Peugeot 407 - Should I walk away

ohnonotgmail

I'm looking at a 2005 407 2.0 liter diesel at the minute and i'm looking for some advice. The car has 115,000 miles. The biggest concern i have is that i have read of problems they have with their dual mass flywheel. given the mileage should i walk away if it is still on the original clutch?
Apparently the DMF should be replaced at the clutch so if the clutch has been changed the DMF should have been changed as well.


Also can anybody recommend a breaker on the northside of the city that will take my old car presuming i buy the peugeot? what kind of scrap value will it have? its a 2001 volvo S40 with 120,000 miles. It drives but there are some jobs needed that would be uneconomical given the value of the car.

Special Circumstances

You want a diesel without an expensive DMF? You may be looking for a while if you want a manual one.

I don't think the DMF would be your biggest concern on a 407. What I've picked up over the years on here is that they are not regarded as being more troublesome than the 406. No idea of how that manifests itself.

ohnonotgmail

Special Circumstances wrote: »

You want a diesel without an expensive DMF? You may be looking for a while if you want a manual one.

I don't think the DMF would be your biggest concern on a 407. What I've picked up over the years on here is that they are not regarded as being more troublesome than the 406. No idea of how that manifests itself.

No, what i am asking is should i walk away if it is still on the original DMF as 115,000 would be close to end of life for a DMF. or that is my understanding and i am happy to be corrected on it.

lway

Bit of a gamble on the Flywheel at 115,000 miles if it hasn't already been replaced, usually they say they go anywhere north of the 100,000 mile mark, mine went at just over 160,000 miles. This is not limited to Peugeot's though, it's the same flywheel on Fords as well.

Listen for chirping sound or vibrations from the clutch pedal to indicate it's on the way out. Cost me €1,200 to get clutch & flywheel replaced.

mickdw

Those 407s are supposed to be an absolute bucket of sh1t. They are stupidly cheap though.

lway

mickdw wrote: »

Those 407s are supposed to be an absolute bucket of sh1t. They are stupidly cheap though.

:rolleyes:

If you want an honest opinion from someone who's lived with one for over 100k miles (2005 1.6 hdi 205k miles on the clock currently) then ask away. Yes, they have their issues, show me a car that doesn't, but they are a very comfortable ride and carry a lot of spec. If you want to know what to look out for when looking at one then ask away.

ohnonotgmail

lway wrote: »

:rolleyes:

If you want an honest opinion from someone who's lived with one for over 100k miles (2005 1.6 hdi 205k miles on the clock currently) then ask away. Yes, they have their issues, show me a car that doesn't, but they are a very comfortable ride and carry a lot of spec. If you want to know what to look out for when looking at one then ask away.

cheers. the one i'm looking at is a 2005 2.0 hdi. Full leather and all the extras. The owner has looked after it well (he has to sell as he has just been banned).

lway

You seem to be aware of the Dual Mass Flywheel issues, like I said before anything north of 100k miles seems to be when they get vulnerable to go, mine lasted to 160k miles, noticed it got jerky on letting up the clutch the day before it went.

The 407's can eat through balljoints, the newer ball joints are a different design and last longer, when the car is parked up grab the top of the tyre and give it a good pull toward you, any play in the wheel means the balljoint may need replacing.

Does it have the small orange screen in the centre console? if so they are prone to fading when hot, I replaced one myself and the current replacement is now giving issues, there are newer ones with a black casing on the back which are supposed to be better. Either see the car on a hot day or stick on the heating full blast to heat it up and see if it starts to fade, or ask the owner. If it has the bigger colour screen then this isn't an issue. It's an easy swap out that you can do yourself with a replacement one off Ebay.

The 1.6 seem more prone to Particle filter issues, I believe the 2.0 were better, would need to plug it into Planet to see how blocked the filter is or what level of Eloys fluid is in the reservoir.

If it has TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) then check the tips of the valves (under the dust cap) for corrosion.

Check the Air con system, turn it to the coldest temperature and check that cold air is coming out both drivers and passengers side. Some reports of flaps breaking and people getting cold air coming out one side and hot air out the other. (not had this issue myself)

This is all info gained from personal experience and being a member of a 407 forum and the more common issues that other owners have seen, and things i'd check out for if I was buying another 407 today.

mickdw

lway wrote: »

:rolleyes:

If you want an honest opinion from someone who's lived with one for over 100k miles (2005 1.6 hdi 205k miles on the clock currently) then ask away. Yes, they have their issues, show me a car that doesn't, but they are a very comfortable ride and carry a lot of spec. If you want to know what to look out for when looking at one then ask away.

A sure work away. I found the 1.6 diesel to be a pig but if you like it, you like it.

ohnonotgmail

lway wrote: »

You seem to be aware of the Dual Mass Flywheel issues, like I said before anything north of 100k miles seems to be when they get vulnerable to go, mine lasted to 160k miles, noticed it got jerky on letting up the clutch the day before it went.

Clutch was done just over a year ago so no problems there.

lway wrote: »

The 407's can eat through balljoints, the newer ball joints are a different design and last longer, when the car is parked up grab the top of the tyre and give it a good pull toward you, any play in the wheel means the balljoint may need replacing.

