[thetapeworm]

I hope Citroën do the right thing for you @Citroen Since 1973 and your dealer plays ball, please keep us posted.

 

[Shep2015]

TL: DR Summary: if you've stumbled across this chances are you've got the UREA warning, fault messages and a countdown to the car not starting, chances are you need a new UREA tank, it's very expensive but contacting Citroen directly (0800 0939393) might result in it being replaced with a new updated part for zero cost as they are fully aware of this issue but not actively recalling it because it's not a safety thing.

------------------------------------------------------

The longer tale...

As you may have read on here already we had an issue with our 2016 BlueHDi 100 equipped car recently, I just wanted to document what happened and where we've ended up in the hope it helps people searching for the same thing in the future in the hope it saves them some stress / money.

Back in December the car suddenly decided to "smoke", a closer check revealed that it was actually "steam" but more interestingly it had a strong UREA smell, I surmised that the AdBlue injector was open and pouring AdBlue into the exhaust, the smell and white residue around the exhaust tip and bumper seemed to support this.

I called Citroen to discuss this and at the same time asked if there were any pending recalls for our car as servicing etc had been done outside of the network - they confirmed there was a job outstanding to replace a CAT bracket and another to replace the AdBlue cap with a newer vented one. I booked the car in for the "smoke" checking over and the other bits doing.

On picking the car up I didn't get charged and no issues were detected, the warranty work was carried out. As I followed in my car I saw the "smoke" again. Citroen hadn't looked at it at all.

So the next day we put diesel in, the smoke stopped and never came back - odd right?


Three weeks later, car loaded up with family and luggage we headed south for a 600 mile round trip for New Year, 30 miles in and the displays lit up... "Engine Fault: Have the vehicle repaired", "Emissions fault: starting prevented in 700 miles", the UREA light was flashing, the engine warning light on and the "SERVICE" indicator lit up permanently. Breakdown cover in place I decided to carry on with the thought that it was just the AdBlue tank playing up, we needed 600 miles, we had 700 in the bag. The car felt fine, performance was normal, economy as good as always.

I tried to book in with a Citroen dealership in Surrey, they never got back to me so we headed back up home and booked in at the one here in Yorkshire on the basis they would carry out a £144 diagnostics check and then tell me what needed doing.

(* I now know that Citroen Fixed Price Repairs quote diagnostics as £120 inc VAT and labour so watch out for this *)

In the meantime I pulled the codes I could with a reader and the Torque app, my FAP app wouldn't work for some reason - P20EE, P16EA and P208E error codes came up.

P20EE: Depollution of the deNOx system: Emission control ineffective.
P16EA: Depollution of the deNOx system: Excess emission of ammonia.
P208E: DeNOx system circuit: Detection of a blockage.

None of these are really that conclusive and rely on further checks, ideally with the support of Citroen Technical Service Bulletins to guide you, something I obviously didn't have.

So the car went in to Citroen and they came back with a request for another £144 for more diagnostics, it seems the tech hadn't bothered to warm the car so when he put it on their machine cold it said it needed to be up to temp, they expected me to cover this.

They also suggested I should pay...

1. £199 because they couldn't find the service book in the car and it would therefore need a service (it's not in for a service, the book is in the car though, just not out, it's been serviced).

3. £48 for a tyre inflation kit as ours is out of date.

4. £59 to change brake fluid despite levels being fine and it being done recently because "Citroën recommend its changed every 2 years".

5. £155 to investigate oil on the gearbox (at the last service they kinked the seal on the oil filter and it leaked a bit).

And a number I forget for a couple of other things like replacing 50% worn brake pads, it was £738.80 of work and that's still just to diagnose and replace things that didn't need doing and not to fix the thing it went in for.

I declined the "extras" but, much as it pained me, authorised the extra diagnostics because I was already £144 in.

I called Citroen UK at this point (0800 0939393) and opened a case with them about the "extras" they had tried to include and the way the diagnostics had doubled in cost, they listened and logged it for me on the basis I could update them later.

