Citroen C4 problems

SaKi-The-Killer

Hi All,

Just seeking some advice on my situation:

Citron C4 2005 model.
Had the engine light come on once or twice after cold starts.
Driving one day and notice chugging and lack of acceleration.
Eventually the car cut out(all electrics,steering) & wouldnt start for a while.
Had the Depollution error on the display and Economy mode.
Left it for a day and came back, started after a few tries but the car eventually cut out midway through my drive.
Brought it to a garage and the diagnostics showed a COIL fault error code.
Ended up paying a few hundred for the part(which apparently are only sold in bulk by citroen) and the next day had the same issues.
Brought it back and they tell me its a coil problem cos the diagnostics says so. Later told by one of the mechanics that the local Citroen dealer may have more expertise and to try them.
I did, and theyre telling my the coil error is showing but it could be a myriad of things. They want to try the flywheel sensor which will cost me over 200e and it MAY or MAY NOT fix the issue.

-Am I naive i thinking that this is how the motor industry works, spend a few hundred on parts & labour for something that MAY or MAY NOT work?! seems farcical to me!
-Im to understand that C4s are well known for their electrical issues, could this be related in some way(I noticed my passenger window doesnt work now also)
-Ive read threads online relating to this depollution error and this economy mode. Anyone know or have experience with intermittent particulate filter problems,exhaust issues,altinator issues relating to this?

I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to cars and so i dont wannabe getting fudged over moneywise. I've done some background checks but theres no solid solution for this.
Bit peeved as I've not had the car for 3wks now and its a tad ridiculous. Anyone know any genius Citroen mechanics around the Lucan/Ballyfermot/Clondalkin/Celbridge/Maynooth area?!?!?!

Plug

Particle filters are only on diesels. You said they replaced the coil so I assume its a petrol. It could be a software issue either. ROW on here is very handy with Citroen and French cars in general and may point you in the right direction.

SaKi-The-Killer

Petrol indeed. 1.4.
Schoolboy error on my part.
Cheers for the response

Row

As plug said Particle filters are only on diesels.

What p-code(s) were logged in the ecu...?
If a new coil pack was fitted then it could be a wiring problem or the engine ecu itself.

ekyll78

Im having same problems with my C4 2008. Bought from dealer over 3 wks ago and noticed last week car was chugging in 1st & 2nd gear. Brought it back to dealer and asked them to replace coil pack & plugs which they said they did. I collected it yesterday and its still driving the same as when I left it in to be fixed! A mechanic friend advised that problem should be fixed by process of elimination due to the chugging issue happening for any number of reasons. So frustrating! :mad: Bringing it back to garage today but think I've lost faith in them being able to fix the problem and am thinking of going to car inspection service. Anyone any advice for me?

SaKi-The-Killer

SaKi-The-Killer wrote: »

Hi All,

Just seeking some advice on my situation:

Citron C4 2005 model.
Had the engine light come on once or twice after cold starts.
Driving one day and notice chugging and lack of acceleration.
Eventually the car cut out(all electrics,steering) & wouldnt start for a while.
Had the Depollution error on the display and Economy mode.
Left it for a day and came back, started after a few tries but the car eventually cut out midway through my drive.
Brought it to a garage and the diagnostics showed a COIL fault error code.
Ended up paying a few hundred for the part(which apparently are only sold in bulk by citroen) and the next day had the same issues.
Brought it back and they tell me its a coil problem cos the diagnostics says so. Later told by one of the mechanics that the local Citroen dealer may have more expertise and to try them.
I did, and theyre telling my the coil error is showing but it could be a myriad of things. They want to try the flywheel sensor which will cost me over 200e and it MAY or MAY NOT fix the issue.

-Am I naive i thinking that this is how the motor industry works, spend a few hundred on parts & labour for something that MAY or MAY NOT work?! seems farcical to me!
-Im to understand that C4s are well known for their electrical issues, could this be related in some way(I noticed my passenger window doesnt work now also)
-Ive read threads online relating to this depollution error and this economy mode. Anyone know or have experience with intermittent particulate filter problems,exhaust issues,altinator issues relating to this?

