MAIN DEALERS

ACTIVE8 · Unread post by **ACTIVE8** » 22 Dec 2004, 00:35

The Peugeot 206 has now featured on Watchdog two weeks running !
Many customers are having a problems with their cars cutting out.
Peugeot, and the main dealers are not looking very clever !
What's wrong with it, well the manufacturer, and the dealers are not able to work out what is causing it.
So, not much driveability, or customer satisfaction with these cars then !
Is this another example of where vehicles are not sufficiently tested, researched, and developed etc, before they are sold to the general public ?
The repairs that have been done with the cars featured on the programme point to the fact that the dealers, and the manufacturer are guessing at what is causing the problem. Which does not make customers feel like they can trust a main dealer.
By that I mean other motorists, because most if not all of us on this forum, will not bother with them unless we are desperate, as they are too expensive, and there are too many people who are working in them, who are not as skilled as the specialist smaller establishments.

Unread post by **martyhopkirk** » 22 Dec 2004, 01:00

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ACTIVE8

Is this another example of where vehicles are not sufficiently tested, researched, and developed etc, before they are sold to the general public ?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Didnt you know.... The public are the test bed for any new car.
Once a car has been in production a couple of years or so then the models produced start to have some modicum of reliability. Buying the last edition of a given model (late plate Xantia for example) will, whilst not guarantee a fault free car, at least will have had all the major headaches sorted out.
Remember the ZX recall regarding the calipers on the first ones?
And so it goes on......

Stuart McB · Unread post by **Stuart McB** » 22 Dec 2004, 01:34

Seen watch dog tonight. All problems mentioned are exactly the same as every other Pug or Citroen. Infact my first Citroen, a Xsara VTR back in 2001 had a stall problem, the dealer changed,
1) Coil pack
2) leads
3) ECU
4) road speed sensor
5) cam sensor or somthing like that
and it also had a new software down load, re-programme. But after reading a couple of car survey sites and this forum the problem was nailed down to the dreaded MAP sensor [}:)]. A £2.20 filter in the air pipe to it and bingo no more stall problems [:D]. Now I know that the new cars are now streaks a head of the technology from 2001 but someone at Pug or Citroen must have thought about this problem. I know other manufacturers like Vauxhall have had simalar but addressed the problem with different MAP sensor pick up points etc. By the way first thing I did on the new Xsara VTR is fit a filter to the MAP sensor [:D]

uhn113x · Unread post by **uhn113x** » 22 Dec 2004, 12:52

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ACTIVE8
the dealers, and the manufacturer are guessing at what is causing the problem.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
So, what's new? [}:)]

oilyspanner · Unread post by **oilyspanner** » 22 Dec 2004, 21:56

As the old saying goes "Never buy a Mark one anything"
Stewart

turbolag · Unread post by **turbolag** » 23 Dec 2004, 21:56

A friend of mine works on the line at Peugeots Ryton plant. He says the tolerances on the 206 are so bad that not 2 cars are the same. As a result, there seem to be no fair to middling 206s - only spot on ones or dogs.

Stuart McB · Unread post by **Stuart McB** » 23 Dec 2004, 22:34

Years back after leaving school had a job interview at Longbridge (Rover). As part of the interview I was taken down to where the 'A' series engines were being put together. Any how most of the blokes were smoking and the ash.... well you guessed it was going in the engine cylinders and oil ways. No to worry 20X50 would clean that out no problems. So nothing has changed has it.

turbolag · Unread post by **turbolag** » 24 Dec 2004, 01:28

Quentin Wilson bought one of the first Mini Metros to find a fag packet stuck to the boot floor. It would seem a careless worker put it down just before it went off to the spray shop...

bxbodger · Unread post by **bxbodger** » 24 Dec 2004, 02:21

I had a 1982 R series engined Maestro, and one of the exhaust manifold studs didn't line up with the hole in the manifold- someone on the line would have had to rip the gasket a bit to fit it and then whack the manifold on with a birmingham spanner!!
It was dreadfully put together-apart from the manifold fitting it also had the early type creaking dash.
It was a pity because it could have been so much better than the escort or chevette/astra it was up against-in many ways it was a much better car-they just couldn't be bothered to put it together properly.

ACTIVE8 · Unread post by **ACTIVE8** » 25 Dec 2004, 00:28

Yes, I know and I agree with you, it would seem we are the test bed for any new car. The manufacturers are relying upon their customers, and their warranty departments to sort out the problems.
Previously the products would have been designed with the engineering department(s) having more input into the product.
Currently the accounts department ensure that a product does not get sufficient R & D, and is made too poorly. (Financially, and from the quality control point of view.)
They release the product to the market too soon, to achieve a return on the costs involved with the product. The manufacturer is aware that their customer will inevitably experience problems with their product, and meets their liabilities through their warranty department.
If only a car could be made without all this financial rigmarole, then they would have cars that would be more reliable etc, giving more customer satisfaction, and therefore they would have better public relations.
The "A" class from Daimler Chrysler managed to roll over (elk test) very easily, so they had to go back to the engineering department, and start again spending a lot of money to sort it out. Amongst other things they fitted E.S.P. to it. (electronic stability) As well as lowering it, and fitting proper anti roll modifications.
The Dodge Durrango has had problems with front suspension ball joints failing, and the front road wheel(s) have even come off.
Now, that looks really impressive, NOT on a supposedly tough 4 X 4. Customers were having accidents because of this! This should not be allowed, you should not put your customers in danger!
I would certainly not buy the " mark one " of any car!
I also wouldn't suffer the depreciation that other people do by buying a brand new car!
At least these muppets buy the vehicles in the first place, for us to get our bargains later, especially with makes like Citroen which have previously not sold well to the general public, and therefore suffer heavy depreciation, but are lovely cars for those of us who appreciate them being different.

tomsheppard · Unread post by **tomsheppard** » 25 Dec 2004, 04:17

Although the DS had its bugs, the XM its electrics and the GS had too many bugs to sort out in a production life. The SM could turn its engine inside out due to a push fit crank sprocket so Citroens ain't immune (Ask a C5 owner!). 206s though are bloody dire. I've driven more of them than I'd ever want to again. Peugeots used to exude quality and refinement.
Will they learn from Jaguar that it may take 50 years to build a brand but one day to kill it (Mondeo diesel estate anybody? Didn't think so. I know, let's put the Jag badge on it. 'Ang on, why isn't anybody buying Jags anymore?)