Stripped Fred - car thoughts + fleet update

[stripped fred]

I'm going to change the auxillary belt on my 406 at the weekend as it has visible cracks in it and i'm worried it will take out the timing belt if it goes. The garage want £215 for the belt, tensioner and a roller i think they said?  I've tried to order the parts myself but how can i find out exactly which tensioner, pulley etc i need?  There's a site called Mick's Garage that list 16 different types ranging from £16 to £78!  Would it be unwise just to change the belt for the moment?

[stripped fred]

http://www.micksgarage.com/search/drive%20belt%20pulleys%20and%20tensioners/peugeot/peugeot%20406/406%20estate%201996%20to%202004/2.0%20hdi%2090/90

[stripped fred]

Little bump before my request disappears into oblivion!

[Dave_Q]

I couldn't tell that there was anything wrong with mine but I changed them anyway. A belt, tensioner and roller is right, the water pump, crank and cam are the only other things connected to the cambelt.

215 quid for the garage to do it is probably alright as they'll charge 3-4 hours labour for it, just make sure the water pump is done as well.

Not recommending this particular kit but the picture shows what you get.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=380770410928&alt=web

Think I paid about 70 quid from my local factors for a Gates cambelt kit with a Firstline water pump.

[Dave_Q]

http://www.micksgarage.com/search/drive%20belt%20pulleys%20and%20tensioners/peugeot/peugeot%20406/406%20estate%201996%20to%202004/2.0%20hdi%2090/90

 

Just had a look at this site, the 16 different things on there are just different brands of 3 different things.

 

The single roller thing with 2 holes is the cambelt tensioner, the single roller with 1 hole is the cambelt roller, and the thing that is a plastic wheel attached to a metal thing is the aux belt tensioner.

 

I didn't change my aux belt tensioner but I did the tensioner and roller as they were part of the cambelt kit.

[stripped fred]

The £215 is the total cost for garage to do the aux belt, tensioner and idler. £500+ is the cost for the above and also the cambelt, tensioner and water pump. I've deliberated over this today. I was going to attempt the aux belt at the weekend as parts are about £85 total but due to lack of time and fear i might get stuck halfway through I'm going to get them to do it. Yes it's an extra £130 but not the end of the world. I can't justify spending over £500 to get the cambelt and water pump done too though as the car only cost me £200! I'll play cambelt roulette until the spring when I will have more time to attempt it myself and may have a garage to work in.

[stripped fred]

Bit of an update on the 406. It's pretty much my ideal car at the moment. Cheap, reliable, comfy, spacious. Couldn't ask for more. It's going in for a new strut top mount next week. A bit above my capability level and I don't have time to sort it myself.

 

Can anyone advise me on something that's pretty simple but is confusing me. The lighter socket doesn't work which is a pain as I can't charge my phone or sat nav. Do I need to find one from a scrapper or will a generic one off eBay fit?

 

Another job I plan to do is to change the gearbox oil. The gearchange is pretty good but I'm sure it's not been done for a long time and I want this car to last as long as possible.

 

The Uniroyal rainsport tyres I had fitted have been brilliant. Can't recommend them highly enough for a cheap tyre.

 

The other job was the auxiliary belt which I did myself just before Christmas. The amount of satisfaction I got from completing this myself was immense.

 

In other news I will be pitting my astra estate up for sale or roffle soon so if anyone fancies a slow but dependable 90's diesel estate watch this space.

[sierraman]

1) Have you checked the fuse? Should be 13 amp you can swap one with the radio see if it makes a difference. Sometimes there's a poor connection inside the contacts of the actual recepticle. You could use one from any car but 406's are hardly thin on the ground so I'd swap one.

2) I wouldn't. Besides being a smelly shit job, putting fresh oil in something that's done that sort of mileage might make for a noiser box as the old thick stuff was keeping the noise down. Changing the oil in the box is fine if performed as a regular job from a fairly low mileage. In any case it's unlikely to repair the likely worn synchchromesh and bearings. I'd just keep going until the diff goes as they often do at very high mileage on the 406, then put a secondhand box in.

[stripped fred]

Update:

 

406

The suspension clunk ended up being a drop link not the strut top mount. I would have tackled that myself if I'd known but as it was at the garage anyway they did it and it cost me £65 so not too bad. I also fitted a new lighter socket with my trusty 8 year old assistant. Took us about half an hour including doing some dodgy crimping connections but it all works and we were pleased with it. I will take the advice on leaving the gearbox oil alone for the moment. I think there is a bit of diff noise so don't want to upset it any further. Other than that not a lot to report. The timing belt will be done at some point and the clutch bites high which is a concern as it needs to tow my caravan in the summer but for the moment it's proving reliable, cheap transport.