The dealer carried out the extra diagnostics then came back with the news - £1995 for a new AdBlue tank, the diagnostics and 2.5 hours labour to fit it. I was a bit shocked as I'd already read up on how much others had paid for the same and this was a lot more than any other prices I'd seen. They came down to £1750 as a token gesture but I was still not too impressed and told them to hang on to to the car so I could work some things out.

So I called Citroen back with this and the moment I mentioned a full tank replacement they said "we get a lot of those and usually cover the cost, let me assign this to a handler" - and they did this. And 4 days later they confirmed they'd cover the full cost of a new tank.

It took a while for this to get through to the dealer but 2 weeks and a day after first dropping off the car we got it back with a new updated AdBlue tank, fully fitted, with no charge for anything, not even the diagnostics.

Now the annoying thing is that the service chap at the garage said they know all about this, they know Citroen will usually try to cover the cost (even if the car hasn't been looked after by them) but, as dealers and not Citroen they can't tell customers because it would seem like they were generating their own easy to come by work. This doesn't seem right but apparently that's how it is and it's kind of understandable when you think about it.

So if you've made it this far here's my summary if you have AdBlue issues similar to this or just have a BlueHDi 100 car that was made before 2018/19 when I think they changed the cap.

1. Speak to your dealer and get the new cap fitted if you don't already have one - this supposedly vents excess pressure which is apparently causing the injector and sensor in the tank to fail prematurely. Now I reckon they'll fail earlier than they should anyway at some point but this might buy you some time or hopefully stop it happening.

2. Take out an extended warranty if it's not too expensive.

3. If you already have issues with AdBlue warnings etc (not just to top up obviously) then raise a case with Citroen themselves (0800 0939393)

4. Get diagnostics done to confirm the issue is with the tank and that it needs replacing with one of the newer improved ones - this might not need to be at Citroen if you have a good independent diagnostics place with Citroen kit that you can use.

5. Supply Citroen with all the facts and ask if they will cover the cost - they may need you to get the diagnostics done again at the dealer, I honestly don't know, but if they cover the tank replacement you're saving money.

6. Worst case don't pay full price for the part from Citroen - the invoice I have indicates the £1000 I was quoted is inflated and they can get them for £750 but bizarrely a Saab / Mini specialist I've used before called Neos Brothers is currently selling them brand new, OEM parts that are the latest type, for around £650 or a little more on eBay. Other suppliers may also have them - the part number seems to be 9818703780 and the same part seems to fit the 1.6 HDI 70, 95, 90, 92, 110 as well as the BlueHDi 75, 100, 110, 120 and many others like the 1.4 HDi but check this obviously.

Fitting should take 2 hours or so.

Sorry this is a long ramble but I'm hoping the 100s of people that seem to be searching for help with these issues find this and get the support from Citroen I did, maybe Citroen / Peugeot will eventually do the right thing and issue a proper recall for this and replace all the tanks before these cars get to an age where the tank costs as much as the car is worth.

Really interested to hear from anyone else with experience to add around this issue, anyone with better knowledge of all of this as I'm new to it all, Cactus owners or otherwise, so please add your thoughts if you have a moment.


View attachment 2627 View attachment 2628 View attachment 2629 View attachment 2630 View attachment 2631

Mines a April 2015, previously the Adblue cap was replaced for a vented one during bonnet catch recall in 2019.

Adblue warning came up couple of weeks ago with 1500 mile limitation warning so I added 10 litres of Adblue to no avail - I diagnosed with Diagbox -US Adblue pump- low pressure

So due to age of car 7+ years I bought a Adblue Tank off ebay Part Number 9818703780 [Cost £626.39 including 10% Discount Free Delivery ]

Removed old tank after draining it.

Fitted new tank it and primed with new Adblue switched on could hear Adblue pump run up and stop and UREA light now out.

Plugged in Diagbox and initialised Adblue Tank then ensured previously stored emision control faults were deleted ok

Will be hooking up Diagbox again soon and getting some readings for the above, Adblue pump delivery pressure/dosing etc for future reference



Evans Halshaw quoted £1177 for a new Adblue Tank Part Number 9818703780. and £144 Diagnostics if I fitted a tank myself purchased from them or elsewhere !

