French cars love with their eyes and the Citroen C4 is no exception. Especially in the back of a hatchback and with three doors. Many owners lovingly call them "coupes". The original shapes and the chopped glass "backside" still attract attention to this day.
History
The Citroen C4 model began its history in 2004. For the first two years, only a hatchback body was produced in two versions: three and five-door. In 2006, sedans began to be made in China, and later also in Argentina. There was no difference in build quality.
Salon and equipment
Inside the Citroen C4, solid is not standard. The electronic speedometer in the middle of the panel in the form of a screen immediately catches the eye. There you will also find the main indicators (fuel gauge, temperature, odometer). There is another screen above the steering column, which serves as a tachometer and a turn signal. A controversial decision, at the maximum speed, the screen starts to glow red. It looks nice, but there is a minimum of practicality, since the screen is located below eye level, and when the engine rpm is in the red zone, you hardly want to look away from the road. There is also a third display in the area of the radio, which displays data about the track or radio station. The current settings of the air conditioner are also displayed there.
While driving, the first thing that "catches" the eye is the stationary central part of the steering wheel. It looks impressive, does not require addiction and does not affect driving safety.
The advantages of Citroen C4 include its configuration. It is difficult to find in the “poor” basic version. The most common in the CIS (especially Russia) is C4 Optimum. A car with this equipment will already have climate control, ESP, 6 airbags, cruise, heated seats. And, of course, all the electric windows and mirrors with an MP3 radio to boot. Parktronics, leather interior and glass roof were also installed in the “maximum speed”.
Citroen C4, like most "Frenchmen", resists corrosion well. For a used car, this is a huge plus. Even on a ten-year-old car, rust will indicate damage to the paintwork or an accident in the past. The front fenders are generally made of plastic, so they definitely won't rot. True, they tend to expand at high heating. Because of this, in the heat, they can cling to the front doors when opening.
Citroen C4 engines
From the factory, gasoline engines with a volume of 1.4 and 2.0 liters were installed on the C4, but the overwhelming majority are on sale in the secondary market with a 1.6 liter engine. Moreover, he had several modifications:
- From 2004-2008, Citroen was equipped with a 1.6 liter engine marked TU5JP4 and a power of 110 hp. Quite reliable and simple unit. The state of the thermostat and the valve cover gasket must be monitored. A sudden breakdown of the former can lead to overheating of the engine. And in the case of the gasket, if the leak is strong, the oil will flood the candle wells and "kill" the ignition coil. The TU5 engine has a timing belt drive; it is supposed to be changed together with the rollers and the pump every 80 thousand mileage.
- After restyling in 2008, the EP6 began to be installed to replace the TU5 (joint development with BMW). It is more powerful - 120 hp, but new technologies have a negative impact on reliability. The main culprit is the timing chain drive. In theory, it should last longer without any intervention, but in reality, the chain can stretch after 60,000 km. The increased oil consumption begins to bother after 100,000 km and is "treated" by replacing the valve stem seals. Motors with the designation EP6DT are a modification with a turbine, develop 150 hp.
If the Citroen C4 does not start in frost, then it is worth checking and cleaning the coolant temperature sensor. It is located in the thermostat under the air filter. Due to incorrect readings of the sensor, the "brains" of the engine supply a fuel mixture on which a cold engine will not start.
No matter how trite it may sound, most of the expensive repairs of the power unit up to 150,000 km are caused by low-quality gasoline and poor maintenance. Saving on "matches" is expensive. Only when buying a used car, you may have to pay for someone else's "matches". Therefore, when choosing, pay special attention to this item, the presence of sales receipts after MOT will give at least some guarantees.
Diesel engines were not officially supplied to the territory of the CIS, so there are not many of them on sale. All of them are driven from Europe and do not have pronounced shortcomings. Their main enemy is low-quality diesel fuel. Without high-quality diagnostics on good equipment (on the principle of expensive), the purchase of a diesel Citroen C4 is quite risky.
