French Car Forum

My name is Phil Radford from Mansfield Nottinghamshire, my background is self-employed electronics engineering, around 40 years mainly in the rework sector. I've built cars from the floor upwards, including motorhomes, trailers and a whole host of engineering projects. one can say I like using spanners.(now retired ish) im a pipe organ enthusiasts that's built and restored pipe organs over the years. I've also built and run forums and websites. past cars in the Citroen family are: Citroen 1970's DS mellifera, Citroen cx, Citroen Club, Citroen Visa, Citroen xm, Citroen BX, and Citroen C3, so not new to the Citroen range, the last ones being the Citroen BX GTI then a Citroen C3 both was an absolute nightmare with automatic gearboxes and i vowed never to buy another Citroen as long as I live, here i go again!

I've been reading relevant posts on this forum for guidance into a fresh car for my bird, now last week we purchased one 2010 (10 plate) Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 hdi vtr+ egs 5dr. lets hope this car fares up a little better than the last two. yooou guessed it! back at dealership within 24 hours of purchase with gearbox clutch problems.

Hi Phil, and welcome.

So, you read relevant posts on the Forum, and then went ahead and bought something with an EGS gearbox!?
OK, add glutton for punishment to your impressive list of experience...

Anyway, welcome!

but most cars out there I've got some kind of electronic gearbox these days,especially when it comes to automatic and that's all my Mrs can drive. i know, im stupid, sorry

Just go for a fully automatic in that case - which the EGS is not. The EGS is basically a manual box and clutch with electro-hyrdaulically operated actuators for the gear and clutch changes. They require specialist attention when they go toes up and even after a clutch change need calibrating.

Hello and Welcome

Just a thought, if you have an automatic only licence, does it cover a car that isn't really?

Good to go!
Under DVLA's rules if the car hasn't got clutch pedal and its NOT a centrifugal clutch one can dive this kind of car under a automatic licence.

So to very clear on this DVLA States if its got no clutch pedal then DVLA categorise it as automatic under a driving licence rules, with one caveat! centrifugal clutch vehicle will NOT be covered under automatic under a driving licence rules.

As usual please do your own research and be safe not sorry!! Glad i have the choice manual or automatic!

Hi Phil, Looks like you have found the reason why the previous owner moved part exchanged it!!!
Hope you get it fixed under warranty and they don't bodge it, to get you going until the warranty expires so it is then your problem.
I had A C4 (B7) EGS, bought it at 5 months old and 9,000 miles and at 36,000 the clutch started to slip, so I sold it.........at a VERY BIG loss.
They have to be driving with "Love and Understanding" a should then last reasonably well. - Good luck

Philip Radford wrote: ↑08 Aug 2019, 20:17 Good to go!
Under DVLA's rules if the car hasn't got clutch pedal and its NOT a centrifugal clutch one can dive this kind of car under a automatic licence.

So to very clear on this DVLA States if its got no clutch pedal then DVLA categorise it as automatic under a driving licence rules, with one caveat! centrifugal clutch vehicle will NOT be covered under automatic under a driving licence rules.

As usual please do your own research and be safe not sorry!! Glad i have the choice manual or automatic!

OK, so now I know, just piqued my curiosity.

Good that DVLA are keeping up, even if, by their definition, it seems a car with a hand clutch is an auto!

van ordinaire,
Think that's what one would call a very grey area as it's still has a means of operating the clutch manually!
With this kind of gear clutch arrangement there is no means of operating the clutch manually.

If anyone's interested in Keeping up to speed on the latest developments with this car please see the link provided.
viewtopic.php?t=63170
Sorry this is not the thread to discuss the vehicles problems/faults, so in order to maintain the structure of the forum ive provided a link to the thread i will update.

Sorry posted in wrong place.

Hi Philip

Welcome to the forum. I to was an electronics engineer for 50 years (if you count TV and radio) but that was in the analogue and valve days, don't understand digital, cant see it on a scope so don't believe it exists.

I wouldn't have an auto at any price, I need something I am going to be able to repair. Strange how most TV engineers seems to repair their own cars, the ones I knew in the '50s did generally, if you saw a teenager with a car then the chances were he be a TV engineer anyway - the money was good in those days.

Peter

(Peter.N.)
Money was good in TV work but video was may main work for some years until DVD killed the video. I still collect old valve radios and radiograms.

Hi, and to the Forum.