Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

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RichA
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Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by RichA »

Hi all.

Had a 406HDi Rapier 90 as a company car back in 2002, and loved it. One of the few cars to leave a really positive and strong impression on me. Not particularly quick, but lovely to look at, nicely designed interior, great communication from the car when digging it in around corners... reminds me a lot of my old 205 1.9GTi :).

Anyway... I've been into motorbikes the last few years. Following an accident last year, I'm due some cash from the insurance claim. Figured I might find a facelifted 406 similar to my old company car... might even hang up my motorcycling boots for a bit too.

Anyway, the purpose of this thread - are there any decent buying guides out there? Are there any common failure points? It's the HDi model I'd be looking at, so I can keep the running costs similar to my bike(42-44mpg at 105.9p per litre whilst tearing to 100mph in 6s... shame the Pug is only doing 60mph by the time the bike has hit 140+mph! ;)). Are there any well-known places to look for corrosion?

Thanks... sorry for all the questions... :)

--Rich
RichA
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by RichA »

Just to add - apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I did have a look around, but couldn't decide which forum it really belonged in!

--Rich
:)
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Welly
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by Welly »

Sorry fella, not sure why no-one's answered you :oops:

I have a 1999 HDi 110 but I've had quite a few problems all of which are atributed to it being a Diesel but mostly avoidable with a bit of timely maintenance.

Basically my rear engine mount spewed it but I left it alone......then came a burst intercooler hose, then the exhaust flexi pipe fractured (due to excess engine movement) and required a new down pipe, flexi and CAT (all for around £450.00) :|

The EGR valve stuck open and leaked (poor performance/smoke etc) £120.00 ish

Then there's the clutch and dual mass flywheel - the flywheel craps out and you get judder/slippage. A direct genuine replacement is circa £600 notes but a cheaper solid conversion shoud be around £350.00. If you find one were the clutch is sweet then all well and good, just look after it.

The cooling system is worth looking into - the coolant should be nice and clear, a blue or green colour etc. if it's all shitty then the coolat has not been cared for which could point to possible water pump problems and radiator lockages in the future (which is realy bad news on aluminium headed engines).

Bottom pulley's fail at around 110K (£250.00 fitted).

Radiator fans can fail (mine did at a cost of £170).

ALL 406's air con condensers fail at around 7 years old (£300.00) and some pipework can corrode requiring replacement and regassing - recommend greasing pipework bracket positions.

We get frequent throttle position sensor failures on the 110 (bringing your engine light on) and requiring diagnostic costs each time etc. essentially the throttle pot needs changing (£60.00 ish) but there's some debate as to whether the fault is the earth wiring within the main loom (que fault finding £££).

The "newest" HDi's in 110bhp form come with more emission control (lower tax band) but this can give rise to more faults (que: ride to the dealers £££).

In-tank fuel pumps like to crap out at around 120K and can send little bits of metal upto the filter and this should all be (officially) flushed out etc as the high pressure pump and piezo injectors will not accept a single micron of dirt. Here's another area of concern if the car's ever had petrol through it then this shortens the life and service of the HP pump which is mega bucks (one owner cars should reduce this risk). If you can get your potential purchase onto a diagnostic machine then look for a nice solid fuel rail pressure inthe live data readings indicating hopefully a healthy pump.

There's a BSi unit tucked away under the dash to which all essential services are connected including the locking, windows, air con, indicators, wipers, everything not engine related and if this unit throws a wobbly it can be a nightmare but luckily we see very few (none really).

Corrossion never comes into it with 406s they're brilliant for their anti-corrosion ability.

The 2.2 HDi is excellent but can see you down the dealers frequently with emissions faults.

The 90BHP model is more simple with a solid flywheel and simpler rear brake drum instead of discs/inner drums.

Don't get me wrong the HDi is a fantastic piece of kit and is undoubtedly the best common rail out there but they aint like they used to be and they need regular preventative maintenance otherwise you'll be punished by it.

In my case it would have been cheaper to run a 2.0 petrol in the long run but the economy of the HDi is very apealing too with potentially higher resale value :|

If I had my time again I'd have bought a 90BHP model, replaced the engine mount straight away and had it remapped (properly) to 120BHP. Although at the same time I think the model range of the 90 is limited (not sure you'd get an exec for example) actually the later SE specs are nice with aluminium trim, reverse glow dials and half-levvers!

Hope this helps, it better do as it took bloody ages to type :lol:
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mjb
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by mjb »

OK I'll add a bit to welly's offering:
Welton wrote:Radiator fans can fail (mine did at a cost of £170).
Models with two fans can live long happy lives as long as you don't mind the fact that when the one remaining fan comes on it's running at full pelt and thus bloody loud

[/quote]ALL 406's air con condensers fail at around 7 years old (£300.00) and some pipework can corrode requiring replacement and regassing - recommend greasing pipework bracket positions.[/quote]
The three 9+ year 406s I've spent time with haven't had this problem, and all have had the original unit
There's a BSi unit tucked away under the dash to which all essential services are connected including the locking, windows, air con, indicators, wipers, everything not engine related and if this unit throws a wobbly it can be a nightmare but luckily we see very few (none really).
This is only on >= 1999 models (D9s, bar the very first few*). D8s have nice sensible straightforward wiring which can mostly be diagnosed with just a bulb and a couple of bits of wire 8) Stupid EU regulations :evil:
Corrossion never comes into it with 406s they're brilliant for their anti-corrosion ability.
See a rusty 406, walk away - it's had cheap replacement panels
...the economy of the HDi is very apealing too with potentially higher resale value :|
it's also "appealing"... unlike your spelling of "Corrosion" above... :P
If I had my time again I'd have bought a 90BHP model, replaced the engine mount straight away and had it remapped (properly) to 120BHP.
Aye, it seems a proper re-mapping is virtually without drawbacks, unlike many other cars where you're asking for trouble making it output more power than it was designed for. Just be aware of the extra clutch wear :)

