Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citroen C3

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 12:13
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citroen C3 - angry2

I have had my car for 3 weeks, it was brilliant starting first time, until recently, the battery seems to lose the charge that it has. Take this morning, the battery unlocked the car, jumped into the drivers seat, put the key in the slot, all lit up, turned the key and ooopps the care tried to start with a little turnover, then nothing it was as dead as a dodo. Anyone got any ideas.

Edited by Avant on 05/01/2012 at 22:08

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 12:17
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - ChannelZ

Your battery has failed. Time for a new one. Don't go to the dealers, go to one of the bigger chain motorfactors like GSF or ECP.

ECP's Lion batteries are excellent, got one in the Mondeo and it's been far better than the Ford fitted battery ever was.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 13:00
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - daveyjp

No car age given. but it sounds like a battery which is failing. Most are now sealed, but if you are lucky to have one you can access check the electrolyte levels in the cells, one of them may just need a top up.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 13:22
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - madf

Take it back to the vendor and ask them to sort it.. if they are a garage./car dealer.

If a private vendor, tough.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 13:52
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - tony g
Angry2,
Astonishing that you know so little about cars.
The issue you describe is one of the most basic items of car ownership.
,
The thing that concerns me ,is if the car should develop a safety fault.
Ie loosing brake fluid , or low tyre pressure you wouldn't be aware of it,putting yourself and others in danger.

Their must be basic information / courses available ,anybody know where ?

Tony g
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Thu 5 Jan 2012 14:06
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - Paul G1pdc

thats a little harsh tony.... . but to answer your question my mum when in her 50s attended a car maintenance course at the local (Amersham) college.

it was very basic, and mainly had ladies taking part, it taught them how to check the oil levels, coolant, windscreen washer levels, and how to change a wheel and tyre pressures..

my mother tried out changing a wheel on her new X reg mini-metro that weekend. And a chap from over the road came over and offered to do it for her...hahahaha.....

Funnily enough changed a wheel for a young lady only 3 weeks ago....she was in the middle of a roundabout....oh dear....and had rung the AA who of course due to the quiet location quoted over 1hr to get there....we moved the car and changed the wheel in 5mins....(she had never changed one before and didn't know what to do...yeh never read the owners manual....)

The most basic thing I've been asked in the past was......"oy do you know how to take the petrol cap off this car....I've just bought it and I can't get the petrol flap open"......hahahaah (we found a lever on the drivers floor. that flipped open the flap....) that was whilst I was filling my car up at the local petrol station....

.

all good fun....Paul......

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 16:50
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - TeeCee

The most basic thing I've been asked in the past was......"oy do you know how to take the petrol cap off this car....I've just bought it and I can't get the petrol flap open"......

The one that creased me up came in one of the "Dilbert" newsletters. A bloke recounted the tale of a woman at a petrol station who came up to him in a fluster. The battery had run flat in her key fob and she wanted to know where to get another one. He gave directions to a hardware store a few blocks away:

"Oh dear. That's a bit of a long way to walk."

"Why don't you drive? You have the car here."

"But that's why I need the battery, the fob's not working and I can't open the doors!!"

He showed her how to open the car using the key in the lock..........

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 14:14
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - ChannelZ

Agreed, that's a bit harsh.

Perhaps there's courses for basic internet etiquette you could take, tony g?

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 14:17
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - unthrottled

And basic literacy?

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 14:38
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - ChannelZ

And basic literacy?

Yeah, that too :)

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 15:51
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - tony g
All,
Sorry spent to much time texting,developed shortened form of communication.

More to the point.I agree my response could be described as harsh,but is it true?
Drivers who know so little about cars could be a danger to others .I think that's a far more important issue than pedantic comments on literacy and etiquette.

Tony g
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Thu 5 Jan 2012 17:02
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - unthrottled

Drivers who know so little about cars could be a danger to others

The proportion of accidents caused by mechanical failure is very small.

The insurance premiums of those who 'know' all about Double Overhead Camshafts tend to be considerably higher than those who admit to knowing nothing at all.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 17:07
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - thunderbird
The insurance premiums of those who 'know' all about Double Overhead Camshafts tend to be considerably higher than those who admit to knowing nothing at all.

Hows that work then. Never been asked if I have any mechanical knowledge when I insure a car. If I am I will admit to knowing nothing, thanks for the info.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 17:15
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - unthrottled

Because the boy racers who think that they know how a car works tend to be the ones who wrap their cars round trees. The vicar's wife who doesn't even know what a dipstick is, let alone find it, tends not to!

P.S. I'm not implying that you know nothing, merely that car knowledge doesn't make a person a significantly safer driver.

Edited by unthrottled on 05/01/2012 at 17:16

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 17:28
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - thunderbird

Because the boy racers who think that they know how a car works tend to be the ones who wrap their cars round trees. The vicar's wife who doesn't even know what a dipstick is, let alone find it, tends not to!

P.S. I'm not implying that you know nothing, merely that car knowledge doesn't make a person a significantly safer driver.

Agree that boy racers tend to wrap their cars round trees but their insurance premium is based on age, car, driving record etc not on their mechanical knowledge.

Agree that knowledge of cars alone does not make you a safer drive but it does not make you a liability either.

There is more than one racing vicar out there, knew one very well a few years ago.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 17:55
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - catsdad

I agree the best option is the selling dealer if appropriate. But if you are on your own after a private sale you should not assume its the necessarily the battery itself. It could be something draining power (the classic is a faulty boot light staying on after the car is stopped - you can check by folding the seats and looking) or the charging system in the car could be faulty. On the latter point, if you can start the car, then I think the headlights should brighten if you rev the engine and if they don't then that indicates its probably not charging so the battery may not be the cause (unless modern cars electonics smooth this out so you don't get this effect?). If none of this helps then a good independent should be able to do other tests and only supply a battery if its needed. Anyway you may not feel confident to fit a new battery yourself and while its not difficult you need to handle and fit with care. Finally if it will not start then consult the manual before you jump start or bump start. Good luck.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 19:25
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - tony g
All.
Im not talking about ,rebuilding an engine or anything similar.
It seems a possibility that the op,would have trouble checking his tyre pressures,brake fluid ,or any other safety related items .He owes it to himself and the rest of us who share the roads with him,to make sure his car is safe before he sets out.

Just before Xmas in the city where I live ,14 drivers were stopped in roadside checks, with illegal tyres in less than two hours on one major route. Including a 911 with two Illegal rear tyres

Tony g
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Thu 5 Jan 2012 19:47
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citreon C3 - unthrottled

I quite agree with you Tony. Basic checks are very worthwhile to road safety. But for every car that crashes due to bald tyres or failing brakes, dozens crash through driver inattention.

You see almost new cars, loaded with every imaginable electronic safety device, sitting mangled on flat beds. Meanwhile, old bangers with no safety features at all carry on trundling along without incident as they have done for twenty years or more.

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Thu 5 Jan 2012 22:07
Desire 1.4 Diesel - Citroen C3 - Avant

I would have moved this to Technical but the thread has drifted somewhat.

Angry2 - as others have said, the battery seems to have failed: but first get the alternator checked to make sure the battery is being charged properly. If this is the problem, the battery could still have some life in it if you get it charged up.

If you're not sure, try an auto electrician rather than a Citroen (sic) dealer.

Edited by Avant on 05/01/2012 at 22:52

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