2nd hand car broken after 5months

GreenCat80

I’m mostly annoyed with the warranty people because when I told them on the phone all the things it needed doing, they said that some of it was covered (maybe £200 worth) but now they’re saying because they don’t cover the clutch kit they won’t pay for any of it 🙄

Ganga

Thrugelmir said:

What's the vehicle? 

C4 Picasso if the bill is genuine.

daveyjp

Automated manual so the clutch will need replacing at some point.

GreenCat80

daveyjp said:

Automated manual so the clutch will need replacing at some point.

I don’t know what that means, is 86000 miles about the right time for the clutch to go? 

400ixl

Being an automatic makes little difference really. Parts are marginally more expensive but the cost to do the work is not much.

Paying main dealer rates for a 10+ year old car for this will always be very expensive. There would have been plenty of specialists who would have done this at half the labour rate.

As for the 6 month timeframe, that would apply if there was a fault, but this is just a serviceable item. No different to if the brake pads had worn out, or the tyres needing replacing.

86,000 miles is not out of the range for a clutch, usually these days you would get more but it isn't a mileage to say it is out of the expected range.

GreenCat80

400ixl said:

Being an automatic makes little difference really. Parts are marginally more expensive but the cost to do the work is not much.

Paying main dealer rates for a 10+ year old car for this will always be very expensive. There would have been plenty of specialists who would have done this at half the labour rate.

As for the 6 month timeframe, that would apply if there was a fault, but this is just a serviceable item. No different to if the brake pads had worn out, or the tyres needing replacing.

86,000 miles is not out of the range for a clutch, usually these days you would get more but it isn't a mileage to say it is out of the expected range.

I honestly I was gutted, I phoned around loads of places but no one works on or knew anyone who isn’t retired who works on automatics. A downside of living rurally I guess! I work next to a garage who had a quick look and said it was electrical and cleared the fault for me, but it obviously wasn’t as after that it would start but not move!

angrycrow

Effectively what you have is a manual gear box and standard clutch but instead of being operated by your foot on the clutch pedal and hand on gear stick computer controlled motors replace your limbs to operate the clutch and to change gear.

The consensus is that they don't work particularly well and tend to be very problematic. It appears Fords Powershift is a particularly bad example. 

In addition you then have a dual mass flywheel which also tend to wear out. Garages often advise changing the dual mass flywheel whilst changing the clutch even if it's not yet broken.

That's why the bill is very high. 

Clearly there's no argument that your driving will have caused the clutch to fail but likewise its about the right age to go. I would not fancy your chances of getting anything out of the garage after 5 months of ownership unless your had reported issues from day 1. 

force_ten

GreenCat80 said:

daveyjp said:

Automated manual so the clutch will need replacing at some point.

I don’t know what that means, is 86000 miles about the right time for the clutch to go? 

what you have is a robotised or a piloted manual gearbox so it is a manual gearbox with a clutch but no clutch pedal and the car has electronic actuators that disengage the clutch and select the gears for you

this is why nobody wanted to work on it and why you had to go to the main dealers. a good Citroen Independent specialist would have been able to help you but to late for you on this occasion but l would get on the Citroen forums and for recommendations of a good Indy that is local to you

[Deleted User]

French, automatic, 86,000 miles and 10 years old. A recipe for disaster I’m afraid. This is the downside of the modern era of car tech. 

I feel your pain and while the dealer has no legal responsibility I would try the dealer for some sort of good will gesture. 

Years ago I was also stung by an old French auto car that failed me. I put it down to experience and traded it in pronto. 

Older cars need to be simple manual low spec cars if you want to keep costs down.  

GreenCat80

Deleted_User said:

French, automatic, 86,000 miles and 10 years old. A recipe for disaster I’m afraid. This is the downside of the modern era of car tech. 

I feel your pain and while the dealer has no legal responsibility I would try the dealer for some sort of good will gesture. 

Years ago I was also stung by an old French auto car that failed me. I put it down to experience and traded it in pronto. 

Older cars need to be simple manual low spec cars if you want to keep costs down.  

It’s really not the car I wanted or would of chose myself, but it’s done now. Thanks for your response