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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:54 pm |
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Joined: Dec 25, 2012 Posts: 5
Trade Rating: 0
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I have a 1.4 55 plate 206. 5 door. I've been having multiple problems with it this year.
now I don't really know anything about cars and due to moving cities don't have a mechanic I know or have any report with. I'm kind of at the point where I'm £1000 down, still don't have the problems resolved and really dislike my car now.
As the car is only 7 years old I feel that it should be maintainable. I only finished paying for it last year and its been a nightmare this year having never really cost me any money before.
I've done 78,000 miles near enough. Its had new brakes, clutch, cam belt, water pump, fan belt, back and middle exhausts this year.
Also, it had a new relay on the fan after boiling dry in Sept 2010. Since the boiling dry incident it has over heated on 5 occasions on hot days in traffic this summer. Two different garages have told me there is no further problem with the thermostat/fan/ or relay. I've paid to have the system drained and tested under pressure to look for possible damage caused by the boiling dry (hairline crack) and also to make sure there isn't an airlock. Won't know if this problem is resolved until summer again however, since they've never found anything wrong and therefore not fixed anything I assume the problem is ongoing.
The biggest thing at the moment is random electrical faults.
I've now had two savnavs just die whilst charging in the lighter socket. Both turned themselves off and never came back on again. I'm awaiting the outcome of the guarantee on the second satnav to see what they think the problem is as it was only 3 weeks old, replacing the previous one.
There is a random beeping that sounds like it is coming from under the steering wheel which has happened on three occasions, the last time it beeped for 2 days, both with engine on and off. There were no accompanying lights. When I took it in to the garage it stopped doing it so they just though I was mad.
I've also had the headlight get stuck on a couple of times.
The radio randomly turns itself on and has stuck on 3 times, were I was unable to turn it off for several hours. As I do house calls for my job I just turned the volume right down and it was only left on without the engine running for maybe half an hour at a time and then it eventually turns its self off, luckily this hasn't happened on a night yet or I assume I'll have a flat battery from it.
The steering locked up twice, both times only for a few seconds but enough to be scary.
Two garages and four investigations later the best a mechanic could come up with was to tell me its 'because I'm a woman'
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 8:41 pm |
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Joined: Mar 22, 2012 Posts: 77
Trade Rating: +1
Location: Essex
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Personally, I would look to sell if I were in your position. I had multiple issues with my 206 (namely, they were provoked by tuning lol), but once you lose confidence in a car's reliability, it's time to move on. I ended up almost listening and looking for faults in the end, and even 'testing' the car (e.g. testing if the clutch would hold up under certain loads). I know that it's annoying since you've spent so much on things (I spend almost £2k in a year on mine), but this is something that's all part of owning a car.
I bought my new one about 2 months ago, and all of the worries I used to get regarding reliability have now gone. Totally trust the car and am never hunting for problems.
All the best with whatever path you choose.
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| 206 1.6 hdi 110:\r\nStage 1 remap to 140bhp + 220lbft | |
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:53 am |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 632
Trade Rating: +16
Location: South Coast
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My car is a 1.4 and almost exactly the same age and millage as yours.
In the last year I've changed: Comms Unit & BSI, Brakes discs, Pads & Lines, Cambelt, water pump, coolant & Alternator Belt, Exhaust back box, Passengers airbag & Airbag ECU and most recently the Horn.
The next thing is the Clutch, thats on its way out so its another item I will have to add to this list.
In the summer the car likes to heat up to the point it beeps at me, the guages go into the red and I need to pull over to let it cool, but this happens very randonmly.
The car likes to cut out either first thing in the morning or the new trick its taught itself is to cut out when reversing..
You don't state where you have moved too, there maybe some members on here which live near you and could recommend a mechanic.
Have you tried looking for an Auto electriciain in yellow pages or Thompson Directory, to read the codes on your ECU?
This information would probably cost between 35-£45 and would be a good step in the right direction to resolving your problems, with the codes read you will have a better idea of where to start looking and see why your car wont turn the radio off and beeps at you, it could just need an update or you have a loose earthing point.
