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Before you buy a used Citroën C5 (X7).

2008–2017 · Petrol / Diesel · 4 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Citroën C5 (X7), real photo of this generation
M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

1.6 THP

Petrol

1.6 HDi

Diesel

2.0 HDi / BlueHDi

Diesel

  • AdBlue system failure (start countdown)Exhaust and emissions (AdBlue)
    Period mentioned
    Approx. 2014 onwards
    Mileage mentioned
    The sheet does not mention a mileage.

    Applies if: Only the BlueHDi versions (with AdBlue).

  • 2.0/2.2 HDi DPF, EGR, turbo and flywheelDPF / EGR / turbo / flywheel
    Period mentioned
    1998–2015
    Mileage mentioned
    120,000–180,000 km

    Applies if: Only the 2.0 HDi (DW10); the BlueHDi has its own AdBlue sheet.

2.2 / 2.7 / 3.0 HDi

Diesel

These also apply, described above: 2.0/2.2 HDi DPF, EGR, turbo and flywheel

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Citroën C5 (X7)
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
1.6 THPPetrolFewest documented10
1.6 HDiDieselFewest documented10
2.0 HDi / BlueHDiDiesel22 with conditions1
2.2 / 2.7 / 3.0 HDiDieselFewest documented10

According to the data we have, the engines with the fewest documented faults are: 1.6 THP (Petrol), 1.6 HDi (Diesel), 2.2 / 2.7 / 3.0 HDi (Diesel).

By fuel type, the one with the fewest documented faults is: Petrol.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Citroën dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
C5 driver-side wiper motor failureElectrical and electronic systems

Engines: 2.0 HDi / BlueHDi (Diesel)

How to check it: Confirm VIN and replace the driver-side wiper motor.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 4 checked

Timing system

  • Look out for: Metallic rattle for several seconds after a cold start; engine light for timing deviation.

    Ask them to check: Listen to a cold start and check whether the chain was replaced with the revised parts.

Turbo / injection

  • Look out for: Loud turbo whistle, power loss, blue or black smoke, oil that gets dirty very quickly. Before the failure, often a puffing or ticking from the cylinder head and an exhaust smell from an injector.

    Ask them to check: Check injector bolt torque and carbon at their base, the turbo banjo bolt and the sump strainer.

Exhaust and emissions (AdBlue)

  • Look out for: Emission system fault message and a “starting impossible in X km” countdown, AdBlue/UREA warning and engine light.

    Ask them to check: Diagnose with Diagbox or equivalent: AdBlue pressure, flow test and tank temperature.

DPF / EGR / turbo / flywheel

  • Look out for: Particulate filter warning and power loss; rough idle from a dirty EGR; vibration and knocks when starting or in low gears (dual-mass flywheel); smoke or hesitation from injectors at high mileage.

    Ask them to check: Read the DPF status and additive level, check the EGR and cooler, check the dual-mass flywheel at start-up and measure injector balance rates.

OBD codes worth looking for

If they let you read the fault memory with an OBD reader, these are the codes mentioned in this model's sheets:

P0016

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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