What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Lost cause - Postcodes on satnav

I recently bought a Citroen C5 SatNav Estate. At no time during the test drive did the dealer tell me that the satnav would not access full UK postcodes. It will not accept the last two letters, which means you "arrive" anywhere within two or three miles of your destination.

Citroen UK has been unrepentant, saying "we think the four-digit search facility is enough to help you find your way to the vast majority of places." I do not think that it is fit for purpose for sale in the UK market. Do you think that the Small Claims track of a County Court would support this view, if so should I cite the franchise or Citroen UK?

Asked on 14 March 2010 by KF, Bedford

Answered by Honest John
Mercedes owners have a case where their cars are fitted with HD 'Command' satnav systems that can be programmed to take 7 digit UK postcodes but do not necessarily come out of the factory in cars destined for the UK programmed that way.

Buyers have every right to demand they are reprogrammed as the systems are "not of satisfactory quality" otherwise. But where a system is not capable of being programmed to UK postcodes and instead only works by full addresses, that is different and a much more difficult case to argue.
Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
    Select a few terms below
Similar questions
I'm buying an aftermarket sat-nav - what would you recommend?
When I turn on my sat-nav it keeps coming up with a message 'please insert original data carrier'. This only happens when it is cold. It works okay when the weather is above 4 degrees c.
My sat-nav on my BMW X5 SE 2009 model only accepts four- or five-digit postcodes in the UK. Works superbly in France, but useless in the UK. Is there an upgrade that I can load to bring it up to the latest...
Related models
Very comfortable. Fantastic refinement. Well equipped from mid-range models upwards.
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer