16th Dec 2006, 14:52

Sounds a bit far fetched to me. You don't get rid of your car because of a repairable fault. Possibly you didn't like the car from the start. Also, a passat is a completely different class from a C4. You've gone up from a ten-fifteen thousand pound car to a passat which starts at sixteen thousand.

2nd Mar 2007, 20:58

Best way to get your car sorted... do not tell them what's wrong; actually take a tech out and show them the problem.

Coin drawer getting stuck; simple, easy, low tech fix... pull it hard, and if you can't, get something in between it you can wedge it out with. It won't break; all it will be is a coin getting stuck under it, and causing the metal spring to not compress properly. Resulting in it getting stuck. A sharp tug will sort it; happened to me a few times.

Speed control / cruise failure. Get them to check the clutch switch. Another common problem they should have known about; there is also a software update to fix something similar with the system.

And problems have to be expected with new cars; happens to even the prestige marques. I mean look at the early Audi TT; it had to be recalled because they liked to crash due to downforce issues. On Maserati's the steering racks like to fail mid corner, resulting in you ploughing into the first tree. The Mercedes A class at first like to flip over.

There are teething issues with the cars that can only be found when a lot of people have them.

If you have problems and want some good advice from people who have had these cars for 2 years plus, and know of the most common issues, try coming to the C4 owners club.

http://c4owners.co.uk/

There are a few of us on there willing to help out the best we can, from what we have learned ourselves owning the cars.

29th May 2007, 05:02

I bought myself a new car a couple of months ago after considering several different makes. C4 was one of these, but I decided not to go for the new C4 for the following reasons:

1. Citroen dealers are totally, utterly hopeless. I don't know what's wrong with them. We've had 3 different Citroens lately (C5, Xsara, Berlingo 'Roofless'). They are OK cars that are good to drive and I do like how Citroens drive. But you better hope you don't encounter any problems because the Citroen dealer won't help you. And Citroens means problems.

2. Citroens are becoming more expensive at least here in this country. It's apparent that there's a new pricing strategy. The C4 is actually more money than the Focus/Astra and about the same as the Golf and the new Auris (Corolla). Especially the 'fully loaded' versions with automatic/ACC/xenon etc are incredibly expensive. More than a Golf with the same equipment.

3. Deprecation is murder on these cars. After 5 years they are worth absolutely nothing.

So, do I want to pay a lot of money for a troublesome car even if it's fun to drive? No. I let my wallet do the talking. They aren't THAT good.

It's easy for me to understand why Citroen is struggling for the moment and why their market share is down.

1st Jan 2008, 11:49

It's not fair to label every dealer as "utterly hopeless" when your experience will have been limited to just one or two from a total of almost 300.

My local family-run Citroen garage is far more accommodating than any equivalent BMW or Mercedes shop, my experience being that only Lexus look after you better.

As is the case with buying any make and model, you need to sniff out the nearest franchise... THEN choose the car!

12th Mar 2008, 16:22

I am struggling to work out how these cars are more expensive than the Focus.

I got my VTS brand new with xenon's, Dual zone climate and all the toys and it was £15,800 after some haggling. Tell me where I can get a similar spec car for less. With a 180hp 2.0 engine as well.

In 3 years it will be worth around £9000 So £6,500 depreciation in 3 years is not that bad.

15th Apr 2008, 10:53

I live in Greece and I have a C4 VTRS, which is something like VTS (available in the UK) concerning the equipment you get, but you can choose a weaker engine, i.e. you're not limited to the 2.0 L one. The car is simply excellent. The one I own has all the equipment you can imagine: 17" alloy rims, automatic AC, mp3 music, leather steering wheel, sensors for rain, sensors for light, automatic fading of the mirror, sports seats, board computer, dimmed glass with thermal and acoustic isolation, cruise control and speed limiter, etc, etc. In other words, this car is equipped like the cars of a much higher class and price, e.g. starting from 35,000 Euros.

Everything works flawlessly on this car. If you are planning to buy it new and drive it up to 4 years, then I recommend it as one of the best in its class, and I find it better than Opel Astra, Ford Focus, VW Golf, etc in the same price range, meaning that Golf RS32 or Focus ST are out of class. The only better car in the class is Honda Civic. I can't say how reliable it will be after 10 years, but I'll sell it after 3-4 years, and buy a new car. I'm certain C4 can live that much with no issues.

I simply cannot believe what the guy said in the original post! It seems to me like a little inflated and distorted story, and it's all controversial. The guy hates Citroens, and yet he drives only Citroens, since the previous car was Xsara. The car collapsed/stalled at 50-70 mph!? Can someone explain how it happens? The description of the incidents doesn't sound logical, because the guy says he almost hit other vehicles on the road for a few times. Does the steering wheel detach? Brakes failed too? Strange... Sounds to me more like a bad driver, than like a bad car.

9th Sep 2008, 05:30

I've had a number of issues with my Citroen C4 Coupe - mainly the depollution sign illuminating whenever I actually need the car for something very specific i.e. driving home for Christmas/holidays etc. The fault has now occurred three times in two months. I picked up the car this morning after another visit to the garage - although I've used a different one now hoping that they may be able to fix the fault. Fingers crossed it'll work and I won't be plagued by the light again, although I hold very little hope.

It is true though that this problem can cause the car to pack-up even when you're on the motorway. It happened to me. Literally the depollution sign came on and about 50 miles later the electrics and engine cut. The steering becomes very heavy and it's really hard to get yourself out of danger. I simply won't drive the car now when the light comes on - other than to the garage. It's very dangerous and I'm surprised that Citroen hasn't recalled it.

If the light comes on again, I'm getting rid of it. It's simply not worth the hassle and certain not worth my life.