Citroen Picasso

[Val_2]

Has anyone who owns one of these had to replace the battery yet? I just wondered if you did, how many kms you have done or how old the vehicle is. My car is 6 years old with 72000kms on the clock and since April,the battery has momentarily cut off twice (once was this afternoon) and sent the dashboard info back six years and flashing  all the time. I wonder if this means it is time to replace the thing that I sit on and at what cost too?

[Jc]

Anything over 5 years  is good.You've nothing to complain about.

[Val_2]

It wasn't a complaint just a general enquiry as to whether anyone had replace their battery yet and whether the cut-outs were a sign of it wearing out. It goes for it's annual service on tuesday so I will get a definitive answer there from the citroen mechanic.

[ali-cat]

[quote user="Jc"]Anything over 5 years  is good.You've nothing to complain about.[/quote]

That was a little "sharp", Jc. 

Hope all goes well, at the garage.

[Jc]

What are you moaning about?;anything over five years on a modern battery is good value.

[Jc]

Val 2,I'm not getting at you but seriously anything over five years is good value and your symptons could certainly be those of an ageing battery.

[Miki]

Val,

Try asking the question of this site. Normally very helpful.

http://citroenpicasso.org.uk/citroen/

Or this one but the first one is best.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/f731/

[derf]

Unless you had to get a jump start or the battery recharged then it sounds like a dodgy connection somewhere.

[ali-cat]

Had excactly the same problem, with my first car.  There was a loose connection & she would cut out, even when driving along a motorway or half-way throught traffic lights - scary!!  Does sound very similar, to your problem - but the garage will be able to sort it out - no problem.

[Chezstevens]

Replaced our car battery at 8 years - I was chuffed to bits that it had lasted that long!!

[Val_2]

Thanks to all for your answers. Yes it is scary especially when you are female and alone on the road and something happens, these cars are especially large and heavy to try and push by yourself too as I found out when the fuel pump unexpectedly packed up last November whilst on the busy main coast road taking my son to Lycée, cost 329€ to get citroen out and for the replacement. I've always been a bit nervous of the car since the airbags exploded the week after we took delivery of it without any warning and burned my shoulder and head which caused all the other cars to be recalled.

[Russethouse]

My Picasso cut out twice last week too. Both times I was turning. (luckily into quiet roads) and had the air con on. Does the air con drain the battery ? Just restarted the car, no problem - very odd.

[Val_2]

Mine dosn't have climatisation because it was an expensive extra and we opted for fog lights instead at the same price as they are more useful to us here in winter with the coastal fogs, so that can't have been the problem in my case. Did your date on the dashboard revert back to the date of production like mine did?

[derf]

No the air con has no effect on the battery but it does cause an extra load to be placed on the alternator and engine speed, if the normal tick over speed at rest, is set a little too low, the engine can cut out when you come off the accelerator to carry out a slow speed manoeuvre. 

[opas]

Val deisel or petrol?  we have a deisel Xantia and I had a few frightening experiences when either driving alone or with one of the girls. When I turned a corner the car literaly died, other half said I was probably in the wrong gear(men!!!!!! I have been driving half my life!) It did it another time as i wanted to enter a roundabout.........comment then was I had stalled it\!!!!!!

Subsequently when he had been working in Uk and returning to our house he was coming around the bends at Clemont Ferrand and said the stearing was heavy, when he got home  he mentioned this and said he would book it i(nowt to do with his driving of course.........) an hour later he went out to the garage and all the oil/fluid from the main pump was running down the street, this pump opperates the brakes , steering, well everything!  400 euros later and all is well.

Make sure you get it in the garage.

hope it is just a loose connection. Don`t you just hate garagistes, everything now is technical not mechanical. Mr O loves nothing more than getting his head into next doors 2CV when It gives her a bit of hassle.........oh and she is over 80 so he does not have an ulterior motive[blink]

[Val_2]

Its petrol. It was one of the earlier models which  is why I posed in the question in case others had bought one at the same time and had to change the battery about now, the cost of which is a little worrying as it is not your standard jobby and as you all know,this month is hefty what with the water,electric and telephone bills coming in.

[Poppy]

Had a strange experience with our battery last week. No previous problems but all of a sudden on starting up there was a pop. Everything dead, the battery was oozing  sulphuric acid all over the place. New battery solved the problem but asked at local garage and they reckon it had cooked in the heat. Said it was normal in elderly batteries. Never come across this before and sorry to digress but cant remember such high temps without a break for thunder etc. Before storms this week it has been in the high 40s most afternoons for 4/5weeks. Also temps more like August than June.

[Alcazar]

Here's my three penn'orth FWIW, (replies to 3 different problems).

Val2 : I'd supect a loose, corroded, or both battery connection. The reversion to previous data on the computer poits to a complete failure of electrical supply. I'd be inclined to tighten battery + and - before trying a garagiste[;-)]

Russethouse: if you didn't experience any obvious electrical failure, then I'd suspect EITHER the aircon pulling the engine revs low, OR fuel surge/drain caused by cornering with a low fuel level. It CAN move enough to allow the pump to suck air! The tank OUGHT to be baffled, but my Xantia isn't.

Poppy: Yours sound like the battery fluid level got too low. I once heard one explode on a taxi in the rank behind me, back in my moonlighting minicab days. It had not been topped up for a while, and went with an enormous bang, and yes, VERY concentrated sulphuric acid was everywhere when we opened the bonnet. ALL car/caravan batteries need distilled water occasionally, unless FULLY sealed, ie: NO visible method of opening them, or unless marked "Do not open", or similar. (They shouldn't, but with short journeys, ad hot wether, better sfae than sorry. it takes less than 30 seconds to check). Very few are made like that.

They explode because modern cars need a HUGE current to turn the starter, especially diesels. This can be in the order of 500Amps or more, briefly, and causes the battery to get very hot, especially if the fluid level is too low, as only that part of the plates actaully IN the electrolyte, can carry the current. It's a bit like having too thin a wire carrying your current........a big no-no.

Alcazar

[Val_2]

Well I hope it dosn't explode seeing as it is under the driver's seat or leak acid onto the carpet!

[Russethouse]

Thanks Alcazar - I think it was the decrease in revs as I had a fullish tank. Luckily on the second occaision I was just pulling into Wraysbury leisure park for a comfort break before tackling the rest of the journey to Hampton Court, thank goodness I did, the traffic was dreadful and we got lost going around the bl**dy Crooked Billet roundabout - 3 times !!! but no more car problems.(a 50 mile journey took 4 hours [:(][:(])

I drive the car a lot more than the OH, who has stalled it several times, perhaps the tick over is too low.