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Dazco
 
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  Member No: #5130
Location: mijas |
Hello, I am going to look at one of these magnificent vehicles on Saturday. Is there a check list anywhere to help me with what to look for? I have never even driven one. Thanks |
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MGmike
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   Member No: #3151
Location: South Queensferry |
Buyers Guide Prompted by a potential new owner looking for a buyers guide, I thought I’d share some experiences and the knowledge gained from reading and watching a lot of online stuff about the C6. Most of which has been from the C6Owners.org website and YouTube So, what to go for and what to look out for… This could be a long guide and might just put you off owning a C6 altogether but best to be prepared, know the worst, go in with your eyes open and enjoy the ride! Most UK C6’s were built in 2006/7 (except the 3.0 HDI’s which are 2008/9 build). Therefore, unless you can get a very late model (reg date 2010-12) which are like hens teeth and expensive, I wouldn’t pay much of a premium for an 08/09 car but buy on other factors e.g. mileage, service history etc. If you can find a low mileage car that’s been serviced every two years, great, go for it but keep some cash in the bank to do the preventative maintenance these cars need. Preventative maintenance falls in two to categories:- 1, What Citroen say 2, What we’ve all found out from the experiences of owning and running these wonderful cars 1, What Citron say.. Well not a lot! Regular oil and filters etc and the largest expense will be the timing belts at the best part of £1k to do properly e.g. belts, water pump, coolant etc. 2, What we have found out When doing the belts you’ve be advised to replace the thermostat housing, water inlet manifold and potentially oil pump. If you are looking at a higher mileage car, some of the above will have been done but I’ll bet the water inlet manifold and oil pump won’t have. Check out my post on C6Owners.org (search for YR56) and you’ll see what happens when the inlet manifold let’s go!. Also, check out the number of Jag XF’s or RR Sports/TD4 up as spares or repairs due to a bottom end/engine faults (most likely down to oil pump issues). If you didn’t know, the engine is (almost) the same on the XF and RR etc. but I would say slightly less stressed in the C6. On the whole the engines are very reliable if the coolant system is looked after, treated to regular oil changes every 10k and not revved to the max in sport mode. There have been reports of crankshafts snapping but these are few and far between on a C6. The most likely failures are head gaskets due to overheating. EGR valve replacements At or around 80-100k EGR valves will need attention! Both of them are a right pig of a job taking 6-8 hours each! Use only quality (expensive!) replacements or you’ll end up doing them twice. I’ve had a lot of success stripping and cleaning EGR’s but some do fail with electrical issues which can’t be fixed. Turbo actuators These have a weakness due to the fine wires used inside but there’s enough info on line to be able to fix this problem if it presents. Other coolant system issues The metal coolant pipe (heater return) which runs along the n/s inner wing rusts out but can be repaired with flexible hose. Check it and replace the rusty bit before it fails. The small plastic pipes from the expansion tank to the engine/rad get very brittle and should be replaced when doing other coolant system work (these are only £20 each). One of the major failings of the car is that the engine temperature sensor is mounted at just about the highest point of the system and fails to register any increase in temperature if you do have a leak! Therefore, fitting a low coolant alarm might just save your engine if something does go wrong. Gearbox Has it had any oil changes? It should be done every 70-80k to be safe but most won’t have. Plan to change it as soon as possible at approx. £500 (way better than a replacement box!). Valve blocks do fail in ‘boxes that have not had regular oil changes. These cost around £500 plus the price of new oil and fitting. Not a lot change out of £1k! There are also recordings of the g’box oil cooler having failed and it should be considered for replacement at every second oil change. Any slipping when in gear is a sign a replacement or recondition g’box is needed. Suspension The only potentially expensive issue with the suspension is a weakness in the front struts. Check for any sign of leakage (the O/S seems to be the worst for some reason) and again allow about 1k per side for replacement. Bottom bushes, ball joints and drop links wear but are cheap and easy to replace so I wouldn’t get hung up on a few knocks on uneven surfaces. Spheres will be getting toward the end of their life at 10-15years but can be regassed for approx. £400. Height sensors can fail but it’s relatively uncommon and as long as the car sits level there shouldn’t be an issue. Suspension pumps fail if they have been subject to oil contamination from the LDS tank. This is usually signalled by blowing the 40A supply fuse and hard to predict or check for other than looking for a lot of oil staining under the LDS tank left front of the engine bay. Other things like brakes etc. are all standard service items with the disc’s lasting about 100k miles although ABS sensors do fail at or around the 10 year mark and the rears are a bit of a challenge to replace! Electrical Don’t believe the FUD about French electrics! They’re mostly fine!! There’s not a lot to check and, to be fair, there’s not a lot that goes wrong. The dash display will fail eventually (common around the 10 year, 120k mark) but this can usually be sorted for about £200. Parking sensors fail occasionally and check if there’s any record of a battery replacement as a weak one can throw up strange errors. At 10 years + it will be ready for replacement. These are only £100 or so but ensure the correct Ah rating is fitted (100+) as most websites recommend a 72Ah. Headlamp failure do occur. These are usually associated with the HID electronics module on the bottom of the unit. Repair isn’t an option and if not available from Citroen, a second hand spare will be needed. Heater Flaps Check the heater work the same of both sides as it’s not uncommon for the flaps inside the unit to break making one side cold while the other side works as expected. Boot Spoiler The seal degrades and any damp or moisture in the boot indicates the seal needs renewing and sealing. If left to leak the spare wheel well can fill with water and drown the parking sensor ECU which is mounted in there on the RHS of the well. Check the steel spare wheel for rust as a sign of a leak in the past. Apart from service items, parts will start to become hard to find and, now we have the additional challenge of Brexit, importing used spares from Europe (where C6’s are in much high levels of supply) will be difficult. There may come a time when we’ll need to rely on specialists (a la SM) to source and supply parts from Europe but we’re not there yet! Other than that, the C6 is a great car and should be no worse to own and maintain than any other 15-20 year old car!!! So… what are you looking for (colour/trim/age/mileage/price)? Rare colours like Ganache, Green, Blue & Red seem to command a slightly higher price. Low milage = high price. But I’m not convinced! These cars are unlikely to have had any of the mid-life maintenance done and could be storing expensive trouble for any prospective owner. Pick wisely and you’ll enjoy many happy miles. Pick badly and it’ll be expensive… |
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Dazco
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Member No: #5130
Location: mijas |
Wow, some reply, thank you very much | ||
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MGmike
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Member No: #3151
Location: South Queensferry |
cut and paste works well  I wrote that up a few months ago thinking it would be reused a few times. Good hunting |
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