many more happy miles with my Xsara :)
16th Nov 2010, 15:10
I have Xsara 1.4 LX. The battery light will not go off. Alternator has been replaced and the battery light still will not go off? Alternator is working at 14.46V, which is right. The old one was doing nearly 20v; not good. Have been to the garage, not much help, any ideas?
19th Nov 2010, 17:22
To get rid of the service light in a Citroen Xsara:-
Push the trip reset button, and hold in whilst turning on the ignition. Keep trip reset button pressed until service mileage resets to 000000... done!
I had my clutch changed a couple of weeks ago, and now it is quite hard to change gear sometimes... any ideas?
7th Jan 2011, 06:17
I've got a Y registration Citroen Xsara 1400 petrol. The steering has gone heavy. Can anyone tell me the problem?
Thanx.
3rd Feb 2011, 14:45
Hi, I have a 2001 '51' reg 1.4 Xsara. It's been a good little car, yet it has now done 110k, and things are starting to go as expected. My steering has become very heavy when starting, especially from cold - is this the belt or pump? Also, when the car is very hot, it starts to intermittently misfire. This only occurs after a long journey, the previous owner experienced the same and was charged £600 to re-line one of the cylinders due to weak psi, though it has not cured the problem. Any ideas would be greatly received.
Thanks.
8th Feb 2011, 04:45
Hi.
I have a Citroen Xsara 2001 (Y) HDI 2.0, bought it just over a year ago, and not long after I bought it, it started not turning off when I turned the key and took it out. Since then, I have just stalled the car when stopping, as I didn't know how much it would cost to repair this, or even what the problem is.
The key has just started sticking in the lock though, and I wondered if I would need a whole new ignition barrel.
Could anyone give me an estimate of how much this would cost and what the problem could be, as I don't have a clue about cars.
Other than this, the car has been a great little runner, I have done about 18k miles and hardly any problems.
Thanks
Rachel.
6th Apr 2011, 09:07
Hi, my Xsara is behaving in the exact same way - where the central locking locks and then unlocks straight away as if a door were open - did you remedy the problem? We've tried a manual reset but to no avail. Only other option open to us seems to be recondition or replace BSI unit.
Any info on the outcome of your car much appreciated!
26th Apr 2011, 21:15
I have just bought a 01 Citroen Xsara. Wwhat was the fix for your engine management light constantly being illuminated?
2nd Jul 2011, 05:07
Has anyone ever seen such an idiotic kilometre display on a car as that on my Xsara 1.4 2004 Desire?
It cannot be seen even wearing reading glasses, making it impossible to take this car to the continent, and I am considering demanding that Citroen UK replace it free of charge. How could any responsible manufacturer have done such a stupid thing, I ask myself?
M Hearn.
11th May 2012, 13:04
2001 model year Passat 1.9 TDI.
289,000 miles. Bought at 234,000. To date 8 tyres + 1 cat (£170 fitted). Front pads. 6 oil flushes. 2 air filters.
Never let me down. Does 50+ MPG, sometimes 60 MPG. Lucky I guess, and no it wasn't a taxi.
30th Jul 2012, 09:31
I had that problem. I replaced my catalytic converter, and the engine management light went straight off, and it works fine since. Hope this helps.
10th Nov 2013, 13:40
I bought a very low mileage Citroen Xsara diesel, 2001 model, for my wife. 60k, one owner from new, totally genuine mint car, 1400 quid.
Thought I'd got a real bargain until it started falling apart on the drive; electronic windows failed, the indicator stalk packed up, the exhaust (and CAT) fell off, power steering pump exploded twice!
Now it's started to sound like a knackered tractor - undoubtedly the worst car I ever owned in 26 years of driving. I've got an old pair steelies in the shed, so planning to kick it to death before it gets crushed, or maybe sell it to someone I hate.
13th Dec 2013, 08:27
Citroen Xsara 1.9 D 140 000 miles - love it. It is perfect for slowly putting away, super comfortable. Have had it for the last 8 years. This car is getting better with age.
22nd Dec 2013, 06:45
This is true about the headlights, it is a nightmare to change any bulb.
However, ABS unit is easy removable, it is designed to do so (obviously Citroen designers do think sometimes).
All you have to do, is to unplug it, but it's better to wear some gloves as it is easy to damage the skin or break nails.
I am sure the whole headlight design could be much more simple and user-friendly.
10th Aug 2010, 19:08
I feel sorry reading these comments... poor Citroen.
The closest encounter I had with a Citroen car was my mom's Tiara. The car was made in Malaysia, a collaboration with Citroen, so much that even the key has the Citroen's symbol on it. 1.1cc. What I can say is, I like the ride, it's comfortable, and the design is cool too; hatchback, high ground clearance, yet lowered roof, as if the roof had been chopped low. However, it's a Citroen base.
First, I notice the audio system never really worked, it offered 2 kinds of sounds;fridge buzzes and definite silence. Then the starter, changed new, but 1 month later the same starter problem occurred. Next, the alternator. Changed, new, no problem. Then this one night, the radiator fan went numb, and I just found out about it when there was a geyser effect out from the hood, overheat.
After all had been fixed (except the audio thing), the next thing I know, my mom sold the car at its standard used car price.