Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Wed 9 Apr 2014 14:36

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hello and thank you for your time

First of all I would like to thank you in advance for your eventual support, advice and your honest opinion. What follows is a true story, my story. This is not an attempt to badmouth Citroen or any other manufacturer. This is about how some car dealers choose to treat their customers, about gross negligence and, why not, fraud. Everything that follows is supported by, I believe, strong evidence - phone conversations recordings, e-mails, pictures and video recordings.

Some of you will probably say that this expected when you buy a car from X manufacturer instead of Y manufacturer. Sorry but you are wrong and there are enough stories to prove that this is not the case.

This kind of Car Dealers are hurting the entire industry by denting consumer's trust and this is not acceptable.

Here is my story:

After much consideration and a crazy amount of courage I have decided not to buy a Seat Leon Touring FR but a brand new Citroen DS5 2.0 HDI manual. Very soon this proofed to be a huge mistake.

The car was purchase by finance, PCP. The OTR price of the vehicle was 17000 pounds, heavily discounted from 25000 pounds. This big discount of 8000 pounds made me choose this car. Big mistake. This kind of discounts are not something out of the ordinary in the industry, specially in March.

Also relevant is the fact that this was a distance selling purchase. This vehicle was advertised via AutoTrader home page and all the correspondence between me and the dealer (Sutton Park Motor Company Ltd - Stourbridge) was via phone or email.

I have recorded each phone conversation with dealer representatives, I kept the email correspondence between us and also I have detailed and relevant video recordings about how the car behaves.

Friday (21.03.2014) I took delivery of a brand new Citroen DS5 which I bought with finance by PCP provided by Barclays Partner Finance. As soon as I drove the car from the dealer I've noticed Steering and Braking faults with the car. The most obvious defect was the fact the car suffered from a bad wheel alignment, the steering wheel stayed all the time lean to the left and the car was pulling constantly left, no matter of the camber of the road.

I immediately turned to the dealer to report the issues with the car. The dealer briefly inspected the car and they told me that they used some kind of brake spray to clean the brakes and also test drove the car and informed me that the car is fault free. This seemed very weird to me because no spray cleaner in this world will cure a bad wheel alignment but I was too tired to argue (been travel for 4h by train to reach Dealer's location)

I've set up again on the road and I noticed that nothing has really changed with the car's issues, obviously.

When I arrived home (more than 140 miles away) I have contacted the dealer by phone explaining that none of the problems with the car have been fixed. I've been told that on Monday (24.03.2014) I will be contacted by the Dealer's Service Manager who will discuss with me this matter.

Nobody contacted me and I decided to take the car to an independent tracking specialist. The wheel alignment job print out clearly shows that the car's tracking was off.

This was not the only problem with my brand new car.

Here is full list of faults:

1. Bad wheel alignment and tracking causing the vehicle to constantly pull to the left

2. Steering wheel was off centred, it stays leaned towards passenger side.

3. Steering wheel vibrates at motorways cruise speeds 60 – 70 mph.

4. Steering wheel shakes under braking.

5. The car is very unstable on uneven and slightly bumpy roads, especially when braking, causing the car to change trajectory towards incoming traffic or pavement.

6. The steering wheel is twitching and jerking back and forth every time the front wheel goes over small bumps and cracks on the surface of the road, also causing the car to change trajectory towards incoming traffic or pavement.

7. Miss coloured front bumper – painted in a different shade of grey.

8. Rattling noise coming from the right hand side rear passenger door.

[/b]

Tuesday ,25.03.2014, morning I've contacted the dealer and told them that I'm willing to return the car to them so they can have a full check of the car. They agreed to bring the back to them, which I did.

They kept the car for one and a half day before calling me to come pick up the car. They did offer me a courtesy car with almost identical mileage, a Citroen C3 which drives flawless.

I went back to the dealer to pick up the car and noticed that there was an improvement to some of the issues but most of them were still not fixed. There was no more steering wheel vibration at motorways cruise but still the steering wheel was shaking under braking sometimes.

The steering shake under braking was pointed out by me to dealer's Service Manager when we test drove the car together but he informed me that this was normal because of the road condition which I strongly rejected. He also tried to convince me that the steering wheel jerking and twitching from left to right was absolutely normal. I've explained to him that maybe this is normal with an used car with many miles on the clock but not with a brand new car with 3 miles on the clock.

