PEUGEOT 406 1999 test drive - 2004 sedan

Napoleon weapons

One of the most popular French cars in Russia - Peugeot 406 appears in the secondary market.
 

Invasion
Five years ago, the attitude towards French cars was wary - and unreliable, they say, they are not adapted to Russian roads, and you will not find spare parts for them. The French were bought only sophisticated aesthetes who wanted to stand out from the German-Japanese crowd.
 
Truly the Napoleonic invasion of the territory of Russia began in 1997 by Peugeot, which chose an aggressive pricing policy as a strategy, and as a shock weapon - model 406. The press praised an elegant design, amazing sled qualities and a convenient, qualitatively executed interior of the machine. At the same time, the 406th cost us from $ 21,000. At that time, the European model of the middle class for that kind of money was considered a gift. Today, after plastic surgery in 1999, Peugeot 406 is still in service. And specimens of 1997-1999 appeared on the secondary market. Moreover, most of the 406s offered for the sale of all their kilometers wound along our roads. What is the French conquer for three to five years of hard service?
 
  Find out the seller code
Until mid-1997, a code immobilizer was installed on Peugeot 406, the keyboard of which was extended from a dashboard every time before starting the engine. From constant excesses, the wiring is overwhelmed over time. But if you change, the tourniquet costs $ 60, then ignorance of the code threatens much more serious spending. You can sell you a signaling machine, which when removed from the guard, turns off the immobilizer automatically. While the alarm is in good order, knowledge of the code is not required. But if something happens to her, the code will have to be entered manually. Three wrong attempts, and the injection computer is blocked forever. The price is new from $ 700.
 
From Russia or from Europe?
We sold mainly sedans with gasoline engines of 1.8 liters (8 and 16 valves); 2.0 liters (16 valves) and 3-liter V6.
 
Is it possible to install a package for bad roads to the 406th brought from Europe? Put the steel protection of the engine, as in a Russian woman, for $ 100 is possible and even necessary. But changing the standard suspension does not make sense. To do this, you will have to buy too many original details and carry out a serious reorganization of the chassis. It will turn out to be unreasonably expensive.
 
   
At the end of 1999, the headlights became already, and a horizontal strip appeared on the rear lights
      
Machines with an 8-valve engine were supplied in the basic design of the SR: steering wheel amplifier, a driver’s pillow, front electric windows and a central lock. Salon is fabric. Sometimes the equipment was supplemented by air conditioning or music, but you should not count on something more serious.
 
The performance of ST, offered for all 2-liter machines and most 16-valve 1.8 liters, is much richer: passenger pillow, ABS, electric mirrors and heating of the seats. And the salon is velor with velor with inserts under a tree.
 
Three -liter versions usually flaunt the most expensive SV execution; An audio system with a CD chain, armrests on the front chairs, fog-tanks, cast discs and air conditioning. Plus, the dealers usually drove the entire list of options in the V6 package: skin, climate control, seats electric drive ... However, the 3-liter 406th was unreasonably roads-$ 40,000-44,000, so there were very few such cars.
 
From Europe, the 406th is rarely taken - in our secondary market, French cars are still considered a product for an amateur. So is it worth hunting for a European? In the case of Peugeot 406, this question cannot be answered definitely yes. It is clear that the condition of the machines from there is usually better. But some 406s supplied to Russia also have a trump card: serious preparation for bad roads and poor-quality gasoline. No wonder the mechanics of the technical centers of Peugeot, buying the 406th for themselves, are looking for a car with a Russian engine and a suspension.
 
 
The early 406th with a Russian 1.8 -liter engine was supplied in a mixed configuration: a tree on a torpedo - like ST, and mirrors with manual drive
 
 
You can’t spoil the porridge with oil.
But the oil is sorry
Peugeot gasoline engines are quite reliable and durable. There are no serious breakdowns, and with proper operation they go 300,000 km. If there were not surprises with oil consumption ...
     
What kind of engine under the hood?
The engine designation is indicated in the sixth, seventh and eighth VIN signs. Russian engines have a number 6 in the seventh sign, European - the letter F. The marking of the engines is indicated in brackets.
 
