back in 2004 I was looking for a cheap car as my car was no way getting through a new mot,i buy cheap cars run them till they beyond repair then scrap them.this time I decided that I would look for something a bit posh,leather seats,air con, maybe a bit of wood and it had to be diesel because when you buying old cars you can get the bells and whistles for the same price as a base model.
a few days later I was in the supermarket and on the for sale board was a 406 diesel 2.1 exective mot and taxed [you could buy cars with tax then} had recent head work £500 pounds.now 500 was a steep porice for me to pay the most I paid before was about 300 and I never used to buy cars that had engine work I always thought this was the start of big bills.but when I got home I discovered that somehow the advert had fallen of the board and ended up in my pocket!
well I left it a couple of days then made the call,turned out the car belonged to a pub landlord about 5 miles away in a pub that id never been in[yes there are afew ive missed] sounded a decent guy and went for a viewing.
now I don't know if any of you guys watch count customs on history channel but when they fix a car the cars in the garage the punter stands outside the car is then driven out to gasps of pleasure by the big fat American guy.well that what happened with me exept the car was round the back I waited round the front and he drove it round [and iam not fat] so what did I see.
a r reg blue 4 door saloon with alloy wheels,black leather very well polished and shining in the sun I think I made up my mind there and then I was having it,turned out the fan belt had broke wrapped itself round the cam belt and bent some valves,so the head had been off,new valves but back togetrher and he was given a bill for just under 400 pounds[ouch] the car had had 4 owners but the one before was the landlords son so had been in the family a long time.i phoned the garage up that had done the work [just to check I don't belive what people say when they selling cars] and they confirmed all the work.so after a short test drive I was hooked drove nice soft leather,electric windows,air con ,sun roof and all working couldn't find much wrong only that it only had one key[this will come back to haunt me later]. so after a lot of haggling we agreed on 400 pounds.not a lot of money you think but iam a poor man and only had 250 so I gave him 100 pound deposit and told him id be back the next day when I got the insurance sorted.
so I was 150 short now I don't borrow money of people so what to do well lucky for me scrap was high and my old car made 162.75 over the scrap yard bridge so I was sorted.
well that's enough for now il come back later if anyone want s to hear the rest.
let me tell you a story
Moderator: Moderators
Re: let me tell you a story
Your financial situation sounds a lot like mine and really it works in out favour because if we bought new cars instead of the ones we do, we would be spending thousands in repairs ans servicing.
The 406 Hdi estate I have now I paid £950 for, that was a lot for me but I have had it for 5 years and covered about 50,000 miles in it, its now on 238,000 but has never had a serious fault, any attention it has needed I have been able to do myself. I also have a nice metallic red C5 estate for which I paid £550, it needed some work but again I did it all myself. Probably the most money I have spent on either of them has been on tyres and they weren't all that dear.
I used to do diesel conversions many years ago before you could get good manufactured ones. One that sticks in my mind was a PC Vauxhall Cresta with a burnt out clutch which I bought in Bromley for £25, towed it down here, fitted a Perkins 4/108 diesel engine and ran it for 5 years, I sold it for £50.
I think your car was a good choice as the 2.1 diesel was probably the best IDI ever made, I ran them in Citroen XMs for over 15 years. They were certainly the best XUD for economy, ours would always return over 50mpg on our annual trips to Scotland, their only failing was the head gasket which usually went at around 150k, probably what yours was treated to. The valves don't usually get damaged on the 2.1 when the cambelt breaks as they have sacrificial rockers which should break first.
The 2.1 is actually a smoother and more flexible engine than the Hdi but the economy is not quite as good and they don't suffer from head gasket failure, at least neither of mine have. They also didn't use a DMF but mine on the Hdi's are both original along with the clutches so not a problem.
Peter
The 406 Hdi estate I have now I paid £950 for, that was a lot for me but I have had it for 5 years and covered about 50,000 miles in it, its now on 238,000 but has never had a serious fault, any attention it has needed I have been able to do myself. I also have a nice metallic red C5 estate for which I paid £550, it needed some work but again I did it all myself. Probably the most money I have spent on either of them has been on tyres and they weren't all that dear.