Every time my car goes over small bumps and cracks on the road the steering wheel is abruptly twitching and shaking back and forth, making the car to suddenly change direction to the left or right very rapidly. I have tried to explain to the dealer that this is not normal or safe but he disagrees with me.

On 31-03-2014 I phoned the Dealer and Informed him that I want to reject the car. I’ve been informed that they have to speak with Citroen UK. Later that day they come back to me and told me that they opened a case with Citroen and also informed me that I have to book in the car with another Citroen dealer for an independent opinion, if this can be considered independent opinion. I agreed with that and on 01-04-2014 the car was with my local dealer Freeborn Garage Ltd.

One of the mechanics has test drove the car with me and immediately noticed that the car was pulling left in a very strange way. He also noticed that the steering wheel is twitching and jerking every time the front wheels go over small bumps and cracks on the road. He told me that they have to check the air pressure, disk brakes and something like connecting the steering rack to a device that will tell if the wheel alignment of the car changes while driving the vehicle. This part is very technical for me.

Later that day they called me to tell me that I can take the car back. They gave me a job report that says that while the car was pulling left when during the test drive, they couldn't find anything wrong with any of the steering and suspension components so the car is OK at the moment of the testing.

On the evening of 01-04-2014 I emailed a formal Complaint Letter to the Dealer. On 02-04-2014 I have received an email confirming that they have received the letter.

On 03-04-2014 I have noticed that the front bumper is painted in a noticeable different shade of grey then the rest of the car!!!!!

06-04-2014 === Officially rejected the car and returned to the shocked Dealer, who didn't want to touch the keys. I've left them on the reception desk. Also left them a letter explaining them my actions and the reasons behind them. Everything was video recorded by my trusted phone.

=== Later that day I've posted on Citroen’s Facebook pages and on Tweeter.

07-04-2014 === Citroen UK Head Office has been contacted me, aground 11 AM. I've been told they are working on my case.

Here are some links to YouTube and Flickr:

www.flickr.com/photos/26371319@N02/sets/7215764340.../

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDvNjn3Ais

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9di-go9u-A

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2YOyYslUY0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QZAhTatjGk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7-kQOyh_II

This is the story so far.

Is the steering behaviour normal for a new car or I'm just crazy ?

Is there enough evidence to support my case ?

Thank you

Edited by mbrad26 on 09/04/2014 at 14:39

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 15:41

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Armitage Shanks {p}

The part of Barclays Fininace had an interest in this so get them to do the running around for you. To an extenet it is "their" car, at the moment.

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 16:01

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

So far they've been useless and my phone bill is close to 50 pounds because of that. Allready tryed to make them act but with no real succes. I have phone conversations with them of 30 - 40 min on my phone bill ...

This was a distance sell so I had the right to cancel my purchase within 7 days and also 14 days to exit from my credit agreement with them. Trying to make Barclays Partner Finance acknowledge this statutory rights was in vain. They only acknowledge my 14 days to exit the credit agreement. Barclay's staff never heard of this right to cancel an online purchase within 7 days, either because of poor training either because they were trained to say that they never heard of it.

Anyway I'm waiting for them to officialy respond to my Complaint Letter before taking this matter to FOS

Cheers

UPDATE - Citroen Uk just informed me that someone will be in tuch with me this afternoon.

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Mon 14 Apr 2014 17:05

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - SteveLee

"After much consideration and a crazy amount of courage I have decided not to buy a Seat Leon Touring FR but a brand new Citroen DS5 2.0 HDI manual. Very soon this proofed to be a huge mistake. "

It seems to me this is nothing to do with the car being a Citroên (rather than a SEAT) and everything to do with someone damaging the car and then trying to cover their tracks. Can't blame the manufacturer for that.

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 15:45

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - craig-pd130

Having had a quick look at the videos, that is definitely NOT normal behaviour for any car.

It seems like your case for rejection is in progress anyway. I suspect the dealer may try and fix the faults again (and you may have to give them another chance to rectify the problems).

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 16:07

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

And yet mechanincs and mighty engineers from 2 diffrent Citroen Dealers says that this is perfectly normal. Is this negligence, incompotence or maybe they just don't care?

