Mileage now: 122,450. I know I’m pretty biased when it comes impartiality and my favourite box shaped car, but I thought I’d share several of the Eurovan / Synergie ranges common faults. Maybe you know of some more? Do add a comment on this thread.
Rear tailgate
The huge rear tailgate is a wonderful thing; opening upwards on gas struts it reveals a totally flat loading floor. It even keeps you dry when loading in inclement weather! The down-side: it’s heavy, and relies on 1 plastic locating plug in the middle of the boot sill and 1 rubber bumper stops low down on the sides of the boot lip to close tightly.
This huge integral part of the car moves, or jiggles over bumps and road irregularities. Not a lot, but enough in some cars to make a constant and annoying squeak over every bump. I drove for several thousand miles before it really got to me. So I got a friend to sit with his ears pinned back in the boot and drove a bumpy lane, and it turned out to be the the black plastic mounting clip in the middle of the tailgate. The good news? It simply unscrews, and hey presto – peace! Although this allows a the tailgate a fraction more lateral movement, I’ve run mine minus the clip for 20k miles without problems. Or squeaks. Aaah.
Bulbs
Another issue with the large jiggling tailgate is shaking bulbs ’til they pop.
I’d wager your Synergie, or at least the next one you follow will have a couple of the rear light bulbs blown. This is the same on all models. I’m experimenting with some long-lasting LED replacements from Ebay shops.
Removing this plate silences annoying 'boot creak'
Sliding doors
Another design feature loved by all, the wide sliding doors are sometimes prone to sticking, or not opening. This is down to the cable release that activates when you pull the door handle, and needs to be manually tensioned, which is a door panel-off-job.
Turbo pipe
To be fair this issue can befall any turbo’d engine, but it happened to us, and we can’t be the only ones. Simply put, the pipe connecting the turbo blows clean off under stress, which is kinda scarey. We were fairly flying uphill at 70mph fully loaded, then suddenley we lost all power, smoke poured from the back of the car, and I presumed the worst. The car was drivable, but only just. I limped back to my local garage (www.exminstergarage.co.uk) who diagnosed and refitted the pipe for £34.00, which when you’re preparing for an engine rebuild, is a laugh-out-loud relief.
Worn interior, holes in the dashboard
Buyer beware. Not really a design flaw, more like a being a victim of your own success, Synergies, 806s and Ulysses all make great taxis, as a glance at any local taxi rank on a busy Friday night in Cardiff, Bournemouth or Horncastle should confirm. Now many of these will be destined to be run into the breakers yard. But some will be clocked back to a sensible mileage or plopped onto a forecourt. Personally I’d run like hell on finding badly worn carpets, a sagging or badly worn drivers seat, a knackered gear lever gaiter, cigarette burns in seats, holes drilled anywhere in the dashboard, roof, or bumpers. Unless it’s your brothers and it’s free.
Posted by citroensynergie 
Despite having only basic electrical skills, I coped with fitting the DAB unit myself, and it’s actually quite a simple installation into the Citroen Synergie (& variants) thanks to a large ‘airy’ dashboard with plenty of hiding spaces for AUX cables & 3.5mm jack behind the main instrument binnacle. Love the natty little remote control too.
