an example of their cost here: Citroën Berlingo BlueHDi 130 ch DANGEL 4x4 - Utilitaires i looked at this one and agreed to buy it. He seems genuine. I drove up to the Dordogne to look at it and he said it was on LOA (finance) and would probably take up to a week to sort out. 3 weeks later he contacted and said he was annoyed with the finance company Stellantis (i think are the parent group of peugeot) and said the fastest way to get the car was me to fill out Stellantis’ forms and tranfer €22.5k to them and wait two weeks then take a €4.5k bankers cheque to the owner for sale day. i asked my bank if that transfer was a wise move and she said no. this was 2 months ago and that car is still for sale
I hope you get your Adblue ‘problem’ sorted but cannot help thinking that your googling has got you panicking about all sorts of disaster scenarios.
I think it stems from peoples perception of why should I need to add something into my vehicle other than diesel.
I have have an adblue vehicle,fiat ducato, and must admit when I bought it I didnt know it used Adblue until it was shown to me at handover. Slightly worried I turned to Google and of course no one marvels about how good a system is, only the problems.
Never had an issue with it and warning light tells me when to top up and after doing so the light goes out after a kilometre or two.
I always carry a spare 5 litre Adblue.
You have a warranty and seems like the garage are happy to honour it.
Buying a vehicle from a non local garage has its drawbacks but sometimes it happens when they have tge vehicle you want, we travelled 2.5 hours away for ours and knew it would be difficult and expensive to return for any warranty niggles but that’s the price to pay for getting what you want.
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Thanks JohnBoy, i just filled up the ADBlue with the required liquids (it took about 3l before i couldn’t get more in), and as suspected this didn’t work. On Sunday morning i pressed the dash button to see if the countdown hadn’t budged from the default position of greater than 2400km till no start. I went for a bike ride, hopped back in the car a few hours later and withing 20 minutes i got the dreaded engine management symbol, orange. Later that evening i popped to a nearby village to meet people for dinner and the orange engine management started to flash, then a chime, and a spanner symbol also appeared on the dash along with the ADBlue warning light - all orange and flashing, then my radio screen said 1100km till no start. Only 3 weeks ago i bought the car, they told me it had been refilled (and the invoice for the courtesy service said it had a new ADBlue reservoir installed) and they advised me on the ratio of anti crystallising additive to ADBlue liquid. This is why I seriously doubted that the can simply needed a top up after only 600km.
Previously when looking at the car to buy, i’d asked if the old owner (now deceased) had had issues with the ADBlue, he said, yes, just a small problem that was easily remedied. I should have pressed him further. My French aint great when i comes to squeezing extra info out of people. Last night I found the old owners name in the documents, and his wife’s name comes up on the radio bluetooth settings. I googled all this information and the old owner died in may 2023. Now, I must assume that the car could have been left standing since then, I’m not sure if you are allowed to drive a car belonging to someone dead whose name is still on the Carte Gris? Also, the dead guy was a hunter, he’d bought this van for hunting. It’s a 4x4. He was almost 80, so i’ll assume his wife already had a more comfortable car. I can’t be sure especially since her name was in the bluetooth settings. If the car/van has been sat there for 18 months then possibly any adblue system on it may have bunged up somehow. I didn’t get a straight answer when i emailed a photo of the receipt noting the new ADBlue reservoir. I need to use Google Translate at times to get my point accross, sometimes my French my come out as rude to a local, so I haven’t forced the issue yet. It is really annoying that i can’t take it to a local garage because it seems that they sold me a car that has an issue, but is no fault of mine, but I need to return to them at my expense, both in time and money. They are sorting me a Jeep 4x4 for tomorrow now, which is great, especially since he’s located a 4x4, but still this isn’t the after service i expect from an expensive purchase. That was by far the closest Dangel 4x4 van to my house in France.
well i did that, and as i suspected it made no difference.