I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to cars and so i dont wannabe getting fudged over moneywise. I've done some background checks but theres no solid solution for this.
Bit peeved as I've not had the car for 3wks now and its a tad ridiculous. Anyone know any genius Citroen mechanics around the Lucan/Ballyfermot/Clondalkin/Celbridge/Maynooth area?!?!?!

So heres an update:

The coil paack didnt work but the garage gave me back the money for the coil packs (240e) as a "goodwill gesture". In fairness, since the part didnt work, I expected my money back! Brought it to a Citroen dealer and they suggested it was the Flywheel sensor. I asked if this was the definitive cause of the problem. They said they didnt know but the next logical step. Not good enough in my view but I went ahead as I had no other options. 214e later, and it hasnt worked, they dont seem to want to give me my money back either despite the fact that the part is clearly not the problem. Ive been advised by Citroen now that its the ECU(1000e +), again I asked is this defniitely the problem, they said theycouldn't say 100%.

Am I naive in thinking that this is how the motor industry works, get the customer the throw money at the problem and "hope" it works. I am disgusted. The fault in the car shows a coil error(aint got the specific unfortunately), the car cuts out completely during driving and so I cannot and have not been driving it for the last 4 weeks. The dealer said it could be a wiring/contact problem but that the whole ECU would need to be changed as oppoed to one part. Its been holed up in the garage since. I dont have the money for an ECU at present and I am definitely not throwing it away to "maybe" fix the problem when i get it. Is there any reliable Citroen mechanics out there, cos Im honestly skeptical about the whole thing.
Thanks

Row

SaKi-The-Killer wrote: »

So heres an update:

The coil paack didnt work but the garage gave me back the money for the coil packs (240e) as a "goodwill gesture". In fairness, since the part didnt work, I expected my money back! Brought it to a Citroen dealer and they suggested it was the Flywheel sensor. I asked if this was the definitive cause of the problem. They said they didnt know but the next logical step. Not good enough in my view but I went ahead as I had no other options. 214e later, and it hasnt worked, they dont seem to want to give me my money back either despite the fact that the part is clearly not the problem. Ive been advised by Citroen now that its the ECU(1000e +), again I asked is this defniitely the problem, they said theycouldn't say 100%.

Am I naive in thinking that this is how the motor industry works, get the customer the throw money at the problem and "hope" it works. I am disgusted. The fault in the car shows a coil error(aint got the specific unfortunately), the car cuts out completely during driving and so I cannot and have not been driving it for the last 4 weeks. The dealer said it could be a wiring/contact problem but that the whole ECU would need to be changed as oppoed to one part. Its been holed up in the garage since. I dont have the money for an ECU at present and I am definitely not throwing it away to "maybe" fix the problem when i get it. Is there any reliable Citroen mechanics out there, cos Im honestly skeptical about the whole thing.
Thanks

Fit a s/h engine bay fusebox and see if that sorts the problem...These can go faulty and cause cutting out problems...Its worth a try and if your handy
you can fit it yourself..;)

SaKi-The-Killer

Cheers.
I'll have a shot at that so!

trixyben

how about getting car hooked up to a live data scanning computer in garage, had to get this done to a 307 i had before with similiar problems

SaKi-The-Killer

So the main dealer put my existing flywheel(which worked from the beginning) back into the car and charged me 170e for doing abosultely nothing. Sham!
Turns out it's the ECU that is the underlying problem (I've three separate opinions on this) so looks like I'll be paying a few quid extra.
main dealer wanted 1100e for one, another mechanic said he'd look through scrapyards for me. I've a place who specialise in ECUs who are quoting me 470e which isn't bad considering!
Cheers for the advice all!

ekyll78

I brought my car to car inspection service last week and its back in the garage bring fixed at the moment so fingers crossed they'll sort the problem. Does anyone know how I can get the actual handbook for the car as the last owner lost it so Im without one?

djemba djemba

Does anyone know how I can get the actual handbook for the car as the last owner lost it so Im without one?[/QUOTE]

Here is a link to a pdf copy of the handbook.

http://www.c4byloeb.com/images/c4manual.pdf