Gearboxes and clutch
The first generation C4 has only two gearbox options. Quite reliable mechanical with five steps and the "legendary" automatic AL4 with four. Its legendary nature was ensured by its insane "fragility" and unreliability. It can twitch when switching, "fall" into emergency mode, or simply jam. According to reviews on the forums and based on the experiments of the owners, certain conditions for the "long-term" operation of AL-4 can be identified:
- change the oil every 30 thousand km;
- warm up before driving;
- do not slip (overheat);
- avoid sudden accelerations;
- do not breathe - a joke!
If you are not ready to put up with so many restrictions and expensive repairs, then it is better to take a car with a manual gearbox. In this case, a part such as a clutch will be added to the service. But it shouldn't bother you more than once every 100,000 runs. The release bearing "dies" first, especially if the main driving mode is urban. A clutch kit with replacement work will cost from $ 200 and more (depending on the quality of the spare parts and the greed of the service).
Chassis and brakes
Suspension Citroen C4 is rather stiff than comfortable (but each "fifth point" has its own considerations in this regard, so a test drive before buying is required). But it does not cause much anxiety. Surprisingly, the rear suspension can raise more questions than the front. This manifests itself in the form of a knock, the sources of which can be several:
- broken silent blocks (in the later years of production they were replaced with reinforced ones, but today there are not many "relatives" left);
- "Killed" shock absorbers;
- loose shock absorber boot.
When diagnosing it is easy to determine, just do not forget to check the car at the service station before buying and read ours.
The Citroen C4 has a clearance of 120 mm, and taking into account the springs that have sagged over time, in fact, it may be even lower. Some owners use special spacers, but such modifications affect the appearance of the car.
In the front suspension, you will most often have to change the stabilizer struts and tie rods (as on almost any other car). Ball joints change separately from the levers - this is a big plus. And the levers themselves will not require intervention up to 200 thousand mileage. Front wheel bearings can last over 100,000 km on normal roads (if any).
The steering rack is mandatory for checking. It may knock due to broken plastic grommets. Recovery and replacement work will "pull" money. If the pump of the electro-hydro amplifier leaks, then keep in mind that after the replacement you will have to reflash the "electronic brains" through the dealer's scanner.
The Citroen C4 has disc brakes in a circle. There are no complaints and the resource of the parts of the brake system is average:
- front discs - 80-100 thousand km, pads - 30-50 thousand km;
- rear discs - 100-120 thousand km, pads - 50-70 thousand km.
With active driving and poor quality spare parts, the service life can be halved.
Outcome
Citroen C4 captivates with its appearance (the design is relevant even after 10 years) and the price in the secondary market. For affordable money, you can take a car of European quality with good equipment and possible electrical glitches. But this is a matter of initial diagnostics when buying, most of the problems arise after regular savings on fuel, oil and spare parts.
Don't mess with the French-made C4 automatic gearbox. Additional costs and headaches are almost guaranteed.
Good luck on the road!
Citroen C4 hatchback owner reviews in video format:
Crash test Citroen C4 2004-2010:
For four years now, I have owned a Citroen C 4 sedan. Enough information has accumulated, which is what I want to tell you about.
In 2013, a salon "" was opened in Tomsk. The location of the salon turned out to be successful - not far from my work. Of course, such an event could not be missed. And here I am in the salon. Yes, not alone, but with his wife. I liked everything in the cabin - a spacious room painted in Citroen colors (red and white).
Appearance
Citroen cars are distinguished by their attractiveness. All the same, beautiful cars, what can I say! One is worth it! Like in the cockpit of an airplane. Very nice car! But dear, like a real plane! Therefore, we looked at something simpler and cheaper. Even on the street, we noticed a beautiful brown car with a golden tint, parked near the passenger compartment for a test drive. In the salon, we got acquainted with this brand in more detail. This car turned out to be. I haven't seen them before. We have Citroen on the road in Tomsk - it is still a rarity. Although now it is more than four years ago. I looked at the car, sat behind the wheel - everything is very worthy for this level of car! Signed up for a test drive, though for a Citroen C 4 hatchback. (the sedan has already been sold). I liked the test of the car in motion, but I expected better. Nevertheless, they decided to buy a sedan and it was brown with gilding (my wife really liked the color).