Good luck with trying to fix your car, if you attack the problems methodically you can reduce the ammount you spend on parts as you will diagnose the issue before spending money on parts which arn't the cause of your problems.
I appriciate that you've spent a lot on the car in the last year but the parts you mention in the original post are service items and for a car of that age/millage, these should have been replaced as a matter of good vehicle servicing.
I hope you find a good garage sort out your mechanical/electrical faults.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 3:27 am |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 2720
Trade Rating: +6
Location: UK
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If your engine has boiled dry I would look at a headgasket problem possibly. You need someone with PP2000 to look at it, might show a few possible problems. A 7 year old car shouldn't be showing many problems, if its been properly maintained all its life.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:59 am |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 7093
Trade Rating: +11
Location: Suffolk
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Tbh in my eyes no car is worth scrapping if youve spent some money on it
Ive spent nearly 6 to 8K on my car and its only a W reg
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| Team Impossible Possible
The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
Forged 1.6 Turbo
Click to see more
144Bhp @ 7PSi - 193.9Bhp @ 13psi
206 Gti Race Car
Click to see more
For all Race/Track Preparation, Feel Free to PM Me!
Whether its for a custom ratio gearbox or track-day alignment, I can help! | |
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:44 am |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 3666
Trade Rating: +59
Location: Scotland
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Steve206 wrote: |
If your engine has boiled dry I would look at a headgasket problem possibly. You need someone with PP2000 to look at it, might show a few possible problems. A 7 year old car shouldn't be showing many problems, if its been properly maintained all its life. |
OP has already had it pressure tested.
Sounds like the fans aren't cutting in. The terminals and relays for the fans are known to corrode. Might be worth checking this area out before you throw any more money at the headgasket.
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| '98 Nile Blue 306 GTi 6
'04 Obsidian Black 206 GTi 138 | |
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:17 am |
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Joined: Sep 12, 2012 Posts: 383
Trade Rating: +3
Location: Flintshire, North Wales
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if youv had heating problems beware of the headgasket going :/ i personaly would of sold your car ages ago an bought a corsa 1L as your a wonen driver
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 10:03 am |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010 Posts: 7093
Trade Rating: +11
Location: Suffolk
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Also side note if your defiantly thinking of scrapping, i will buy it off you instead (subject to outside condition)
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| Team Impossible Possible
The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
Forged 1.6 Turbo
Click to see more
144Bhp @ 7PSi - 193.9Bhp @ 13psi
206 Gti Race Car
Click to see more
For all Race/Track Preparation, Feel Free to PM Me!
Whether its for a custom ratio gearbox or track-day alignment, I can help! | |
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 6:14 pm |
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Joined: Aug 11, 2010 Posts: 56
Trade Rating: 0
Location: fife
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That's a shame, I suppose it depends how much money you have for your next car, if it's not a lot you could just be buying more trouble. The overheating issue, do the fans cut in, have you tried using the heater inside the car to cool the engine? If so did it make any difference?
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| 206 1.9D, 210,000 now dead following failed submarine experiment (flood) | |
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:26 am |
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Joined: Dec 25, 2012 Posts: 5
Trade Rating: 0
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I didn't know the heater inside my car could cool the engine? so no ~I haven't tried that. I've just moved to the Grimsby area if anyone is able to make a recommendation.
Body work wise the car is not good my ex boyfriend scraped it and I've never had the spare money to get it fixed as its not been an essential job (the passenger side sill is caved in and back wing all scratched).
TBH if the body work was good I probably would have sold it last year.
From a maintenance point of view, I mean I don't really know much about cars. I've just followed the manufacturers instructions in the book with regards to when to get a full service, a part service etc and I don't mind spending the money to keep it in good working order.
I've finished uni and have an actual decent job now so I could afford to get stuff done. I guess I've just come to the point I feel like I'm wasting my money because I paid to have stuff checked out and they can't find wants wrong with it. In 3 months I become eligible for a salary sacrifice scheme at work and actually I was looking at a Corsa.
I'll try and get the ECU read next week as it's booked in for it's MOT already.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:37 am |
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Joined: Dec 25, 2012 Posts: 5
Trade Rating: 0
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Oh just to add, thankyou to everyone who has replied
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