My 2001 Xsara:a genuine Lemon

[Juan M.]

It's unbelieveable. I really have a fu*ked up Xsara. I'm a 39 y.o. familyman and a careful driver, never thrashed my Xsara and had it serviced more than what's required. Serviced it at 10Km, 20Km, 30Km then moved up to 15K increments as dealer said I'm wasting money on unnecessary oil changes. Next service 45K(02/05) cost me $580 then at 58Km(9/05) the bomb - $3,150(see my previous post). Then now at only 64Km (12/05) my headgasket's leaking and heater matrix leaking too Dealer quoted $1,700 for headgasket and $1,500 for heater matrix. Fu*k! And to top it all, I'll have no car for 5 days - 3 days to fix gasket and 2 days to remove dash and install matrix.

Unbelievable. $580+$3,150+$1,700 +$1,500, almost $7000 in one year for repairs and maintenance. I'm quite sure that ALL the problems raised in this site about Xsara's have happened to me. Maybe except the power window motor, mine is still working. Who know's, next week it might just decide to die. Now everytime I leave it at the parking lot, I wish somebody steals it, or maybe a meteorite falls on it.

 

[HONG KONG PUGGY]

juan,
I was under the impression that things like the ones you have mentioned were covered under the cars new warranty?
Not ever having had a new car or read a warranty form I have no idea but a head gasket etc should be covered in my opinion at least under 100,000km anyway.
Cab fair trading or something similar help...this sounds like one of those Today Tonight stories you hear about all the time when someone buys a frod or holdin and it just is a heap of garbage. it pains me and I am sure many here to see you having such hassles with what seem to be an OK little car from all posts here.

Good luck.
Chris...

Merry Christmas too, if that's possible...may-be you should whisper in the fat guy in the red suit's ear and ask for an '05 C4 for X-mas?:roflmao:

 

[mantra]

Ever thought of getting a second opinion?

Or heaven forbid, not fixing the problems and on-selling the car.

 

[Mandrake]

I've never seen a Xsara close up but those prices for doing the head gasket and heater matrix seem to be WAY over the top to me... if that were my car I'd have very strong reservations about believing that quote, and I would be seeking a second (and 3rd) opinion from an independant garage.

Since they're trying to charge you for the work, presumably the car is out of warranty ? If so there is no reason to keep going back to the official dealer, you're better off finding a good independant Citroen mechanic...

Somebody on this forum would probably have advice on someone in your area...

Regards,
Simon

 

[gibgib]

Ever thought of getting a second opinion?

Or heaven forbid, not fixing the problems and on-selling the car.

Note to self: do not purchase a car from Mantra

 

[Sergetov]

Note to self: do not purchase a car from Mantra

Had my auto-trans serviced about 18 months ago. They told me it was so bad I should sell the car, not worth fixing.

It is still fine. They are out of business.

 

[Uga Boga]

Sorry to hear your problems.... You must really have a lemon....

I mean, to experience all these problems, so early in it's life... and it's not like you've been using it as a workhorse, since most of those km's have gradually been put on...

My Xsara is like a workhorse, 100,000 kms/1 year and a half.. no problems whatsoever. I reckon, it's because the dealer who i use is genuine and actually does look after the car pre-emptively...

Could be, that the dealer you used since purchase, wasn't properly maintaining the car, or you were just unlucky and received a dud, or i'm very lucky and received the only decent Xsara in existance.

Whatever the reason, i really feel for you and i know how your options are limited.

You do have a fair amount of reputable independant citroen mechanics you could try out in melb tho...

 

[Juan M.]

Thanks guys. My Xsara is 4.5 y.o./64k and it's out of warranty. After spending $3,150 at 58K a couple of months back, I've decided not to spend anymore for the head gasket coolant leak and heater matrix leak, will just have to top up the coolant with 400mls of water every month and ignore the fishy smell when using the heater. Will just drive this car for another year and a half then send it to the wreckers by 2007. It's draining my funds and I'm not spending another cent on this car. Will just probably have an oil change at 80 K then let it die a natural death. By 2007, newer and more reliable models would have come out, the Xsara is a 1997 design - a backward 1990's car riddled with flaws like the Hyundai Excel!

 

[pugrambo]

Thanks guys. My Xsara is 4.5 y.o./64k and it's out of warranty. After spending $3,150 at 58K a couple of months back, I've decided not to spend anymore for the head gasket coolant leak and heater matrix leak, will just have to top up the coolant with 400mls of water every month and ignore the fishy smell when using the heater. Will just drive this car for another year and a half then send it to the wreckers by 2007. It's draining my funds and I'm not spending another cent on this car. Will just probably have an oil change at 80 K then let it die a natural death. By 2007, newer and more reliable models would have come out, the Xsara is a 1997 design - a backward 1990's car riddled with flaws like the Hyundai Excel!

it doesn't sound like it's leaking very badly so maybe a can of bars leaks in it will cure it

as far as i know Alan S has researched this and found that it is normal to use this stuff to cure such problems especially in heater matrix's

 

[Juan M.]

Pugrambo, this is exactly my thinking although the Cit. dealer discouraged me using sealants. What the heck, mine's out of warranty and they're squeezing another $3,000 from me. Bought Bars sealant at Kmart this morning. Fingers crossed, will let you all know what happens.

 

[Stuey]

Had my auto-trans serviced about 18 months ago. They told me it was so bad I should sell the car, not worth fixing.

It is still fine. They are out of business.

Serge, you don't have a lot of cousins with names like 'Rocco' and 'Joe', do you?