(* and the D8.5, but that's a rare beast)
<steve_earwig> I think this forum is more about keeping our cars going with minimal outlay than giving our cars more reason to go bang
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Welly
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by Welly »

mjb wrote:it's also "appealing"... unlike your spelling of "Corrosion" above... :P
Hey! I was getting typists RSI by that time :(

Oh and the reasan D9's a/c condensaws fayle at severn yiers is becourse poojoe fitted a placstick cowling in front to capchure all the leefs and rot the aloominiyum.
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Welly
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by Welly »

Better than bean-flickers finger :P






Attn: new guy - sorry, it's always like this but it's a laugh :)
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RichA
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by RichA »

Wow... cheers for all the input lads :) . Must admit I was a tad disappointed that nobody had much to say before... I went off and found a Mondeo V6 which has caught my eye. Not bought it yet, still weighing up my options... am well aware of the waterpumps and head gaskets, but other than that, they're a good lump and ludicrously well equipped... good solid cars in general.

Will keep everything you've said in mind. I'm still a huge fan of the 406, but I must admit they've lost some of their appeal. The engines and electronics seem so much more complicated than I'd have hoped... I hate being reliant on a main dealer for anything, and modern diesels do seem like they need to see a dealer every so often :(.

I have a heap of good memories of my time in a 406... maybe I'd be wise to keep it that way rather than buy one :lol:

--Rich
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by steve_earwig »

Yeah, sorry guy, I think your post got hidden by all the damn World of W@nking spam we've been getting. Or something. Anyway, we're always happy to see potential new owners on here, the "what to look for" thing's been done elsewhere but Welton's post there is pretty comprehensive. Another thing to remember is they don't all go wrong!

I'll just add my 5 cent's worth: if you're looking for an early D9 (facelift), you might be better off looking for a late D8 (pre-facelift), less to go wrong and cheaper to fix. I'm also not getting much more miles to the £ in my 2.0 HDi than I get in the 2.1td, that's around town with the occasional bit of abuse down the old motorway.
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Welly
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by Welly »

*sniggers*
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by teamster1975 »

supafrisk wrote:
Welton wrote:Better than bean-flickers finger :P

What's that then? I thought that was the reason batteries were invented :shock:
Tongue more like! :cheesy:

Welcome RichA :D
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RichA
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by RichA »

steve_earwig wrote:I'll just add my 5 cent's worth: if you're looking for an early D9 (facelift), you might be better off looking for a late D8 (pre-facelift), less to go wrong and cheaper to fix. I'm also not getting much more miles to the £ in my 2.0 HDi than I get in the 2.1td, that's around town with the occasional bit of abuse down the old motorway.
Thought about that. The earlier 1.9 or 2.1 makes a lot more sense when it comes to DIY. But I adore the looks of the facelifted model... it struck me when new as a very handsome looker, much more-so than the original shape. I just love the front end of them :) .

There is a D8 petrol turbo near me for not much money. I also gave that some thought, but much of the appeal of a 406 is the economy of a diesel model...

Am quite torn. Will see how the Mondeo goes :) .

Thanks again for all your advice, lads :) .

--Rich
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mjb
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by mjb »

RichA wrote:But I adore the looks of the facelifted model... it struck me when new as a very handsome looker, much more-so than the original shape. I just love the front end of them :) .
My thoughts exactly when I first started looking for my first 406. The D8 front grows on you though ;)
There is a D8 petrol turbo near me for not much money. I also gave that some thought, but much of the appeal of a 406 is the economy of a diesel model...
Buy it if it's an Exec! :)

It's a great engine, which (with economical driving) did me good for 42.5mpg average every day on a 110 mile round-trip to Manchester. 35mpg heavily loaded on a drive to Germany and back, and 28mpg on an "enthusiastic" drive
<steve_earwig> I think this forum is more about keeping our cars going with minimal outlay than giving our cars more reason to go bang
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by RichA »

It isn't an exec model :). Was only up for £800 though...

Bought the Mondeo in the end. £820 for a 2000 V6 Ghia X, fully loaded, 101k with FFSH and 12 months MOT. Hard to argue with for the money... I'd be looking at £1500+/- for a tidy D9 HDi with less than starship miles... possibly even a bit more. The difference between £1500 and £800 is a hell of a lot of DIY repairs, it really is. :)

--Rich
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by steve_earwig »

Fair enough, hopefully the spares are a tad cheaper (and it's not automatic and had a recent clutch...) Happy motoring, remember us when it goes bang! (hopfully not for a while though :cheesy: )
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Welly
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Re: Newbie here... potential 406 owner :)

Post by Welly »

Yeah, that's fair really and Ford's are alot better now than the old CVH Escort days :shock:

Have fun fella - and stay off that loud pedal :shock: :lol:
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