 

[thetapeworm]

I don't know what Evans Halshaw are playing at with the £144 diagnostics, Citroën quote a £130 (Inc VAT) fixed price for it, still extortionate but £14 back in your pocket all the same.

It's also insane that places like Neos Brothers can sell brand new OEM parts substantially less than dealers are, especially when customers shouldn't be paying to replace defective parts like this anyway.

 

[Citroen Since 1973]

My indy garage recommended Neos Bros to me, it's shocking how prices can vary so much, both for parts and for labour, but I guess that's the same the world over - mans greed knows no bounds! I'll update on Monday.

 

[thetapeworm]

My indy garage recommended Neos Bros to me, it's shocking how prices can vary so much, both for parts and for labour, but I guess that's the same the world over - mans greed knows no bounds! I'll update on Monday.

Indeed, the frustrating thing for me was that I had a really good local independent diagnostics place that are a fraction of the price of Citroen but had to risk £144 (plus another £144 because they didn't warm the car up!) on it being an AdBlue tank issue that they might cover the costs for. People don't just have that sort of money kicking around to just find out what the problem is only to then be told it'll be another £1500 to fix it.

Hopefully it's good news for you next week!

 

[Citroen Since 1973]

I've just finished a phone conversation with a lovely guy, called Ayoub, from customer care, in Morocco. He's created a case number for me and noted down my details. He's also told me to call back after the local dealer has checked over the car and they will offer me support (if necessary, I guess). So, a good result and mainly down to the help and info I've gleaned from people on this and the French Car Forum. Thank you once again, Paul.

 

[locost38]

I have a 2015 BlueHDi . When we bought it in 2016 from a dealer, the Urea light was on so they ended up changing the tanks FOC. Recently the light has come on so I put 10 litres of AdBlue in and the light is staying on. Sounds like it might be the same thing. Booked in with local dealer for diagnostics next week. We have an extended warranty from Citroen so hopefully covered one way or another. Will update with progress. Has anyone had any success with freeing the pumps off (had heard the Urea crystallizes)? BTW I called Citroen directly and they were unable to help me at this stage until I have had diagnostics done.

 

[thetapeworm]

I have a 2015 BlueHDi . When we bought it in 2016 from a dealer, the Urea light was on so they ended up changing the tanks FOC. Recently the light has come on so I put 10 litres of AdBlue in and the light is staying on. Sounds like it might be the same thing. Booked in with local dealer for diagnostics next week. We have an extended warranty from Citroen so hopefully covered one way or another. Will update with progress. Has anyone had any success with freeing the pumps off (had heard the Urea crystallizes)? BTW I called Citroen directly and they were unable to help me at this stage until I have had diagnostics done.

Scary that yours originally failed within a year of the car being built, presumably the part fitted was one of the ones with the design flaw they've now addressed? Hopefully they'll get you sorted, it sounds like you're in a strong position given the warranty.

I've seen people removing the pumps on other cars and removing blockages caused by crystallisation but I think one of the issues that makes replacement on the Cactus so expensive is that it's considered to be one part, it's about time laws were implemented to prevent manufacturers being allowed to do stuff like this, it's wasteful and adds a huge amount to parts costs.

Good luck and please keep us posted in case others end up in the same situation.

(How are you getting on @Citroen Since 1973 ?)

 

[Citroen Since 1973]

Hi everyone, I took our car in to Budgen Motors, in Telford, on Monday. I believe that hey carried out the promised diagnostic check and carried out a "denox system reset". They also topped it up with more AdBlue and cleaned the car, inside and out. However, they said that they could find no indication from their tests that there were any problems with the AdBlue tank and suggested that I keep an eye on things and get back to them if I needed more help. If so, they will have to carry out "pressure tests".

Since Tuesday the car has been used a lot (for us), including journeys of 2 hrs and 1.5hrs, each way, total 280 miles. So far, it has been fine, but it will remain a worry for me, given the problems I've read about.