 

Astra 1.7d

I've been using this a bit recently after it being sorned over winter. It's really a pleasant car to drive. It's great around town as it's quite small and light compared with modern cars and although no fireball the engine has lots of torque and seems to have quite a wide powerband which with excellent gear ratios makes it quite nippy. It's also so easy to drive. Power steering helps but all the controls are nice and light. After changing the thermostat it now warms up a lot quicker. I've also used it on the motorway a few times and it will hold an indicated 80 (70 in reality) without too much drama. I serviced it last weekend and plan to fit a new rad switch and replace the coolant this weekend. I also need to get some waxoyl or similar around the back end as this is it's weakest area. It's a proper genuine giffer owned car with door bumpers and even has that old giffer smell. I like it!

 

mr2

Not been near it for a while. Will get it mot'd and take it from there. Still thinking of moving it on if I don't crumble but would look to changing it for something still fun but with 4 seats. Or may just tuck it away...

[stripped fred]

Although not really part of my fleet I also have responsibility for overseeing the future Mrs Fred's new beetle. It's a 56 plate convertible. We're planning to use it as our wedding car and it does tidy up quite well apart from the alloys. They are original VW diamond cut items and 3 are badly corroded. I've been considering getting them refurbished but this would cost a fair bit, £300+ I reckon. So, I've thinking of other cheaper options.

 

I was browsing eBay the other day looking for beetle alloys and saw a set from a golf gti 1.8 turbo. Same size, 16", and after looking at this useful site www.wheel-size.com I was able to determine they had the same pcd and offset. They were up for £100 but when I contacted the bloke he said he was about to reduce them to £70 so I didn't argue. Only about 40 mins from me too. A bonus is they came with 2 vredestein's with 6mm and 2 Dunlop's with 4mm. I should get the money back by selling the old ones as one of them is decent. I like the look of them on the car and Mrs Fred does too. Took the car out for a quick test drive after i finished swapping them in the dark. What do you think?

[stripped fred]

This needs updating. Current situation is that I have been driving the VW Sharan even though I bought a Saab 9-5 recently. That was laid up at my parents.

 

The Sharan has been a great car. I love the high driving position, its reliability and space. However, I have just taxed the Saab and have used it to drive us to Bath for few days break.

 

After a few miles in the Saab, I like the interior and exterior styling. The driving position is quite 'low slung' after an mpv. The driver's seat is a bit uncomfortable after a while. I didn't expect this. It goes in next week for it's MOT and a service as I don't have time to do it myself. I will ask them to fix the lumber adjustment in the seat. The part is £99, now ordered. I am now at an age (47) when I need my comfort. I will see if it helps.

 

The car drives well, comfy, fairly responsive, large to park, spacious but after the Sharan it feels small. The stereo is a bit rubbish and apparently after market upgrades are difficult because it uses fibre-optic cables or some such nonsense. I am warming to it, and it's comfier and slightly more economical on a run, but I still like the Sharan.

 

I have them both road legal for 30 days when Direct Line have said they will not insure the Sharan again on the same policy as you can't keep changing the vehicle. I've insured the Saab for 30 days when I bought it in December but that is all. I would need to look at a multi car policy then. I can't really justify two cars on the road but I do like to have a spare and I don't want to let the Sharan go!

 

PS. Does anyone have a spare 9?

[stripped fred]

I've never owned a Saab before. I know this is a layer one and subject to GM buggerarion but it seems well made and there is hardly a mark on it. I would like to change the stereo if anyone can advise how to do this? I want something with Bluetooth ideally for audio books and music. There is an aux socket but it has a poor connection so sound to the left speakers is intermittent. Also, with my phone turned up to max, and the stereo on max, I still can't hear it very well.

 

The radio reception isn't great either. Would changing the shark fin aerial help, or do these use the heated rear screen? If so that may answer the question as it doesn't work on this.

[stripped fred]

This is the same model as mine.

[stripped fred]

There's quite a bit of play on the gearchange but it seems to change ok, without any catching or noises.

 

The engine has a decent slug of torque, quite smooth with a growl, hopefully nothing terminal. There is a slight engine bearing noise but the garage said to wait until it gets worse.

