Citroen DS5 Hybrid ECU

pah

FML

A few weeks ago I was collecting kids from school and parked up early. Didn't turn the car off as I often don't. The car goes into a low power mode after a few minutes of its own accord. After about 20 mins the windows started fogging up a bit. I did the usual foot on the brake, press the start button. The engine burst into life [this is normal when the hybrid battery is low] for about 2 secs before cutting out. A fan at the front of the car blew hard, and loud for about 10 minutes and I got a red alert engine failure warning on the dash.

After a few mins I tried to start again and nothing. no reaction. there is power for the lights, windows etc just the car is other wise dead in the water. Had to get it towed to local Citroen dealer. the car is a 132 that I brought in from UK 12 months ago, so no warranty. After a lot of investigation and communication with Citroen UK & France they think that it is "probably" the hybrid ECU based on codes, errors etc which is a €4k+ job :eek:

There is no guarantee however and I will have to pay for the job and hope it works. They can be got on ebay apparently for €2.5k. Now in fairness the garage are doing what they can but I can't help feeling they are a bit technically lacking. They mentioned a few lads around that 'might be able to repair the ECU but were not sure if it was possible. Is it something that can be reflashed/programmed etc like other car ECU's.

Failing that does anybody know someone breaking a DS5 Hybrid for any reason? TIA

pah

I'm just bumping this as it's gone 4 pages deep already. I'm guessing the lack of response is down to the rarity of this car and the fault. The garage head never seen a hybrid ECU go before having sold 30-40 of them.

mickdw

Ring around the couple of companies that do ecu repairs. Often best way out as no new coding needed.

PukkaStukka

OP, where are you based? I know an independent specialist based in Dublin who is good with hybrid systems.

Personally, I would not ask that dealer to touch that car if they "think" it's "probably" the hybrid unit. Going to a main dealer, you expect far more certainty than this, irrespective of how many squillions they've quoted for the job.

Also, if you can get the fault codes Citroen have pulled from that car and can post these here then that would be help.

And to conclude and to give you hope, a recent "ECU" issue I was confronted with recently that was quoted big € to fix was caused by water ingress into an underbonnet fuse box and was an easy job in the end. €80 versus €800.

mickdw

pah wrote: »

I'm just bumping this as it's gone 4 pages deep already. I'm guessing the lack of response is down to the rarity of this car and the fault. The garage head never seen a hybrid ECU go before having sold 30-40 of them.

I'd take dealer comments with a pinch of salt. They all tend to say it's never happened before.
We had a part fall from a new passat. Never saw that before says dealer. It then transpired that there was a wait to get the part due to the demand on them and a recall followed a week later.

PukkaStukka

I'm wondering if this is a BSI fault rather than ECU..... A lot of similarities but the BSI would be much cheaper to fix

corglass

Did you try disconnecting the battery for an hour to see if that sorts it?

pah

Thanks for the replys.

I'm going to sell the DS5 once it's fixed, I've gone and bought a bit of a bangernomics job to keep me going.

Latest from dealer is that they've had some positive communication with Citroen France regarding goodwill on their part towards the issue, will know more tomorrow. I had considered taking it to a Toyota/lexus dealer given that they would be the hybrid experts really but going to hold tough for now.

I'm hoping to get it fixed and just take the hit of selling it on, cost me (€17k) Similar to this but 132 40k miles.

Might approach the dealer to see if they would buy it as would be a nice one to have on their forecourt IMO.

PukkaStukka

Thanks for the update and good luck with whatever decision you make. For the benefit of others who may find themselves in a similar position, can you let us know please what the outcome of this is, including whatever the fault turns out to be?

GeneHunt

pah wrote: »

Thanks for the replys.

I'm going to sell the DS5 once it's fixed, I've gone and bought a bit of a bangernomics job to keep me going.

Latest from dealer is that they've had some positive communication with Citroen France regarding goodwill on their part towards the issue, will know more tomorrow. I had considered taking it to a Toyota/lexus dealer given that they would be the hybrid experts really but going to hold tough for now.

I'm hoping to get it fixed and just take the hit of selling it on, cost me (€17k) Similar to this but 132 40k miles.

Might approach the dealer to see if they would buy it as would be a nice one to have on their forecourt IMO.

Hi Pah I just found this tread, sorry to hear of your bad luck with the Citroen DS5 Hybrid4, I had found another thread by you a few months back (Thread) about you buying the DS5. Can you please post the final chapter on what was wrong with your car. The reason I ask is, because I recently brought a Citroen DS5 Dsport 2.0HDi (not a Hybrid) but I was very keen to buy a Hybrid, Liked the idea of an Hybrid, but the bad reviews on the auto gearbox, sent me back to manual gearbox!:o

pah

To update: DS5 sold for €15,500 She was a beaut

Citroen eventually covered the part in full but it cost me nearly 2k for labour and all the diagnostics etc to try and solve the problem. They had the car for over 2 months. The hybrid ECU was the problem.

I enjoyed driving it for about a month or so again before I sold it. I just couldn't keep it after the hassle of all that.

In terms of the gearbox it could be clunky at times but I found it generally smooth. When driving slowly or accelerating quickly it was smooth enough but tipping along halfway the changes would make you lurch in your seat a bit. The ride was a bit harsh at times but my commute was on good roads & motorway so I never noticed it much plus those seats :eek: too comfy.

I would drive it in semi auto occasionally with the paddles on "b roads" and it handled relatively well. I loved gliding around the place in EV mode. The range was tiny but when fully charged I could nip out to the shops at the other side of town and back (about 2.5k round) on full electric.