@dustyjon - I am sympathetic to your position but if I were in your shoes I’d write to the dealer outlining the problems and what you’d like them to do about it. Keep it polite and friendly but don’t be afraid to mention vice caché etc if appropriate. It’s important that you send the letter using lettre recommandé avec accusé de réception - this can be done [online].(Envoyer votre lettre recommandé en ligne | Facteur24)
And don’t worry about a service car - you can hire a car from a local supermarket for a few euros per day if necessary - a small price to pay considering the cost of your van.
In the meantime, a read of this site may give you some additional info.
Hi Brian, I’ve been very courtious indeed, I’ve been pressing him for more and more info. He said the car had a new reservoir installed when i bought it. I asked if that meant a new pump and sensors? (awaiting responce but i’m sure he’ll say he doesn’t know as he’s not actually a mechanic) I assume it did since the reservoir was noted at complementary but cost about €800. I also pointed out that I now know when the old owner died - 18 months ago, and wondered if the car had sat idly since then. I’m sure he’s is bright enough to know that i’m implying that there could be a vice cache issue. I think it’s too early for that letter yet though. It’s been 3 weeks today/tomorrow since i bought it. I have to give him a chance to put it right before going Full Rosbiff on him 
. In my experience in France, well down here at least, blowing your top gets you nowhere, infact it hinders things massively. I’m sure he realises that i’m totting up a list of complaints should he not keep his end of the bargain. Two of the tyres that came with the car were marked as dud by Euromaster when i got my new all terrains fitted last week. I really don’t like euromaster, but they w ere very competitive. The garage maintains that the CT taken the day before i bought it was a very good station. I’m throwing them in the boot for him to veryfy if they are infact good. I want to put them on a seperate set of steels for summer and long distance. As all things French, slowly slowly. They are giving me a courtesy car and a good one. Hire cars near me are very expensive. My client for one of my jobs (second homer) pays around €1000 a week, well that’s what he told me.
If course it won’t.
A smile and friendly approach almost always get the best results. However, in France you also need to have the law on your side. Until you notify the seller by LRAR of the problem, then no problem legally exists.
agreed, but i think by sending the letter before they’ve even checked the car out might get their backs up. after all, it could just be an ECU issue and they forgot to clear any fault codes or something. letter will be next if this thing drags on. I have a back up 23yr old van which decided to start leaking coolant this week. it’s a 15 day wait at my mechanics. I’ll have to try and fix that myself, so their courtesy car will be invaluable. if i send that letter, they could withold the car. I’m not willing to risk it. also, me having their car (4x4 jeep), they won’t want me keeping that off their forecourt for too long and they’ll fix mine faster 
Ok. You have clearly decided how you wish to approach this so good luck - I’m sure it will be fine. I’ll shut up and go away.
all advice helps. thanks though Brian. when i get it back i might book it in at a garage for a once over just to ease my mind. i often think the worst after a few knockbacks. you are one of the few commenters who is trying to answer my actual question - the legal right to return in france, and i appreciate that. i also appreciate people trying to help with the actual adblue issue
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So actual use less than that, presumably in the 1-2l range which would be consistent with normal engine use for 600km of driving.
So that rules out overuse by the engine and probably rules out a leak.
So, faulty level sensor?
yes i think so too Billy. The fact that on sunday morning the dash said <2400km till no start, then sunday afternoon all hell breaking loose with that 1100km countdown and everything flashing and beeping suggests the fault wouldn’t simply be the level of fluid. There’s no leaks underneath too, and i didn’t notice exhaust fumes (if over burning adblue does that?). It’s painful doing the detective work for the garage though. all they had to do is let me take the car in for free to a local peugeot dealer to get a definative answer. Forcing me to pay isn’t right… It could be a number of things. I don’t even know if the sensor resides in the reservoir (they said they replaced) or not. I’m busy googling that at the moment. as i said earlier, i suspect the car has been left standing since the owner died, i don’t know what effect that has on these systems. I also want to do my own investigating so i glean more about ADBlue. This forum has been great help
this guy seems to know a bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5GE6KZ4Us. i’ve downloaded the software Diagbox and i’ll need an old windows laptop. I’m mac user, but used to be a PC Technician 20 + years ago. I’m interested in looking through the Peugeot system - mainly just for the error codes
Is this the car which belonged to someone who died ???