Equipment
The rest is as usual - we decided on a complete set, an engine, made an advance payment and are waiting. The complete set was chosen 1.6 Vti Exclusive Plus AT, which means the engine has a volume of 1.6, an automatic 4-speed gearbox, a decent set of options (navigator, bluetooth, heated windshield, exchange rate stability system and ABC, rear parking sensors, cruise control, etc.).
In June 2013 we become the owners of our Citroen. Before this model we had, so there was something to compare with.
The first thing that I immediately felt was the dynamics when starting off. By pressing the gas pedal, you immediately feel all 123 horsepower, and then the car begins to think, especially when switching from second to third gear. It turns out that this "thoughtfulness" is inherent in many cars with electronic throttle control. Some owners install an additional device - "chip", which eliminates this effect, but this affects fuel consumption. Having studied the behavior of the box, I can advise the following - when the car is "thoughtful" in 2nd gear, you need to "play" (release and press again) with the gas pedal and the car immediately wakes up. Moreover, this should be done calmly enough. The technique does not accept abrupt movements.
Citroen C4 hatchback owner reviews on our website
Fuel consumption
By the way, about fuel consumption. This car "eats" more gasoline than. In winter, in traffic jams, the reading reaches 14-15 l / 100 km, in summer, in the city, 10 l / 100 km. On the road, both in winter and in summer, the consumption is approximately the same - about 7 l / 100 km. In the Corolla in the summer, 5.7 l / 100 km are consumed on the road, and about 9 l / 100 km in urban traffic.
Citroen C4 owner review: disadvantages
Now about the troubles that happened in four years. One of the serious breakdowns occurred two years later, after the purchase - in winter the air cooling fan jammed with snow and ice, and all its electronics were out of order. The fact is that in all "normal" cars the fan is installed in front of the radiator, and in the Citroen C 4 sedan - behind the radiator. The front location of the fan is protected by a radiator grill and underneath a crankcase protection, but more blows out from behind the radiator.
It's good that a malfunction occurred in the city. And on the track it would be worse. The consequence of this malfunction is the engine overheated. I had to stop, cool down and slowly "crawl" into the service. The car had to be left for a week, because the necessary spare parts were not available.
Upon arrival at the service, it turned out that the control board, el. engine, control relay. This happened because (as the service engineer said), the gap between the fan blades and the place where it is installed is very small. Any debris or snow and ice (as it happened with me) wedge the fan with all the ensuing consequences.
A week later, the details came. Then the "circus" begins. Call from the service “Come, pick up. All is ready!". I arrive at 18.00, as agreed. The service engineer meets, apologizes, asks to wait five minutes. The car is parked behind a glass partition in the workshop. The hood is open. Three mechanics stand near the car and look under the hood. The service engineer gets behind the wheel, starts the car, looks at the instrument readings on the dashboard. I understand that something is wrong. The hood is closed, the car drives out into the yard, makes a circle and drives back. Again consultation. They are trying to regulate something, but nothing comes of it. I sit studying local literature (advertising magazines). An hour has passed. Nobody comes out to me, says nothing. They are all behind a glass wall in the workshop. I won't get there. After two hours of waiting, I was not in a very rosy state, I went home by minibus. On the bus, a call from the service - “Excuse me, please! We cannot find a fault. " To my question, and when the car will be approximately ready, they cannot say. The next day, at lunchtime, they phoned. Everything is fine! You can pick it up. It turns out that there was another malfunction - the water pump drive was faulty. I had to change it too. It's good that all of this was replaced under warranty. At the same time, the DTOZH was also changed - it breaks down for all Citroens after about forty thousand km. They say that a factory defect.
What other disadvantages did you notice
Another of the malfunctions that have occurred during four years of operation. A couple of times on the highway, after refueling with gasoline, a yellow "gear" light up on the dashboard and the inscription "The engine needs repair" was displayed. It had no effect on the car. Upon arrival at the service, the malfunction was "dropped", defined as a failure of the gearbox electronics. But I think that this alert appeared after refueling with low-quality fuel, because the car was refueled at the same gas station in both cases. And both times, 200 meters after refueling, a malfunction alarm was triggered.
