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Mercedes-Benz Citan Citan XLWB 109 CDI common faults.

2012–2021, van, diesel, 90 HP.

The fault list covers: OM607DE15LA engine.

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4 fault write-ups. All are important. 4 recalls.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

4 important faults

critical1

Timing belt: six years or 120 000 kilometres, whichever comes first

critical

The maker has the timing belt replaced at 120 000 kilometres or at six years, and whichever of the two comes first is what counts. On a car that has covered little but is six years old, the mileage is therefore not enough. Workshops are stricter than this: they recommend it at 100 000 kilometres, and they replace the belt together with the tensioners and the water pump.

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This is an interference engine: if the belt snaps, the pistons reach the open valves. The consequence is bent valves, and from then on the repair is a full cylinder head rebuild.

The belt can also snap before its time, and there are two known reasons for that: incorrect tensioning and a high pressure pump that is not accurately aligned. Both depend on the quality of the belt change, which means it is also of interest on the invoice where the work was done.

above 120,000 km

What to check

  • Ask for the invoice of the timing belt change: the date and the mileage are needed with it
  • Work out the age of the belt: six years is the factory limit, and it can expire sooner
  • Check whether the tensioners and the water pump were replaced too: the belt alone is not enough
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive3

Injector failure: metal debris from the pump, or back-leak into the oil

expensive

The injectors fail above 100 000 kilometres, and how quickly depends on the quality of the fuel and on the servicing. Three paths lead here, and each one is checked differently at a viewing.

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The nozzle can clog from poor fuel. As the high pressure pump wears, metal debris gets into the system and destroys the injectors; that can be seen in the fuel filter. And the Delphi injectors from before 2010 leak through a back-leak and dilute the oil with diesel; there is a back-leak test for that.

The symptom is an uneven idle, hard starting, jerking, lack of power and black smoke, along with a tapping noise and the injection warning light. In the fault memory the codes from P0201 to P0204 appear, cylinder by cylinder.

An injector that atomises poorly also fills the particulate filter faster, because it produces more soot. If an injector fails badly, the piston can even melt or burn through.

An injector costs around 100 pounds each, and it is worth replacing them together as a set. Reconditioned parts are also available, and they are noticeably cheaper.

above 100,000 km

What to check

  • Open the fuel filter, or ask for the last change: metal debris means the pump is wearing
  • Ask for an injector back-leak test: that shows up an injector leaking backwards
  • Watch the engine at idle: uneven running and a tapping noise belong here
3 more steps in the write-up

OM607 1.5 diesel: coking injectors in city use

expensive

Deposits build up on the injectors from 100,000 kilometres, and this is faster with city-only use, because the engine never warms through properly.

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The symptoms are an uneven idle, a lack of power and black smoke. A coked injector atomises poorly, which also fills the particulate filter faster.

above 100,000 km

What to check

  • At idle, watch the engine: it must not run unevenly
  • Accelerate under load: black smoke points at the injector
  • Ask what kind of journeys it did: city-only use speeds up the deposits
2 more steps in the write-up

Particulate filter: it does not burn off in town, and fills with ash

expensive

The particulate filter only burns off if the engine runs at operating temperature for long enough. On short, urban journeys the regeneration cannot even complete, so ash builds up in the filter, and the end of it is limp mode.

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The regeneration needs a motorway run, and 20 to 30 minutes of it is the measure. A shorter journey starts the process but does not finish it, and an incomplete regeneration does damage of its own: the post-injection mixes diesel into the sump oil.

The life of the filter is also extended by a forced regeneration carried out with the diagnostic tester, done between 30 and 40 thousand kilometres.

A saturated filter means lack of power, limp mode and finally a filter replacement. An injector that atomises poorly leads to the same place, because it produces more soot.

What to check

  • Have the saturation of the particulate filter read, and the distance since the last regeneration
  • Ask what kind of journeys it has done: urban use only saturates the filter
  • Ask whether a forced regeneration has been carried out, and when
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Mercedes-Benz Citan Citan XLWB 109 CDI

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Official recall4 recallsShow

The manufacturer fixes these for free at a franchised dealer. Ask with the VIN whether it was done.

Most recent: 28 May 2019

A12/1020/19Safety recallEnvironment28 May 2019 · EU Safety Gate

An emission control component, used under certain conditions, could deteriorate more rapidly than expected and might cause the exhaust emissions' level of nitrogen oxides (NOx) to exceed regulated limits. Nitrogen oxides are harmful to human health and the environment.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: 28/05/2019

The authority's notice

A12/1501/17Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

Screws to fasten the safety belt to the B and C pillars on the left-hand side of the vehicle may not be correctly secured. As a consequence, in the event of a crash, this could cause injury to the passengers.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

The authority's notice

A12/1850/19Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

Defective screw fitting may lead to the complete release of the hand control device from the base holder. As a result, the vehicle may not be able to accelerate nor be safely brought to a standstill position by applying the brake pedal, increasing the risk of an accident.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

The authority's notice

INFO/00099/21Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

Moisture may ingress into the wiring harness for the rear-view camera system. As a result, the rear hatch mechanism may open inadvertently, increasing the risk of an accident.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

The authority's notice

Engine and transmission

OM607DE15LA

80 kW (109 HP) · diesel

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Citan XLWB 109 CDI
Body
van
Fuel
diesel
Transmission
manual
Engine size
1461 cc
Power
66 kW (90 HP)
Drive
RWD
Production
2012–2021

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Fuel filter, diesel

    • 60,000 km or 2 years
All W415 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms