Citroen Ami Suspension Strut Top Mount Repair - What Broke and Why?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2024
- My Citroen Ami Electric quadricycle has only covered 1460 miles in 6 months. Last week the front suspension failed, causing the front wheel to have excess movement and unpredictable handling. On inspection I found that the top mount for the right hand side McPherson strut had failed. The top mount's bonded rubber bush had broken away from the steel plate.
Citroen's only Scottish Ami repair centre was unable to look at the Ami until 4 weeks from now - so I decided to fix the problem myself. The replacement top mount is a part which is common to several other vehicles including the Citroen C4, DS3, Peugeot 2008 and 208 and the Vauxhall/Opel Corsa. The part was reasonably cheap at about GBP £20. Simple tools were required to change the broken mount: Floor jack, 10mm spanner and sockets, 21mm ring spanner, T45 Torx bit, 13 mm spanner or socket and a pair of coil spring compressors. The most difficult part was accessing one of the fixing screws holding a steel mounting plate to the chassis - I tried a variety of spanners and sockets and eventually got it out.
On inspection the cause of the failure appeared to be a manufacturing defect with the bonding of the rubber bush to the top mount - only a small portion of the circumference of the bush was correctly bonded as can be seen by the areas of the rubber which ripped and remained stuck to the plate. The remaining parts of the rubber bush were smooth and were obviously not stuck to the plate. The original top mount was a Citroen/Peugeot part with a manufacturing date code of 12/07/2022 (2322 stamped week code for early June 2022?). The replacement part I used was a Quinton Hazell pt.no. ERM4806. I bought two just in case there is a problem with the mount on the other side. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Thanks for the video Doug, just followed your instruction, making the exact same repair on an Opel Rocks-e. Having the part number in the comments was a great help!
Glad that the video was useful!
@@DougsShed Very much so! I'm not an experienced mechanic, so without this video I wouldn't have dared :)
The one thing the Ami is good at is making content. Like one long disaster series.
My favourite is the one where someone took a corner a bit enthusiastically and it flopped on it's sided like a Reliant 3 wheeler.
No elk test required.
I'm sure if I was given one as a 14/16 year old, I would have had it on it's roof within a week!
I'd agree with your diagnosis from what I can see, It'll be interesting to hear what Citroen have to say about it. I feel your pain getting those screws aligned, I've had to resort to making stabbing pins in similar situations where cross threading was a serious possibility. Nice job.
The rearmost screw was very difficult to access.
Nice repair Doug, looks like the Ami is ready for the road. Cheers and have a great week
Thanks Lloyd, I've done over 100miles in the past 3 days - going great now.
Lanolin is one of the best rubber preservatives out there. It's even effective in recovering condition from dry rot in many rubber parts. I use it on vintage tyres, some thirty years old and still pristine.
I also treat CV and rack boots, with some now over 350000km and still like new. I use Lanotec heavy duty in most cases. Great work on the repair. Cheers.
Good to know.
Hope you enjoy having your Ami back up and running!
Thanks - I have clocked up another 110miles since I fixed it.
u sir are a god, a gandalf, a pioneer and should be on a Citroen Ami advice/consultation/helpline team of some sort. An excellent insight into your repair work, thanks for sharing.
I can see that independent specialist need to take on AMis in a couple of years (when they all start to fall apart).
Fixing broken parts on a brand new car…quality 👌🏻
I'm surprised that Vauxhall/Opel Corsa F owners are not seeing the same problem (same part).
great insight .... stresses on the vehicle with poor road surfaces only too evident on ANY trip.... not just pot holes but "trenches" wherevroad repairs have taken place almost impossible to see till you're there !
My Ami is a pothole magnet!
@@DougsShed yeh. but as you said once to avoid one you go down another... what people expect of the vehicle is perhaps too much given conditions prevailing... !
Is there a hole drilled in the bottom of that plate at the lowest point to let the water drip back out
Glad you got your wee Ami fixed!
I suppose as the part which failed is common to a number of other cars, then it can’t really be classed as an Ami specific fault, therefore shouldn’t really be a concern for potential buyers?
Yes, I think it is a manufacturing defect with a particular batch of top mounts. These same mounts are used on several other (heavier) cars.
The real question is why did it fail in such a short amount of time. Its a new car!.
@@AllThingsAlex Typical bathtub curve failure.
Intersting stuff, may I ask, why are you repairing this, is this not a warranty job, or do you like me prefer to know it’s been done properly
wheel alignment afterwards? send Citroen the invoice for the part for reimbursement. see what happens?
Citroen needs you in the factory Doug! :-)
Too hot for me in Morocco....
