Problems to look out for on the 405!

General Points

Don't get too worried, there are not that many problems with them. Build quality is probably the most noticeable problem on them (especially the early ones). They do not 'fall apart', so I am probably being a bit fussy when I mention build quality. Things to look for are mis-aligned estate door at rear, side doors not shutting to well and squeaks and rattles from inside (mainly series I cars - multipiece 'highline' dash boards).

Rust doesn't seem to be a big problem as with most Peugeots from mid 80's onwards. Check for door rust around the inside edge where it closes against the rubber surround. Alloys (8-spoke ones) are often in a poor state, so don't be surprised if they look like they are 'bubbling up'. The centre caps which cover the wheel nuts on these are often missing (they are metal) as they tend to fly off or get stolen easily. I had two stolen recently from mine, luckily they only cost around a £10 each now to replace (new ones from Peugeot). You could always get some cheaper elsewhere.You can always get the wheels re-conditioned anyway (as with all alloys). You can possibly modify them to be held on by a couple of self tapping screw or similar (but I haven't tried this on mine, yet!)

An 8-spoke alloy in A1 condition, on my 405.

Something I have noticed on a few estates is that the lacquer on the rear black quarters either side of the rear window tends to peal off ! In addition, the rubbers surrounding the rear window also come out alot - these are easily put back in place with a little glue!

Before buying, in addition to the general points, check the following;

Running Gear / Engine Etc.

1. Diesels - Head Gasket problems (especially Turbo examples). All XUD engine cars can suffer from this, the 405 is no exception. It is estimated that 1 in 10 cars can have this happen to them. Check history of the car (Service History is always important on Diesels - Oil changes every 6K a must), if it suffers from Head problems, they are likely to re-occur. It is due to overheating, which Peugeot it appears have never quite fixed the cause of the problem. You can check the contents of the radiator to tell. If it appears to be full of 'mulch', i.e. curdled looking cloudy stuff, walk away and don't buy! Also try and check the radiator electric fan by letting the thing tick over until it cuts in. If it is not working, a head gasket failure is waiting to happen ! The other signs can be poor performance, mis-firing and most definitely, regular water loss. The later could be just a small leak from a hose, but if combined with other symptoms then a head gasket failure is the likely cause

2. Gearboxes can suffer from synchromesh failure. See how it drives, if the syncro's feel OK (especially 3rd gear), its not to much to worry about. My car had a problem with 5th gear, which in this gearbox type is a separate cog added retro style to an old 4 speed design. It would jump out of 5th regularly, fix was a new cog and syncromesh, fitted for less than £200.  If the same problem exists with gears 1 to 4 it will be more expensive.  The 5th gear can be removed and fixed without the need to remove the gearbox from the engine.  There was also a problem with the retaining nut on the 5th gear assembly - if the car suffers from poor 5th gear selection, or complete failure to select 5th, it may be a case of simply tightening this nut up.

3. Stiff gear linkages. At best the gear change will be fairly 'slow', but if its extremely hard to change smoothly then the linkage is probably seizing up! If plenty of grease doesn't fix it you'll be in need of a complete new linkage. Don't judge the gear change when cold - they are always a bit 'balky', let it warm up fully to test for problems.

4. Rear Suspension arms can be easily bent when cars have been 'curbed'. Not an huge repair bill, but still warrants knocking down the price. View from the rear and check to see the rear wheels are aligned. Most 405 estates tend to have both wheels slightly tapered in at the top - as long as they look the same sort of angle the cars probably OK. Also check for worn rear shocks. Although the rear-suspension is one of the best in the business, if its had a hard life (quite a few do!) the rear shocks do wear out. However - even if the shocks feel tired, they probably won't fail an MOT test, so unless you want to keep the handling of the car like new it probably isn't worth changing them.

5. Windscreen damage. The front screen is 'glued' on and is a pain! If it has any sign a cracking or serious chipping knock £250 of the price or get the seller to put a new one in. Of course, insurance should cover it when purchased so that won't be a problem then.

6. Air -Conditioning. If its got Air-con (which is a very useful item as it was fitted to loads of late ones), make sure it works ! If it doesn't, get the seller to knock off a lot (£400 ?) or better still, get them to fix it. The Condenser, Compressor and pump cost a packet - and recharging the refrigerant is a bit of a specialist job too. The most common problem is when the refrigerant gets saturated with humidity. This normally is cured by draining and renewing the refrigerant, and changing the 'drier' bottle. This is all specialist work and should be done by a qualified air-con specialist or Peugeot dealership. A common complaint is the air-con on/off switch, which appears to be a little weak and can feel like it is not working.  The ECU for the air-con also controls the cooling fans on most cars, see entry under cooling fans for problems associated with that.