I used to do diesel conversions many years ago before you could get good manufactured ones. One that sticks in my mind was a PC Vauxhall Cresta with a burnt out clutch which I bought in Bromley for £25, towed it down here, fitted a Perkins 4/108 diesel engine and ran it for 5 years, I sold it for £50.
I think your car was a good choice as the 2.1 diesel was probably the best IDI ever made, I ran them in Citroen XMs for over 15 years. They were certainly the best XUD for economy, ours would always return over 50mpg on our annual trips to Scotland, their only failing was the head gasket which usually went at around 150k, probably what yours was treated to. The valves don't usually get damaged on the 2.1 when the cambelt breaks as they have sacrificial rockers which should break first.
The 2.1 is actually a smoother and more flexible engine than the Hdi but the economy is not quite as good and they don't suffer from head gasket failure, at least neither of mine have. They also didn't use a DMF but mine on the Hdi's are both original along with the clutches so not a problem.
Peter
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Doggy
- Mod with a 2.2 HDi, De-Fapped!
- Posts: 10710
- Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:49 pm
- Location: Northants
Re: let me tell you a story
HI Nigel, how are you gerting on?
2002 HDi 2.2 Exec Estate, (2008-12) (wonderful)
2003 HDi 2.2 6-speed Exec Estate (2012-19) (also a gem)
2009 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi VTR+ Estate (godawful heap)
2008 BMW E91 330i touring (great fun - murdered by a reversing SUV)
2007 BMW E91 325i touring (slower smoother quieter)
2003 HDi 2.2 6-speed Exec Estate (2012-19) (also a gem)
2009 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi VTR+ Estate (godawful heap)
2008 BMW E91 330i touring (great fun - murdered by a reversing SUV)
2007 BMW E91 325i touring (slower smoother quieter)
Re: let me tell you a story
hi mateDoggy wrote:HI Nigel, how are you gerting on?
still here
hope you well
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rwb
- 3.0 24v
- Posts: 2610
- Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:53 pm
- Location: Yorkshireman exiled in Salop
- Contact:
Re: let me tell you a story
Hey. Great to hear from you.
Can we get the next installment please?
Can we get the next installment please?
Current: 407 2.2 HDi 170 & C6 2.7 HDi.
Former: 406 1.9 TD; 406 HDi 90; 407 2.2 160; 307cc 180; 508 HDi 140.
Map of PeugeotForums users offering PP2k
Re: let me tell you a story
come on hurry up....lol.. i love car back stories.....
Re: let me tell you a story
I can tell you some of mine back to 1956 if you are interested. 
Peter
Peter
Re: let me tell you a story
well the first modification I did was find a tow bar on ebay won it for about 11pounds and a few pence took a couple of hours to fit as I had to remove the rear bumper but a straight forward job.the mileage at the time on the car was just under 100000 as I remember stopping and takeing a photo as the speedo clicked round to all those zeros very shortly after I had her.the car was then pressed into daily use as well as hard weekend work as a tow car for my race car tools and family all over the uk.
the car towed a four wheel car trailer without any issues.i did change the front discs and pads for some good quality replacements just for piece of mind.
then in September my wife decided to have a baby and my little girl was born and the 406 was given a special clean as it collected its most valuble cargo from the hospital.