I really didn't need a diesel and bought the car mostly for aesthetic reasons. In contrast I'm now driving a 2006 2.5 V6 is250 and put the extra cash into bits at home.

I wouldn't try and persuade anyone for or against the car, I enjoyed it while I had it but I wouldn't buy one again, purely because of the bad mechanical experience.

Bigus

Non Toyota or Lexus hybrids are very chancy, Unless covered by manufacturers warranty and/or service contract.
If fact I'd go as far as to say that, only for hybrids were pioneered with proven Toyota reliability they'd have an awful bad reputation now, but Mitsubishi,Mercedes hybrids seem best of the rest. PSA group ,no thanks.

zilog_jones

pah wrote: »

The ride was a bit harsh at times...

Harsh ride? In a Citroen!? What the hell are they doing? :mad:

PukkaStukka

zilog_jones wrote: »

pah wrote: »

The ride was a bit harsh at times...

Harsh ride? In a Citroen!? What the hell are they doing? :mad:

The DS4 isn't anything to write home about in that dept.

zilog_jones

I wonder how much of that is to do with modern cars having stupidly large wheels with low-profile tyres? Glad I'm still on 15"s.

I always slightly regret not buying a Xantia when I had a chance, that hydropneumatic suspension was something else. Though I went for a 406 instead, which wasn't too far off in terms of ride quality.

ELM327

Bigus wrote: »

Non Toyota or Lexus hybrids are very chancy, Unless covered by manufacturers warranty and/or service contract.
If fact I'd go as far as to say that, only for hybrids were pioneered with proven Toyota reliability they'd have an awful bad reputation now, but Mitsubishi,Mercedes hybrids seem best of the rest. PSA group ,no thanks.

Honda were the first to develop a (modern) hybrid car in the 90's, so they would be also up there with Toyota/Lexus on the reliability standards

zilog_jones wrote: »

I wonder how much of that is to do with modern cars having stupidly large wheels with low-profile tyres? Glad I'm still on 15"s.

I always slightly regret not buying a Xantia when I had a chance, that hydropneumatic suspension was something else. Though I went for a 406 instead, which wasn't too far off in terms of ride quality.

Off topic slightly, but..Xantias are a great car but nothing beats a 406!
I have a real grá for them as espoused in this (slightly fanboyish) post.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=104663805

elm327 wrote: »

My two combined for nearly 500,000 miles so far.
I'm on my second now and I can't agree. I posted a silver one here in the bangers thread but I ended up going to see it, falling in love and buying it.
It had a hard life as a farmers car but it now gets treated to long motorway journeys every now and then, followed by a nice long rest in between.


It doesn't get driven much these days as I have a EV and that does most of my driving but it's handy to have a reliable car that I can put 70 litres in and it does the month at least, and even if I don't as much as sit in it for 2 weeks she starts to a beautiful cacophonic dawn chorus equalling only the finest aviary and will drive another 200 miles without a bother or sniff of a problem. It came with the original invoice, dealer stickers, dealer mudflaps and a service history. A beautiful juxtaposition of rough agriculture, clattering aural pleasure and comfortable refinement in equal measure. To some, my diesel tractor is a bag of bolts. An econowagon, built to the numbers to pass the emissions test and ferry 4 adults in comfortable french armchairs for 300 miles, only to turn around and come home completing the journey of 600 miles on one tank with fuel to spare. But to me it is love. Love and admiration of the french vintage beauty in front of my drive each and every day. Like a fine wine, she has aged beautifully. There are no marks or scratches - just beauty spots showing her experience of life.

My EV gets me cheaper motoring, but every time I get into the EV I look back at the 406. I admire its each and every curve and line, showing that, for a brief period in the mid 90's, we were at the pinnacle of motoring advancement, before computers and technology and emissions tests ruined everything.

As I set off for work now, I must bid adieu to my french beauty, but it will be bonne nuit later. and I know, if I needed to get somewhere urgently, it will get me there comfortably, quickly, and elegantly. And above all, with a smile on my face.

GeneHunt

pah wrote: »

To update: DS5 sold for €15,500 She was a beaut

I was considering buying that car! :rolleyes:

I know you don't want to hear this, but that car will probably give the new owner years of motoring with no trouble now!!!

By the way do you know is that hybrid ECU located under the bonnet or under the back of the car - I know there's a box under the boot floor, which has the high voltage cables from the battery & hybrid motor connected to it. Just wondering is that the Hybrid ECU unit.

pah

GeneHunt wrote: »

I was considering buying that car! :rolleyes:

I know you don't want to hear this, but that car will probably give the new owner years of motoring with no trouble now!!!

I genuinely hope it does.

GeneHunt wrote: »

By the way do you know is that hybrid ECU located under the bonnet or under the back of the car - I know there's a box under the boot floor, which has the high voltage cables from the battery & hybrid motor connected to it. Just wondering is that the Hybrid ECU unit.

I'm not sure I think they might have mentioned it was in the back, and awkward.

pah

Bigus wrote: »

Non Toyota or Lexus hybrids are very chancy

http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/1005/1001075-toyota-recall.


In fairness, if Citroen hadn't managed to sort it out my next port of call was a Toyota/Lexus garage.

road_high

I like them but was it very difficult sell that privately as buyers are so wary of spending so much especially on a very rare car?
Probably would have chanced keeping it myself!

zilog_jones

pah wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/1005/1001075-toyota-recall.

At least recalls are free

pah

road_high wrote: »

I like them but was it very difficult sell that privately as buyers are so wary of spending so much especially on a very rare car?
Probably would have chanced keeping it myself!

Took a while to sell. I didn't advertise the ECU issue but explained to anyone who enquired. The price narrowed the market alright but there's a buyer for every car.