1.6 l, 8 classes, for Europe (BFZ)
 
1.8 l, 8 classes, for Russia (L6A)
 
1.8 l, 16 classes, for Europe (LFY)
 
2.0 l, 16 classes, for Russia (R6E)
 
2.0 l, 16 classes, for Europe (RFV)
 
3.0 l V6, 24 Cl., For Europe (XFZ)
 
Regulations on all engines are the same. Oil, on the engines until 1999, are carried out after 10,000 km. Then the interservice interval was increased. The timing belt along with rollers in our conditions is recommended to be changed after 90,000 km. Check the gaps of the valves, which are regulated by the washers, is prescribed after 60,000 km. But, from experience, adjustment is almost never required. Antifreeze changes after 5 years or 120,000 km. In addition, once every 30,000-40,000 km, it is advisable to rinse the injection nozzle on a special installation.
 
Among the typical malfunctions for all motors, you can note the clogging of the foster pump, which is why the machine loses in dynamics, and with a quarter tank filled with a quarter, it just stalls. Usually, to eliminate the defect, it is enough to remove the pump and rinse the net. Now - particular. On 8-valve, there is a leak of oil from under the gasket of the valve cover. Changing it is not a problem. Every two years, these engines require replacement of candle wires (there are simply not on other motors).
 
The two -liter RFV engine sins the leakage of the rear crankshaft oil sewn - the part is cheap, and the work is expensive. In addition, all European motors are demanding on fuel quality. Especially Kaprizen LFY: it can stall and not keep idle. Candles on European engines can pass 30,000 km, and can die after 5000 km. When the catalyst ends, it can be replaced with a regular pipe. But the lambda zond still will have to buy a new one. Without it, the injection computer will soon be covered.
 
And only on V6 platinum candles really withstand 60,000 km on our gasoline. The catalyst on it is also more tenacious than on 4-cylinder engines. In general, mechanics characterize V6 as very reliable and durable.
 
For comparison, on Russian engines, candles are steadily served 30,000 km and there are no problems with the catalyst and lambda zond (there is a catalyst on the R6E, but it is much less sensitive than European).
 
How much is
Replacing the valve cover gasket $ 24
Replacing candle wires $ 43
Replacing the rear oil seal of the crankshaft $ 290
Replacing the timing belt
4 cylinders/V6 $ 165-194/$ 754
Replacing candles
4 cylinders/V6 $ 44/$ 90
Lambda-zond $ 142
 
One engine does not require a valve between that, and the other can again drink a whole canister for 10,000 km. At the same time, even the most gluttonous usually fit into the maximum permissible company 0.5 l/1000 km. Therefore, there is no reason to change the piston group under warranty, and I somehow do not want to pay about $ 2000 from my pocket for this. Therefore, if the previous owner carried a canister with butter in the trunk, then you will have to.
      
On cars of early releases with 2-liter engines and a 16-valve 1.8 liter, the smell of gasoline in the cabin may appear. This means that the return tube along which the excess fuel merges into the tank began to get wet in the joints with a white plastic corner located on the engine next to the timing belt. And although there were no cases of fire, it is better not to play Russian roulette. Installation of a new tubes set - $ 60.
 
Which of the engines to choose? Machines with 88-horsepower 1.6 liters are most often taken from France, where taxes are highly dependent on the volume of the engine and ... transmission transfer numbers. Accordingly, already insufficient for the middle class model the motor is strangled by a stretched box. In the city, such a 406th is still somehow going, but on the highway it is simply no.
 
The minimum acceptable for Peugeot 406 should be recognized as a 97-horsepower 8-valve one and eight. The power differs slightly, but the extra 200 cubes make the motor much more burdensome. The 16 -valver from the same volume with a capacity of 110 forces is noticeably faster - especially on the country road. Nevertheless, even a 16-valve one and eight seem sluggish-all because of the same stretched gearbox.
 
But you are unlikely to have claims to the dynamics of a 2-liter 132-horsepower unit. He copes with a manual box and automatic without tension. Yes, and his fuel consumption is suitable - 8-13 l/100 km. This is a little more than one and eight.
 
