Berlingo in Canada

[JMS]

Hello: New owner of a 2003 Berlingo 1.6 petrol which just arrived in Canada ( we have a 15-year and older rule for private imports ). Purchased in France and previously owned by two retired persons, thus only 37,400 km on the odometer. 

I have already learned a lot reading posts in this forum, it is a great resource for English language info. 

Happy summer motoring to all Berlingo owners on this site.

James

[geoff]

Welcome !! Hope you enjoy your Berlingo, are there many in Canada ( Berlingos) ?

[Tomcat3]

Hi James welcome to the forum these berlingos are getting everywhere now.

[polar]

Hi and welcome - great bunch of lads on this forum all willing to try and help with problems

[Gadgetman]

Did you get a stock Berlingo, or the coveted 4WD conversion?
(There's a company in France, Dangel, that converted Berlingos and Partners with 4WD. But they only did factory-new cars, so it's a bit too late for yours)

Is it a 2 or 5 seater?

M49(first version with narrow lights) or M59(facelift version)?

Oh, and pictures. We love pictures here...

[jj9]

Hello: New owner of a 2003 Berlingo 1.6 petrol which just arrived in Canada ( we have a 15-year and older rule for private imports ). Purchased in France and previously owned by two retired persons, thus only 37,400 km on the odometer. 

I have already learned a lot reading posts in this forum, it is a great resource for English language info. 

Happy summer motoring to all Berlingo owners on this site.

James

Wow that must be a record, that's super low mileage for a car of that age. 

I would suggest that you get it out on the open road and thrash the living daylights out of it once it's up to temperature of course    ... it will do it the world of good.


.

[JMS]

I will add pictures once the Berlingo reaches Toronto ( currently at Montreal port terminal undergoing customs clearance ).

No 4wd, it is a stock M59 "Tonic" edition 5-seater. There are 4 months in Toronto when 4wd is advisable ( Dec. through March ), and with salted roads I will store the Berlingo during these months.

Many special interest vehicles get imported into Canada once they are 15 years old. Mostly from Japanese auto auctions though. I do not know if there are any other Berlingos here, not likely since older ones with higher mileage would not be worth the shipping and importation costs. The Citroen scene here is definitely of the vintage variety ( pre '74 ).

Thank you for the welcome, this forum will make ownership much easier.

[Gadgetman]

The Berlingo is actually a pretty decent winter car. Trust me, I'm a Norwegian...
The only real issue with using it in the winter is that it's COLD!  
There's a lot of interior space to heat up!  
(I'm adding foam insulation mats behind door cards and wherever else possible when I do work on my car. )
Unless you actually need to use the rear seats for children, consider adding a temporary wall behind the front seats.  
Also, shove a large piece of cardboard behind the grille so that it deflects most of the cold air away from the radiator.
(The radiator and grille is sized to handle summer in France... )

One critical question, thinking about shipping costs...
Does it have a Refurbished rear axle?

The rear axle is really difficult to repair as it requires special tools to reassemble.(needle bearings and pre-tensioned torsion rods), so when it fails most sensible people buy a refurb unit. The not so sensible people take it to a garage and get a bit of a shock in the wallet.

EDIT:
Was browsing a parts site for unrelated stuff when I came across some 'winterisation' stuff, and among them was plastic plates that covers the entirety of the openings below the bumper. 
It shouldn't be too difficult to make something similar.

[JMS]

These are great tips, the cold weather ones will be useful in April and November when our mornings are pretty frosty. I will still avoid the worst winter months due to the road salt, I plan to drive as intended but also preserve as best as possible.

I have read about the axle issues and will take your advice and just have a complete unit on hand. I see that I.M. has new and reconditioned ones and have been recommended here.

[JMS]

       

2003 Berlingo pictured in Montreal, Canada. Next week it will be licensed and ready to drive here in Toronto.