I would worry that undertaking any work myself is a good excuse for Citroen to void the warranty in the future
Warranties are no use if you can't get the car dealer to fix the problem within a reasonable time scale.
Outstanding questions: How long before near side fails? How much better the QH part ? should there not be drain holes above bonding to drain the water? IYO what would an Ideal solution look like perhaps without glue? If you spot welded in a top palate would that prevent failure?
I have a spare for the other side. Don't think the water was the main problem although the 'drain' channels in the top plate probable work in reverse and fill the top mount with water!
At least you know it's been replaced properly, bad news re the water pooling, that's definitely a design issue.
Hi, can you suggest to me how to solve infiltration issues during rainy days, please.
keep it in a garage?
Could be good for self repair in 'x' years time, looks accessible and not too frightening.
Mechanical parts will be no problem. Battery/Motor/Electronics could be a problem
@@DougsShed hi. That could be true. The origional Prius battery can now be upgraded etc by enterprising people, the motor *could* be reconditioned and electronics could also be reversed engineered again by those in the know. Thats what I would hope, to stop these ending up in the skip once main line support ends.
Very interesting , your a good engineer , did you feel safer doing the repair yourself rather than getting it done under warranty ? I would love an Ami. I'm up in Oban and would love a go in one sometime . Thanks for posting
Warranty repair would have taken at least 5 weeks wait!
It's a consumable item, like tyres and brake pads, good luck trying to stick that on citroen👍. Our pot holed roads are putting extra strain on our cars. Also, it would be good practice to change both sides not just one?
I have the one for the other side.
Hopefully you get more than 6 months out the new one 😅
Nice one Doug. I can imagine mechanics at Citroen dealership watching this to see how it's done. Do you think it's worth taking the front cover off from time to time to check these? Nearly up to 1000 miles in mine - tempted to have a look - Only problem is I don't have some of the tools needed to do this job if it needs doing.
Why would you even do the job? It’s under warranty and it’s a parts failure! Broken spring due to potholes, normal ‘wear and tear’ mountings etc *don’t* come off in normal use. I’ve done car mechanics for over 40 years and the only thing that’s increased is broken springs, cracked alloys and alignment.
@@stumpusMaximus Yeah but I was thinking more - Have look and see to check the condition. Garage won't be interested unless it's actually broken. Would rather prevent problem than just wait for it to happen.
@@stumpusMaximus you need to take them to a citroen garage probably whee you live theres a citroen garage on every street corner but some people dont have the same luxury as you my nearest Citroen garage is 647 miles away =.
I hope alternator engages in regeneration mode?
The Ami gets a little bit of regenerative braking. But no long downhill stretches here where you would notice the extra range (unlike Tim Fountain with his hills in the south of France).
Why are your reparing it yourself, is it not under warranty?
I'm not sure how it will stand up to UK winters based on the corrosion shown.
Citroen could not repair in a reasonable timescale. For rustproofing I am applying Lanoguard every year. The Ami is not good in temperatures below 10C therefore limited use from December to April!
£8k new just one question why?
Because Tesla
Was it not covered by the warranty?
Yes - but they couldn't fix in within a reasonable timescale.
Are you ran out of warranty already, so that you had to repair it or you dont trust the service?
Citroen Service Centre could not look at the problem for 5 weeks - I could not wait that long.
Would this not be covered by warranty?
Yes - but the only Ami service centre could not look at the car for 5 weeks!
Why aren't Citroen doing this work FOC ?
He says there was a 4-week lead-in time before they will have the car in for repairs. I would be sending the failed bit back to Citroen and request reimbursement for the new mount and ask for something for my time too.
@@austinswallow And charging for the work.
Poor quality part or something wrong with water channelling on the body?
And Citroen want people to pay £8 grand for one of these >? I can buy a decent Range Rover thats 10 years old for same money and it will last a lot longer or a Land Rover Defender
I can’t the little Ami doing well in The U.K.
it needs more power for our hills for a start 🫣
Looks like a money pit or cast off from what I’ve seen so far 🤷♂️
A £20 repair (and would likely have been done under warranty) hardly represents a "money pit"!
Can you show me how to remove the windows
Not tried that!
Shitron
I would have sprayed the spring with lanoguard as well as it looked rusty.less than a year old poor build
The 'rusty' spot is actually a paint marking on the spring. I have spayed the springs and struts with Lanoguard.
It's hard to say if it was better designed the historical Ami or this one...
the original was way better.
Load bearing glue, fantastic idea😔
A sandwich plate would eliminate the risk of collapse.
Luckily the weight of the car is still supported by the spring. The top plate rubber bolts to the strut's shock absorber. It also provides some location for the strut.
So glad i cancelled my AMI before ordering.