I have this story on many forums and everybody (>98,99%) says that it shouldn't behave the way it does.

I just don't know what to say....

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 16:44

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Armitage Shanks {p}

If these "Faults" are normal than they should be metioned in the brochures along with Air Con, bluetooth. ABS etc!

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 21:07

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - daveyK_UK

Those faults are not normal.

I wonder if the car has been damaged in transit and the dealer has done a botch repair?

It seems inconceivable that the bumper colour difference has been caused by anything other than a re-spray.

Citroen owe you an explanation.

Why not visit another Citroen dealer, test drive an identical car spec to the one you purchased, and video the results?

If I'm passing a Citroen dealer in the next few days, I will see if I can test drive a 2.0 diesel manual for you and will video the experience.

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 21:19

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Collos25

Those faults are not normal.

I wonder if the car has been damaged in transit and the dealer has done a botch repair?

It seems inconceivable that the bumper colour difference has been caused by anything other than a re-spray.

Citroen owe you an explanation.

Why not visit another Citroen dealer, test drive an identical car spec to the one you purchased, and video the results?

If I'm passing a Citroen dealer in the next few days, I will see if I can test drive a 2.0 diesel manual for you and will video the experience.

Totally agree this car has been damaged,and should be replaced at no cost to you.

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 21:46

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Galaxy

Sounds like it's the car that fell off the transporter.

It has definitely been repaired. You should be given a replacement car.

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Wed 9 Apr 2014 22:27

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Thank you but for me is very clear that the steering is not right. The steering should only behave like that only if you try climbing Everest. As for the bumper - I refuse to believe that my car left the factory with that colour on the bumper.

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Thu 10 Apr 2014 15:12

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hi

I got news. Citroen UK called and informed me that they've been in contact with the Dealer all this days. The Dealer's Customer Service Manager is preparing an answer for me together with their legal team. I should expect to receive their answer later today.
Citroen UK will receive a copy of their answer as well

I'm so curious...

Citroen UK agree with me that there is a serious colour mismatch. They also told me that if during the transit a car is damaged, the transportation company usually informs Citroen about the damage and the repairing costs and so Citroen has a database with all the vehicles damaged during transit. However Citroen UK doesn't have any information about my car in this regard. This a proper mystery because clearly there is a colour mismatch.

That's all for now.

Cheers

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Thu 10 Apr 2014 16:06

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Collos25

The dealer could quite easily have damaged it and do you really believe any information from a car dealer or maker.

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Thu 10 Apr 2014 17:07

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hello again

I have a letter from the Dealer Customer Service Manager. According to their letter I have no grounds for rejecting the car and they are all-ready charging my for car storage.

Here is you can find the letter

www.flickr.com/photos/26371319@N02/13760339205/

www.flickr.com/photos/26371319@N02/13760339965/

www.flickr.com/photos/26371319@N02/13760351513/

Cheers

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Thu 10 Apr 2014 22:05

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - craig-pd130

The letter notes that the wheel alignment was as per the specs of a C5, not a DS5.

Has this been corrected by the dealer? Could that have been the reason for the abnormal steering behaviour? In any case, it's a serious fault with either the factory assembly or PDI.

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Thu 10 Apr 2014 22:23

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

I have personally requested that the wheel alignment to be recheked by both dealers(Sutton Park LTD and the Southmpton Citroen Dealer). They declined to do it arguing that the data from the print out is correct.

Also the garage who did the wheel alignment told me that C5 is just how his software sees the DS5.

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Sat 12 Apr 2014 07:11

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Ben79

I have personally requested that the wheel alignment to be recheked by both dealers(Sutton Park LTD and the Southmpton Citroen Dealer). They declined to do it arguing that the data from the print out is correct.

Also the garage who did the wheel alignment told me that C5 is just how his software sees the DS5.

The DS5 has more in common with the C4 than the C5 but is unique and not the same suspension geometry as either of them.

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Sat 12 Apr 2014 20:26

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Perfectly true.

The garage who did the wheel alignmment is ready to back their print out with no reservation.

Also why Citroen Stourbridge DID NOT CHECKED the tracking when they had the oppurtunity to do so??

