I was really interested in going for a C5 to replace my Rover 218 diesel. But then I cam across the sorry tales in this web page - www.c5-faults.com
I see HJ has picked these up (well done) but it\'s disconcerting that such a trend emerges.
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If you look on autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/C5-L/ you will find equal numbers of horror and praise stories.
Given that people who are content just sit down and enjoy life, and somebody with an axe to grind will make a lot of noise, I guess the C5 can't be that unreliable.
The advise of the C5 group is to find one manufactured after Jan 2002.
autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/C5-L/surveys?id=946018 showed overwhelmingly that most people would buy another C5.
Hope it helps
Ben
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Thanks for raising the awareness to this site, the C5 estate 110 Hdi looks amazing value at less than £12k from DFP. But if the price of such a cheap car is all these problems it begs the question as to why Citroen don't spend a few extra quid getting the cars right in the first place and they could then get a higher price for them and still be very competitive. It has put me off looking at them, I can't afford to not be on the road, so will spend more on a more reliable motor.
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I drove a HDI 110 SX recently and it was a marvelous car.
One thing to do is to ask the dealer and make it a condition of sale that the car has been produced within say, 3 months of your order, so you know it hasn't been sitting in a field.
Do a search on C5-L for ORGA and you will see how to check the age of the car. www.citroen.mb.ca/organr.html is the site to check the cars age at.
Ben
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Have just been looking at the special offers Citroen have in their online promotion.
Interesting to see that they make a point of saying that many of the C5 cars were built before 09/02. What is the significance of this I wonder? Is it because there are faults that have been rectified after this date or is it a facelift issue?
Despite reservations about build quality, at some of the prices around this car looks great value, everything has a price.
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Cars built after this are the 03 models, see the C5-L link above for more details.
I cannot remember exactly what the changes are.
Ben
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I've got a 2.2HDI built July 2001 (bought NEW!!) May 2002. It has had the modifications which Citroen did to early ones. I've now done almost 14,000 miles. Yes, one or two minor niggles (I've got notchy gears when cold - awaiting parts) but nothing dramatic whatsoever. The car is extremely economical, fast, quiet and roomy. Comfort on good surfaces is excellent - rutted tarmac can be on the hard side. I find it less comfy than my previous Xantia - but anyone coming from an 'ordinary' car would probably rave about it.
The amount of kit you get for your money is unbelievable and build quality is pretty good - only small areas like boot trim etc appear cheapish. My one is black with grey velour interior and (mock!) wood trim. Unusual, I reckon.
The 2.0 HDI is the most economical and a good drive. The 2.2 is fast (136hp)and comes with the particle filter. (Nothing in the exhaust to see!)It only (!) manages 40+ mpg in normal conditions.
Avoid automatics unless you can't do with a manual at all. Some of the early auto boxes had jerky shifts.
2003 builds should be real bobby dazzlers!
Graeme
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What is the dealer doing about the notchy gearchange? What parts are they waiting for?
I need to know these things for if (when) a C5 comes my way...
Ben (Complete the sequence: Saxo, Xsara (& Dad's Picasso), ???)
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Hi Ben
They have ordered a new gaiter (the rubber one under the 'cosmetic' vinyl one.) They say that a few C5s had problems with these - in bad cases the rubber was going brittle and preventing the car staying in gear - although I don't have that problem - just a notchiness from 1st to 2nd when cold mostly.
Having said that, I don't think they're right! I'm going to let them do this first, but my own feeling is that either the box has too much/too little/wrong grade of oil or else there is a more serious fault, such as the clutch not clearing properly or faulty syncromesh. I think myself it's probably oil-related, because it improves as the box warms up. I'm just puzzled that the dealer is a bit dismissive of my oil theory - it surely wouldn't be a big deal to change the gearbox oil, even to prove me wrong!
I'm also waiting for a new gear knob - the 'stainless steel' insert has come away from the knob itself a fraction and there is a sharp edge which catches your fingers! Again, a known problem.
Also had a spate of error messages yesterday - 'Immobiliser fault', 'passenger airbag deactivated' - but they reset themselves and it's been fine today. Again, I think there might be a software update for this. The dealer said not to worry about this, they are prone to 'ghosting'! I've only been 'ghosted' twice since last May, though, so it's really more entertaining than anything else!
Bear in mind that these are just minor niggles and considering the complexity and newness of the technology in a C5 it's not that bad.
