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Does anyone know whether 405 diesels are famous for their heavy steering? The power steering on my ?96 model certainly works, but it is so much heavier than a comparable diesel Mondeo ? or anything else I?ve driven. Do power steering pumps gradually lose their effectiveness? Might a replacement be appropriate or is that diesel lump always going to mean that you need 007?s biceps to move the old load-lugger. In all other respects, it?s a great second-vehicle. Any shared experiences would be gratefully received. . Thank you in anticipation.
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If my old 405 was anything to go by I'd say that they have weighty steering, turn off the engine and you'll see how much assistance it really does provide. It's certainly not the light as a feather type.
Steve.
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Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
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My wifes 95 405's steering is certainly heavier than my 98 406.
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Probably not as heavy as my '89 405 GL which had no power steering at all. Great when at speed, awful to park.
Compared to my 306, the 307 I have now can be steered by 1 finger, you just can't feel the road from the wheel.
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Thanks for this. Probably best to pension this one off then - even my husband finds the steering a bit on the heavy side. Mind you, he's not exactly 'physical'. New car or new husband!? Nope, I didn't say that. Appreciate your help.
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My 1994 306TD has somewhat heavy steering despite it being power assisted, compared with other cars such as Mondeos, Astras etc of a similar age. It's certainly a lot lighter than the non-power assisted steering on my old diesel 309. Other than that, the steering on the 306 is precise and has a nice feel to it- which I like. I think the later 306s from about 1998 onwards had somewhat lighter steering than the early ones like mine.
Martin
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Heavy power steering is standard fit on the 405 & 306 but the handling is first class, you do get a brilliant feel of what the chassis is up to with these cars.
Newer Peugeots have much lighter power steering but the handling does suffer & Peugeot will never make a car that handles as well as the 405 & 306 did again.
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I've read loads of reviews on the 307 and many have said that handling isn't a patch on that of the 306, with the steering having no feel at all (they don't make em like they used to!). Of the Peugeot fleet, I've driven the 306, 309 and 205 (all diesel) and they all handle beautifully, better than any Ford, Vauxhall or VW I've driven. As such, I'm warming to a 306HDi for my next car- can pick up a decent one W-X reg for around £3k with sensible mileage. Not too sure about the 307 somehow.
Martin
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Which one to pick 307 or 306, If you want a honest answer to that question ask the lads in the workshop down the local delaership.
Heres a clue, model number ends in 6
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Wow ... loads to think about. Thanks. I like these no-nonsense diesels. Mine has only done 101k and is in great condition so it seems a shame to put it out to pasture. However, looks like it's heading for Ebay where these seem to make silly money - £1000+ - for a respectable example with full SH. I'm off to search-out 306 variants as the consensus was that these have lighter steering. Don't want to throw loads of cash at something new and full of techie bits.
Deb
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Have a drive of a couple of 306s first, The steering isnt really that much lighter then the 405 but the chassis is slightly better with the passive rear wheel steering.
The clutch will be as heavy between the 2 cars as well.
If the 306 has aircon fitted make sure it works because they have a high failure rate, same with alarm system, electric windows & central locking.
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If the 306s are a bit pricey then you could always have a look and drive of a Citroen ZX, these do seem to be very cheap because they don't have the same image as a 306. As to whether they are as good, I can't answer that personally but they do share the same chassis and engines. Oh and if you are going for a diesel turbo 306 do a few searches first on conrod failures (on this forum) and you'll know which cars to avoid.
All the best.
Steve.
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Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
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That will be the XUD9TE lump with engine code DHY built between april 1997 & april 1998 then.
The XUD9TE DHX coded engine built in the same time period is fine by the way.
Nearly all of the DHY lumps from that time period have long since failed & been replaced by now but still check it out.
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>>>Nearly all of the DHY lumps from that time period have long since failed & been replaced by now but still check it out.
Don't know what facts there are to back up this statement but my own, parents and friends 306 TD are all fitted with DHY's and have clocked up between 75 & 130,000 miles on origonal engines and are still going strong. Either all down to luck or failures are a low percentage of engines <5% maybe which will be a significant number as must be thousands out there.
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Are all these DHY lumps your parents & friends own built between april 1997 & april 1998 then?
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All 3 are R plate Dturbo's, built between sept 97 and feb 98. My view is it takes only a small proportion of cars to suffer problems to create the perception in people's minds that nearly all cars are affected, applies to alot of marques not just peugeot/citroen IMO.
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Fingers crossed then that one doesnt decide to stick a rod thorugh the block.
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Thanks .... I'm on the case. Just couldn't see why power steering was so heavy on such a relatively light car when others of the same era obviously had this sorted. If anything major goes wrong with this age of car then I'll probably just have it scrapped anyway, but thanks for the comprehensive advice. This was much appreciated. Maybe there's a newer vehicle which is as equally uncomplicated as the old 405? My husband likes to roll-up his sleeves and look 'handy' inside the bonnet of a car - even if it's just to change the filters! (Something clearly wrong with him) He complains that reparing modern cars requires diagnostic know-how and expensive bits of technology. Any thoughts on a 'modern' car which is simply a re-badged unit designed sometime around 1995? Perhaps I should start a new thread??? No badge snobbery in our house - so, feel free to make ANY suggestions!!
Thanks for your time
Deb
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The reason Peugeot power steering was heavy was down to the handling & chassis design, Thats why people in the know used to pick Peugeot / Citroen cars for there outsatnding handling that just left other cars for dead on a twisty road.
Now Peugeot / Citroen chassis design has gone right downhill & the new cars are really awful for handling, they dont deserve to wear the badge.
405 sized car around 1995, How about a nice 1.8 Mondeo hatchback GLX spec or better?
The reasons why, cheap parts, any garage can fix them, decent to drive, not a bad spec plus if looked after just keep going & going.
Pick a decent one to start with & job done.
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I tested an x reg 306 hdi today and I was surprised how light the steering was compared to my r plate diesel. Brakes were also much better for having discs all round I guess revisions were made to the PAS system on later cars or it could be down to the lower profile tyres used.
I wouldn't describe the steering of a 405 with pas as being heavy ,with the tyres at correct pressure I thought it was fine but I did drive a 305 D before which was heavy!
Peugeot do seem to have lost their way, 307 was a backward step in many ways , worse looks, handling, fuel economy, reliabilty, running costs, compared to 306.. can't really think of anything good to say about it.
406 coupe replacement was another nice car ruined
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