Amazing. These Citroens have many, many faults in both design and build quality, and yet nobody says, I'm never buying a French car again! Now go back to the BL/Austin Rover days, when people looked for any reason whatsoever, no matter how small, to bad-mouth cars designed and built by their fellow countrymen. If you think that the Ami looks better than the Allegro, may I suggest Spec Savers??
I loved the look of the Allegro. I was a bit disappointed when my mum got another Austin 1100 rather than an Allegro.
Not very well made for a new car , considering im driving around in a near 20 year old Mitsubishi Colt have hit many large potholes and never broke the springs shocks or struts , seems like Cheap parts Citroen are using and there seems to be no give in the suspension which dont help also the Ami only does 29 mph how can it break at such a slow speed ?
It's not a "car". Quadracycle.
@@ColinWatters lol 😄 Karen I know but still should be built well for £8 grand
@@christineayres7199 Can get a 2017 Nissan Leaf for that.
Should be good for another 1,400 + miles
The welding exposed by the repair looks very poor indeed. It would appear to be badly hand welded. I thought all modern cars would be machine welded.
Moroccan goat herders employed to weld the chassis!
@@DougsShedthat explains alot
No wonder I became a carpenter That shit is too obsessive.
It is insane that that vehicle is allowed on the road. How something with such a weak looking structure is safe.
It is a 4 wheel electric moped - It's not a car.
I pretend to buy one but I'm very worried 😮
Hopefully just an isolated problem.
If you're only pretending the then the risk is negligible.
thats a warranty claim surely...?
It would have been if the Citroen Service centre could have repaired it within a reasonable time scale. I fixed the problem for about £15.
They dont make real qualitycars anymore.
iI have an Opel astra from 1993 with still all original suspension parts intact.
Rust on the chassis is the only thing bothering me.
My 2010 Opel corsa already got the front struts replaced and rear shocks.
I had the rubber bushes on the rear shock absorbers of my 3 year old Fiat panda fail. Missed a warranty claim by 2 weeks due to not being able to get the car serviced in time due to dealer backlog caused by Covid.
So load a rubber/steel adhesive joint in Tension? Forever? And in a mounting that will accumulate and trap water at the glue line? That is lousy engineering.
Make the cup half as deep, put the rubber bits below, in compression. That would last much longer, perhaps forever given the light loading.
Not so funny: Volvo uses the same design for rear shock attachment in many of their vehicles. I’ve had this issue in an 850 wagon. Stupidly spendy part too.
The rubber portion is attached to the damper rod of the front strut. It does not see a constant load. The spring's load is supported by the roller bearing mounted to the bottom of the steel support plate of the top mount which bolts direct to the chassis. The water trap is not a very clever piece of design.
These cars remind me of those cars in a box from China, but not as good.
.. and a lot more expensive
I have yet to see one of the Chinese versions to check the quality.
Perhaps they could send me a few examples to test/review???
I would have made the main dealer come and collect it and give me a loaner until its fixed .
MY TOMY
If they continue to sell this quality they will disappear.
People don't realise that that is not a car. It's a mobility scooter with a roof
Spot on!
The part that failed us a car grade component though.
@@benholroyd5221 what are you smoking
@@DRAINTVofficial
Well either you were
A) making a general comment unrelated to the video
B) making a comment related to the video.
I inferred B. And further inferred you were making a comment about the expected quality of the components used, as the video is about a component failure
I'm again forced to assume from your second comment that I interpreted your first comment wrong? But then your second comment isn't especially helpful. So all I can say is that what I'm smoking isn't giving me psychic powers.
@@benholroyd5221 someone is triggered. I recommend you take it easy in life. You're gonna have a a heart attack sooner or later if a common online can trigger you that much. I hate to see how you behave in person 😂
What a heap of junk,,,the welds on the front subframe are atrocious,,,there are honestly better welds on a pushbike frame,,your much better off buying a Dacia sandero,,much better built and cheaper to run,,,and cleaner for the planet,,,if you fall for that sort of propaganda....
French ripping the English off as usual , first it was the Channel crossings sending their 2nd hand immigrants our way lol and now its poorly made French Cheese i mean Cars lol
There are similar "cars" sold in china for $2,000.
I shall wait for them to send be one to review!
rusty old car ;-)
And its literally a new car lol Citroen -Shitroen lol
What an absolute piece of junk.
8 grand? You have more money than sense.
Anyone buying any kind of Citroen deserves all the hassle they get.
My wheelbarrow is better built, than this ridiculous yoke.
"why" ? Because it is a french shi1box poorly designed and poorly engeneered. Don't drive on open road with that.
I don't understand why anyone would buy such a badly constructed vehicle? Don't enable Citroen to get away with making things of such low quality.