the big boot of the 406 was but into regular use as babys seem to need to bags of clothes/nappies etc plus a pushchair,sometimes I think we needed a trailer as well as there was so much stuff don't know how these people manage with a small hatchback. I also felt quite safe in the car as there was a lot of metal around us in fact I banned my mrs from taking my little girl out in small cars[caused a few agruments and iam sure she ignored me a few times, think I was bit paranoid].any way life carried on,the 406 kept running well and in 2008 I joined this forum.found a lot of good info on here and learned what to look out for so decided to get a spares car to help
now if you running a old car its always a good idea to have a a spares car saves all those trips to the scrapyard and if something packs up you can fix it at home so the hunt was on.in fact I ended up buying a few cars saloons .estates broke them for parts sold a few parts and kept a few but I couldn't find a 2.1 engine.then a chap on here called mountain got in touch as someone had braked for no reason in front of [insurance scam]on a clear road and he had hit them in the back bending his bonnet.he tied his bonnet down with a bungie and on his way back the bungie had snapped smashing the bonnet into the windscreen.so a quick trip up north[tadcaster]
and a new car was bought.after securing g the bonnet I took this for a quick blast down my private test track and what a surprise this car was so much more livly than mine. so much faster on pick up reved a lot quicker got to speed quicker.i tried getting in touch with the old owner to see if he had modified it any way but he wouldn't reply to my messages for some reason.
so I had a delemer was my engine on the way out it was used hard and had now done about 140000 so maybe it was worn out so maybe swap engine time?
the car towed a four wheel car trailer without any issues.i did change the front discs and pads for some good quality replacements just for piece of mind.
then in September my wife decided to have a baby and my little girl was born and the 406 was given a special clean as it collected its most valuble cargo from the hospital.
the big boot of the 406 was but into regular use as babys seem to need to bags of clothes/nappies etc plus a pushchair,sometimes I think we needed a trailer as well as there was so much stuff don't know how these people manage with a small hatchback. I also felt quite safe in the car as there was a lot of metal around us in fact I banned my mrs from taking my little girl out in small cars[caused a few agruments and iam sure she ignored me a few times, think I was bit paranoid].any way life carried on,the 406 kept running well and in 2008 I joined this forum.found a lot of good info on here and learned what to look out for so decided to get a spares car to help
now if you running a old car its always a good idea to have a a spares car saves all those trips to the scrapyard and if something packs up you can fix it at home so the hunt was on.in fact I ended up buying a few cars saloons .estates broke them for parts sold a few parts and kept a few but I couldn't find a 2.1 engine.then a chap on here called mountain got in touch as someone had braked for no reason in front of [insurance scam]on a clear road and he had hit them in the back bending his bonnet.he tied his bonnet down with a bungie and on his way back the bungie had snapped smashing the bonnet into the windscreen.so a quick trip up north[tadcaster]
and a new car was bought.after securing g the bonnet I took this for a quick blast down my private test track and what a surprise this car was so much more livly than mine. so much faster on pick up reved a lot quicker got to speed quicker.i tried getting in touch with the old owner to see if he had modified it any way but he wouldn't reply to my messages for some reason.
so I had a delemer was my engine on the way out it was used hard and had now done about 140000 so maybe it was worn out so maybe swap engine time?
Re: let me tell you a story
excellent story mate,enjoy reading it,do continue.
Re: let me tell you a story
love all car stories...
Re: let me tell you a story
so I know you thinking what about all the repairs and problems
well nothing really to write home about nothing broke mots were only a few quid mostly ball joints ,bushs track rod ends so nothing bad just general wear and tear.i belive that if you look after the engine the engine looks after you so the oil/filter were changed every 3 months.i buy 25 liter drums got a trade card at Halfords so the cost isn't to scary.it used a little oil maybe about half a pint every thousand miles did 40 mpg average about 30 towing and high 40s when I took it easy which wasn't very ofton.so decided to stick with what I knew and just park up the spare car.
then things started going wrong first it wouldn't start in the mornings as the battery was flat a quick jump and I was away a quick test and the alternator was chucking out 14.4 v so all good.so thought maybe its the boot light staying on as it was good all day,so into house pick up small child insert child into boot close lid to be told its dark in here so fit spare battery go in house get shouted at go back outside and release small child.then about a week later it didn't wantto start in the mornings but once warm it started fine,removed the glow plugs a quick check and I had 1and half working plugs.some new to me glow plugs out of a 1.9 engine were fitted and normal service was resumed.then about 2 weeks later flat battery a quick check and only 10 v out the alternator robbed the one of the spare car and all was good.