With a 3-liter 190-horsepower V6, everything is clear. This is not a sports lighter (although it can light), but a solid and noble engine of prestige. If you are tuned in the purchase of V6, you will not stop the price of the car, the cost of service, or fuel consumption, reaching 17 liters around the city.
 
Steering and brakes
In the steering rack, to 100,000 km on our pits, a backlash may appear, which for some time can be removed by an suspension of the gearbox. And if a gearbox flowed, it will have to be changed. Or a rack assembly if it is already strongly worn out.
 
There are almost no problems with brakes. ABS is trouble -free, the front calipers do not even wedge in Moscow salt. And if the rear ones grabbed, they almost always manage to reanimate with the help of a repair kit. Only the front disks can be reproached, which, due to small tortures by wear, have to be changed after each second set of pads. But they cost $ 86 per pair ...
     
How much is
Replacing the Raiki gearbox $ 360
Replacing Reiki assembly $ 838
Brake caliper repair $ 130
 
If you buy a car originally sold in Russia, it is advisable to find a copy with a Russian engine. There are two of them: 8-valve 1.8 liters and one of the 2-liter versions. Both can consume 92nd gasoline, and a 1.8-liter one can even ethyled, since it does not have a catalyst. In our conditions, they turned out to be the most reliable and trouble -free. In addition, an adapted suspension is installed only on cars with Russian engines.
Without going into technical details, from the standard European it is characterized by increased road clearance and greater rigidity. Everything is as usual here: in one we lose - in the other we get it. Peugeot’s corporate dish - handling, with an adapted suspension becomes much less refined. But on the way to the cottage or in the winter in the yard you can less worry about the safety of the bumpers, thresholds and everything that is under the bottom. Which is more important to you - decide for yourself.
 
The weakest details of the Peugeot chassis are 406- the stabilizer racks, the rear adjusting rods and the steering tips, which require replacement every 30,000-40,000 km. However, you are unlikely to go bankrupt. At the cars of the early issues, the steering hinges of the rear suspension (at the slang of acorns) began to knock on the same run. In 1997, the French changed the design of the hinges, and almost all the machines used by us have already changed them. Details of the old -style can meet on cars from there.
 
But the upper supports of the front shock absorbers both were closed from sand and dirt, and they clean up now. Moreover, the supports of the new model, which appeared in 1999, alas, are not interchangeable with the old ones. We felt that the steering wheel was spinning with rifts - do not delay the replacement of supporting bearings in a long box. Otherwise, the front springs may burst over time.
 
Other details of the suspension are quite durable. For example, 100,000-120,000 km for shock absorbers is a great result. And cases of replacing ball supports according to the natural wear of the mechanics do not recall at all, although there are already cars with a mileage of 200 thousand.
     
Rust? Let's wait ...
The body of the 406th is really well protected from corrosion. If the car has not visited the hack body workshop, it is useless to look for traces of rust even on a six -year -old. Due to the lack of front mudguards on the edges of the wings and thresholds, paint may come off. But the protective coating under it does not think to be covered with a red coating. From salt, only the trunk castle and the hatch seal, which can flow. The lock is disassembled and lubricated. Replacing the elastic of the hatch is also a trifle.
 
On the subject of body repair, Peugeot 406 must be checked at the official dealer and start with the convergence of the wheels. The fact is that adjusting the longitudinal angle of the rotation axle in the 406th has a very limited amplitude. If after the accident the body was at least a little unfinished, the problems are inevitable.
 
Independently, you should check the operability of the salon equipment. If a hum is heard when the motor is working, changing its tonality when turning on, turning off the air conditioner, means that on the way its electric light, which will have to be changed. Otherwise, the air conditioner is quite reliable.
 
Riding in winter with non -working heating seats - that in the summer with a deceased air conditioner. Until 1999, in 406, contact often disappeared in the heating element of the pillow. If this happens, you will be installed a new -sample heating pad, and you will not remember this anymore.
 
In the glass of the wiper, one of the speeds can be abused, if it was included with the frozen wipers. Therefore, we change the motor.
     