Graeme
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My dad's Picasso remembers the boot being open when it isn't and often says boot open for a second when starting the engine.
I think the C5 is worth persevering with, you seem to have a good one that will go for thousands of miles without missing a beat once you get this done.
Ben
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Reading the above posts takes me back to the bad old days of BL, the customers were expected to find the problems, Bl then sorted them out over a couple of years. Why anyone would buy a car like this beggars belief.
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They can't all be bad, and at a price they can be good. I need something that will do 25-30k p.a. half of which is private. Depreciation on any high miler is high so the cheaper the car the less the cost. New C5's are getting cheaper, used ones are to be had for £8-10k. If you compare it with a similar german car at £17-22k then they start to look good value in these circumstances.
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It was on my list of possible new cars recently. Trying it on the forecourt I found I couldn't put the rear headrests into a position where they weren't annoying me. Lowest position dug in to top of spine. Highest position was too low. Still tried to arrange a test drive as I'm only occasionally in the back. But local dealer failed to provide vehicle I wanted to test (with 2.2d engine). Maybe it was just typical of dealers in Watford as Renault dealer didn't source a Laguna to test drive and Ford dealer couldn't source Mondeo. What did I buy eventually? Primera SVE 2.2d. Picking it up Saturday - with the increased power engine at lower price than I originally ordered at.
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That's odd. I know the back headrests are a pain if you leave them down - but Citroen apparently did this as a safety thing (or maybe to allow the back seats to fold without removing the headrests....)When they are fully up they are OK for me
- I'm 6' 0". Are you very tall? They do come off, of course, but I suppose that negates the safety aspect!
Graeme
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6' 2".
I guess a couple of inches really can make a difference!
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In Wales a couple of weeks ago I saw a C5 the reg plate read
C5 YYY. Now I wonder "Y" after reading the above.
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Re C5s good value etc, I bought a new one about a year ago. it was in fact a year old but London Dealer said "we didnt know that". The autobox jerked on changing gear for six months and the climate control packed in once temperature reached 22C.
Main dealer said they had never heard of a jerky gearbox before and could not find any fault with climate control.A number of electronic glitches then came and went. After six months returns and denials and having sent a letter from my Solicitor, I was advised that the C5 2 litre gearbox was "less smooth" than the box fitted to the bigger engined cars and I was charged for an upgrade to such a car. This started playing up in a number of ways so I bit on the bullet and took a £5k loss against a year old Passat wich is fantastic for my peace of mind.
The C5 is a very clever car but I would dread owning one after warranty runs out.
I was particularly aggrieved that Citroen were so evasive with me for so long compared to VW who recently advised me that a number of Passats could have faulty coils and would I please return mine for a check up. It was in fact OK. I found out eventually that the jercomatic box of the C5 was a known "characteristic" of the vehicle. If Citroen had the decency to come up front about it in the beginning, they would not have lost many owners to other makes of car.
What horrified me was the difficulty I then had in finding a dealer who would take the lemon off my hands at any price. I know I was not the only one who suffered. Even if the problems have been fixed, which personaly I doubt, would you deal with a Company who treated their early buyers so badly?
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The c5 may be problematic, but then the passat is not exactly perfect. At least the C5 looks nice and the interior looks like a sofa; the passat is really boring.
In fact, Passats are worse than the C5. Take the following review: "Emissions Workshop!" & Check Engine Light. "Emissions Workshop!" & Check Engine Light. "Emissions Workshop!" & Check Engine Light. "Emissions Workshop!" & Check Engine Light. "Emissions Workshop!" & Check Engine Light.
This happened over and over from 15K to 40K miles.
Dealer and VW could never find the fundamental problem.
Don't buy a VW.
General comments?
Very nice car if it could run for more than a week with the check engine light off. Comfortable seats, agile, loved the bunwarmers.
My view is not to buy a new car at all. They are not worth the hassle and lost money. Best to get a car for what it is worth
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The latest C5's are the most reliable. I've one that was built just over a year ago, it is not the latest model, and doesn't suffer with any faults to report.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
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Just coming onto 20,000 miles. Nothing whatsoever to report. The car never misses a beat. Bearing in mind that my one is a July 2001 build that can't be bad. If the latest ones are better, then they MUST be good!
Graeme
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I might look into the C5. Brilliant car at a bargain price (£10K). I also noticed that the boot is huge.
But, I will probably wait until I am sure they are reliable. But from what I have heard, the newer models seem to be great.
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