Why Citroen Stourbridge is now atacking the print out from the independent garage?

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Thu 10 Apr 2014 23:04

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - csgmart

The paint on the bumper definately looks to be a poor match for the rest of the car, so it must have suffered damage of some sort.

Is it possible to 'have a nose around' in the engine bay and under the front of the car - that might just reveal evidence of replacement or even other damage if it was involved in some sort of mishap when being delivered to the dealer.

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Fri 11 Apr 2014 00:15

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - The-Mechanic

Quote : They also told me that if during the transit a car is damaged, the transportation company usually informs Citroen about the damage and the repairing costs and so Citroen has a database with all the vehicles damaged during transit

That's as maybe, but what if the car was damaged by the dealership after it was delivered by the transporter ?

Say the dealership, for whatever reason, crashed it or someone crashed into it ? There is a possibility it could have fallen off the ramp whilst the PDI was being carried out ? Either of these scenario's are plausible and no dealership would own up to Citroen UK and say "we've damaged a car whilst in our possession"

Every new car delivered is (or should) be checked for damage and signed off by the receiving dealership. It's in the dealers best interest to examine the cars for any damage as they are not held responsible until they sign for possession.

Sound's very fishy to me that your car, with the glaringly obviously mismatched paint slipped through the net at all stages of the process from delivery, PDI, valet and handover ? If that was missed, what else was overlooked ?

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Fri 11 Apr 2014 02:19

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - daveyK_UK

Has honest John got an opinion on the story?

Have you sent it to watchdog?

Have you shared it with the dealers local trading standards?

Is it worth getting the dealers local paper and BBC radio station involved?

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Sat 12 Apr 2014 20:21

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

This are my next steps. Trading Standards, Motor Trade Standards and Financial Ombudsman Service will be notify by this situation as soon as I return home.

I have twitted to the editor of the WhatCar Helpdesk about my situation and she agreed to send full details of this story.

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Sat 12 Apr 2014 20:48

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - nortones2

Have you had an independent engineer inspect the chassis alignment, suspension and steering, particularly the mountings? I don't think TS/Motor Trade Standards/FOS will help be able to help a great deal without some factual evidence, and even they have their own agendas. First step: establish and show where the underlying fault(s) lie, and how they relate to the symptoms you describe. Second step: get a solicitor who will argue on your behalf, if the selling garage are intransigent.

Edited by nortones2 on 12/04/2014 at 20:49

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 19:23

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Snakey

The colour mismatch is so obvious, even from a youtube video that I'm amazed it passed a pre delivery inspection, or perhaps they were just hoping you wouldn't notice.

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Sun 13 Apr 2014 20:40

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

It took me almost 2 weeks to notice it. I was su absorbed by the steering/suspension problems that I didn't even considered to check the car for paint defects.

Somehow I believe that there is a conection between steering problems and the color of the front bumper.

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Tue 15 Apr 2014 18:36

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

I have some news. Today I have received two emails and one phone call from Citroen UK.

I couldn't take the phone call as I was up the mountains, trekking. The first email came to inform why they didn't got in-touch with me as Citroen UK was waiting for the Dealer to have their say in this story. This is a little ... as I'm convinced that they received the letter at the same time as I did.

The second email kind of gives me a little bit of hope:

[i]I called you and left you a voicemail and of course you don't have to return my call as I know you're currently out of the country.

Just a courtesy email to let you know we won't accept at this stage the dealer charging you for holding your Citroën DS5. I'm going to continue speaking with ********* from ***** and try my best to resolve matters amicably.

I'll keep you updated via email whilst you're away and of course will call you once you're back in the UK.[/i]

It's clear that the pressure on Citroe UK is mounting because some of you took this story to their Facebook page and kind of forced Citroen UK to take damage control actions. I really, really THANK YOU for everything you guys doing and for your amazing support. When I begun posting on this forum, and others, I didn't really expected this kind of reactions from you all. You are truly amazing and I hope some day I will be able to return your help.

One more thing happened today. WhatCar Helpdesk has contacted me on Facebook requiring more details about my story. Hope they will help as I have read about many difficult situations resolved by their enquires. Citroen UK knows them very well and many other manufacturers as well, including prestigious ones.