And the last thing that happened to the car. Winter 2016-2017 in Tomsk was very snowy. The roads were not cleaned well. Cars made their way through the snowdrifts, especially between houses. The Citroen C 4 has a plastic boot under the bumper. Snow clogged under it, turned to stone from frost and squeezed out the boot on the right side in the direction of the car. The boot of the boot is the same plastic, so it could not stand it. External manifestation - a piece of plastic was dangling under the bumper on the right. I tried to fix it on a self-tapping screw - it didn't last long. I had to order a boot in the spring (5,600 rubles), repair the bumper (cracked from contact with snowdrifts) and install a new boot - 8,500 rubles.
Bold pluses
Now about the pleasant, what is good about our car. The most important thing that you enjoy while driving is driving performance. The car rushes like a "tank". She has a fairly high ground clearance - clearance (176 mm), a very good, balanced suspension, so on the road, obstacles are passed practically without reducing the speed playfully. Very good handling on the track, maybe due to the stability control system. The car goes like a string. I had a case, driving from Novosibirsk to Tomsk, and heard a metal knock on the right. I stopped, examined the wheels, saw that the right front wheel was deflated and “chewed”. And I didn't feel anything at all. No drifting to the side, no reduction in dynamics, nothing at all! This is sustainability!
The cabin is pretty quiet. You can talk calmly, moving at a speed of more than 100 km / h.
The dynamics on the track is good, overtaking is done normally, I drowned the gas pedal - in a second the car “shoots”.
Another factor that influenced the purchase of this particular car is its equipment and price. I wanted to buy a car with a system of directional stability, cruise control, bluetooth, heated windshield and a navigator at an average price category, and it was a sedan. At that time, I did not find such a configuration and at such a price for other brands of class C sedans.
All of the above devices and "bells and whistles" are very useful and necessary for a modern car. One heated windshield is worth something! It would seem nothing special, but how pleasant it is in winter, when the windshield is icy, not to scuffle over it with a brush, but to wait by pressing a button, sitting in a warm car.
In addition, there is a good maintenance interval - you need to change the oil every 10,000 km, and the next maintenance every 20,000 km.
All this, and the reasonable price (at that time 781,000 rubles) determined the choice with the purchase of this car.
Summing up
Total cons, in my understanding:
- Fuel consumption with such an engine could be less.
- Expensive spare parts.
- Factory defect - DTOZH fails after about forty thousand km. Now they are installing other sensors.
- There are few Citroen service centers in our country.
What I like:
- The appearance of the car.
- Driving performance.
- Decent equipment and price.
- Good interior trim.
- Good insulation of the cabin.
- Large windshield.
- Comfortable seats. Plenty of space for passengers in the rear seats.
- Spacious glove compartment and trunk.
- A complete spare wheel.
- The volume of the fuel tank is 60 liters.
- There is a USB connector.
Bottom line - the car is good! Taking into account all the "childhood" diseases that he had had, and the undoubted advantages, of which there are more, I recommend this car to motorists, and I am not going to change it myself yet.
Test drive video Citroen C4 (to the owner's review)
14.09.2016
Citroen C4 is one of the most popular French cars, which has become quite widespread in our market. The most common is a five-door hatchback body, a three-door version is also available, which with its bright design more attracts the younger generation, and a sedan. The reliability of pre-owned Citroën raises many questions for many motorists, and today we will try to find out what surprises a used Citroën C4 can present, and what to look for when choosing this car.
In 2004, the premiere of a new model called C4 took place, which replaced “ C ITROEN Xsara ". In July 2008, the company carried out a restyling, as a result of which the car received cosmetic changes in appearance, new equipment options, and two new gasoline engines appeared in the range of engines. In the fall of 2010, sales of the new Citroen C4 started, at first glance you can't say that the car is built on the platform of the previous generation, the appearance has changed so significantly. The former Citroen was one of the most compact, and the successor has grown noticeably, but the chassis and power units remain the same.