7. Cam belts !!!! - Diesels. This has got to be the most vital thing to look for on an XUD engine. They need changing every 48K miles on cars pre 95. After this (not sure of exact date - I will try and find out), and my Sep 95 car included, the specification relaxed to every 72K miles. If in doubt, get it changed before or as soon as you buy - the MOT test is an engine killer if your cam belt is in poor condition. The only problem is that it will normally cost you over £100 for a new one - although if you shop around a bit, you can get below the £100 mark (labour included - if you do it yourself, it will only cost you £15 for the belt, but probably take you a day to complete!). Worth the money though ! Petrol engines belts also need regular changing, but are not as fatal or expensive to change / repair.

8. Rear Exhaust Silencers (late models)   Normally speaking, I wouldn't mention something like an exhaust as it is a 'wear and tear' item. However, there appears to be a weak point in the design of the rear silencers fitted to 405D's from around 94 onwards. You can tell if the car has a late exhaust, because it is not a round silencer, but a huge rectangular shape box which takes up a large amount of space under the car (near side). The small section of pipe going into the box tends to corrode quickly, splits and lets the box almost fall off. The silencer itself is still perfectly OK - but normally can not be repaired due to the place where the pipe has split. Not a major problem - but rather annoying to say the least! Check before you buy - place your hand / foot over the tail pipe and look for any signs of smoke billowing out the rear wheel arch etc. If its got a hole, knock down the price. It is sometimes difficult to hear a blowing exhaust on a Diesel !

9. Handbrake Cables   It appears that a lot of the x05 1980's designed cars suffer from handbrake cable problems. I have only had one go on my 405, but I have received quite a few emails suggesting there is a bit of a weak point here. My 205 got through loads of cables in the 6 years I had it (and I was not doing hand brake turns before you think otherwise!). They are a very similar design to the 405. Even when the handbrake is working on a 405, it can sometimes feel a bit dodgey - my one included.

10. Petrol engines - Valve guide wear. Beware of early petrol engines which puff out blue smoke! This is more than likely due to excessive wear on the valve guides. Not a big problem if it happens only on start up, but if it uses a lot of oil, the engine will require valve work. This problem seems to be due to unleaded petrol causing the wear. A drop of 4 star every now and then (or lead additive after Jan 2000) is worth an investment. Later engines do not seem to suffer as badly (nor should they as they were designed for unleaded fuel - unlike the early engines). All 405's should be able to run on unleaded (including all Mi-16's - however you may find they run better on higher octane unleaded like shell optimax or super +)

11. Petrol engine Carburetors - Peugeot petrol cars fitted with Carburetors (non-fuel injected versions) can suffer with many problems which normally end up being caused by the carburetor. Symptoms can be poor starting (hot or cold or both!), flat spots, hesitance when accelerating briskly, and stalling. With the 405 this is limited to the earlier 1.6 and 1.9 models. Overhaul of the carburetor can cure most problems, but alternatively you could go for a Webber replacement which is much better. Check for any of the above symptoms when test driving a car (if you can!).

12. Electric sunroof - often malfunctions / jams. Check that it works if you go to buy one with a sunroof, as they are tricky to fix as a DIY job, and not cheap to fix at a dealership.

13. Odd one this, but when one headlight bulb blows, expect the other to follow within a week or so.  No idea why this happens, but it seems to be common with a lot of 405's, mine included.  Many 405 owners have emailed me with this one!

14. Cooling fans on Air-Con fitted cars - Although cooling fan failures occur on all cars, the 405's with Air-Con had a rather troublesome ECU which controls not only the Air-Con, but the single or twin cooling fans in front of the radiator.  If you see a STOP light illuminated intermittently, and a little red lights next to the temperature gauge at the same time as the fans running for no reason, its no doubt a problem with the ECU or wiring to it.  I say wiring to it, because the ECU is mounted just behind the near-side headlamp (you have to take the headlight out to get at it!)  - it is prone to getting wet !  Excellent place to put it - NOT ! By the way - ECU is about £80 

I hope that helps you find a good one! 

Print this off and take it with you when you're looking around!