 

[thetapeworm]

Thanks for the update @Citroen Since 1973 - if the problem isn't there now hopefully they've managed to sort things out using a different approach, on the plus side you have this work as part of the story if it happens again but hopefully that's the end of it and you can move on

 

[Maxxie]

Would like to say a huge thank you for this post.
My car 2018 Cactus C4 blue HDI, started the urea, service and management warning light countdown last week 16th Feb.
I phoned the 0800 number as you had suggested and opened a case.
Dropped my car into Citreon Leeds this morning 21st Feb.
After informing me it was going to cost £1400.00 plus the diagnostic charge of £144.00.
I informed the garage that I had opened a case with head office.
A further call to the 0800 number and this afternoon, they have said that they will fix it for zero pounds.
Again, thank you so much for your post as you have just saved me the best part of £2000.00 after the fitting.
I am truly grateful.
Many thanks
Jacqui

Hi, do you know if you have to have bought from new to stand a chance of the free repair?
Thanks.

 

[thetapeworm]

Hi, do you know if you have to have bought from new to stand a chance of the free repair?
Thanks.

We bought used and had the car serviced outside of the Citroën dealer network and were still covered

 

[locost38]

Update to my issue - the diagnostic said it was urea tank and it need replacing . Citroen offered to cover 60% of the cost of the tank leaving me with £600 bill. Luckily I had the extended warranty through Citroen so they picked up the difference. This is a very common issue apparently.

 

[thetapeworm]

Update to my issue - the diagnostic said it was urea tank and it need replacing . Citroen offered to cover 60% of the cost of the tank leaving me with £600 bill. Luckily I had the extended warranty through Citroen so they picked up the difference. This is a very common issue apparently.

It's somewhat disheartening to hear they only made an offer at 60% given others have had the whole of the cost covered, perhaps as more and more people suffer this issue they are starting to see the same sort of financial impact their poor customers are experiencing!

Great to head the warranty covered this for you but I hope this isn't a sign of things to come for others and Citroen own up to their design faults and don't leave people out of pocket.

As you say it's a common issue that they're all too aware about but because it's not a safety concern they aren't obliged to do a recall.

 

[Mel89]

TL: DR Summary: if you've stumbled across this chances are you've got the UREA warning, fault messages and a countdown to the car not starting, chances are you need a new UREA tank, it's very expensive but contacting Citroen directly (0800 0939393) might result in it being replaced with a new updated part for zero cost as they are fully aware of this issue but not actively recalling it because it's not a safety thing.

------------------------------------------------------

The longer tale...

As you may have read on here already we had an issue with our 2016 BlueHDi 100 equipped car recently, I just wanted to document what happened and where we've ended up in the hope it helps people searching for the same thing in the future in the hope it saves them some stress / money.

Back in December the car suddenly decided to "smoke", a closer check revealed that it was actually "steam" but more interestingly it had a strong UREA smell, I surmised that the AdBlue injector was open and pouring AdBlue into the exhaust, the smell and white residue around the exhaust tip and bumper seemed to support this.

I called Citroen to discuss this and at the same time asked if there were any pending recalls for our car as servicing etc had been done outside of the network - they confirmed there was a job outstanding to replace a CAT bracket and another to replace the AdBlue cap with a newer vented one. I booked the car in for the "smoke" checking over and the other bits doing.

On picking the car up I didn't get charged and no issues were detected, the warranty work was carried out. As I followed in my car I saw the "smoke" again. Citroen hadn't looked at it at all.

So the next day we put diesel in, the smoke stopped and never came back - odd right?


Three weeks later, car loaded up with family and luggage we headed south for a 600 mile round trip for New Year, 30 miles in and the displays lit up... "Engine Fault: Have the vehicle repaired", "Emissions fault: starting prevented in 700 miles", the UREA light was flashing, the engine warning light on and the "SERVICE" indicator lit up permanently. Breakdown cover in place I decided to carry on with the thought that it was just the AdBlue tank playing up, we needed 600 miles, we had 700 in the bag. The car felt fine, performance was normal, economy as good as always.

I tried to book in with a Citroen dealership in Surrey, they never got back to me so we headed back up home and booked in at the one here in Yorkshire on the basis they would carry out a £144 diagnostics check and then tell me what needed doing.

(* I now know that Citroen Fixed Price Repairs quote diagnostics as £120 inc VAT and labour so watch out for this *)

In the meantime I pulled the codes I could with a reader and the Torque app, my FAP app wouldn't work for some reason - P20EE, P16EA and P208E error codes came up.