Advantages and disadvantages of Citroen C4 with mileage
The vast majority of cars on the secondary market are equipped with gasoline engines, but sometimes there are diesel versions. In the line of gasoline engines there are frankly weak units 1.4 (90 hp) and 1.6 (110, 120 and 150 hp), and a more powerful two-liter engine (136, 144 and 180 hp), as well as diesel engines with a volume of 1.6 (92 and 110 hp) and 2.0 (138 and 150 hp). The engines of the French manufacturer are very sensitive to the quality of fuel, and if you use poor quality gasoline, the engine will quickly clog up. The service life of the candles is also significantly reduced, it is worth noting that Citroën is not one of those cars on which absolutely any candles can be installed. There have been cases when, due to the use of poor fuel, carbon deposits formed on the valves after 50-60 thousand km. Also, a possible drop in compression with an insignificant mileage, as a result, the car will lose power, and the speed will constantly float on XX. Therefore, before buying a used Citroen C4, it is imperative to make a diagnosis and measure the compression.
For cars with a 1.6 engine, after 100,000 km, the thermostat fails, as a result antifreeze flows out and the engine overheats. Also, after 100 thousand km, the ignition coils and the cooling system pump will have to be changed. Almost all motors have a timing belt drive, which must be changed every 60,000 km. Otherwise, French-made gasoline engines are reliable, and diesel ones are considered one of the best, and rarely surprise.
Transmission
A five-speed manual transmission and a four-speed automatic transmission were installed on the Citroen C4. If about motors, provided they are filled with good fuel, we can say that there are no special problems with them, then the automatic transmission is considered the weak point of the car. The automatic transmission was developed by the PSA Peugeot-Citroën concern together with Renault, and all the problems that arise with this gearbox are related to the pressure distribution valves. If you buy a car with a mileage of 100,000 km or more, and the machine has not been repaired yet, you can be sure that you will get an expensive repair. To extend the life of this unit, you need to ensure that the box does not overheat (slippage and prolonged traffic in traffic jams in the heat are contraindicated).
The clutch of the cars on the mechanics is quite reliable and goes 110 - 120 thousand kilometers. In rare cases, on a run of 50-60 thousand km, the release bearing fails, and if such a problem happened, then, as a rule, the owners changed it along with the clutch. As for shifting a manual transmission, if suddenly you hear a crunch when shifting, then most likely the problem is in the synchronizers.
Driving performance Citroen C4
The suspension of the Citroen C4 is simple, there is a standard MacPherson strut in front, and a semi-independent beam in the back. Shock absorbers are also common, which should delight used car buyers. The average service life of shock absorbers, wheel bearings, ball joints, CV joints is 80 - 90 thousand km, but the stabilizer struts and steering rods turn into consumables on our roads, their resource is no more than 40,000 km. In the rear suspension, knocks appear earlier than in the front, since there is a weak point in the silent blocks, which fail after a mileage of 30-40 thousand km. The shock absorber boot can also knock, which walks up and down the rod.
The vehicle is equipped with an electro-hydraulic power steering. The hydraulic pump can leak through the chip to which the power cable fits, and in case of replacement, the electronic control unit will have to be reconfigured.
Body and interior
The body of the Citroen C4 is not prone to corrosion, and the first swelling of the paintwork can be seen on a 7 - 8 year old car, and even then not always. But the metal here is light and soft, so that dents appear quickly enough.
The build quality of the cabin, given the class of the car, is quite good, and the finishing materials also deserve praise. Owners of cars of the first years of production complain that crickets appear rather quickly in the Citroen C4 cabin. The manufacturer reacted responsibly to these comments and this problem was completely eliminated on the machines of the last years of production. In terms of electrics, most French cars with our realities and climate are not doing as well as we would like, and this car is no exception. Everything is complicated by the fact that in cold and damp weather you observe a failure in electronics, and as soon as you enter a warm and dry box of a car service, everything starts working properly.
