Hello! 406 HDi GTX auto estate

[Jimblob]

Hi there
I've just bought a 2002 406 HDi GTX auto estate 118k miles, an ebay purchase. Pleased with it so far. I gather the diesel auto is rare.

I bought it from a dealer and have since discovered from looking at his feedback that the car was previously sold to someone else but was then returned due to a faulty auto box. I'm going to quiz the seller (a private MOT garage in Enfield) about this and also for my peace of mind I've booked the car in for a Peugeot Health Check at Marshalls in Cambridge so that if any gremlins appear I can sort them out or talk to the seller. I'm a little paranoid about the gearbox going wrong but if I can get some assurances I'll be happy... I think I paid a reasonable price for it.

Any thoughts on the car or advice?
Also having not owned an auto box before are there any tips apart from the obvious?

Many thanks
Jim

[DaiRees]

Hiya Jim, welcome to the club.

Sorry I don't know much about autos but you're doing the right thing getting it checked out. Also good to talk to the seller, perhaps there was an issue but he's had it repaired? Poor oil maintenance can lead to problems with automatic boxes but similarly an oil change can often cure small issues. Hope it all goes well .

[DiscoPol]

hello and welcome to the club

I dont have much experience with pug autobox but i do know that my old BMW was behaving a little strange with the Autobox until i did a full oil and filter change for the box after that it was perfect,

so defo worth looking at getting that done if you dont fancy doing it yourself,

and i cant see it costing too much on the pug it wont be a massive box, my last one was a 4.4 7 series sop the box was mahoosive and the oil wasnt cheap , still managed it for less than a ton doing the labour myself i reckon for the pug you could cut that figure in half for a diy job and maybe about the same if a garage did it

[Jimblob]

Thanks guys. Had it checked out and there's nothing wrong with it. Touch wood! Will probably get the wheels balanced, the tracking done and the auto box oil changed just for peace of mind, but it sounds like I can probably stop worrying and get on with enjoying it. Sort of wish I'd bought the manual version (less to worry about and better fuel economy) but hey ho I've never had an auto before and will probably change my mind after I've sat in some traffic with it!

Quick auto question - if you're sitting at the lights or in traffic, is it better to put the gearbox in neutral or to leave it in drive on the handbrake?

[Welly]

I think the idea with most auto's is to knock it into neutral if standing for longer periods.

As the others have said we don't see many auto's on here so knowledge is fairly limited other than changing the oil

[steve_earwig]

I think the idea with most auto's is to knock it into neutral if standing for longer periods.

Why's that then?

Tips apart from the obvious? What's obvious? Don't rev it up and dump it in drive?

I've driven a few automatics but nothing modern, so I don't know how good they are now. The last one I drove was a Fleerander TD with the infamous Jatco auto 'box, which didn't seem to give many problems, apart from being in combination with a turbo diesel in a heavy car ("here comes a gap, full throttle and... Err hello? Captain to engine room, any chance of some power before that juggernaut turns us into a statistic?")

[Welly]

If you leave an auto in 'D' it will creep forwards unless you apply the brake. With the brake applied what's going to happen to that forward motion? it'll turn into friction and heat and cook the transmission oil.

S'what I fink anyway........

[steve_earwig]

Oh, I see, I thought you meant parked up for a few days Yes of course, it just puts a strain on everything and cooks the oil, so if you're waiting at the lights or whatever for a while stick the handbrake on and stuff it in neutral.

Hmm, what else?
If you're used to driving manuals don't try to use your left foot on the brake, your leg is used to pushing the pedal all the way to the floor and will often do this if you're not thinking, making for sudden unnecessary emergency stops.