Urgent Help Please?!

janninew

Hi

Wondered if anybody could give some advice please.

My mum has just bought a peugeot 206 estate and has had several problems. Its a 53 reg and has done 52,000 miles. There have been some minor problems with electrics and she has complained that the car judders when she starts it and sometimes cuts out. She has just called me now in a state, she was driving home when her car starting smelling very strongly of petrol, then it started to slow down, she managed to get it onto the side of the road when it cut out and wouldn't restart at all. She says the engine turns over, but won't start and the battery light comes on, an orange is also on (engine light?) Is this the battery, would jump starting it help?

Any advice, I'm miles away from her and she is worried!

Thanks.
Janninew

HO87

Without far more detail - almost certainly which you cannot supply - there are simply too many possibles to make anything approaching useful suggestions. However, the fact that there was a sudden and strong smell of fuel may indicate that the fuel pump has failed but that need not necessarily be the case given the other apparent symptoms. If the engine is turning over and the car won't start unless the battery has now gone flat there is little purpose in jump starting the car. I would suggest this is a case for roadside assistance AA/RAC/Green Flag etc but guessing that your Mum isn't a member that suggestion isn't very helpful either.

forgotmyname

I wouldnt put jump leads on a car that smells of petrol, Unless you check for any leaks 1st.

Strider590

Petrol smell AND electrical problems? I find this extremely unlikely.

I'd say there's just a fueling problem, maybe a loose hose, a blocked fuel filter, a faulty fuel pump, air getting into the fuel line via a loose hose would cause juddering etc

If it's not fueling then it could be the idle valve, they love to die on Peugeots..... But then Peugeot's are world renowned for terrible electrical problems.

Check under the vehicle for signs of fuel leakage, check the fuel tank hasn't been drilled too.

It may sound very cold of me, but she should have had it checked when the problems started, not just turned the radio up and hope it went away!!!

bigjl

I would get it to a garage and get it scanned for error codes, if it smells of fuel then there could be a faulty sensor making the car overfuel, maybe the temp sensor.

Did the car run a bit rough when warmed up, but smoother when just started.

There are really too many variables for any useful advice to be given on this forum, but if you can't get it to a garage then you could get a mobile mechanic to come out and read the faults of the ecu memory.

If you bought it from a dealer then they have to put it right, if you bought it privately or at auction then you won't have that possibilty.

janninew

Thanks for all the advice!

I've just spoken to my Mum, she is a member of the AA and has been towed to a garage.

The AA man is sure the fuel pump is knackered, no petrol is getting to the engine. He couldn't do anything with it so towed her to a garage. It was luckily booked it on Monday anyway for the other numerous problems, it would have gone it sooner, but they were fully booked last week and told her it should be ok to drive with the faults she described (mainly electrical, lights coming on etc).

She called the garage she bought from last week and they don't want to know, they said as they wrote 'sold as seen' on the receipt, she has no rights! Is this true?

The AA man said the fuel pump isn't a huge job to fix and shouldn't be to expensive, he said he could tell it had been looked at previously as the wires were all taped up?

I'm getting bad feelings about this car and the garage, my Mum has discovered that the horn isn't working, yet the car passed an MOT he day before she collected it? Isn't that an MOT fail? Or just bad luck that the horn stopped working the next day. Maybe I'm being suspicious, but something seems rather dodgy here!!

janninew

Triskaidekaphobia wrote: »

It should have a working horn to pass an MOT yeah.

I thought so, doesn't prove anything though, they will just say it stopped working the next week!

Strider590

A lot of dealers and dealerships just pass the car on it's MOT without doing any tests or checks (another practice that needs to be stopped!), as you said they can just say it could have failed a week later.

janninew

Strider590 wrote: »

A lot of dealers and dealerships just pass the car on it's MOT without doing any tests or checks (another practice that needs to be stopped!), as you said they can just say it could have failed a week later.

The thing is though, the garage where she bought is from doesn't do MOT's, so it was taken to another garage, obviously the address is on the certificate. Still can't prove anything though, just seems a bit convenient that the horn stops working the next week!

ailuro2

The empty fuel light is on the bottom left hand side of the dash, comes on when the tank is empty - I hope it wasn't that partivular orange light that was on.;) Hope your Mum got it fixed OK, we have a 53 Peugeot too, with 55 on the clock, touch wood we've had no problems with it in the year we've had it, apart from the exhaust falling off, but that's par for the course with any car that's not brand new.:)

janninew

ailuro2 wrote: »

The empty fuel light is on the bottom left hand side of the dash, comes on when the tank is empty - I hope it wasn't that partivular orange light that was on.;) Hope your Mum got it fixed OK, we have a 53 Peugeot too, with 55 on the clock, touch wood we've had no problems with it in the year we've had it, apart from the exhaust falling off, but that's par for the course with any car that's not brand new.:)

No it wasn't the petrol light! She had filled it up yesterday morning with 20.00. Anyway I hope the AA mechanic would have noticed if it was out of fuel!! The AA man said he thinks Peugeots are terrible cars and are riddled with problems (mainly electrics) I must admit I would never buy one, the amount of problems she has had in 2 weeks is untrue, more problems than I've ever had! She wants rid as soon as possible, she has no faith driving it anymore!