Outcome:
Citroen C4 with mileage depreciates quickly enough, and this is not casual, since by a hundred thousand run the car can throw big troubles. The first of them will be an automatic transmission, and even if we consider the option only with mechanics, then problems with electrics still cannot be avoided. The suspension is not bad, but it's hard to call it a model of reliability. If we conclude, in general, then this car can only be bought with a manual transmission, and after professional diagnostics.
Advantages:
- Exterior and interior.
- The quality of the interior finishing materials.
- Quite good insulation.
- Low fuel consumption.
- Security.
- Comfortable soft suspension.
Disadvantages:
- Soft metal
- Automatic transmission.
- Electrical problems.
- Many service stations refuse to take the car for repair.
- It depreciates quickly.
If you are or were the owner of this car brand, please share your experience, indicating the strengths and weaknesses of the car. Perhaps it is your feedback that will help others correctly.
The first generation C4 went on sale ten years ago - in 2004 and replaced the Xsara in the lineup. Only hatchbacks with five and three doors were delivered to our country. Although the French called the "three-door" only a coupe, in fact it was only a three-door hatchback. Even sedans were sold in Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, Greece and Spain, but they did not reach us. In 2006, the French released the C4 Picasso and C4 Grand Picasso compact vans on its basis.
If you look at today's paltry Russian sales of the second generation Citroen C4, the old one can be called popular. Stylish outlines have sunk into the souls of thousands. In 2004-2010, it was sold at about the level of the soplatform Peugeot 307 and the losing popularity Volkswagen Golf, but much worse than the Opel Astra, and even more so the Ford Focus.
All motors are simple straight-fours. Gasoline engines - without turbines, with a volume of 1.4 (88 hp), 1.6 (109 and 122 hp) and 2 liters (140 and 180 hp). Diesels have a volume of 1.6 (90 hp or 109 hp) and 2 liters (140 hp), but they entered our country bypassing official dealers and are poorly represented. All machines are driven only to the front axle, manual transmissions (five or six steps) and automatic (four steps).
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In 2008, the designers slightly refreshed the exterior, adjusting the bumpers and optics. In the line of engines there appeared a gasoline "aspirated" 1.6 (120 hp) and a turbocharged engine of the same volume (140 or 150 hp), as well as a new diesel engine of 2 liters (150 hp). Since 2010, the French have established the assembly of the C4 near Kaluga, but in the same year a new generation was presented.
Market offers
The basic C4 are equipped in a Spartan style: front power windows, a pair of airbags, air conditioning and ABS. Music and everything else - for an extra charge. There are more than enough offers on the secondary market, but there are many "refugees" from Europe among them, the purchase of which we recommend only if you know 100% the history of the car.
Almost 60% of used cars have automatic transmission. About the same number are equipped with a base 109-horsepower engine, another 30% are equipped with a 122-horsepower unit. The share of cars with other engines accounts for only 10%.
Average Citroen C4 prices
| Year | Average price, rub. |
| 2004 | 195 000 |
| 2005 | 255 000 |
| 2006 | 266 000 |
| 2007 | 286 000 |
| 2008 | 320 000 |
| 2009 | 333 000 |
| 2010 | 372 000 |
Typical breakdowns and operational problems
Engine
The most common engine on the C4 is the 1.6 liter TU5 series with 109 or 122 "horses". And whichever version you choose, most likely, by 90,000 - 100,000 km, you will have to change the timing belt. Until 2010, it was changed according to the regulations every 60,000 km, but then the interval increased to 120,000 km. Before buying, diagnose the car from the dealer, mechanics will be able to do it visually.
The motor has 122 hp. even greater sensitivity to humidity, due to which condensation sometimes accumulates under the valve cover and reaches the sensor. There is no need to sound the alarm, dealers simply throw off the error at the station.
A more powerful engine is also prone to "overeating", and its oil consumption rate is 500 g per 1,000 km. The spark plugs must be changed every 40,000 km according to the regulations, because if this is not done, the ignition coils may "get covered".