yes. but i checked the garage out, i checked out the owner, i scoured the internet for any bad press. I checked the internet for the deceased, and that was validated when i looked at the old carte gris. his wife’s name was in the Bluetooth settings on the sound system/computer thing. The online reviews clearly matched the person i was dealing with. He was very pleasant and still is. People die, and cars need to be sold on. He went to great lengths to demonstrate that it’s relatively easy to change the Carte Gris to my name, i did some googling on that too. SF didn’t like the idea, but i took a slight risk. I insisted on bankers cheque only on day of sale, and he didn’t even ask for it till everything was signed and he had proof the Carte Gris was on the way, infact he didn’t ask for the money, i initiated that. His communication isn’t brilliant, but i think he’s just taken over his fathers business and he has alot on his plate. If there is a Vice Cache thing it wouldn’t necessarily be related to the old owner being dead, although if the car sat idle for a while it could have ramifications for the ADBlue being bunged up. I can insist on a new adblue system, which i feel they maywell have to do. Maybe they took a chance on saving a bit of money there. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt.
My main reason for posting this on SF was just in case i’ve been cheated somehow, I want to know my rights. I’d get to the bottom of things really fast in the UK, but here the system is different. I like to be a step ahead. The other car i almost bought, but turned out to be on finance is still for sale, the owner had others interested as a backup when i pulled out, it looks like they did too. These vans are rare, there’s little point in me buying an AWD car or a proper 4x4 jeep thing. Do i regret buying it…? yes at the moment because of the hassle and the unknown, but i’ve been putting this off for the best part of a year and have stuggled to find what i wanted. I’m sure it’ll all pan out and i’ll be happy
Are you suggesting an exorcism?
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No. I was just wondering if it was, as I felt uneasy about that vehicle at the time it was being discussed. Can’t really explain, just that something got me twitching… 
i felt uneasy about every vehicle TBH. I’m a very good judge of character in the UK, can spot a chancer a mile off. It’s trickier here because I’m unable shoot the breeze and suss potential conmen out. Cars are so pricey here too. I thought about importing from another EU country like Germany or Netherlands, but that would involve even more risk and although i lived in Holland as a kid and did German at school, I’m now more profficient in French. Buying a car from the uk will cost roughly a 3rd again on top (which might still be competative) but a RHD is basically valueless here. A friend imported a LHD from the UK only to find out it had been clocked in Germany. I’m told that Germany keeps car mileage as personal information and can’t be shared. So France it was, and a garage gives you most rights, and this was by far the nearest garage to me selling what i wanted. There is one thing i miss about the UK, easy and cost of car purchase, maybe i’m living in the past because i hear 2nd hand car prices shot up after covid? The flip side is England at least is a nightmare to drive in. Emission zones, rammed motorways, huge traffic jams, expensive car tax etc. I got no pleasure from driving there. The last time i drove back to the UK, I was road raged at literally the first roundabout on leaving the ferry port in Newhaven, then spent 7 hrs in a traffic jam getting to Wales for a wedding!
OK - I booked the van in to return tomorrow to fix this damn ADBlue system. Should I expect some paperwork back off them showing the repair and some details? Sorry for my ignorance, but I’ve never had any issues when buying a car before, and the only time I had a garage issue (UK), a cambelt fail weeks after the full cambelt swap etc (that magically didn’t smash the engine up) I don’t recall getting anything off them.
thanks all
I’d ask them for a report of the work done (as you like to keep meticulous service records).
I hope the repair goes well.