Any Citroen mechanics or owners - Need a little advice

Access

My brother in law is heading to the UK to source a 2011/12/13 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso for the family next month.

Just looking for advice on what issues/common faults this model might have from your experiences and what to look out for.

(Looking at 1.6 diesel models)

Cheers.

Dia1988

Consider a 2012/13 Renault Grand Scenic 1.5dci instead.

Those Citroens from that era can be fair ****e.

The newer Picasso is much better

Access

Anything specific that goes wrong in them?

funkey_monkey

Access wrote: »

Anything specific that goes wrong in them?

Might be best going into https://frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/index.php and asking there. Very knowledgeable crowd on there who help me out from time to time.
They will be able to tell you which models to go for, which to avoid, engines to avoid etc and also common faults and things to check for.


There is also a Renault sub forum in the site too.

Dia1988

Access wrote: »

Anything specific that goes wrong in them?

The airbag shock absorbers can go and are pricey to replace.
Air conditioning frequently doesn't work, not just because of it needing regasing.

The dpf filter warning light frequently comes on. The 1.6 hdi engine is not the most reliable.
Fit and finish on dashboard etc can be flimsy and squeaky.

The Grand Scenic from 2012 onwards is a more reliable work horse.

Dia1988

What's your budget?

elbyrneo

Had a 2008 exclusive 1.6hdi diesel for a year or so. It was just over 3 years old at time.

Came with the pneumatic air suspension. Bag burst 3 months in. Car sat on wheels, got towed. Was shortage of part in Europe as was a common fault. Paid 500 to convert to standard suspension.

Came with automatic gearbox and flappy paddles. Gearbox died despite being serviced per schedule. Another costly bill.

Had an oil leak. Driveway destroyed. Brought to well know citroen specialist near Clonee. Even he coulndt figure it out the source after 4 separate visits.

Started overheating and going into limp mode. At that stage, I drove slowly to a garage and traded in for a new car with warranty and peace of mind. Never thought I would buy new until that Citroen.

Expensive purchase in more ways than one.

funkey_monkey

Came with automatic gearbox and flappy paddles. Gearbox died despite being serviced per schedule. Another costly bill.

That EGS gearbox is one to avoid at all costs apparently. Also, the early 1.6HDi engines had some weak points too.
I've a 2.0HDi from 2001 (not a Picasso) with 305,000km on the clock. Engine still going well as long as you keep it serviced. Has a fondness for drop links, but all PSA are like that - cheap and easy to replace at home.

Bigus

I'd low ball a few dealers here first , after all UK prices will dictate prices here , what's the harm in asking ? Or get him to give an irish dealer real examples of an import price to help negotiations .