Rock solid

lway wrote: »

Does it have the small orange screen in the centre console? if so they are prone to fading when hot, I replaced one myself and the current replacement is now giving issues, there are newer ones with a black casing on the back which are supposed to be better. Either see the car on a hot day or stick on the heating full blast to heat it up and see if it starts to fade, or ask the owner. If it has the bigger colour screen then this isn't an issue. It's an easy swap out that you can do yourself with a replacement one off Ebay.

Where did you get the replacement screen from?

lway

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Where did you get the replacement screen from?

Mine was done under warranty just after I bought the car (second hand) think they got it from a breakers/scrap yard as it still had the front panel attached, replaced it myself, simple job, just a couple of Torx screws.

Replacements can be got on ebay:
http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xpeugeot+407+display.TRS0&_nkw=peugeot+407+display&_sacat=0

Or you could try Ali Express, looks cheaper, heard of a few people getting them from here:
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6651353659.html?orderId=67138134518266

Do check out the Air Con as well as a lot of people have reported hot air coming from one side and cold the other, it's a dash out job to get it fixed so very expensive.

ohnonotgmail

lway wrote: »

Mine was done under warranty just after I bought the car (second hand) think they got it from a breakers/scrap yard as it still had the front panel attached, replaced it myself, simple job, just a couple of Torx screws.

Replacements can be got on ebay:
http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xpeugeot+407+display.TRS0&_nkw=peugeot+407+display&_sacat=0

Or you could try Ali Express, looks cheaper, heard of a few people getting them from here:
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6651353659.html?orderId=67138134518266

Do check out the Air Con as well as a lot of people have reported hot air coming from one side and cold the other, it's a dash out job to get it fixed so very expensive.

Cheers. I'll check them out.

If the DMF is all that goes you'll be doing well!


I had one for six months...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=94101288&postcount=6372

Hachiko

seriously, I would look for a different car. There is a high chance you will lose more money than you wanted to if you do get one. French diesel cars are not something I associate with the epitome of reliability.

Supergurrier

02-04 130bhp A4 or Passat with decent spec would be a better call altogether.

Row

The 407's do have a very bad name compared to its older brother the 406 and this seems to reflect in there current pricing.

Having owned 3 407's :eek:...:)..none of them let me down only some of the usual problems that lway pointed out above.
Tbh there is great value out there and if you can pick one up which has the dmf replaced and has had a good service history then it should be fine.

The 2.0 hdi's are a very good engine and are also used in the 2010+ mondeos..Volvos..etc. i have seen these engines getting to 300k mls without and engine work been carried out only the odd egr problem.

There is plenty of reading on the 407's here... http://www.407owners.com/forums/index.php?sid=c596342a3097eac8f678451848732884

OP.....Unfortunately no make/model is bullet proof out there so best of luck with your decision..;)

lway

Deleted User wrote: »

If the DMF is all that goes you'll be doing well!
I had one for six months...
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=94101288&postcount=6372

Yes, the heater flaps can go so check out the air con on both sides before buying, a replacement LCD screen can be got on Ebay or Done Deal and replaced yourself in ten minutes for half the €150 you quoted. Your mechanic should have opened the boot and pulled back the rubber flexi hose and inspected the wires there, this is where some people have reported them breaking, adding a little bit of wire would have fixed this issue, a whole new loom wasn't needed, an hour and a bit of wire and this is a DIY job. There's great how to guides on the 407 forums.

The rest I can't comment on as not a mechanic. Could be worse at least you don't have to contend with issues like stretched timing chains ruining engines like other car models.

Good luck with it OP whatever you buy, every car is a punt, you can get good and bad examples of any car

lway

lway wrote: »

Yes, the heater flaps can go so check out the air con on both sides before buying, a replacement LCD screen can be got on Ebay or Done Deal and replaced yourself in ten minutes for half the €150 you quoted.

Fair enough if you want to DIY it. I quoted a price of a chap on line that does it (Kildare).

Your mechanic should have opened the boot and pulled back the rubber flexi hose and inspected the wires there, this is where some people have reported them breaking, adding a little bit of wire would have fixed this issue, a whole new loom wasn't needed, an hour and a bit of wire and this is a DIY job. There's great how to guides on the 407 forums.

This wasn't the issue I had though. Mechanic has dealt with several 407s (as Im sure most mechanics have :P ) and knows about the flexi hose you mentioned. I can't actually recall what the issue was in the end, but it wasn't what you're referring to (in that case, I believe the issue is that the wire in the flexi hose you mentioned is too short and gets strained over time, eventually breaking, so you just need to extend it).

The rest I can't comment on as not a mechanic. Could be worse at least you don't have to contend with issues like stretched timing chains ruining engines like other car models.

Good luck with it OP whatever you buy, every car is a punt, you can get good and bad examples of any car

This is true and every car has the potential to be a dream or a nightmare. My advice, if interested in a 407, is just to make sure you're aware of potential issues going in, and at least you can make a somewhat informed decision.