After restyling, this engine was replaced by a more modern EP6 series engine jointly developed by the French with BMW, also with a volume of 1.6 liters, but already with a capacity of 120 hp. Here the timing mechanism is driven by a chain, but it also cannot boast of a large resource. In some cases, the chain stretched out to 60,000 km. The second common problem with chain motors is a good appetite for oil consumption. Waste can be up to 200-300 g per 1,000 km.
In our country, there are diesel versions of C4 from Europe, but almost always have a very "twisted" mileage. They have the same timing problems as the gasoline "brothers", and they are traditionally very sensitive to our fuel. Among used C4s, you can find cars on which other gasoline engines were installed - 1.4 (88 hp) and 2.0 (143 hp), but there are such units on the market, and dealers do not have reliable statistics on the reliability of the units.
Alexander Korobchenko
Browser site, 2011
The Citroen C4 has a 120-horsepower engine that is equally powerful, quiet and fuel efficient - thanks to the involvement of BMW engineers. We have more than once reported on trips with cars with this engine (Peugeot 308, Peugeot 207) and even before getting into the red hatch we knew about its merits. But the automatic transmission in Peugeot and Citroen used to often operate "separately" from the engine, so the biggest surprise for us in the C4 was the "friendship" of the engine and gearbox.
Transmission
The reliability of the transmission depends entirely on how well the previous owners took care of it. And if everything is simple with the "mechanics" (the clutch lives on average 100,000 - 150,000 km and changes as a set), then with the "automatic" there are much more problems.
On the C4 is the infamous French AL4 unit. His main trouble is the oil in the box. In theory, it is designed for the entire life of the box, and dealers assure that no replacement is done on it. But experienced mechanics recommend changing it every 30,000 - 40,000 km. The box also has a separate oil filter, but it is non-removable and can only be replaced together with the entire automatic transmission. Before buying, check the quality of the oil in the automatic transmission, because if the car drove off 100,000 km without replacement, then simply draining the old one and filling the new one will not work. Fresh oil will only stir up heavy oil residues that have settled on the insides of the box, after which it can simply "die". Therefore, if the owner did not regularly change the lubricant, it is better to bypass such a machine.
Another problem is two automatic transmission solenoid valves, which often fly out. This happened a lot on warranty machines, and the dealers took care of the trouble at their own expense. But the "illness" can happen after several years, especially if at low temperatures you start active driving on an unheated box. First of all, you will be informed about this by the service icon on the dashboard or by blows when switching.
Suspension
Suspension "Citroen" also does not shine with reliability. In front, the C4 sways on a MacPherson, the struts of which serve no more than 40,000 km, and sometimes they have to be changed even after 10,000 km. The steering rods leave about 25,000 - 50,000 km, and if they are not changed in time, they can "pull along" the steering rack, which in any case does not last longer than 100,000 km.
Hub bearings are usually changed in the region of 50,000 - 100,000 km. At the back, everything is much safer, since there is an elastic beam, which should not cause much trouble. Its only weak point is silent blocks, which quickly lose their damping properties. True, the masters recommend not to touch them, since they do not particularly affect driving and safety, and replacing them is very difficult and costly. Brake pads front and rear usually grind down to 20,000 - 30,000 km, discs ask for replacement as early as 50,000 km.
Alexander Korobchenko
Browser site, 2011
The hatchback quickly and accurately responds to the turn of the steering wheel, which is unusual in design, however, the driver and passengers pay for this with the sensations of the stiff suspension, which reacts unpleasantly to every more or less noticeable road bump. On the track, shock absorbers do an excellent job of handling "surprises" from road services.
Body and interior
The second owner shouldn't have any complaints about the body of the three-year-old C4. The paintwork, even after three to five years, looks great and does not have any tendency to rust. But if you still find one, then most likely this car has survived an accident.
But if the front plastic fenders (usually the right) begin to cling to the opening front door in the heat, this is not a consequence of an accident, but an anomaly that occurs on C4. But as soon as the car cools down, everything returns to normal. On cars assembled in Kaluga in 2010, the steering wheel braid is made of low-quality material, which often peels off. The steering wheels were pulled under warranty, but not everyone had time to contact the service about this, so "shabby" C4s are found in the secondary market.
