new here need some ideas

Hi Folks,

New to the forum so please bear with me.
My daughter has just purchased a c3 exclusive from a local garage and is in love with it!, however she has been having a few problems which to be fair to garage they have tried to sort out for her free of charge.

The car "rough idles" and the needle moves between around 500 and 800 revs which in turn causes a judder on the steering wheel, also it intermittently makes like a low siren sound when at idle and with the lights on.

The garage has put it on the computer and logged a fault as a "slight misfire" so far they have changed the fanbelt, cleaned out the throttle motor, change the plugs and the ignition coil pack, the car then ran ok for about 5 days but the siren sound has now returned!

Has anyone got any ideas? to be fair to the garage they are more than willing to have it back to look at again but would be nice if I could give any suggestions.

Welcome gerard

gerard wrote:the car then ran ok for about 5 days but the siren sound has now returned!

Is it just the noise that is the problem now?

It could be the alternator bearing or the alternator belt tensioner bearing making a noise, the A/C compressor is run by the same belt. I assume you get it when the car is stationery and it varies pitch/volume with engine RPM?

gerard wrote: also it intermittently makes like a low siren sound when at idle and with the lights on.

Very much indicating alternator related. Check the alternator bearing and its tensioner bearing.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will pass it onto the garage when it goes back in on Wednesday.

I have had the car running today and cannot replicate the sounds, I dont know if it is a serious issue or just one of those things that cars do!

Kudos to the garage though they are so bending over backwards to sort it out when in all honesty they could have just said not our problem!

gerard wrote:I dont know if it is a serious issue

Strange noises should be investigated because they indicate something not quite right and things only get worse, never better by themselves.

gerard wrote: or just one of those things that cars do!

No, they shouldn't make strange sounds.

gerard wrote: I will pass it onto the garage when it goes back in on Wednesday.

Thanks, it will be good to hear what they find.

gerard wrote:I have had the car running today and cannot replicate the sounds,

Shame, intermittent faults can be the most difficult to track down. It would also have been useful to record a youtube of the sound and attach it to this topic

Hi Without hearing the noise it is difficult to diagnose, But I have just had a similar problem, thought it was the alternator, or the air con pump, If you get the garage to remove the drive belt from these, that will tell you if it is one of these that is the problem, I did this and the noise was still there, I then changed the water pump, all perfect now. hope this helps

Paul

Hi Guys,

sorry for the delay in reply been out of the country on business, I am happy to report that the garage have solved it!!!!!, new water pump and all is well.

Thanks for all the helpful tips and advice ( sorry dont know how to post quotes)

Daughter is very happy and so I am in the garage and all the things they ave done, also for saying to her if any further problems drop it in and they will sort out, didnt think that service like existed any more.