Thank you guys

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Tue 22 Apr 2014 20:47

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Just spoke with Barclays and this proved to be a total waste of time. I would like to remind you that I already kept Barclays Partner Finance informed about everything since I took delivery of the car, also sent them a rejection letter explaining why I rejected the car so on.

I have phoned them tonight to ask them to reconsider their position and to assume their responsibility as required by Section 75 of Consumer Section Act 1974. They advised me that is not possible and they will book me for a call back from one of their senior advisers. I begun to cry and laugh because this was the 3rd time when Barclays was booking me for a call back and I've never been called back. Appalling Customer Service...

I got asked the following:

"So what's wrong with the car?"

"Is the car still with you?"

"Did you returned the car?"

"When did you returned the car?"

"What the Dealer told you?''

... and my favourite:

"So what's the purpose of this call ?"

Basically I had to explain everything one more time to a new advisor and in the end to be told that there is nothing new in their position.

After I've calmed down a little bit I have contacted Financial Ombudsman Service and made an official complaint.

Cheers

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 14:58

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hi guys.

Bad news for me.

Citron UK called to ask me what exactly is it that I want: refund, replacement... I've been told that Citroen UK is siding with his Dealer with regards to the steering and suspension issues as there wasn't any faults found during the vehicle inspection.

Also they sent out a Citroen paint specialist (:)) to check the front bumper and the conclusion is that the miss-colour issue is due to the nature of the different materials: front bumper made from plastic and the body panels are being made from metal. Obviously I have protested against this statement. I asked why the rear bumper doesn't have the same issue as is also made from plastic - I didn't get an answer to this question.

They will call me back later today... I don't know why they even bother.

Cheers

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 16:47

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - nortones2

The brochure must show the colour as intended. Blatantly your example has the wrong colour bits attached at the front!

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 16:52

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - skidpan

The brochure must show the colour as intended. Blatantly your example has the wrong colour bits attached at the front!

Brochures always state that it is impossible to replicate the actual colour in print and to look at an actual car.

Had an Escort many years ago. The bumpers, mirrors, fuel flap were a different colour to the body, Ford blamed the fact that they were painted in different factories.

But in your case, if they can get the rear bumper OK they have no excuse if they cannot match the front.

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 16:54

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - skidpan

Citron UK called to ask me what exactly is it that I want: refund, replacement

If that was their actual question what did you tell them. Appears they were giving you an option. A choice of 2, how hard can it be.

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 16:58

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Galaxy

All you need to do is park your car next to an identical model and see whether the front bumper on that one matches the metalwork. I'm sure that it will.

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 17:35

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - nortones2

Skidpan: You are right that the shades might vary, but not on the same car! The OP has a piebald Citroen. In motorcycle lingo, a bitsa:)

Edited by nortones2 on 23/04/2014 at 17:35

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 18:15

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hi again.

Good news for me

What a day!!! It seems there may be a positive outcome for me.

At this moment in time I can't give any details about this as I'm still waiting for more details myself.

Thanks for support and for making this happening.

I will be back as soon as I have more details.

THANK YOU ALL

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 19:32

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - daveyK_UK

Keep going.

Citroen UK have form with siding with dealers when major problems are flagged up.

I know a lady who purchased a 2 year old c4 Picasso. It turned out it had a recon engine, no mention on sale. Citroen did little to help.

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 22:44

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - injection doc

And the moral of the story is if an offer sounds to good to be true then it normally is ! And the 2nd lesson is Distance buying isn't worth the stress and hassle!
Hopefully you get a resolve but surely the discount wasn't worth the stress!
Life's too short !

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 22:58

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - daveyK_UK

Disagree.

Citroens are always discounted, due to the daft high list prices.

While the discounts may seem to good to be true, the original RRP was to daft to be true.

It is worth travelling for a deal, I have never had a problem. The person in this story suffered for a possible dishonest dealer, that is the problem.

Citroen should come down hard on them but I doubt it. Citroen are not alone in being weak on its dealerships, Hyundai UK are equally as useless.