then the exhaust broke near the rear box not surprised really as theres a lot of it unsurported so down the exhaust place don't mess with exhausts a few quid later a nice shiney exhaust with a 2 year warranty[23and1/2 months later it broke and they replaced it but they wernt happy].so that's all my bad luck right? wrong a couple of weeks later mr mot man found a leeking power steering rack so a mot fail was given.
mr mot man quoted me 600 pounds for the job and recommend me to scrap the car and 2 other garages wouldn't even quote for the job
so its either a engine out job or drop the subframe I dropped the subframe wasn't a easy job took a few hours orded a new rack for about 200 pounds went to collect it tried to fit it .........wrong rack different fittings n the end took me about a week to do the job.
well nothing really to write home about nothing broke mots were only a few quid mostly ball joints ,bushs track rod ends so nothing bad just general wear and tear.i belive that if you look after the engine the engine looks after you so the oil/filter were changed every 3 months.i buy 25 liter drums got a trade card at Halfords so the cost isn't to scary.it used a little oil maybe about half a pint every thousand miles did 40 mpg average about 30 towing and high 40s when I took it easy which wasn't very ofton.so decided to stick with what I knew and just park up the spare car.
then things started going wrong first it wouldn't start in the mornings as the battery was flat a quick jump and I was away a quick test and the alternator was chucking out 14.4 v so all good.so thought maybe its the boot light staying on as it was good all day,so into house pick up small child insert child into boot close lid to be told its dark in here so fit spare battery go in house get shouted at go back outside and release small child.then about a week later it didn't wantto start in the mornings but once warm it started fine,removed the glow plugs a quick check and I had 1and half working plugs.some new to me glow plugs out of a 1.9 engine were fitted and normal service was resumed.then about 2 weeks later flat battery a quick check and only 10 v out the alternator robbed the one of the spare car and all was good.
then the exhaust broke near the rear box not surprised really as theres a lot of it unsurported so down the exhaust place don't mess with exhausts a few quid later a nice shiney exhaust with a 2 year warranty[23and1/2 months later it broke and they replaced it but they wernt happy].so that's all my bad luck right? wrong a couple of weeks later mr mot man found a leeking power steering rack so a mot fail was given.
mr mot man quoted me 600 pounds for the job and recommend me to scrap the car and 2 other garages wouldn't even quote for the job
so its either a engine out job or drop the subframe I dropped the subframe wasn't a easy job took a few hours orded a new rack for about 200 pounds went to collect it tried to fit it .........wrong rack different fittings n the end took me about a week to do the job.
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Doggy
- Mod with a 2.2 HDi, De-Fapped!
- Posts: 10710
- Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:49 pm
- Location: Northants
Re: let me tell you a story
Just as well you sorted the alternator before small child got too big to fit in the boot.
Carry on.....
Carry on.....
2002 HDi 2.2 Exec Estate, (2008-12) (wonderful)
2003 HDi 2.2 6-speed Exec Estate (2012-19) (also a gem)
2009 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi VTR+ Estate (godawful heap)
2008 BMW E91 330i touring (great fun - murdered by a reversing SUV)
2007 BMW E91 325i touring (slower smoother quieter)
2003 HDi 2.2 6-speed Exec Estate (2012-19) (also a gem)
2009 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi VTR+ Estate (godawful heap)
2008 BMW E91 330i touring (great fun - murdered by a reversing SUV)
2007 BMW E91 325i touring (slower smoother quieter)
Re: let me tell you a story
My 16 year old could still fit in the boot of my saloon right up until I sold it....that reminds me I really should check if the new owner has let him out yet 
1996 1.9 TD LX (Gone but not forgotten)
2003 2.2 HDI SE
2003 2.2 HDI SE
Re: let me tell you a story
well after the rack saga the miles kept racking up[see what I did there] with nothing going wrong until on a trip to blackpool my little girl dropped a toy that went under the car.when I retrived it I noticed the inside of both tyres had worn with one showing metal 3/4 of the tyre was good but the inside edges were very naughty.the worse one was quickly changed and when I got home a spare out of my stock was fitted. 2 weeks later they were both down to the cords again so a quick trip to a 4 wheel aliment place and 60 pounds later all was good.