 

[Alan S]

Thanks guys. My Xsara is 4.5 y.o./64k and it's out of warranty. After spending $3,150 at 58K a couple of months back, I've decided not to spend anymore for the head gasket coolant leak and heater matrix leak, will just have to top up the coolant with 400mls of water every month and ignore the fishy smell when using the heater. Will just drive this car for another year and a half then send it to the wreckers by 2007. It's draining my funds and I'm not spending another cent on this car. Will just probably have an oil change at 80 K then let it die a natural death. By 2007, newer and more reliable models would have come out, the Xsara is a 1997 design - a backward 1990's car riddled with flaws like the Hyundai Excel!

Looks like you are about to start enjoying your car and stop keeping a dealer living in the manner to which he's grown accustomed.
Personally, I reckon you've been the victim of pedantic servicing, something that dealers and opportunistic repairers can tend to do. It's neither illegal nor unethical but in common speaking terms, it's a case of making mountains out of molehills. If one of these guys' own car had the same current problems, lay quids he wouldn't go to this amount of trouble on his own car; no, he'd do what most repairers would, so; a bottle of Barr's Leaks or Chemiweld in it and drive off into the sunset because to go as far as you've been told to go to rectify the problem may be servicing by the book, but is making a nice little earner for the dealer whereas doing the same on his own car is costing, not making money and as he would tell his mates "not really necessary to go to that extent anyway."
You don't say where the head gasket is leaking; is it water in the oil, water leaking to the outside or engine running rough? If it's just water dripping out between the head and block, a can of Barrs will fix it. It seems it more of a qirk than a fault and isn't something exclusive to Cits or French cars; cars have been doing it for years mainly because the stresses all come on a car's cylinder head by trying to stop the compression from blowing into the water jackets so less attention in design seems to be always being made top where it seals off to the outside world. If it was leaking from the cylinders into the water jacket such that it blows the filler cap off whenever you take it off even cold, then I doubt Barrs or similar will help, but loss of coolant inevitably leads to air in the system, air leads to steam, steam leads to pressure and pressure leads to leaks, so get rid of your system leak and in the process you'll lose the matrix leak due to the fall in internal pressures when the head leak is sorted.
If you feel uneasy about putting Barr's Leaks in the system then think about this; if you do get a new matrix fitted and assuming the dealer does the job "by the book," then I understand the manufacturers instructions are to put a bottle of Barr's or similar in on completion of the installation. It makes the coolant look like floodwaters in colour and feel, smells a bit medicinal, makes the radiator cap as greasy as a butchers but on the upside is in itself an anti corrosive, lubricates the water pump and above all doesn't affect the running detrimentally. I run it in all my cars as a part of normal procedure and as I'm in the tropics, keeping engines cool can be a problem;I don't have any overheating problems.
I'd suggest you either consider doing your own routine serviice and just have a poke around when you do and ask questions if things don't look right. To just neglect the car for the hell of it is just cutting off your nose to spite your face and will cause even more problems, whereas by just doing the basics you might be surprised at just how reliable this car really is. If there's any small repairers in your area, one man (middle aged) operators, go have a talk to them and see if they are tradesmen and capable of working on a FWD car for general basic servuicing. If they start the conversation with "Aww Geez a Sitrun, that's gunna costcha a forchune to work on that" just walk off as they obviously aren't qualified as a mechanic. Failing this, give Dave Cavanagh a call at Frrench Connection. Years ago when I had the business, I used to have to travel about 200 klms each way to get my car serviced and in most cases you'll find a good reliable repairer will try to make sure the car is fixed in the one day so as not to cause too much inconvenience.
FWIW, I have had experience with a few dealer serviced cars in the past couple of years that have had literally thousands of $$s spent on them and find one common denominator; they seem to love getting involved in high priced jobs that they can short cut, but reluctant to do general service jobs that give away the over charging they get up to, cambelts being a good case in point. Of 3 cars, 2 were almost 40K klms overdue for a cambelt change whilst the third was almost 20K klms and in each case the owners relied 100% on the dealer to service it, but think about it; ask anyone for the cost of a cambelt change and see how many respond, but ask for fitting a part rarely fitted and who can they compare it with?
I was recently told of a Xsara down the Gold Coast where the owner was using it as a commercial vehicle and as such considered it as a consumeable, so did nothing as regards service........and I mean nothing. From what I heard, at 300K klms the cambelt snapped so he sold the car off cheap and bought another. Stoopid? Maybe, but if nothing else, it proves just what these cars will do if they don't get stuffed around with by dealers.


Alan S

 

[Juan M.]

Alan, thanks for your advice and the technical explanation. I agree with your views, just enjoy the car and stop giving my money to the dealer.

Coolant is dripping out between the head and block and there's no soggy carpet only a fishy smell when the heater's on. I guess Barrs can still fix this.

When I get to 80K, I reckon about June 06, I'm definitely going to Dave. Euro "specialists" down here are also rip offs.

Cheers.

 

[Alan S]

Alan, thanks for your advice and the technical explanation. I agree with your views, just enjoy the car and stop giving my money to the dealer.

Coolant is dripping out between the head and block and there's no soggy carpet only a fishy smell when the heater's on. I guess Barrs can still fix this.

When I get to 80K, I reckon about June 06, I'm definitely going to Dave. Euro "specialists" down here are also rip offs.

Cheers.

Now knowing exactly where the leak is, between the head and block, I'd say a bottle of Barr's is your answer.
To really rub their noses in it, take a poke around Woolies Auto section as they sometimes clear it out for a little as $2.40 but usually up to $11 a bottle; much cheaper option.


Alan S