P20EE: Depollution of the deNOx system: Emission control ineffective.
P16EA: Depollution of the deNOx system: Excess emission of ammonia.
P208E: DeNOx system circuit: Detection of a blockage.

None of these are really that conclusive and rely on further checks, ideally with the support of Citroen Technical Service Bulletins to guide you, something I obviously didn't have.

So the car went in to Citroen and they came back with a request for another £144 for more diagnostics, it seems the tech hadn't bothered to warm the car so when he put it on their machine cold it said it needed to be up to temp, they expected me to cover this.

They also suggested I should pay...

1. £199 because they couldn't find the service book in the car and it would therefore need a service (it's not in for a service, the book is in the car though, just not out, it's been serviced).

3. £48 for a tyre inflation kit as ours is out of date.

4. £59 to change brake fluid despite levels being fine and it being done recently because "Citroën recommend its changed every 2 years".

5. £155 to investigate oil on the gearbox (at the last service they kinked the seal on the oil filter and it leaked a bit).

And a number I forget for a couple of other things like replacing 50% worn brake pads, it was £738.80 of work and that's still just to diagnose and replace things that didn't need doing and not to fix the thing it went in for.

I declined the "extras" but, much as it pained me, authorised the extra diagnostics because I was already £144 in.

I called Citroen UK at this point (0800 0939393) and opened a case with them about the "extras" they had tried to include and the way the diagnostics had doubled in cost, they listened and logged it for me on the basis I could update them later.

The dealer carried out the extra diagnostics then came back with the news - £1995 for a new AdBlue tank, the diagnostics and 2.5 hours labour to fit it. I was a bit shocked as I'd already read up on how much others had paid for the same and this was a lot more than any other prices I'd seen. They came down to £1750 as a token gesture but I was still not too impressed and told them to hang on to to the car so I could work some things out.

So I called Citroen back with this and the moment I mentioned a full tank replacement they said "we get a lot of those and usually cover the cost, let me assign this to a handler" - and they did this. And 4 days later they confirmed they'd cover the full cost of a new tank.

It took a while for this to get through to the dealer but 2 weeks and a day after first dropping off the car we got it back with a new updated AdBlue tank, fully fitted, with no charge for anything, not even the diagnostics.

Now the annoying thing is that the service chap at the garage said they know all about this, they know Citroen will usually try to cover the cost (even if the car hasn't been looked after by them) but, as dealers and not Citroen they can't tell customers because it would seem like they were generating their own easy to come by work. This doesn't seem right but apparently that's how it is and it's kind of understandable when you think about it.

So if you've made it this far here's my summary if you have AdBlue issues similar to this or just have a BlueHDi 100 car that was made before 2018/19 when I think they changed the cap.

1. Speak to your dealer and get the new cap fitted if you don't already have one - this supposedly vents excess pressure which is apparently causing the injector and sensor in the tank to fail prematurely. Now I reckon they'll fail earlier than they should anyway at some point but this might buy you some time or hopefully stop it happening.

2. Take out an extended warranty if it's not too expensive.

3. If you already have issues with AdBlue warnings etc (not just to top up obviously) then raise a case with Citroen themselves (0800 0939393)

4. Get diagnostics done to confirm the issue is with the tank and that it needs replacing with one of the newer improved ones - this might not need to be at Citroen if you have a good independent diagnostics place with Citroen kit that you can use.

5. Supply Citroen with all the facts and ask if they will cover the cost - they may need you to get the diagnostics done again at the dealer, I honestly don't know, but if they cover the tank replacement you're saving money.

6. Worst case don't pay full price for the part from Citroen - the invoice I have indicates the £1000 I was quoted is inflated and they can get them for £750 but bizarrely a Saab / Mini specialist I've used before called Neos Brothers is currently selling them brand new, OEM parts that are the latest type, for around £650 or a little more on eBay. Other suppliers may also have them - the part number seems to be 9818703780 and the same part seems to fit the 1.6 HDI 70, 95, 90, 92, 110 as well as the BlueHDi 75, 100, 110, 120 and many others like the 1.4 HDi but check this obviously.

