2001 Citroen Berlingo Multispace Forte 1.9 diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Would never buy another one after current experience

Faults:

Trim is very poor and coming off outside. Sliding rear doors have never functioned properly. Driver's seat does not always catch on the runners and can suddenly move when driving.

Most seriously, the con rod came through the side of the engine at 62,424 miles and only 6 weeks out of warranty period. The dealer who supplied the car could find no obvious reason for this to happen and tried to get Citroen to contribute toward the cost of engine replacement. Citroen refused on the grounds of the "age" of the car i.e. it was out of the warranty period.

General Comments:

Very roomy - excellent people and dog carrier.

Comfortable for long distance - we like the higher position on the road.

Citroen have a lot to learn about customer relations if they are to retain loyalty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th July, 2004

13th Mar 2006, 17:06

You can’t expect a car manufacturer to contribute to cars out of warranty.

6th Feb 2007, 08:49

Six weeks out of warranty and the claim denied? This is bad business. Citroen could have made some adjustment towards the cost of an engine replacement, if only a token amount.

This experience is enough to scare me away from Citroen forever.

2001 Citroen Berlingo Multispace 1.6 petrol from Norway

Summary:

Big car for little money

Faults:

Some moisture in two of the blinker lamps.

Fabric of seats got a bit flossy.

General Comments:

The great thing about this car is that you get a very roomy and comfortable car at a relatively low price.

All three kids have enough legroom and the hight of the roof gives an airy cabin that prevents car sickness.

650 litres of luggage room is plenty, even for my drum kit.

The new 1.6 petrol engine, (the same as in Xsara or Peugeot 307) is a great engine; flexible, quiet and strong enough for Norwegian speed limits.

I must say that I enjoy very much to drive it, on long journeys or at small trips in the city.

It's hard to find something really negative to say about it, but if I have to, it must be that because of its height, it leans a bit in the curves.

We have had the car for more than a year now and are very satisfied with it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th May, 2002

1st Jul 2004, 10:32

No more annoying leaning in the corners for my Berlingo, lowered it approx. 40mm. (:

6th Aug 2006, 17:27

I was very happy when I decided to buy a Berlingo '01 and I didn't regret it. It's a great car, a lot of space, good driving and steering, clima and a lot of stuff integrated in the car and the service that is affordable: and the best thing is that, after a service is done, the car is driving like it was new! I'm proud to have one of them...

26th Dec 2006, 16:26

I'm the author of the original review. And some kilometres and years have passed since I wrote those words. I'm sad to say that I'm not that happy about the car now. It has just passed 100.000 km, and what I can add to the list of faults are these: brakes repaired both sides on the rear and on left side on front, exhaust system had to be replaced because of rust, control box for multiplexing system replaced because of fault on the interior light, heat in mirror broken on both sides of the car, rear wiper replaced, bulbs that lights up the heater and fan all broken and replaced, failure on speedometer and instrument,- when I turn off the car, they go black and if its cold outside remains dead for some minutes when I start the car again. Most of these fault was fixed by guaranty, but now I have to pay with own money, and the love for Berlingo is decreasing rapidly. My last Citroen!

In reply to 26th Dec 2006, 16:26

26th Oct 2011, 08:28

Hi, I've got a Berlingo with the same fault as yours. Dash goes dead for a few minutes, and even the speedo is dead. After driving a while, all starts working. Can you point me in the right direction please? Thanks, Ken.