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Hi guys

1st of all, Thank you very much for taking time to read my C5 woes.

This is just to update on the problems that I’ve experienced during the past 8 months ownership of my used 2007 C5:

1. Braking Issues
The front calipers seem jammed. The car will jerked and squealed when braked. When reverse, if the turning radius is wide, a thug sound will emerge. Initially thought brake pads problem, after changing all four pads, the problem persisted. Later realized right lower arm bushing seems loose, so when braked, the right lower arm wobbled.

Anyone has experience fixing this?

2. Electronic Issues
Yes, my car has been towed 4 times in 8 months of ownership.
1st being fuse box problem, one count of starter fault, one count of radiator hose burst and one count of engine management faulty massage (battery fault). Prior to the service light on, the car would happily stalked when moving off slowly.

Speedometer not working (speed needle no longer move) and I’ve ordered a new stepper motor from ebay.

Now I stocked up spare starter chips, relay and etc in the car, just in case. I try to console myself that these are wear and tear matters.

3. Gearbox
The car has jerky gear change between 1 to 2, especially at low speed. I read from previous threads here that it is a design issue, can’t help it, true?
Now, the car has this symptom when moving very fast from low rpm to >4k rpm, the gear seems slipping (meaning it stuck at high RPM for a while before moving down to lower RPM). Another design problem?
The ex-owner, obviously believed that AL4 is life-long and have not change the gearbox oil. I have to change AL4 2 times, to restore its cleanliness.
I drive about 100Km each day and mostly highway, average speed >130km/h.

4. Cabin Comfort
C5 is not a quiet car. The C5 at its class, supposedly to be quieter and comfortable car but the previous owner installed an aftermarket CAI so car tends to be noisy and I can also see that my bonnet cover will vibrate lightly when started. I still believe in using original parts. So I wonder where to get the original airbox?

There will be burnt smell in the cabin, if I drive fast from low RPM to high RPM(>4K) but goes off when the speed is constant. Is this a common problem of C5?

The plastic in the car seems make of butter . Feel Sticky when touched. Bad quality indeed.

I’ve so far changed 2 sets of silicone wiper blade but the wipers still make noises and dancing after just a few weeks. Wonder what is the problem? Any brand or model do you guys go for?

5. Electrical
The front sidelight bulbs (not the lane change signal light) always blown at least once a month. I realized that the clip that hold the bulbs are cracked. I have gotten the mechanic to do some modification so problem solved.

6. Undercarriage
This is a headache. The undertray or the undercover are almost non-existence. Must have been torn and the ex-owner didn’t replace them. I wonder is there a scrapyard somewhere that I can find them?

7. Others
There are smaller problems but have been resolved.
Door creaking sounds, falling roof fabric, burst LHM hose & etc.
Things I haven’t rectified are stuck front passenger electric seat and loose driver seat.
I have installed a MP3 player where I can control using the stick without changing the HU.
The car exterior lining quality is bad. I’m now using lubricant to oil the rubber regularly.
The air-con fogging issue is a nuisance but bearable.

Apart from the above-mentioned, I’m contemplating to do the followings:
1. No service record on timing belt change. The car covered 130K, so probably need to change.
2. Repaint the entire car. What colour suits the C5 best?

If you have any advice and suggestion to help me rescue my poor C5, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you very much for reading again.

[lingomalingo]

1. Frt brake caliper jammed. It happened since 2002 or earlier. I always keep a hammer to bang the calipers when it jammed.
2. Lower arm bush. The original bush also not long lasting. I bought one set together with link rod frm ebay UK. Tis one a bit better. U must fix tis or u will experience sudden oversteering when taking corners.
3. AL4 GB. Tis is common problem. Change aft frequently (every 40-50kkm). Install bigger atf cooler.
4. Undercarriage cover. Can buy a 2nd hand one but it is still brittle and easy to crack. B4 i sold my c5, i've replace the cover with an alum. It is a custom made. I design it myself an get the apek frm wshop fabricate for me.
5. Most of yr c5 problems were carried over frm 2001 model. I oredi sold the car n now no more headache.

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1. Frt brake caliper jammed. It happened since 2002 or earlier. I always keep a hammer to bang the calipers when it jammed.
2. Lower arm bush. The original bush also not long lasting. I bought one set together with link rod frm ebay UK. Tis one a bit better. U must fix tis or u will experience sudden oversteering when taking corners.
3. AL4 GB. Tis is common problem. Change aft frequently (every 40-50kkm). Install bigger atf cooler.
4. Undercarriage cover. Can buy a 2nd hand one but it is still brittle and easy to crack. B4 i sold my c5, i've replace the cover with an alum. It is a custom made. I design it myself an get the apek frm wshop fabricate for me.
5. Most of yr c5 problems were carried over frm 2001 model. I oredi sold the car n now no more headache.

Thank you very much for your reply. It seems like now only you reply to my questions .

Thank goodness that you sold your C5. I’m now begining to get use to it and probably have to stuck with it for the next 5 years. Already thinking to repaint the car.

So it is advisable to change the link rod together when changing the bushing? After buying the ATF cooler, I still can’t find someone who is competent enough to operate on my car. No workshop dare here in JB, *shake head*. I’m hoping to find someone who specialized in Citroen here.

Should have inherited the undercover from you. It is ok, I plan to buy a new one from ebay.

Thanks again for helping out.

Regards,

[lingomalingo]

Not necessary to change link rod when changing bushing unless it is also kaput. But it is better to replace the lower arm ball joint when you replace the lower arm bushing.
When u said there was some noise when making big turning radius, i suspect the sway bar was a bit loose. As you make the big turning, one side of the link rod will push the sway bar inward. If the sway bar loose, it will knock to the front sub frame and causing the noise. There are two brackets that hold the sway bar to the sub frame. Must check the bracket bolts.The sway bar must be positioned equally to both left and right.

Thank you very much for your reply. It seems like now only you reply to my questions .

Thank goodness that you sold your C5. I’m now begining to get use to it and probably have to stuck with it for the next 5 years. Already thinking to repaint the car.

So it is advisable to change the link rod together when changing the bushing? After buying the ATF cooler, I still can’t find someone who is competent enough to operate on my car. No workshop dare here in JB, *shake head*. I’m hoping to find someone who specialized in Citroen here.

Should have inherited the undercover from you. It is ok, I plan to buy a new one from ebay.

Thanks again for helping out.

Regards,