Owned since 2012, owner wants to continue with it for another 5 years. This Peugeot 406 Break has a petrol engine and has already run more than 350,000 kilometers.
Just like for the northern vole, it is also five to twelve for the Peugeot 406. How often do you encounter them? Fortunately, there is Maurice Monsees. He has a 406 Break and is well on his way to outlasting that French car. “Even in France you don’t see them much anymore,” says Maurice.
The Peugeot 406 is a car on its way out. Is that bad? “Yes, certainly,” says Maurice Monsees from Amsterdam. “The quality of this French car is really good and there are not too many trimmings. That cannot be broken,” he analyzes. Maurice is a hotel porter at Hotel Doelen in the heart of Amsterdam. Please note: The Beatles spent the night there in 1964 during their visit to the Netherlands. He lives in the heart of the Jordaan, pays one euro every day to the municipality of Amsterdam for his parking permit and does not take an e-bike, but an old ladies’ bike to go to work. “I only use the Peugeot for long journeys and holidays,” says the born and bred Amsterdammer. “I never take the car for an errand a kilometer away. It won’t even get warm, so that’s the worst thing you can do.”
Regular customer of Klokje Rond, previously with Renault 25
If Maurice looks familiar to you; that could be right. In the summer of 2007 he appeared in AutoWeek and in a video with his pride and joy from back then, a Renault 25 automatic. So he has done it before: making a car last a long time. The Renault has been in his possession for fifteen years. Now it’s the Peugeot 406’s turn. It has belonged to Maurice since 2012 and he wants to continue with it for another five years. “Listen carefully to your car, drive calmly and inspect it carefully,” is his motto. He partly does the maintenance himself, partly with a friend and partly he has it carried out. Fortunately, Maurice keeps track of everything, down to the €1.82 battery for the remote control…
Link broken
What happened to those 25? His Renault 25 went to the Renault 25 Club and raised 600 euros. With this he bought a Peugeot 406 Break for €1,400 in 2012, without warranty. “I went to Brabant to look at that car and it was exactly what I was looking for. It had a beautiful cream-colored leather upholstery and it was just beautiful and good inside and out. The clutch was worn, but that was also communicated, so I knew it and I felt it immediately.”
Maurice bought the car and had a new pressure group with clutch plate and release bearing installed for €900. At the same time, an engine mount was replaced and he proactively installed a new battery. This made the Peugeot quite fresh again with 218,000 on the clock. “And I still really like the car. It drives great and the maintenance costs are not too bad,” says Maurice. He also praises the reliability of his Frenchman. “I came to a standstill once, due to an EGR valve that failed, near Strasbourg,” he says. Maurice arrived home safely with a loan car and the Peugeot on the car ambulance.
What about rust?
The year of purchase is far behind us. Eleven years later, the 406 is 22 years old and the odometer reads 366,000. “I have kept all the invoices and I invest an average of around €250 in maintenance every year. Besides the regular maintenance, few strange things have happened to me so far,” he notes. Maurice also believes that rust formation remains within reasonable limits.
It soon becomes clear that Maurice has viewed his own car through rose-tinted glasses, as judge Joep Schuurman makes clear. It does not return very enthusiastic from the test drive, in which it noticeably lacks a lot of power, but that is by no means the only thing. Owner Maurice predicted in advance that there was an oil leak, probably from the crankshaft seal, but a closer inspection by the inspector makes it clear that there is significantly more going on.
Prayer without end
“The oil leakage did not happen today or yesterday, because many rubber hoses have now been damaged. They look bloated because of the oil that has engulfed the rubber. Furthermore, I see well-intentioned key work that has not been properly executed. No, a lot needs to be done about this. Far too much,” says Joep. In short, it means that it will be a never-ending prayer to get this car tip top again.
Maurice is disappointed and also unpleasantly surprised. “I did not expect this. The oil leak in particular is a nasty surprise. I didn’t know it was that serious. Some things I don’t put as much emphasis on as Joep does. I’m going to think about the list for a moment, but I’ll get to work on those brakes and of course that oil leak right away. I still believe that this wonderful car should last even longer, but in a responsible manner,” says the owner.
What’s wrong with it?
- The front left belt is quite frayed (MOT rejection)
- The front wiper blades are very bad
- A rattling sound is heard during acceleration
- The engine has far too little power
- The travel of the accelerator pedal is incorrect. After adjusting the throttle cable, this is correct and the engine has a little more power. Yet the car still seems (much) too slow
- The car brakes poorly
- The car vibrates when accelerating
- The car shakes when driving on the highway
- There is a lot of tire noise
- Excessive wind noise can be heard on the highway
- The engine is leaking an excessive amount of oil in various places
- The gearbox support has completely sagged
- The tensioner pulley of the multi-ribbed belt is out of alignment due to excessive wear. This is probably also the rattle that can be heard during acceleration
- The brake fluid is extremely old and contaminated
- The headlight lenses become dull
- The fog lamp lenses have turned white
- Various cooling water hoses and other rubbers have been seriously damaged by the oil that has leaked onto them
- The left rear track rod is installed incorrectly
- Rusted brake lines have been covered with tectyling. Those pipes are MOT rejected
- The brake discs and pads all around have been replaced, but not installed correctly
- The rear left brake is (quite) stuck, causing the discs and pads there to have been too hot
The opinion of Carrec Technocenter
“The owner wants to continue with this car for another five years. That is neither realistic nor sensible. There is actually a lot that needs to be done on this car and you can see that in the list. And if you start that list, you will definitely encounter even more misery. Then it becomes a restoration project, while the driver attaches great importance to economical driving. So I would stop doing it. Two thumbs down for this car. This is DIY as we don’t like to see it.”