2011 DS4 1.6 THP Petrol D Sport

[south74]

Hi there - I am looking for some advice please…
I am about to purchase a 2011 1.6THP Petrol DSport (200bhp). I gather that it has a timing chain rather than a belt? Correct? I have two questions:
1) what's the replacement/check service interval on the chain?
2) Are there any glaring issues that I should check when inspecting the car.
Thank you so much for any help.

[xantia_v6]

I don't think that there is an official service interval on the chain. They do occasionally suffer from stretching which puts the engine timing off far enough that the engine will throw random misfire codes. More commonly the plastic chain guides break causing a loose an misaligned chain which can have bad consequences if not replaced The components were improved by 2011, but problems have also been reported in later cars. On cold startup you should hear some timing chain rattle until the oil pressure rises, this should disappear after about 2 seconds. If it persists then there is something amiss.

These engines can be troublesome, they are prone to oil and water leaks due to aging rubber seals and distorting plastic components, and (at least on the Peugeot 308) access to repair anything is difficult to impossible.

They can also suffer from carbon build-up around the intake valves which requires an expensive carbon-clean procedure. If you can read the fault code history of the engine ECU, it should give good clues as to the history and state of the engine. At least drive the car vigorously with a full throttle run to the red line in 2nd or 3rd gear to check that it doesn't throw a fault code.

[PaulC5]

viewtopic.php?t=84296
Some info worth a read, especially if on hard accelerating it gives a fault code.