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Alexander Korobchenko
Browser site, 2011
But the sound insulation of the car is solid: up to 4,000 rpm, the sound of the engine hardly penetrates the passenger compartment, does not reach the driver's ears, and most of the road noise - from wheel arches, glass, tires. Add to this the fact that Citroen has a very decent audio system with clear sound and many sound tuning options. Thus, the acoustic comfort in the car can be called quite European.
Electrical equipment
The electrician also let C4 down, and it's all about its complexity. Firstly, heated seats often fail. This happens almost always due to a broken wire in the back or cushion of the front seats. For example, if the owner unsuccessfully stepped on the chair with his knee. Now dealers have already learned how to "treat" this "ailment" without resorting to a complete replacement of the heating element.
The main "brains" of the C4 are quite complex and consist of two blocks - BSM and BSI plus an injection calculator. Both blocks, in fact, are fuse blocks with control microcircuits, which are not very reliable. BSM often "glitches" due to poor insulation of the antifreeze hoses passing nearby, through which this same antifreeze can get into it, which can be determined by the corresponding smell. The injection calculator and BSM unit, like any electrical appliances, sometimes simply short-circuit, which leads to their complete replacement. Thank goodness that doesn't happen often.
If the stove / air conditioner stopped blowing from some place in the car, then, most likely, the gear teeth of one of the dampers simply broke off. The manufacturer could not defeat the "disease", but released an inexpensive repair kit with new gears, which you can buy and, if you have the ability to use a screwdriver, change it yourself. At the service station, for the analysis of the side part of the dashboard, they will ask, depending on the impudence of the master, from 3,000 to 8,000 rubles.
Finally, the good news: sophisticated electronics and low resale value make the C4 not popular with hijackers.
Master of the dealership Citroen AXIS (St. Petersburg, Ave. Marshal Zhukov, 82)
The first C4 caused a lot of problems for both us and the owners. First of all, the electronics were "buggy". Most of the time, we just erase the errors, and then everything was fine, but sometimes we had to "dig deeper".
Problems with "automatic machines" were solved most costly - sometimes they were changed in assembly at very low runs. However, many drivers, especially young ones, themselves "killed" boxes, openly raping cars.
Maintenance cost from authorized dealers
We consider the costs for the most common version with a 1.6 liter engine and only for work. The maintenance period for Citroen is confusing: the maintenance itself must be completed once a year or 20,000 km, whichever comes first. But the oil and oil filter must be changed every 10,000 km. The cost of a standard hour at dealers in Russia fluctuates around 2,000 rubles.
, review date
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Year of issue: 2011
Engine: 1.6 (120 HP) Checkpoint: M5
Review of Citroen C4 left by: Nikolay Gennadievich from Saint Petersburg
Average rating: 3.5 |
Year of issue: 2016
Engine: 1.6 (114 HP) Checkpoint: M6
Citroen C4 sedan, 2016, restyle. I have been looking closely at this model for a long time. My relative has the same, only pre-styling. Convenient, practical, more or less reliable for a "Frenchman". I would have taken it earlier, but I wanted a diesel engine. And he was not on the Russian C4 before the restyle, but he was on the "Pyzha 408", which I do not like at all even once.
Review of Citroen C4 Sedan left by: Mikhail from Moscow
Average rating: 5 |
Year of issue: 2013
Engine: 1.6 (120 HP) Checkpoint: A4
At first everything seemed to be normal, at 10,000 km an engine error began to appear. OD periodically removes it, but the problem itself was never found or fixed. At 30,000 km, the front brake discs are ENDED, although the pads have never been changed, and the wear of the pads is only 50%. OD stated that brake discs are consumables and change with every change of pads FOR MY SOME ABSURD. Further more, the automatic transmission, the torque converter oil seals flowed for 43,000 km (the car has run 43,000 km for less than 3 years, that is, the car is still under warranty). OD declares that we did not change the oil in the internal combustion engine with them, so they will not make automatic transmissions under warranty. ..the full text of the review of the Citroen C4
Review of Citroen C4 left by: Alexey
