buying a 2012 DS3 THP

[martin745]

Hi everyone, so here is my predicament. I went to test drive a 2012 DS3 THP a few days ago, loved the look and feel of the car, great colour combination etc.
I then took it for a test drive, pulled really well in all gears, handled lovely, no unwelcomed noises on cold start-up and now heres the tricky part. Upon returning to the garage the eml came on and went into limp mode. Upon arrival at the garage the dealer informed me that it is probably a sensor or something small no big deal. So i agreed that once the repairs were made i would go back and test drive it again to make sure it was fixed and then decide if i wanted the car.

The dealer rang me today after they hooked it up to the diagnostics and explained that the engine had suffered a missfire while on the test drive and that is why it went into limp mode.

He explained that he has changed all of the spark plugs and coils and that the car is running smooth as, so i thought great............. until i stumbled onto the numerous threads on this page about how many things can go wrong with the thp engine. Im off back to the dealer in a few days to test drive the car again and even after seeing all of the negative posts about the engine i still want to buy the car.

Am i being an idiot in even considering buying the car because i like it so much or should i go nowhere near it after the misfire incase this implicates more problems to come. Any feedback on what i should be looking for on the test drive or if i should just stay well clear is much appreciated, cheers.

Also the car has done 30k and the dealer is giving me 3 months warranty if ANYTHING goes wrong. Help, what should i do?, i really want the car but i hate the thought of having to dish out a shed load of cash for new fuel pump etc

[Dangerousfish]

I hope you don't mind but I formatted your post a little as it was near illegible in one block of text

In my honest opinion.. Shop around some more. I've been on the receiving end of a dead THP and it's not a nice position to be in.

If you're dead set on buying the car I'd ask the dealers to offer you a proper warranty, not just three months as it could mean an expensive bill for you a few months down the line.

[Colicab85]

I've had mine a month and love it. I'm sure that I'll probably have some issues but with the warranty I don't mind that much. I would suggest 12 month warranty at least really.


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[Dangerousfish]

I've had mine a month and love it. I'm sure that I'll probably have some issues but with the warranty I don't mind that much. I would suggest 12 month warranty at least really.

Take this advice if you have money to spare and don't mind being without your car for up to a month

[martin745]

cheers for the formatting dangerousfish, currently in work so had to rush :lemon: ive looked at a few THP's, bad colour schemes, seemed sluggish etc, i think im just going to bite the bullet and get a 12 month warranty with the car in case and fingers crossed the engine is sweet. ive also already arranged for the inlet valves to be cleaned of carbon deposits, not sure if that will ease some of the generic problems.

[WTF]

.....a missfire while on the test drive and that is why it went into limp mode.

This is all I needed to see

I would definitely shop around You might find a better deal with more warranty.

I'm sure changing a few things such as spark plugs and coils will fix any minor flaws with it now, bit will this be a stop gap until something bigger goes and its an engine that needs replacing.

Pains me to say it, I LOVED driving Liam's THP. But I couldn't own a 150bhp or a 155bhp. The 165 is proving to be a more reliable engine.

3 months warranty is ok, but for a THP, it's not good enough in my opinion. Would you trust it enough to drive and enjoy it without thinking the worst every time you heard a new noise?

REAAALLLLY not trying to put a downer on things, we love the DS3 which is why we are here!!!

Its head Vs heart.

[martin745]

thanks for the input people, much appreciated. Im still guna o check it out on Saturday and give it a test drive, see if the problem is fixed and go from there. Im lucky in that the dealer lets me take it out on my own so i will be giving it the heavy foot for 30 mins, surely if there is still a problem it should be noticeable?

Like WTF said its head vs heart and i got a feeling my heart is going to win and my wallet is going to pay the price

[liamlazenby]

thanks for the input people, much appreciated. Im still guna o check it out on Saturday and give it a test drive, see if the problem is fixed and go from there. Im lucky in that the dealer lets me take it out on my own so i will be giving it the heavy foot for 30 mins, surely if there is still a problem it should be noticeable?

Like WTF said its head vs heart and i got a feeling my heart is going to win and my wallet is going to pay the price

I own a diesel so I'm not entirely one to be commenting,
All I can say is when you do test drive it, make sure it is cold from start up, drive it around at no more than 2000rpm, about 15 mins to warm up, then when that needle hit the middle, have some fun.
Would everyone agree??

My mrs bought a Mini Cooper the other month, the garage were great, they even let me put the car up on ramps so I could check everything out from underneath, give everything a good tug. If anything about it makes you feel uneasy then walk away and think about it. I had the garage replace a few parts a spotted and they were more than happy.

[Dangerousfish]

thanks for the input people, much appreciated. Im still guna o check it out on Saturday and give it a test drive, see if the problem is fixed and go from there. Im lucky in that the dealer lets me take it out on my own so i will be giving it the heavy foot for 30 mins, surely if there is still a problem it should be noticeable?

Like WTF said its head vs heart and i got a feeling my heart is going to win and my wallet is going to pay the price

The hesitation issues that plagued the THP's were intermittent. Mine occurred most often in high gears at 60+ mph when accelerating.