I can well believe it judging by the number of electrical items put in cars but bar room wisdom is not very good if the major car manufacturer in France is proven to very reliable.

Hardly "very reliable" -- still 8th bottom, and twice as likely as a Subaru to suffer an electrical failure.

I get to see a lot of Peugeots and Citroens, and for me I find the most common cause of electrical failure - after a couple of known design flaws (207 and 407 rear light earth problem, and the 307 heater resistor pack) - are down to owner neglect.

I find cars where the bonnet is never lifted and the scuttles are blocked with leaves and debris, so the water doesn't flow out of the channels and runs into the fuse box or the soundproofing which soaks it up like a sponge.

Or the wheel arch liners are missing and the components protected from the elements (windscreen washer pump, ABS unit, power steering) are all exposed to the elements.

Others just haven't read their manuals and read warnings about jump starting. "BSI reset, what's that?" I hear all the time, along with people who think a car battery will last forever.

I wonder if there's a connection between French cars being general family runarounds and less likely to be maintained by their owners (trying not to be sexist here, my own partner doesn't maintain her vehicle and it irks me somewhat).

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 18/03/2014 at 13:32