Oh my gawd, help etc

[carlo]

Any advice here, guys?Bought a Peugeot 406 automatic (£800) off ebay last week. Seemed genuine enough, seller was a girl who was pregnant and couldn't drive any more. Was described without faults and I was assured through various emails that it was OK. Took a mate to collect it on a 400 mile round trip and was quite pleased with the condition of the thing.Now here is where I may have been a bit of a prick, but on the test drive round the block I noticed both 'sport' and 'winter' transmission lights were flashing on the dashboard. Thing seemed to drive OK and when restarted the lights disappeared. Have to admit to being a 406/modern car novice (being a 405 man) and perhaps naively thought the warning light may have been an oil change reminder. Girlie herself assured me the box had been topped up and her man had told her the warning lights were 'nothing to worry about'. So, not fancying a train ride back, and quite seduced by the condition of the thing I stumped up the readies and drove it back. It drove beautifully.Of course, having had the thing checked out by two transmission specialists I discover the gearbox oil is black and f***ed, different fault codes mean the transmisssion valve body needs replacing at £750, and one of them reckoned "I wouldn't even bother as the box is probably knackered". Having done a bit of google research it transpires this AL4 gearbox is notorious for premature wear.I'm not sure whether to:1. Just try an oil change to see whether the poor oil condition is bringing up these fault codes.2. Change this valve body thing at extortionate expense - the car drives beautifully otherwise!3. Threaten the bird with legal action, she must have known it was faulty?4. Throw thw bloody thing away and mark it down to experience!Help....

[Guest]

I would change the gearbox oil and keep driving it regardless, if the box is knackered you'll soon find out. You don't need some daft light to tell you!

[Station]

First rule of mechanicmanship - always assume the worst and give customer worst assumption.I bet it was an old taxi and they never changed the oil.

[gallondrunk]

.

[carlo]

Thing's only done 60,000 miles as well, but I may try and just change the oil, that's probably good advice.

[bones96]

try your local scrappy for another gear box i had a 405 which i stripped the diff on phoned up scrappy and got gearboxfor £75.00 fitted it straight on and the car was swet as a nut

[Futuramic]

First rule of mechanicmanship - always assume the worst and give customer worst assumption.I bet it was an old taxi and they never changed the oil.

Station speaks the truth. When the fuel pump failed on the Volvo (I checked the cambelt, found it intact, and said to the recovery driver "It's the fuel pump), I had it recovered to a garage in Ipswich.Once there a mechanic told me the entire fuel injection system had mysteriously broken and his best advice was to have the car crushed at it would never run again.I promptly had the car towed back to my friendly local place in Colchester, who diagnosed the fault, fixed it and re-calibrated the metering system for not much money. Don't always assume the worst because often it isn't. Change the oil as Hirst said. If that doesn't work pull a good box off a scrapper; I can't imagine a complete second hand one being more than 100 quid.

[AXrescuer]

Chuck in some new fluid, drive a bit, drain and chuck in some more new fluid. If that doesn't work, see a friendly Pug specialist and see if the gearbox ecu can be reset to clear the faults.

[Richard]

If you join the French Car Forum you'll get good advice and you might even get somebody who can do the reset for beer. If you don't get a reply in the Peugeot forum try posting it again in the Citroen forum.

[trigger]

I promptly had the car towed back to my friendly local place in Colchester, who diagnosed the fault, fixed it and re-calibrated the metering system for not much money. .

Just out of curosity, Who was your garage in Colchester?, I come from Colchester before moving to Ipswich 4 years ago and I used to work at a motor factors in the town so know quite a few of the garages.

[andrew e]

Stick a can of forte in the box and drive till it fails.

[Futuramic]

I promptly had the car towed back to my friendly local place in Colchester, who diagnosed the fault, fixed it and re-calibrated the metering system for not much money. .

Just out of curosity, Who was your garage in Colchester?, I come from Colchester before moving to Ipswich 4 years ago and I used to work at a motor factors in the town so know quite a few of the garages.

I do most stuff myself, but leave more complex electrical bits to the professionals. The garage I'm talking about is T & M on Whitehall. Great place, and tends to attract the classic and performance end of the driving public. There's always a Lister Jag or something in there when I go for somehting doing.They aren't particularly cheap, but use the best quality parts and know their stuff. Not in any way daunted by an old vehicle either.

[VWPowered]

if the box is knackered you'll soon find out. You don't need some daft light to tell you!

+1 well put that man