How much is
Replacement of air conditioning couplings $ 300
Replacing the heating element of the seat $ 77
Replacement of the glass wiper $ 116
  
Buy?
So, before us is the French car Peugeot 406. Do you still think that he is unreliable? Yes, it breaks. But no more than vaunted Germans. Not adapted to our roads? More adapted models of this class can be counted on the fingers. Problems with spare parts? In the regions - it is quite possible. And in large cities there are enough branded details and non -original. As well as unauthorized French services.
 
So if you like the 406th, you can buy. Cars of 1996-1997 are estimated at $ 7000-9500. And for copies of 1998-1999 they ask for $ 10,000-3,000. Moreover, it comes to the absurdity. Machines with Russian registration are often more expensive than those brought from Europe. The owners of the 406s are greedy. At first they bought Peugeot because it was cheap, and now they want to sell more expensive. I wish you good luck ... However, if you manage to find a good copy with Russian adaptation, it may be worth overpaying for it.
    
The machine is a rarity
The automatic box is aggregated with a 2-liter engine and with V6. How popular the 6-cylinder 406th, you already know. And with a 2-liter engine, the machine became mass only after the 1999 restyling. Under the hood of a car with a machine gun, there may not be an probe of the box, since it is maintenance. Therefore, checking the level and condition of the oil will need to be combined with diagnostics in the corporate technical center. With proper operation, the mechanical part of the box is quite reliable. It happens that an electronic control has a splendor when a plug is oxidized to the wiring box. Sometimes wheelset seals flow. But all this is easily eliminated little things.
 
The manual box is also impeccable. Unless in the joint of the curtains of the switching there is a deposition of road salts, and it loses mobility. It is treated with disassembly and lubrication. In extreme cases, change the traction of the cululis - a penny business. The clutch, as a rule, serves more than 100,000 km and changes, as usual, a set.
According to the instructions, the oil in both boxes is flooded for the entire service life. But, as experience shows, even in undergoing machines, it is better to change the oil. At least after 60 thousand.
     
How much is
Replacing drives of drives $ 75
Replacement of cululis rods $ 32
Clutch replacement $ 360
  

A beautiful and functional station wagon in Russia is rare. Count on a car from Europe.
   
Yellow and white numbers on the left shock -absorbing cup will be needed to order spare parts and selection of paint
 
In the rear suspension, only the upper transverse levers change entirely. All other hinges move.

       
Follow the radiator
Firstly, regularly check the condition of the lower radiator tube, which runs along the right sidewall of the body and is supported by the bracket on it. At the place of conjugation with the bracket, salt eats over time, and antifreeze begins to ooze through it. Until the river flowed - replace the phone. The second point is additional fans (one or two) located in front of the motor radiator. When the air conditioner is turned on, they should begin to rotate. Unfortunately, after 3-4 years, fans die from road mud. Fans change assembly. Well, of course, every year you need to clean the radiator of dirt.

    
How much is
Replacing the radiator tube $ 79
Replacing an additional fan (1 pc.) $ 142
 
   
Vin is knocked out in the center of the body under the lower edge of the windshield

       
The air intake of the engine of the 406th is located too low - it costs nothing to catch in a deep puddle. Therefore, do not regret $ 50 to be transferred higher in the technical center of Peugeot.
 
We will go the other way
The originality of French cars is sometimes annoying. Who would think of counting the engine cylinders from the flywheel when the countdown is conducted from the opposite side around the world? If, not knowing this, replace the set of candle wires, the engine can be made before the second coming.
 
Candles are better to use Eyquem. You can bosch. In extreme cases, the champion. But the Japanese NGK on Peugeot engines do not work at all.
 
With motor and transmission oils - the same picture. Peugeot and Citroen cars recognize only the oils of their court firms of Total and ESSO. It is worth filling something else - even if super -quality, like a motor and box, begin to work harder and noisier. Believe me, this is not horror stories from the official dealer, but the confirmed experience of many owners. I think you already realized that in the 406th, under any pretext cannot be flooded by third-party antifreeze. Otherwise it will explode ...
 
Alexander Konov, photo Alexander Sadovnikov
 

 

A source: Magazine "Limousine" [09/02]