Fitting should take 2 hours or so.

Sorry this is a long ramble but I'm hoping the 100s of people that seem to be searching for help with these issues find this and get the support from Citroen I did, maybe Citroen / Peugeot will eventually do the right thing and issue a proper recall for this and replace all the tanks before these cars get to an age where the tank costs as much as the car is worth.

Really interested to hear from anyone else with experience to add around this issue, anyone with better knowledge of all of this as I'm new to it all, Cactus owners or otherwise, so please add your thoughts if you have a moment.


View attachment 2627 View attachment 2628 View attachment 2629 View attachment 2630 View attachment 2631

Thanks so much for putting this post on I’m having the exact same issues with a ds3. I’ve been so stressed and upset as I don’t have the money to pay for a new tank so found this post they have opened a case for me I’ve booked my car into Citroen and am awaiting the diagnostic then will contact Citroen again I’m praying they will replace and pay for a new updated tank if I hadn’t found this post I don’t know what I would have done so honestly thank you for going out of your way to put this on here to help others! il post once I know the outcome too keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

 

[thetapeworm]

Thanks so much for putting this post on I’m having the exact same issues with a ds3. I’ve been so stressed and upset as I don’t have the money to pay for a new tank so found this post they have opened a case for me I’ve booked my car into Citroen and am awaiting the diagnostic then will contact Citroen again I’m praying they will replace and pay for a new updated tank if I hadn’t found this post I don’t know what I would have done so honestly thank you for going out of your way to put this on here to help others! il post once I know the outcome too keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

It pains me to see anyone going through this as I know how stressful it is so I hope you get it all sorted with the minimum of fuss and even more so zero cost! Keep us posted please.

 

[Cragman7]

TL: DR Summary: if you've stumbled across this chances are you've got the UREA warning, fault messages and a countdown to the car not starting, chances are you need a new UREA tank, it's very expensive but contacting Citroen directly (0800 0939393) might result in it being replaced with a new updated part for zero cost as they are fully aware of this issue but not actively recalling it because it's not a safety thing.

------------------------------------------------------

The longer tale...

As you may have read on here already we had an issue with our 2016 BlueHDi 100 equipped car recently, I just wanted to document what happened and where we've ended up in the hope it helps people searching for the same thing in the future in the hope it saves them some stress / money.

Back in December the car suddenly decided to "smoke", a closer check revealed that it was actually "steam" but more interestingly it had a strong UREA smell, I surmised that the AdBlue injector was open and pouring AdBlue into the exhaust, the smell and white residue around the exhaust tip and bumper seemed to support this.

I called Citroen to discuss this and at the same time asked if there were any pending recalls for our car as servicing etc had been done outside of the network - they confirmed there was a job outstanding to replace a CAT bracket and another to replace the AdBlue cap with a newer vented one. I booked the car in for the "smoke" checking over and the other bits doing.

On picking the car up I didn't get charged and no issues were detected, the warranty work was carried out. As I followed in my car I saw the "smoke" again. Citroen hadn't looked at it at all.

So the next day we put diesel in, the smoke stopped and never came back - odd right?


Three weeks later, car loaded up with family and luggage we headed south for a 600 mile round trip for New Year, 30 miles in and the displays lit up... "Engine Fault: Have the vehicle repaired", "Emissions fault: starting prevented in 700 miles", the UREA light was flashing, the engine warning light on and the "SERVICE" indicator lit up permanently. Breakdown cover in place I decided to carry on with the thought that it was just the AdBlue tank playing up, we needed 600 miles, we had 700 in the bag. The car felt fine, performance was normal, economy as good as always.

I tried to book in with a Citroen dealership in Surrey, they never got back to me so we headed back up home and booked in at the one here in Yorkshire on the basis they would carry out a £144 diagnostics check and then tell me what needed doing.

(* I now know that Citroen Fixed Price Repairs quote diagnostics as £120 inc VAT and labour so watch out for this *)

In the meantime I pulled the codes I could with a reader and the Torque app, my FAP app wouldn't work for some reason - P20EE, P16EA and P208E error codes came up.

