New 406 Owner

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highlander
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New 406 Owner

Post by highlander »

Hello,

Just got a killer deal on a new car; a V-Reg Peugeot 406 LX 1.8l in China Blue, 1st registered in December 1999. Less than 30,000 miles on the clock, and other than maybe needing a new set of tyres, she's in showroom condition. All for under £2k!

I'm not used to driving such a big car, so parking is... interesting... my only other car to date has been a 1.2 Renault Clio, which is a charming little car, very reliable, but underpowered and undersized for me to keep long-term.

I've also never seen another car that hasn't had a rear-window wiper or washer system. I thought that was a requirement, or something, but I guess not.

Loving the car, no problems with it so far, long may that continue.

Is there any particular part I need to be wary of? Something that every 406 owner encounters from time to time? Any general design flaws or safety issues specific to this model I need to keep in mind?

Also, is the built-in tape player easily replaceable? I don't own ANY tapes, and am never going to!

Kind regards,
Graeme
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2002 (D9) Peugeot 406 Coupe SE, 2.2 litre Petrol. Scarlet Red/Rouge Ecarlate/Rosso Scarlatto. Black Leather interior. SOLD :(
2008 (E60 LCI) BMW 525i M-Sport, 3.0 litre Petrol. Carbonschwarz Metallic. Black Dakota Leather and Myrtlewood interior.
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DaiRees
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by DaiRees »

Hi there, welcome to the club :D

The radio can be changed, but if you get an original cd player you'll have to get it coded to your car by a main stealer.
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Playtime_Fontayne wrote:"Dai Rees Supplier of Fine Automobilia. Established 2007"
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steve_earwig
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by steve_earwig »

Greetings :cheesy: I think any after-market stereo will do, you might need to fiddle about with the connectors or get an adapter but, if you have a steering column remote and you want to keep using it, then you'll need to pick the right stereo and then fork out for an adapter (like you can't reach a little further to change the track on the player :roll: )

Some saloons have rear wash/wipe but not many.

We keep getting "what to watch out for" requests but the only thread I could find is pretty scary.

Plus side: yours is a petrol, lots less to go wrong, minus side: it's a D9 (facelift) so you have the multiplex wiring to think about. If you have it always let your air con run if it wants, the BSI (processor) isn't really sealed against condensation. Also, if your car starts acting strangely check for dampness under the carpet. While I'm talking electrics, the indicator stalks sometimes go all floppy 'cos a tiny bit of plastic inside them breaks, they're quite expensive too. :frown: Air con condensers have a habit of rotting out, I don't think there's much you can do to stop them though (soak it in Waxoyl anyone?)

Mechanically the two cars are about the same, the occasional snapped spring - many cars do this but 406's only seem to do it while stationary, front anti-roll bar drop links are a specialty (loads of clonking), rear track arm bushes wear out. Warped disks (don't stand one the brakes from speed and leave your foot on the pedal, it creates hot spots). If you have disks on the back then duff handbrakes - I over-adjust mine to take all traces of play out and it seems to do the trick. Also Peugeot don't seem to have done such a good job of greasing the rear caliper sliding pins so the calipers can seize - best have them apart when you can and lob some copperslip in there.

Your passengers will kick the rubber seals along the sills off :roll:
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highlander
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by highlander »

steve_earwig wrote:Greetings :cheesy: I think any after-market stereo will do, you might need to fiddle about with the connectors or get an adapter but, if you have a steering column remote and you want to keep using it, then you'll need to pick the right stereo and then fork out for an adapter (like you can't reach a little further to change the track on the player :roll: )
My 406 does indeed have a stalk; if it doesn't work, I don't mind so much :)
steve_earwig wrote:Plus side: yours is a petrol, lots less to go wrong
Yay!
steve_earwig wrote:minus side: it's a D9 (facelift) so you have the multiplex wiring to think about.
What's multiplex wiring? I'm as mechanically and electrically minded as yer average dog; computers and networking equipment are more my forte.
steve_earwig wrote:Your passengers will kick the rubber seals along the sills off :roll:
They will be carefully briefed on this, with a graphic depiction of the punishment incurred for doing so :evil:

Thanks very much for the advice, and for the welcome - hopefully this will be a car that will last me a good few years and be reliable for the duration.