 

I'm enjoying having cruise control for the first time.

 

I like the slightly quirky dash.

 

I like the clamshell bonnet.

 

I am sad that Saab no longer exist...

[SiC]

There's quite a bit of play on the gearchange but it seems to change ok, without any catching or noises.

I've forgotten which engine you have, but is this the 1.9 CTDi with the manual 6 speed box? If so, then its the ball joint that wears out. I believe repair kits are available nowadays.

 

I'm enjoying having cruise control for the first time.

The Sharon should be relatively* easy to retrofit if you wanted it.

 

 

I like the slightly quirky dash.

 

I like the clamshell bonnet.

 

I am sad that Saab no longer exist ????

The Saab 9-3 designer regretted not putting the clamshell bonnet on the 9-3 from the start.

 

Pretty much everyone who has owned a Saab and gelled with it is sad that Saab has gone.

[SiC]

I've never owned a Saab before. I know this is a layer one and subject to GM buggerarion but it seems well made and there is hardly a mark on it. I would like to change the stereo if anyone can advise how to do this? I want something with Bluetooth ideally for audio books and music. There is an aux socket but it has a poor connection so sound to the left speakers is intermittent. Also, with my phone turned up to max, and the stereo on max, I still can't hear it very well.

 

The radio reception isn't great either. Would changing the shark fin aerial help, or do these use the heated rear screen? If so that may answer the question as it doesn't work on this.

If I remember correctly the sharkfin was only for GPS and phone reception. Which if you had neither installed, then the cables were left unterminated. So the FM antenna was done by the rear heated screen wires. Could be the splitter box in the rear has failed or dodgy earth.

 

I believe these should be a double DIN unit. Might need checking on the Saab forums (uksaab.net, etc) to be sure. Bound to be some post somewhere on it.

 

The driver's seat is a bit uncomfortable after a while. I didn't expect this. It goes in next week for it's MOT and a service as I don't have time to do it myself. I will ask them to fix the lumber adjustment in the seat. The part is £99, now ordered. I am now at an age (47) when I need my comfort. I will see if it helps.

If the seats aren't comfortable, then there is something wrong with them! They should be some of the best seats you've ever had.

There are plenty of second hand replacements on eBay nowadays if your seat is buggered/worn out.

 

The car drives well, comfy, fairly responsive, large to park, spacious but after the Sharan it feels small. The stereo is a bit rubbish and apparently after market upgrades are difficult because it uses fibre-optic cables or some such nonsense. I am warming to it, and it's comfier and slightly more economical on a run, but I still like the Sharan.

Fibre optic system was only on the early 9-3. Later (facelift) model changed to the GM standardised unit that is in yours.

[stripped fred]

Thanks for the info on the aerial SIC.

 

The interior is very good. The seats work fine. I have adjusted them a bit more. It is lack of lumber support for lower back due to the mechanism broken. Once fixed I think it may resolve it. I am also not used to driving in this position, which is bizarre after years of doing it this way. The MPV has changed my perception. I also like the better view at junctions and generally.

 

Mine is the the 150bhp tid 1.9 with 5 speed manual box, 2007 model.

 

With that GM audio system you mentioned, does that mean you can simply connect a new unit up, possibly aftermarket or from a later model?

[stripped fred]

Another thing I noted is the brakes on the Saab are ok but lack the bite of the sharan's so will need looking at. I braked a bit sharply on the motorway and there was a slight pull to the left. Would that hint at the right caliper sticking or the left?

[stripped fred]

Are Saab's known for having low roofs? Seeing out the narrow front window at traffic lights is tricky. There is a lack of headroom too.

[SierraMikeHotel]

I really like mine as well.

 

There's lots of knowledge on the uksaabs forum, a search on there might answer some of your questions.

 

I don't think the brakes are brilliant either, but I think they came like that - it was mentioned in a couple of contemporary reviews. They work, but there's an amount of pedal travel before you get there! It shouldn't pull though.

 

The low roofline reminds me of being in a classic 900 which I quite like, but it's not as bad as the current C-Class...

 

Also sad that Saab didn't make it. The 9-5 echoes a lot of the classic styling cues while still being a good, practical, modern car of its day. Shame.

[stripped fred]

I've not gelled completely but had a good drive back from Cardiff to Leicester today. Not bad on fuel according to the OBC. I used cruise control quite a lot.