P20EE: Depollution of the deNOx system: Emission control ineffective.
P16EA: Depollution of the deNOx system: Excess emission of ammonia.
P208E: DeNOx system circuit: Detection of a blockage.

None of these are really that conclusive and rely on further checks, ideally with the support of Citroen Technical Service Bulletins to guide you, something I obviously didn't have.

So the car went in to Citroen and they came back with a request for another £144 for more diagnostics, it seems the tech hadn't bothered to warm the car so when he put it on their machine cold it said it needed to be up to temp, they expected me to cover this.

They also suggested I should pay...

1. £199 because they couldn't find the service book in the car and it would therefore need a service (it's not in for a service, the book is in the car though, just not out, it's been serviced).

3. £48 for a tyre inflation kit as ours is out of date.

4. £59 to change brake fluid despite levels being fine and it being done recently because "Citroën recommend its changed every 2 years".

5. £155 to investigate oil on the gearbox (at the last service they kinked the seal on the oil filter and it leaked a bit).

And a number I forget for a couple of other things like replacing 50% worn brake pads, it was £738.80 of work and that's still just to diagnose and replace things that didn't need doing and not to fix the thing it went in for.

I declined the "extras" but, much as it pained me, authorised the extra diagnostics because I was already £144 in.

I called Citroen UK at this point (0800 0939393) and opened a case with them about the "extras" they had tried to include and the way the diagnostics had doubled in cost, they listened and logged it for me on the basis I could update them later.

The dealer carried out the extra diagnostics then came back with the news - £1995 for a new AdBlue tank, the diagnostics and 2.5 hours labour to fit it. I was a bit shocked as I'd already read up on how much others had paid for the same and this was a lot more than any other prices I'd seen. They came down to £1750 as a token gesture but I was still not too impressed and told them to hang on to to the car so I could work some things out.

So I called Citroen back with this and the moment I mentioned a full tank replacement they said "we get a lot of those and usually cover the cost, let me assign this to a handler" - and they did this. And 4 days later they confirmed they'd cover the full cost of a new tank.

It took a while for this to get through to the dealer but 2 weeks and a day after first dropping off the car we got it back with a new updated AdBlue tank, fully fitted, with no charge for anything, not even the diagnostics.

Now the annoying thing is that the service chap at the garage said they know all about this, they know Citroen will usually try to cover the cost (even if the car hasn't been looked after by them) but, as dealers and not Citroen they can't tell customers because it would seem like they were generating their own easy to come by work. This doesn't seem right but apparently that's how it is and it's kind of understandable when you think about it.

So if you've made it this far here's my summary if you have AdBlue issues similar to this or just have a BlueHDi 100 car that was made before 2018/19 when I think they changed the cap.

1. Speak to your dealer and get the new cap fitted if you don't already have one - this supposedly vents excess pressure which is apparently causing the injector and sensor in the tank to fail prematurely. Now I reckon they'll fail earlier than they should anyway at some point but this might buy you some time or hopefully stop it happening.

2. Take out an extended warranty if it's not too expensive.

3. If you already have issues with AdBlue warnings etc (not just to top up obviously) then raise a case with Citroen themselves (0800 0939393)

4. Get diagnostics done to confirm the issue is with the tank and that it needs replacing with one of the newer improved ones - this might not need to be at Citroen if you have a good independent diagnostics place with Citroen kit that you can use.

5. Supply Citroen with all the facts and ask if they will cover the cost - they may need you to get the diagnostics done again at the dealer, I honestly don't know, but if they cover the tank replacement you're saving money.

6. Worst case don't pay full price for the part from Citroen - the invoice I have indicates the £1000 I was quoted is inflated and they can get them for £750 but bizarrely a Saab / Mini specialist I've used before called Neos Brothers is currently selling them brand new, OEM parts that are the latest type, for around £650 or a little more on eBay. Other suppliers may also have them - the part number seems to be 9818703780 and the same part seems to fit the 1.6 HDI 70, 95, 90, 92, 110 as well as the BlueHDi 75, 100, 110, 120 and many others like the 1.4 HDi but check this obviously.

Fitting should take 2 hours or so.

