Looking for advice on a sad c5 story

Canberra c5 owner

Member
Tadpole
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
27
Location
Canberra
Hi everyone. Looking for some general advice on the state of my C5X7, which I only just bought. It's a sad story. I bought the car (2014 2.0l diesel) privately from someone in Victoria, following a pre-purchase inspection that pointed out a leak in the power steering fluid, but would be fine to get back to Canberra. Everything else noted as fine.

The drive up the Hume was great, no dramas, drove like a brand new car to me, with 75,000 on the clock. About 100km later after I got to Canberra the dreaded message "Suspension faulty - drive under 90kmh" came up. Took it to the local Citroen dealer, who said it needed a new steering pump fitted. They found a second hand one, put it in ($1000), and are now saying:
" We suspect the Suspension Firmness Regulators have failed, however we have to stress that additional parts may be required such as power steering assembly or suspension components whose condition can only be confirmed after the replacement of the firmness regulators."

So no quote yet…..but they're saying the parts will be at least $2,500.

I'd like to hear if this rings true, or if I should take it somewhere else? Advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
You do need a second opinion. A leak turned into very premature pump failure turned into hydraulic faults. Can the car be driven to Sydney? We have the best dealer workshop at Continental Cars (there is a COVID procedure so book), and some cheaper expert non-dealer specialists with good reputations, eg Hantos.
 
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The guys at Scullin Service Centre know their way around Citroens.
 
Thanks to seasink and Armidillo. I reckon Sydney might be stretching it. Will give Scullin Guys a call. Such a shame, loved the car for the whole of the first week...
 
Good luck with it. A C5 X7 is as good a car as you can buy, and they are normally very reliable. Regular service parts are reasonably priced too, from independent suppliers, but dealers' pricing can shock.
 
Also it might be worth joining the UK French Car Forum (https://frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/index.php). There are much higher numbers of X7s over there, and some of their members have considerable expertise at diagnosing problems.

Some of their problems are of course caused by salt on winter roads, but one issue that occurs all too frequently over there is power steering fluid leaks. Apparently the steering rack was built by ZF (who also made the transmissions that many of rely on), but it was not one of their better efforts...

Re. Scullin - two of my boys live in & around Canberra, and have taken French cars there over the last few years without any complaints that I am aware of. Nothing as recent as yours, but I presume their mechanics keep up with newer models.

Cheers
Alec
 
Just an aside Alec, that shows how international cars are today. The steering in the hydraulic C5s came from ZF Lenksysteme, which was once half owned with Bosch. In 2014 ZF acquired TRW (and we probably still think of that as American) and was required to divest its share in the steering business to Bosch, which became Robert Bosch Automotive Steering. There is a lot of Germany, USA, and even Japan in a C5.
 
I'd suggest also talking to Bill McNamee. He is a specialist Citroen/Peugeot mechanic in Canberra. 0419 279 811

Ian.
 
It's a 2014 you say? Is it still under warranty? I think 6 years was still applicable around then. If not, might it be worth an appeal to Citroen Australia, given the age and kilometres travelled? Any help is better than nothing, so a visit to a sympathetic dealer might assist in that process.
FWIW, Robin
 
The French Car Forum has a member problem page. Three out of 219 respondents had the steering pump replaced. The suspension regulator was not listed which may indicate that the failure is rare. Interested to hear how you fare.
 
It's a 2014 you say? Is it still under warranty? I think 6 years was still applicable around then. If not, might it be worth an appeal to Citroen Australia, given the age and kilometres travelled? Any help is better than nothing, so a visit to a sympathetic dealer might assist in that process.
FWIW, Robin

And where do find this unicorn? Clearly not in Canberra!
 
And of the 3 pumps out of 219 reported replacements, we don't have a breakdown for hydraulic suspensions. The steel sprung cars use a different electro-hydraulic system (which is a well known C4 and P308 problem).

This current failure is uncommon, and I think another opinion is essential. After Inchcape's re-arrangments experienced and committed dealer shops have largely gone.
 
Hi all, yes I googled the warranty yesterday and found the six year unlimited warranty came in mid-July. Mine was first sold in early April, so yesterday I did write to Citroen asking for coverage. In the meantime I contacted the Scullin guy who reckons they’ve misdiagnosed the problem. I reckon I’ll take it there Monday. Fingers crossed and I’m really grateful for the replies and advice. Cheers
 
Hi all, yes I googled the warranty yesterday and found the six year unlimited warranty came in mid-July. Mine was first sold in early April, so yesterday I did write to Citroen asking for coverage. In the meantime I contacted the Scullin guy who reckons they’ve misdiagnosed the problem. I reckon I’ll take it there Monday. Fingers crossed and I’m really grateful for the replies and advice. Cheers

Hang in there!! You might yet get it sorted at no cost, as it should be!! Now that it's been notified within the warranty I would think they have an obligation to sort under warranty.
All the best, Robin
 
Hang in there!! You might yet get it sorted at no cost, as it should be!! Now that it's been notified within the warranty I would think they have an obligation to sort under warranty.
All the best, Robin
I thought he said the 6 year warranty came into being mid July, and his car is April, why do you say they have an obligation? You mean goodwill? Unlikely.
 
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Hi everyone. Good news, Mark at Scullin worked out the suspension pump wasn’t getting any power, replaced the fuse, and all is seemingly fixed. Probably means the $1,000 for the steering pump replacement was unnecessary by the dealer’s mechanic. Lesson learned.

Again, thanks for the replies and advice.

Alex
 
I hope you kept the old one.

A regular beef in AF is that Inchcape have removed so many dealers and replaced them with inexperienced and often uninterested ones. A fuse is a pretty obvious thing to check.

Anyway that's excellent news. The C5 X7 model is a well built and sorted car, and you'll now get the benefit of it.
 
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