Kind regards
Graeme
2002 (D9) Peugeot 406 Coupe SE, 2.2 litre Petrol. Scarlet Red/Rouge Ecarlate/Rosso Scarlatto. Black Leather interior. SOLD :(
2008 (E60 LCI) BMW 525i M-Sport, 3.0 litre Petrol. Carbonschwarz Metallic. Black Dakota Leather and Myrtlewood interior.
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Doggy
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by Doggy »

Welcome aboard Graeme.
highlander wrote:
steve_earwig wrote:
steve_earwig wrote:Your passengers will kick the rubber seals along the sills off :roll:
They will be carefully briefed on this, with a graphic depiction of the punishment incurred for doing so :evil:
There's only one loose seal on mine, so the passengers must have climbed across from the driver's side, - I think it's been tried before! :roll:
Hope you enjoy the site :wink:
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Welly
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by Welly »

Hello there!

The proper multiplexing stared in late 2002/early 2003 (when they all started catching fire) you have fairly complex wiring because of the BSi system but we rarely have any issues really and for all intents and purposes the wiring is 'normal'.

Your engine is particularly trouble free although might benefit from a decent oil change and an 'italian tune up' :cheesy: sounds like it's spent it's life pootling around?

I'd think about getting the coolant flushed and changed unless the service history can prove otherwise? as this will make a nice starting point to your ownership.

I'd like to see some piccies if you get time :cheesy:
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mjb
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by mjb »

highlander wrote:What's multiplex wiring? I'm as mechanically and electrically minded as yer average dog; computers and networking equipment are more my forte.
Non-multiplex means like a light switch: it's either on or off.
Multiplex is more akin to having an ethernet network behind the dashboard - not so easy to diagnose problems without a packet sniffer...
<steve_earwig> I think this forum is more about keeping our cars going with minimal outlay than giving our cars more reason to go bang
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highlander
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by highlander »

Welton wrote:I'd like to see some piccies if you get time :cheesy:
Hi Welton - there's a photo of my particular beast attached to this thread. I haven't had time to take decent photos of her away from the garage, at least during daylight hours.

She was owned by an Insurance company, and I'd guess that she has spent her entire life in the Glasgow area shuttling the employee back and forth from work. Guess it's not surprising really, pretty much all of these beasts were fleet cars at some point in their lives, right?

Enjoyed watching Robert De Nero chuck one of these beasts round the streets of Paris at the end of Ronin - very cool to have a movie car 8)

I really love the engine on this beast, love the way it purrs and growls a bit as I put my foot down a bit. Still just getting used to parking a car that is literally 4 feet longer than my old Clio...

Oh - a funny question. On the console, there's a status screen that shows the clock, radio station, doors open, etc. That has a temperature gauge on it. What is it actually measuring the temperature of, exactly? It certainly isn't outside temperature (it was bloody cold in Aberdeen this morning); the gauge said "90 C", and I've seen it go between 45 C and 120 C, and occasionally says "-- C". Have I got a knackered sensor?
mjb wrote:Multiplex is more akin to having an ethernet network behind the dashboard
That's an analogy I understand; thanks :)

Kind regards
Graeme
2002 (D9) Peugeot 406 Coupe SE, 2.2 litre Petrol. Scarlet Red/Rouge Ecarlate/Rosso Scarlatto. Black Leather interior. SOLD :(
2008 (E60 LCI) BMW 525i M-Sport, 3.0 litre Petrol. Carbonschwarz Metallic. Black Dakota Leather and Myrtlewood interior.
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Re: New 406 Owner

Post by teamster1975 »

Welcome Graeme! :)
highlander wrote:On the console, there's a status screen that shows the clock, radio station, doors open, etc. That has a temperature gauge on it. What is it actually measuring the temperature of, exactly? It certainly isn't outside temperature (it was bloody cold in Aberdeen this morning); the gauge said "90 C", and I've seen it go between 45 C and 120 C, and occasionally says "-- C". Have I got a knackered sensor?
It measures the outside temperature, they do fail from time to time.
It lives in the passenger wing mirror (the little tit on the bottom), fairly easy to change :)
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