Citroen C5 (2001 - 2008) - warranty claim in England for breakdown in France.

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Wed 1 Apr 2009 18:34
warranty claim in England for breakdown in France. - maximus
A short time ago went to leave cottage in France and car would not start, seemed like flat battery,tried to jump it with portable battery pack but no joy. Eventually had to call out breakdown service. They put new battery in car and it started, but, as the car is less than two years old we got a tow to a Citroen garage. There they told us that the battery was dead and we needed a new one, we said that it's under warranty but they said no. Eventually we had to buy a new one for 156e. But, we took the old one with us to UK. Trouble is can't get refund from Citroen. Had to take battery to UK Citroen dealer for testing, where after charging it was found to be ok. As we had been sold a battery under false pretences: ie; it was not faulty, and as we were told it was faulty it should be under warranty. Phoned Citroen UK again , no joy 'talk to citroen France' we were told.We tried but nobody spoke English. Anyhow, what I want to know is if anyone else has had this sort of problem and any solutions Thanks.
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Wed 1 Apr 2009 18:42
warranty claim in England for breakdown in France. - SteVee
>>where after charging it was found to be ok<<

So why wasn't it charged up when you tried to start the car ?
I suspect that Citroen France diagnosed it correctly - that the battery really is faulty; and Citroen UK have fobbed you off with a simple battery test.

Do you have any explanation of why the battery was dead when you first tried to start the car ? - lights/accessories on - or short journeys ?
Is the battery a warranty item ?

156e is expensive for a battery though !

You could ask a French speaker to write a letter to Citroen France for you - I've done this in the past when a French hire car failed.
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Wed 1 Apr 2009 18:50
warranty claim in England for breakdown in France. - maximus
Since being back in England I've had a recall notice for a software update to audio which may cause a flat battery! Cit france started car ran it for 10- 15 minutes then tested it. Cit UK charged battery overnight then tested it.
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Wed 1 Apr 2009 18:54
warranty claim in England for breakdown in France. - maximus
Also, what upsets me is that Citroen do not seem to liase between countries on a customers behalf.
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Fri 22 May 2009 14:48
warranty claim in England for breakdown in France. - maximus
Just an update. After many calls to Citroen U.K. and France, visits to local dealer etc. Eventually Cit uk agreed to repay the total cost of the battery. I have today received a call from local dealer saying they have a cheque for me. Moral is, don't give up-persist. Also, this does help generate a more positive view of Citroen. If only they had been a bit more responsive in the beginning.
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