well the miles just kept going up and up and nothing went wrong then I started to notice a sticking rear wheel.a quick look and it apppeard that the piston was sticking so a quick squirt of brake cleaner seamed to free it off and away we went,but a couple of days later it started happening again.this time I decided not to mess about and orderd new calipers,discs and pads.to be fair the discs were in good nick but it seamed a good idea to replace the lot while I was there.managed to negotiate a good deal for just over a 100 pounds for the lot.this turned into a pig of a job that included lots of anglo saxon language, big hammers,blood lots of tea scratching the head as the sticking caliper side fell apart easy but the good side didn't want to shift but in the end a big bearing puller sorted it
the brakes were bled but after a couple of days use I seamed to be getting a longer pedal than usuall so phoned a mate to borrow his pressure bleader and while I was there noticed a leak[okay I parked on his drive and when I moved the car there was a load of oil on his drive he wasn't happy].but it wasn't black engine oil it was red power steering fluid.
so back home a look reveled a leaking rack
.so I decided to leave it for a bit and just keep topping it up bled the brakes again and more bad news.the brakes bled fine but I noticed the sills looked a bit thin so I poked them,bad mistake they were as thin as paper for about six inches on both sides and the inner sill was just starting to be infected with rust
well the miles just kept going up and up and nothing went wrong then I started to notice a sticking rear wheel.a quick look and it apppeard that the piston was sticking so a quick squirt of brake cleaner seamed to free it off and away we went,but a couple of days later it started happening again.this time I decided not to mess about and orderd new calipers,discs and pads.to be fair the discs were in good nick but it seamed a good idea to replace the lot while I was there.managed to negotiate a good deal for just over a 100 pounds for the lot.this turned into a pig of a job that included lots of anglo saxon language, big hammers,blood lots of tea scratching the head as the sticking caliper side fell apart easy but the good side didn't want to shift but in the end a big bearing puller sorted it
the brakes were bled but after a couple of days use I seamed to be getting a longer pedal than usuall so phoned a mate to borrow his pressure bleader and while I was there noticed a leak[okay I parked on his drive and when I moved the car there was a load of oil on his drive he wasn't happy].but it wasn't black engine oil it was red power steering fluid.
so back home a look reveled a leaking rack
.so I decided to leave it for a bit and just keep topping it up bled the brakes again and more bad news.the brakes bled fine but I noticed the sills looked a bit thin so I poked them,bad mistake they were as thin as paper for about six inches on both sides and the inner sill was just starting to be infected with rustRe: let me tell you a story
so what to do
sills are about 100 pounds plus 100 pounds to get fitted and the rack 200 so the costs are getting high!
ive got a few months mot left so decided to bury my head in the sand and just drive,bought a bottle of power steering fluid and away I went.well the bottle only lasted about 3 weeks this was going to get expensive.on closer inspection the rack only leaked when being turned so maybe one of the seals had failed.looking around for some other fluid I could use I had 20 liters of waste engine oil.as I was going to have to change the rack and I had a spare pump I thought id try it at first it was just mixed in with the power steering fluid but after a while it was 100% oil and worked fine.
the miles where now 189000 and I really wanted to see 200000 but the mot ran out so a decision had to be made and it was a hard one but in the end I decided it was the end of line for the 406
tried to sell a few bits on ebay,gumtree and on here and got hardlley any intrest sold a spoiler a few switches made about 50 quid thought the leather seats would go and was surprised when they didn't.but the good thing about taking the seats out was all the stuff you find,tickets,toys baby stuff so many memories[yeah I don't clean my car very ofton] it was very nice finding these things the trips we been on all together, the car had kept us all safe given us all good times and allways got us home.
