ECU + other issues

I have a Citroen C3 Desire, no modifications and 05 plate.

I recently had the ECU go down due to water getting into it. Quoted £700 new, £310 refurb. Got that unit fixed though was also told that the unit connected to it also had to be replace for pretty much the same reason. Was quoted £1900 new and they are currently looking for a a replacement refurb as it's unrecoverable. The garage is currently waiting to see if a replacement can be found and a quote.

The units were sent off to a certified repair shop.

I understand that things can get expensive but as I know next to nothing about car mechanics, I was wondering if the above prices were reasonable.

Out of the two choices on where to take the car, it was either an independant but recommend place or a Citroen dealer. Being 5:30 in the mornting I went with the independant dealer as I've heard quite a few bad things about dealers. Hind sight is 20/20 though as the units had to be sent off I was wondering weather it would have made a difference where I took the car.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi wilts1972

wilts1972 wrote:I recently had the ECU go down due to water getting into it. Quoted £700 new, £310 refurb. Got that unit fixed though was also told that the unit connected to it also had to be replace for pretty much the same reason. Was quoted £1900 new and they are currently looking for a a replacement refurb as it's unrecoverable. The garage is currently waiting to see if a replacement can be found and a quote.

wilts1972 wrote:I understand that things can get expensive but as I know next to nothing about car mechanics, I was wondering if the above prices were reasonable

You have to change both the ECU and BSI together as a matched pair unless you go for new parts or someone has the kit to delete the pairing (at a cost).

You can pick up the 'matched kit' - the BSI, ECU and the Key on eBay - have a look here to compare prices of used parts with your quote, they look like £150 for the three.

You will have plenty of programming to be done to get the replacement BSI to reflect the level of spec of your car, you will need the Lexia tool - not OBD, so that's another £100 plus a steep learning curve.

wilts1972 wrote:Hind sight is 20/20 though as the units had to be sent off I was wondering weather it would have made a difference where I took the car.

The dealer price for BSI, ECU and Keys would have made the car uneconomical to repair