squeaky steering wheel, vibration on clutch

[allotmenteer]

Hello,

I test drove a 12 plate Berlingo XTR yesterday and noticed two issues that concerned me. One was that the steering wheel made a squeaking sound when turning the car, esp. noticeable at low speeds. The other was a slight vibration/juddering on the clutch. Does either of these issues spell trouble? Does the vibration/juddering suggest that the clutch is on its way out perhaps?

What I also found slightly off-putting was that although the car is advertised as 'Approved Used' it has not been serviced/examined by the dealership. The reason they gave when I queried this was that it makes no sense for them to do the checks before the car is sold as it may be lying around in their forecourt for months. But then what motive do they have to do the checks once the car has actually been sold? Isn't it more likely that they will hand over the car without any checks at all (except perhaps a cursory glance by their servicing dept)? In that case, are there any real benefits to buying 'Approved Used' as opposed to, say, buying from a car supermarket (provided there's still manufacturer's warranty to run) as the latter is likely to be cheaper?

Any thoughts?

[Trevor]

Hello,

I test drove a 12 plate Berlingo XTR yesterday and noticed two issues that concerned me. One was that the steering wheel made a squeaking sound when turning the car, esp. noticeable at low speeds. The other was a slight vibration/juddering on the clutch. Does either of these issues spell trouble? Does the vibration/juddering suggest that the clutch is on its way out perhaps?

What I also found slightly off-putting was that although the car is advertised as 'Approved Used' it has not been serviced/examined by the dealership. The reason they gave when I queried this was that it makes no sense for them to do the checks before the car is sold as it may be lying around in their forecourt for months. But then what motive do they have to do the checks once the car has actually been sold? Isn't it more likely that they will hand over the car without any checks at all (except perhaps a cursory glance by their servicing dept)? In that case, are there any real benefits to buying 'Approved Used' as opposed to, say, buying from a car supermarket (provided there's still manufacturer's warranty to run) as the latter is likely to be cheaper?

Any thoughts?

Well I would leave that one alone or tell them that when it is serviced to give you a call, so you can try it again. My steering does not squeak and my clutch is fine, so that cannot be normal.

[demag]

I would say juddering clutch spells trouble. What miles were on it? I'm with Trevor, had mine one month and it's a Citroen Approved vehicle. Runs well with no probs but I had a few problems with the dealership. Also they serviced it. They did say they would spray the wheeltrims and back bumper but didn't. I'm not too fussed though as its generally clean and I'll do the trims myself. I might fit one of those protectors to the bumper.

[allotmenteer]

Thanks, Trevor and demag, and sorry I was late to reply. I have indeed decided against buying that particular Berlingo. On the look out for another one although I was put off by dealer attitude (buy first, check afterwards). How that car could have had the badge 'Manufacturer Approved' without ANY checks done to it is beyond me ...

[evdama]

This was on a recent documentary on the tactics of Carcraft .
The approval thing is on a spot check of selected cars on the day of the visit not on every vehicle sold.
The steering could be just a noisy pump but the clutch shsould be smooth on a 12 plate

[mindwipe]

AFAIK noise on steering is usually fixed by centralising the bolt on the lower column UJ

Clutch doesn't sound good though

[Baldricks Pilot]

Mine was supposed to be a Citroen Select used vehicle but I discovered that the exhaust around the turbo was leaking a few days after I bought it. The give away was soot on the turbo easily seen by me and had been there before I bought it due to the amount so should have been noticed by a technician checking it. Also I had a few other issues that should have been noticed. I can forgive a dash light out as that is not easy to see in daylight though. On complaining I was told the checking regime was to be improved!!!! Used car main dealer checks? A myth in my book.