then I did something that my mrs couldn't belive in fact she took a photo I washed and polished the car not a 5 minute job either was out all night it just seamed the right thing to do.
so the last drive the sun was out and the 406 looked good and iam sure the engine accelerated faster than it normally did as I drove down my local dual carriageway.
the scrapyard appeard to quick I drove in got her weighed took my 75 pounds and 53 pence and walked out quick without looking back as I was tempted to jump back in and bring her home as I felt like a traitor.it took me back to when my old dog of 15 years got ill and was never going to get better so even though so was still alive the best thing was to but her to sleep.so a very sad day.
so to sum up
ive never kept a car as long as I had kept the 406 it did everything I wanted it to,sometimes the lack of a hatch was a problem never broke down was good in the snow
as far as iam aware it was on its orginal major components[even the clutch was never changed and it was abused towing]
it never snapped a road spring which seams a common problem on these did good mpg the only thing it could have done with would be cruise control.
had lots of good info of here,went to a forum meet when this forum was busy but it seams a lot less busy now and it was the only car my little girl new[lether seats a great for wipping of baby sick]
would I have another?
maybe but iam not sure,i don't like the newer models with the fancy electrics and the mk1s are all old now but I do fancy a 406 3liter coupe but cant register on the forum and ive tried for 2 years
so now my storey is told and its time for me to leave
thanks for all your help and happy motering
cheers
nigel
sills are about 100 pounds plus 100 pounds to get fitted and the rack 200 so the costs are getting high!
ive got a few months mot left so decided to bury my head in the sand and just drive,bought a bottle of power steering fluid and away I went.well the bottle only lasted about 3 weeks this was going to get expensive.on closer inspection the rack only leaked when being turned so maybe one of the seals had failed.looking around for some other fluid I could use I had 20 liters of waste engine oil.as I was going to have to change the rack and I had a spare pump I thought id try it at first it was just mixed in with the power steering fluid but after a while it was 100% oil and worked fine.
the miles where now 189000 and I really wanted to see 200000 but the mot ran out so a decision had to be made and it was a hard one but in the end I decided it was the end of line for the 406
tried to sell a few bits on ebay,gumtree and on here and got hardlley any intrest sold a spoiler a few switches made about 50 quid thought the leather seats would go and was surprised when they didn't.but the good thing about taking the seats out was all the stuff you find,tickets,toys baby stuff so many memories[yeah I don't clean my car very ofton] it was very nice finding these things the trips we been on all together, the car had kept us all safe given us all good times and allways got us home.
then I did something that my mrs couldn't belive in fact she took a photo I washed and polished the car not a 5 minute job either was out all night it just seamed the right thing to do.
so the last drive the sun was out and the 406 looked good and iam sure the engine accelerated faster than it normally did as I drove down my local dual carriageway.
the scrapyard appeard to quick I drove in got her weighed took my 75 pounds and 53 pence and walked out quick without looking back as I was tempted to jump back in and bring her home as I felt like a traitor.it took me back to when my old dog of 15 years got ill and was never going to get better so even though so was still alive the best thing was to but her to sleep.so a very sad day.
so to sum up
ive never kept a car as long as I had kept the 406 it did everything I wanted it to,sometimes the lack of a hatch was a problem never broke down was good in the snow
as far as iam aware it was on its orginal major components[even the clutch was never changed and it was abused towing]
it never snapped a road spring which seams a common problem on these did good mpg the only thing it could have done with would be cruise control.
had lots of good info of here,went to a forum meet when this forum was busy but it seams a lot less busy now and it was the only car my little girl new[lether seats a great for wipping of baby sick]
would I have another?
maybe but iam not sure,i don't like the newer models with the fancy electrics and the mk1s are all old now but I do fancy a 406 3liter coupe but cant register on the forum and ive tried for 2 years
so now my storey is told and its time for me to leave
thanks for all your help and happy motering
cheers
nigel