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Wed 23 Apr 2014 23:34

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - drd63

I ordered a red Ford Escort once and the dealer delivered a blue one. Ended up keeping it as too much hassle and time to change it.
OP without wishing to appear contentious and reading between the lines so I may well be well off track, I sort of get the feeling that having taken ownership of your DS it's not really all you'd hoped so you are looking for reasons to reject it. Did you test drive first? It's quite a leap to go from considering something as bland as Seat to a DS5, maybe slightly too strong a flavour for you?

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Thu 24 Apr 2014 17:39

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

You kept a blue car over a red car that you order? I'm not sure what to believe. If you are happy I'm happy for you.

Both me and my wife like the DS5 very much but we completly dislike our car because of the above reasons. This is a Brand new car not a second hand one.

Cheers

Edited by mbrad26 on 24/04/2014 at 17:44

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Thu 24 Apr 2014 18:29

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hi guys

Citroen Spain has given a big like to my story on their FB page !!!

https://www.facebook.com/citroen.es

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Thu 24 Apr 2014 19:15

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Hi guys. Some little news. I have an email saying that tomorrow I will, hopefully, receive more details about a possible happy ending.

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Thu 24 Apr 2014 23:18

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - drd63

I'm fickle like that although increasingly demanding with age.
Glad you like the DS, so the big question is refund or replacement which will you choose?

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Fri 25 Apr 2014 17:19

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

News time

[b]I have received a settlement offer that me and my wife decided to accept it[/b]. "The terms of this settlement shall remain confidential" so please understand why I can't make this terms public. I want to say thanks to Citroen for making this settlement possible and although, sometimes I doubted it, they can be nice guys with a little push.

My deepest gratitude goes to ALL OF YOU, the members of this forum and others, for your continuous and amazing support. I have no doubt that without your help this wouldn't be possible so THANK YOU.

One more time a sincere:

THANK YOU

Cheers

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Fri 25 Apr 2014 17:40

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - daveyK_UK

Honest john 1 - 0 badly repaired DS5

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Fri 25 Apr 2014 17:42

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - craig-pd130

Well done!

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Fri 25 Apr 2014 21:35

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Avant

Well done indeed. It does seem that the lessons to learn from cases like this are (as mbrad seems to have done admirably):

- Persevere and don't give in

- Stay polite and keep it factual

- Keep emotions out if it, however ill-treated you feel

- Record all events and conversations

- Be reasonable and think how you would react if you were the dealer or manufacturer (mbrad's car is new; but, for example, a claim for a manufacturing fault on a 4-year-old car with 90,000 miles on the clock, if allowed unquestioningly, could open the floodgates to similar claims from people who have abused or neglected their cars).

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Fri 25 Apr 2014 22:20

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Very well said:). Gather evidence and go public: use forums and social media platforms. Sometimes you will be seen as a suspect , agitator who is trying to start some sort of revolution:) ... just stay calm and explain your situation as clear as posible.

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Fri 25 Apr 2014 22:40

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - oldroverboy.

Well done!

A good few years ago I offered to return a car to the factory gates full of horse manure,(yes would have cost me a few quid plus written off the car) complete with journalists and photographers in attendance, ( it was 3 days old and damaged roof at delivery) dealer did not want to know.

Car replaced a few days later.

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Sat 26 Apr 2014 15:44

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - mbrad26

Thanks

You have a very nice story:)) .

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Fri 15 Feb 2019 07:31

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - JohnHumphreys

The DS5 is camber sensitive but having had issues with my 2 year old car pulling to the left and shuddering I too have had issues with the dealership. They said Torque linkage, wrong they wanted £80 and I changed the 2 for £20, so I took a look at my struts, both top strut mountings faulty? nearside bearing separated, offside Steel collet detached from rubber meaning the damper was loose.

This is a common part on several Citroen cars so I suspect a under engineered item used as a cost saving exercise.

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Fri 15 Feb 2019 11:58

Citroen DS5 - New CITROEN DS5 - bad paint job, steering faults - Avant

It's a 5-year-old thread but there's no harm in resurrecting it.

DS cars are more expensive than ordinary Citroens, but (as with, say, Audi and Skoda) they use most of the same components. Usually the main point of buying the more upmarket brand is that it will hold its value better (as Audis do). I'm not convinced that DS cars do hold their value any better, and I personlly wouldn't be tempted to buy one.

We have some happy Citroen owners on the forum - is there anyone happy with their DS who would like to counter the above?

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