Citroën Xsara Picasso
Entry-level variant of the proven 2.0 HDi. Low consumption but very low on power. Mainly found in light commercial vehicles and vans.
Base van diesel
90 hp in the Xsara Picasso — just about manages the family van; no fun overtaking.
Engine Weaknesses 6
Interference engine: if the timing belt snaps, valves strike pistons. PSA interval 80,000–120,000 km or 5 years. Many used vehicles have no documented history. Repair costs after snap: €2,000–6,000.
Symptoms: Engine suddenly won't start, metallic impact, engine oil with metal swarf.
Bosch injectors wear internally and develop excessive fuel return flow. Rail pressure drop leads to starting difficulties. Low-quality diesel significantly accelerates precision nozzle erosion.
Symptoms: Rough idle, starting difficulties, increased fuel consumption, black smoke.
Turbo bearings can fail from oil starvation or sludge. Early DW10 variants suffered from clogged oil galleries containing casting sand residue from cylinder head manufacturing. Incorrect oil spec accelerates failure.
Symptoms: Power loss, blue/white exhaust, whistling noises from the turbo.
The mechanically driven vacuum pump on the DW10-90 wears or loses sealing. The brake servo no longer receives sufficient vacuum. Braking force is severely reduced, brake pedal feels hard. Safety risk.
Symptoms: Hard brake pedal requiring significantly more effort, poor braking deceleration, whistling noise when braking. Brake pedal gives slightly after prolonged pressure.
The EGR valve clogs with soot from recirculated exhaust gases, especially with short-trip use. A sticky valve causes power loss, elevated emissions and engine warning light.
Symptoms: Hesitation under acceleration, engine warning light, increased fuel consumption, power loss.
The copper sealing washers on the DW10 common rail injectors wear and allow combustion gases to blow by the injector. High-pressure line connections become loose. Black deposits visible around the injectors.
Symptoms: Ticking noise at idle (combustion gases escaping), visible black deposits around injectors, slight burnt oil smell, unstable idle.
Vehicle Weaknesses 5
The Picasso's sills are well known to rust. In addition there was a recall for corrosion on the front axle springs (production dates July 1999 to September 2003) where there was a risk of breakage.
Virtually anything can fail electrically in the Xsara Picasso: randomly flashing warning lights, triggered immobiliser, defective window regulators. A recall affected 150,000 Picasso vehicles worldwide due to a software fault in the central control unit.
The shock absorbers on the Xsara Picasso have an expected service life of around 70,000 km. From 80,000 km they go soft and lose their damping effect. Shock absorbers are regularly flagged at the MOT.
As the Xsara Picasso ages the backlit digital speedometer becomes increasingly problematic. The fuel gauge also frequently reads incorrectly, showing wrong fill levels.
The indicator stalk on the Xsara Picasso frequently fails to click into position or cancels itself during steering. Replacing the stalk unit for around €50 plus fitting is the typical solution.
