2004 Citroen Berlingo Reviews - Page 2 of 3

This is an update to an earlier review. I mentioned a 'zing' noise which usually manifested itself between 2500 - 3000 revs. Excellent attention from the Lee dealer cured the problem - an internal fault on the exhaust box. From the improvements felt in the car I believe now that the exhaust was restricting air flow through the engine because it does not 'roar' as it did before; and in addition I can now hear the turbo operate, whereas before I wondered if it was working.

Engine cap blew off just before 12k mile first service.

Rear door gas lifts broke last month.

Now, engine cover clip fallen off, cracked and broken engine cover, dip stick keeps being forced out of it's hole - dealer investigating possible pressure problem.

Glove box unit does not fit properly despite being replaced.

Hook cable on rear seat has snapped so it's difficult to fold down.

We bought our Berlingo Multispace as our first car in June last year. It was the dealer's 6-month-old testdrive car. Although we're very pleased with its general performance, including great value for money, we have experienced a couple of worrying problems with the engine.

If you think of Disney's ballet-dancing hippos, that's a Berlingo. A bit heavy, chunky looking, but surprisingly light on its feet. Our 2.0 engine seems much more appropriate to the Berlingo's size than my friend's 1.4. It's huge, high boot space is great for carrying all sorts of loads - and I can put my huge buggy frame in the boot without folding it. There's also plenty of other storage spaces for smaller items. MPG is fantastic even with the aircon on and a roof rack.

The down side: The interior is pretty basic and is not very well finished with some fabric edges showing, plastic components not fitting properly etc. It's not exceptionally comfortable, but it has been good enough for family holidays. The driver's seat has no up-down adjustment which was a disappointment - moving the steering wheel up/down and the seat back/forward is not enough to get a really good position.

The main problem we've had is with the engine. The engine's oil cap disappeared in May. I only noticed after I'd stopped and saw oil pouring through the grille. The oil warning light only showed as I came to a halt. The dealer said we couldn't have tightened it properly - but we have never touched it because the dipstick level has always been fine. And this week, the brake fluid light started going on intermittently. When I opened it up to check, I noticed that one of the engine cover clips had disappeared and there was some damage to the cover itself. The dipstick itself has been dislodged a couple of times in last 2 months, but I didn't think anything of it until I saw the damage to the cover. The brake fluid level - the reason I opened the bonnet - was fine. We've booked it in tomorrow for tests.

I'm leaving judgment as to whether I'd buy another Citroen until after I've heard how the dealer intends to deal with the engine problem. But we do love our Bertie, he's a great family-friendly car, and we really hope he feels better soon!