 

I like the way the dashboard continues into the bonnet. I don't like the narrow view out and the smallish door mirrors.

 

I've noticed it can be difficult to get off the line quickly as 1st and 2nd quite short. It gets better in 3rd and 4th.

 

This is a long car. Tends to overhang parking spaces. I find i am turning round to look when walking away from the thing so the design must be catching my eye!

[SiC]

I don't think the brakes are brilliant either, but I think they came like that - it was mentioned in a couple of contemporary reviews. They work, but there's an amount of pedal travel before you get there! It shouldn't pull though.

 

Don't confuse over-assisted VAG/latest modern brakes with good brakes! Too many people assume that if the brakes are binary and trigger at the lightest push that they are good brakes. It's not but car manufacturers are taking advantage of this and is making brakes shit. As long as they're strong enough to kick in ABS thus locking the wheels and the tyres are unable to stop the car any faster, they're perfectly decent enough.

 

If you are able to plan ahead and slow down progressively, you should be able to press down on the brakes without it lurching on. Unfortunately modern over assisted brakes mean you just have to breath on the brake pedal for them to slam on.

[Jerzy Woking]

I had a stereo specialist change the headunit on my 2005 9-5 (the earlier model to yoursl They have done a few of my cars in the past and work on anything from Micra's to Bentleys.

 

They had loads of issues with the Saab, especially trying to get the steering wheel controls to work, and they tried several interfaces as they all had a different issue once installed. All sorted now, but they said they were not looking forward to doing another Saab!

[stripped fred]

Don't confuse over-assisted VAG/latest modern brakes with good brakes! Too many people assume that if the brakes are binary and trigger at the lightest push that they are good brakes. It's not but car manufacturers are taking advantage of this and is making brakes shit. As long as they're strong enough to kick in ABS thus locking the wheels and the tyres are unable to stop the car any faster, they're perfectly decent enough.

 

If you are able to plan ahead and slow down progressively, you should be able to press down on the brakes without it lurching on. Unfortunately modern over assisted brakes mean you just have to breath on the brake pedal for them to slam on.

They just feel a bit weedy when pushed and they do lack bite. The garage will check them next week. I am used to VAG brakes though so a good point.

[stripped fred]

I had a stereo specialist change the headunit on my 2005 9-5 (the earlier model to yoursl They have done a few of my cars in the past and work on anything from Micra's to Bentleys.

 

They had loads of issues with the Saab, especially trying to get the steering wheel controls to work, and they tried several interfaces as they all had a different issue once installed. All sorted now, but they said they were not looking forward to doing another Saab!

I'm not sure if they changed things between the older and newer models. I seem to remember that they did.

 

You don't know what model of stereo you went for in the end do you?

[Jerzy Woking]

I had s Pioneer x5800DAB put in. Great unit but the Pioneer app is not very good!

[stripped fred]

Drove the Saab locally today. It's growing on me. The gearstick definitely has a lot of movement but it's still possible to select the right gear. Talking of which, pulling off the line can be a bit of a chore. First gear runs out v.quick and then second isn't a lot better. It starts to move better in 3rd and 4th. Also, you can be caught out when pulling out of junctions if it's off boost. Must say that the Sharan seems to be easier to get away, although probably slower and not a fair comparison as it's an auto.

 

I'm getting used to the driving position too. Too long in a high up seating position has spoiled me in terms of getting in and out. I'm not too old or unfit but it does make a difference. Think I need to get down the gym!

[stripped fred]

I had s Pioneer x5800DAB put in. Great unit but the Pioneer app is not very good!

I feel stupid saying it but what do you need an app for? Can't you play through Spotify or apple music?

[SiC]

Funny. I can't get on with the upright, sit up and beg style seat positioning on MPVs. To me, a low down, slung position is much more comfortable and I feel much more stable and in control. MPVs just feel like I'm about to fall or slide off the seat when going around a corner!

[stripped fred]

Funny. I can't get on with the upright, sit up and beg style seat positioning on MPVs. To me, a low down, slung position is much more comfortable and I feel much more stable and in control. MPVs just feel like I'm about to fall or slide off the seat when going around a corner!

I don't slide around in the Sharan. Just much easier getting in and out, me, wife, kids, dogs etc. More van like I suppose. I know what you mean though. I liked sitting lower today.

 

Another observation is that the Saab has nice steering, turns in well and easy to guide.

 

I nudged a car in the car park the other day. That nose sticks out a lot!