Peugeot 407 car problems

Hello,

A friend of mine has a Peugeot 407 and since he purchased it its been a nightmare.

The engine doesn't start unless you disconnect the negative terminal at night and reconnect it before you set off as something drains the power if its left connected.

The dashboard lights are all over the place, lighting up for no apparent reason and randomly.

The brakes have recently failed and a local garage quoted £700 to fix the problem!

The electrics seems to be really wierd as if the car has been rewired incorrectly.

Is this a familiar problem with the 407 or Peugeots in general please or is he just unlucky with this car?

Thanks

Sounds about right for a Peugeot

Hello,

 

A friend of mine has a Peugeot 407 and since he purchased it its been a nightmare.

 

The engine doesn't start unless you disconnect the negative terminal at night and reconnect it before you set off as something drains the power if its left connected.

 

The dashboard lights are all over the place, lighting up for no apparent reason and randomly.

 

The brakes have recently failed and a local garage quoted £700 to fix the problem!

 

The electrics seems to be really wierd as if the car has been rewired incorrectly.

 

Is this a familiar problem with the 407 or Peugeots in general please or is he just unlucky with this car?

 

Thanks

There are loads of 407s on eBay which are advertised under spares or repairs so I don't think your mate is unlucky with his ,seems they are a poor car

The 407 is a funny car. Its very well specced, comfortable to drive. There are some minor problems that plague them, but nothing major. I can direct you to dozens of happy 407 owners who've never had a problem with them, myself included.

The main problems seem to revolve around neglect, especially with the 1.6 diesel engine. Peugeot say that the service interval is 20,000 miles. It isn't, it should be 12,000. Its also very fussy about the correct oil used. Use the wrong oil or change infrequently and the turbo oil feed will block. Oil starvation will ruin the turbo and unless all the oil pipes are replaced, will continue to eat turbos.

Sadly, when the problems occur with the engine, its well out of manufacturer's liability. But the petrol models and the 2L and 2.2 diesels are much more reliable. But they have a stupidly high road tax bracket which puts off many.

Unfortunately people see a cheap one, but don't look for service history. So they inherit a car with problems, then blame the marque. If they'd spent an hour browsing Peugeot forums (there's even a dedicated one for 407 owners), they'd be pre-armed with all the niggles and what to look out for, which cars to avoid, or haggle a discount.

As for the OP's problem. If he's having to disconnect the battery, then he won't be doing a BSI reset, that's why the dashboard is having a bit of a fit. How old is the battery? It might be starting the car OK, but the 407 is picky if the voltage isn't 12v.

I can't really comment on the brakes on this car without knowing more. There are no known braking issues on the 407 other than the rear light cluster fault, see here: http://www.407owners.com/docs/rearlightbulbsold.pdf

I'd recommend they join this forum: http://www.407owners.com/forums/ucp.php?mode=register

Its a brilliant, friendly community. There's also plenty of 407 owners on http://www.peugeotforums.com