upgrade from 405 to 406 diesel

[David Humphrey]

I'm thinking about buying a 406.Are there any particular points I should look out for on the diesel 406 which differ from the 405 please.
David

[macaroni]

Hi,
the 1.9td engine is the same as the 405, so the usual stuff applies, good cooling system, cambelts etc.
The 2.1td engine is much better; full electronic injection control, much faster but no less economical. It is, however, a more complex engine. Clutches are a horrible job (a days labour at least as it is hydraulic), as are cambelts (£400). The fuel pump can leak, so check that, replacements are £400 cheapest. Replacement turbo is an engine out job, so check for smoke under power above 2000rpm.
I bought a 3 year old one and had it for 5 years and for the 1st 3 years it ran faultlessly, during the 4th year of my tenure, the fuel pump leaked, injectors needed refurbing and alternator went, costing me over £1000. Since then it was fine. I had it chipped and that upped the power considerably.
Mine was a P-reg GLX with the rare full closure central locking, climate control, ABS, CD player etc and it all worked fine with no creaks or rattles,
Great cars, if you get a good one.

[PowerLee]

Hi
Get at least a GLX spec for nearly all the toys, Climate control, Rain sensing wipers, 4 electric windows, Electric mirrors with heating, ABS, Front fogs, Rear sunblind, Outside temp display, Much better adjustment on the driver seat + Total closure on the cars up to the middle of R reg & an alarm & alloys made it on to the spec list about 1997 too.
If you can find an Executive 406 grab it, Thats got even more toys then the GLX to tempt you with.
One word of warning though! A 406 wont handle half as well as the 405 you have now, Its more easy & lighter to drive, but its not as much fun.
I had a 406 for 6 months & found the handling disappointing

[turbolag]

I changed from a 405 GRDt to a 406 HDi.
The XUD engines in the 405 differs from the 406 in that the 406 has a semi electronic pump. This is difficult to tune and potentially less reliable. Problems can occur with head cracking on XUD equipped 406s with EGR, so disconnecting it is a good idea. The 2.1 is OK but not really any quicker than the 1.9 so is difficult to justify for the extra insurance and slightly worse consumption.
The HDi is in a different league for refinement and economy to the XUD and is genrally quite tough, but expect to replace the lift pump ever 100k or so. HDi 90s can be had cheap, but are sluggish. The 110 (with intercooler) is better and the 2.2 136 better still and can be had with a 6 cog box. All are quite tuneable.
The 406 is somewhat heavier than the 405 (it's only 100 or so kilos lighter than a 730 bimmer!) but it does handle as well, despite talk to the contrary. The main difference is that the steering on the 406 feels much slower and less responsive than the 405 but once you're used to it things are actually pretty good and the ride is in a different universe the the (already excellent) ride in the 405. The rear end is a little livelier in the 406 but it never steps out, just gives more feed back, possibly due to the fully independant set up.
406 has a bigger boot, better equipment, better paint (pug switched to a different galvanisation process for the 406) and used prices are tumbling now the 407 has been around for a year or so.
My main gripe is that whilst the 406 is a very comfy car the seats in the 405 knock it into a cocked hat for bum cosseting cosiness. Avoid the D8 pre facelift 406s as these suffer with dash electrical gremlins and aircon problems which were largely sorted by the release of the D9 in late '98

[David Humphrey]

Thanks for all the advice.Sounds like it has to be an HDI and not the XUD 406 then.
David

[tomsheppard]

Well, Maybe. The HDI is quiet and smooth but less reliable than the XUD. Feels comparatively gutless too, although this was in a heavy car.