After just about 6 montha and 5120 miles my Citigo broke down yesterday with a horrible metallic grinding, accompanied by squealing and rattling noises.  This happened on the M2 into Belfast.  Had to wait for some time for the RAC to pick it up, and now it is back with the dealer, and I am stuck in a basic SE model.  I wonder what has gone wrong.

Did the horrible noises stop when you pressed the clutch down? Did the engine cut out? Was it making horrible noises idling with the clutch down and the car not moving?

It was not the engine, which continued to run, there were no noises when running in neutral.  Fairly sure it is the gear box or clutch, but the noise was so alarming I really did not want to keep the car running.  The RAC were of the same opinion.

Sorry to hear that,hope its nothing too serious.

+ 1

Hope it is sorted quickly and doesn't take the edge off a great little car, will be back with you soon I am sure.

Could be as simple as a small grit/stone jammed in the front brakes...

???

Could be as simple as a small grit/stone jammed in the front brakes...

???

Certainly had this on my Fabias, and can sound horrible. Reversing has always dislodged them.

Funnily enough never had it on any other car in over 40 years, mind the early ones had drums on the front!

Last month I had the same sort of problem so called RAC and it was just some grit or stones in the front brakes he's had a few recently with the same problem

Funnily enough, I had this with the Rio last month, thought the diff had partially stripped a cog. Limped the few yards to home from where it happened, turning offside wheel by hand showed nasty grind running forward, nothing running rearward. Took wheel of to find half inch piece of road chipping between calliper and disc hat. Relief!

Edited 5 March, 201412 yr by Chris GB

That is exactly what the dealer found, it was a stone wedge in the front breaks.  It had scored the disk.

Glad it was an easy fix and not an actual problem with the car

Sounded familiar noise my old Nissan Primera used to make when stone chips were wedged in the front brakes. I used to hate going near those newly laid road surfaces were they chucked the grit down, a night mare, and always some got into the brakes.

The Nissan dealer said it was a problem with the model, they had loads of them in to sort it, lucky to get away with lightly scored discs at best, apart from that it was a brill car.

Yes, the old stone chipping caught in the break again, had this loads over the years, usually find jamming on the breaks releases it.

 

Mind you, i once got a polysterene cheesburger box wedged in the wheel of a Vauxhall Astra once, it was on fire by the time i stopped!