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Low cost, mildly broken C6 acquired
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GeordieInExile   
Mon Sep 04 2023, 03:10pm
Joined: Sep 04 2023
Member No: #5348
Location: North East England
 I had a Volvo XC70 with a tired steering rack and a broken radio. Man maths suggested it would be economically more sensible to replace it instead of getting the issues dealt with. It was a cheap purchase and I knew I could flog it on and get my money back and more besides. But what to replace it with...?

I did a bit of fantasy car searching on the usual websites at sub-£2k. Superb estate? Not at that price. A better V/XC70? Nothing catching my eye. 9-5 Aero? Prices are only going one way.

And then... on a whim, I searched Gumtree for a C6. And to my amazement, there was one in Leeds, just a couple hours away! It was £1,975 and payment of the full list price would also ensure it came with a full MOT. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a few things, as it turned out... I collected it on Saturday and it has a few issues that I suspect will not be unfamiliar around these parts.

- The information screen may or may not work
- There's no noise from the speakers
- The aircon doesn't blow cold and blows hotter from the driver's side
- The engine management light pings on if you try and floor it between 30-50, then clears after a few drives
- The ABS light sometimes comes on, followed by the traction control and handbrake ones

On the plus side, the trick suspension works and it drives really quite nicely. Everything else works inside. Including the TGV rear seats, for this is an Exclusive with the optional Lounge Pack.

It came with wads and wads of previous invoices and history - this thing has been loved and maintained, and I intend to give it more of the same in the hope it'll behave itself and not, I dunno, go on fire outside my house when I'm not looking.
cruiserphil   
Mon Sep 04 2023, 04:21pm

Joined: Jan 24 2010
Member No: #38
Location: Celbridge
 Hello GeordieInExile,

Congrats on your purchase. The problems don't sound insurmountable. You'd be best to get Lexia/Diagbox plugged in first and see what is recorded for the engine management and ABS systems. The fact that fault lamps are appearing means faults will be archived. You can also attempt to communicate with the audio system.

Best regards,

Phil C.
MGmike   
Mon Sep 04 2023, 07:22pm
Joined: May 21 2017
Member No: #3151
Location: South Queensferry
 Hi GeordieInExile from a GeordieInExile the other way (north).

Sounds like a bargain even with the niggles!

The first two could be down to a duff head unit. The AC hot on the drivers side will be the heater flap. Not being cold will need a set of gauges on to see what's going on (gas, no gas, compressor running etc).

The other two, as Phil suggests, will need a Diagbox session to understand what's going on. However, your first check should be a battery health check. A duff/failing battery can cause all sorts of weird symptoms.

Good luck with it and let me know if you are ever back in the toon. Who knows, I might be there at the same time and a couple of C6's in one place makes a car show
Paschal   
Tue Sep 05 2023, 05:03pm
Joined: Feb 09 2011
Member No: #375
Location: Meath
 Hi Geordie In Exile,
Welcome to the world of C6. You seem to have got in at the right price, good luck with it and dont resist that smile when you're in that wonderful driver's seat.
As the two previous posters have said Lexia is your best friend, if for nothing else than to know how serious any given alert is. A competent interested mecanic would be No.2. This forum is really helpful too.

I bought my C6 (2.7hdi) 13 years ago with 59,000 kms up and yes I've spent a good bit on maintenence and repairs over the course of 200,000 kms or so since. I would do it all again!

My major spends were gearbox rebuild (could have been avoided if I had received the correct advice from the Citroen Dealer who serviced it early in its life) and cylinder head gaskets (extended to include oil pump and egr valves). Weak spots are a metal coolant pipe low down at the side of the engine compartment and thermostat housing. Some cars, maybe all, have no coolant level sensor so you need to do some old fashioned checking to avoid an overheating episode.

ABS / parking brake / ESP fault is common enough - Lexia will diagnose properly but I'd say its likely to be an ABS sensor. Rear can be a bit tricky if it has Lounge Pack. Enjoy!
cruiserphil   
Wed Sep 06 2023, 09:23am

Joined: Jan 24 2010
Member No: #38
Location: Celbridge
 Hello Paschal,

Nice to hear you back on the forum!!

Best regards,

Phil C.
 

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