Sorry this is a long ramble but I'm hoping the 100s of people that seem to be searching for help with these issues find this and get the support from Citroen I did, maybe Citroen / Peugeot will eventually do the right thing and issue a proper recall for this and replace all the tanks before these cars get to an age where the tank costs as much as the car is worth.

Really interested to hear from anyone else with experience to add around this issue, anyone with better knowledge of all of this as I'm new to it all, Cactus owners or otherwise, so please add your thoughts if you have a moment.


View attachment 2627 View attachment 2628 View attachment 2629 View attachment 2630 View attachment 2631

Hi, I have the urea light, the service light and the starting inhibited countdown warning. This all came on 100 miles into a 600 mile journey into remote Scotland. I’ve topped up today but the warning won’t go. What do I do next 😐
Ring Citroen direct or drive 80 miles to nearest dealer in Inverness and beg for help ? Holiday is likely to be ruined without a car and getting home next Saturday an issue is I’ve only got 250 miles left on the countdown and it’s 600 miles to home. Can a dealer reset and give me another 1000 miles so I can use my own dealer at home ? What would you do ?

 

[thetapeworm]

Hi, I have the urea light, the service light and the starting inhibited countdown warning. This all came on 100 miles into a 600 mile journey into remote Scotland. I’ve topped up today but the warning won’t go. What do I do next 😐
Ring Citroen direct or drive 80 miles to nearest dealer in Inverness and beg for help ? Holiday is likely to be ruined without a car and getting home next Saturday an issue is I’ve only got 250 miles left on the countdown and it’s 600 miles to home. Can a dealer reset and give me another 1000 miles so I can use my own dealer at home ? What would you do ?

Ouch, that's a more extreme version of my countdown experience, I had a decent amount of miles spare to get home but it was still very stressful to have it counting down.

It must be possible to reset and get you some grace, it's not as if something is going to fall off when you reach zero orbs more broken, it's presumably just a legislation thing that if the emissions system breaks the car isn't allowed to just drive around killing everyone a little bit more than usual.

I'd call Citroën first and seek their advice, hopefully they can call the nearest dealership in your behalf and handle this as the alternative would be a car that needs recovery back to your home and then to your dealership of choice

The problem with just going to the dealership up there is that they are most likely fully booked and even if they can help the tank probably needs to be ordered in.

I guess one workaround would be to brim the tank and then try and do the return trip in one go so you don't have to try and start the car again but I'm not sure I could cope with that.

Hopefully Citroën will look after you, let us know how you get on and I hope this doesn't ruin your holiday.

 

[markyp]

Can I just say such a big thank you. I was quoted £1400 to replace my ad blue tank on my Berlingo (6 yrs old/out of warranty/32k). Raised a case with Citroen who have covered the cost in full.
I do have one follow up question though and would welcome any advice/thoughts. I initially spent 120k on diagnostic and ~£500 on replacing nitrous oxide sensor before the garage recommended replacement of the tank. I am wondering whether I should also raise a case to try and get these costs covered. I guess the question is whether the original blue cap whose lack of venting is behind the pump failure is also likely to have caused the sensor failure ….. or are they unconnected?? Any thoughts much appreciated.
Mark
PS - I will be following up with both the dealer and Citroen. I am pretty livid with the dealer who when I asked what my options were never even mentioned the likelihood Citroen would cover the costs. Not everyone is lucky enough to come across posts like this one. Surely the dealers have some duty of care? Equally Citroen - even though I appreciate they have been pretty helpful here - seem to imply that they are franchises so nothing to do with us … which is obviously nonsense
Anyway - thanks again!!!!

 

[thetapeworm]

Great to hear about another success @markyp - I suspect you might struggle to recoup earlier costs but it's worth opening the discussion if you believe the NOS sensor issue wasn't correctly diagnosed. It does seem like another recurring one that comes up but I'd argue they seem to fail far too prematurely and should be something Citroën cover.

I had the same dealer frustrations over it being a known issue, mine admitted they aren't allowed to disclose they know about the Citroën options as it would seem like they were generating their own income stream but to me it all just feels wrong. Standing by and charging people £1200+ who could actually pay nothing seems immoral which is why I wanted this out there to try and reach as many people as I can.