Hi,
Purchased a C3 1.4HDi last August. Apart from having to return to various dealers on 3 occasions to sort out the screenwash tube which was getting trapped between the bonnet and body, no problems.
Yesterday, after having tolerated a squeaking noise from the front wheels for the last couple of months (it wasn't bad, but irritating) , I decided to take the car to the main dealer in Greenford, Middlesex.
After a short time, the Service Manager wanders over and tells me that the pads and shoes have 'glazed over' as a result of new legislation having prohibited the use of asbestos. Okay I say, it's less than 6 months old, sort it out. Answer back is that Citroen only warrant the brake pads/shoes for 4 months or 4000 miles. To have this repaired would cost me £160 + VAT! Also, there was no guarantee that the problem would not return immediately. Needless to say, I was deeply unimpressed and he knew it. He agreed that it wasn't fair, but said that if he did the repair, the garage would not be able to claim the warranty work back from Citroen. Fuming, I tell him to ring Customer Services at Citroen UK. They don't want to talk to me, but he explains the problem, and, funny old thing, they authorise the work, even though the car has covered 6600 miles.
So, why didn't he ring them in the first place (I think I know the answer to that one already!) and what other parts of my allegedly comprehensive 3 year warranty are specifically excluded? Has anyone else had this problem? Does any other manufacturer have this get out clause on the warranty.
Paul D
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I would imagine every warranty only covers items that are subject to wear and tear for a limited period - after all it is perfectly possible to ruin a clutch or set of brake pads in 5,000 miles by bad driving, which is hardly the makes fault.
Pads glazing is caused by not braking hard enough. Make sure you take it out and give the brakes a good stomping on every week or so - this will help prevent them polishing, and improve their performance
Richard
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Thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, I refused to pay the £160, thus leading to the Service Managers conversation with Citroen UK and the subsequent agreement to conduct the repairs under warranty. My concerns are twofold. Firstly, although I can possibly see the argument that brakes and clutches can be worn out quickly, a Pug 206 which I previously owned and which had covered over 12000 miles exhibited the same 'squeaking' and was repaired with no recourse to me; it was in for something else and the garage said that they had fixed it because they had noticed the problem. Also, if there is a necessity to 'brake hard' once a week to keep the brakes in order, why is there no mention of this in the handbook, or other literature? Secondly, if this is a known problem with C3's (or Citroens as a whole?), why didn't the Service Manager contact Citroen prior to trying on the '£160 repair line' thus allowing him to say, 'Sir, there is a known problem with the brakes on your C3 and Citroen UK will cover it under warranty', rather than 'It's going to cost £160 + VAT', and wait for me to lose my rag. I wonder how many other Citroen customers have just paid up....?
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Um, it's not really a "known problem" with Citroens in particular, more a design characteristic of disc brakes in general... If you understand how the different systems on a car actually function, it's easier to treat them with mechanical sympathy.
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Hmm. Not quite sure how to take Daves post. I don't really feel that I need to understand how the different systems on a car function, much as I don't need to know how an aircraft flies because I have to use it to go on holiday!! My complaint really is, I suppose, with the dealer who, in my eyes, tried to extract the money out of me without bothering to contact Citroen UK first. The question of the serviceability of the brakes is secondary to this. I know that brakes have been asbestos free for some time and that there are, according to the same dealer 'no safety issues' with glazed brake pads/shoes. Certainly, there was no noticeable deterioration of the brakes prior to the squeak, or after. It was just the bl**dy constant squeaking which was driving me to distraction!
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Apart from the above.how do you rate the C3 ?It looks like a nice little car to me.
How is the fuel consumption,anywhere near the 60's ?
My wife is thinking of getting one !
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Bernie,
Apart from a few minor problems - the brake issue is the most serious, but that is annoying more than dangerous (allegedly!), the C3 is a good sound car. We've got the HDi Exclusive (not the 16v version) and drive to Manchester about once a month from London. Fuel consumption is in the mid to high 60's sticking at an average 70 mph and mid 50's around the houses. It is painfully economical, but the HDi engine has got a fair amount of torque and doesn't hang around! Interior plastics are a bit iffy, but apart from that, I'd say it's a good motor. Citroen dealers on the other hand............!!!
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£160! I would have thought that a good roughening up with a file would have done the trick while the dealer had the pads out. About 20 minutes work tops, no parts needed
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Can't quite follow why glazing is said to result from light use, to paraphrase the point. I'd have thought said glazing more likely from prolonged contact between pad/shoe and disc/drum, causing constant heat. In geology, (now dimly rememberd) high heat equals formation of glass (obsidian) esp. when allowed to cool rapidly. If so, this implies binding. Therefore fault with brake system. I'm not a mech/tech but would be interested in taking the argument of the garage to bits!
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