Faults:

Turbo pipe has 'blown off' and been replaced with a new one on 4 separate occasions.

Electrics have been re-programmed so many times I've lost count.

Head lights started turning themselves off for a few seconds at a time (not nice when on the motorway at night), and then progressed to randomly doing whatever they wanted (regardless of whether the lights were switched on or off, I had no control over them at all).

Automatic indicator canceler stopped working.

Left hand front indicator sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

Rear left tire wears unevenly and requires replacing more often than other 3 tyres.

Plastic trim on rear left door handle has fallen off.

Both rear doors have become solidly stuck closed, and have had to be opened by the dealer, and are still stiff to open now.

There is an occasional knocking noise from one of the front wheels.

Carpet is fitted poorly and keeps coming away from the body work.

I'm sure there's more that I've lost track off too : (

General Comments:

This car was bought with the intention of it being a cheap reliable motorway commuter, and has been proved to be nothing like it. Faults have been experienced from just a few weeks old, and have continued throughout the 32,500 miles I have done in it.

Peugeot agreed that we were well within our rights to get the car replaced, and offered £750 toward the dealers 'no profit' exchange. However, the dealer still wanted £3000 to exchange the car for a new one, completely ignoring the fact that the problems happened from new. In contrast a separate dealer was able to offer pretty much the same deal for the same cost (that's without the contribution from Peugeot, and making profit to boot).

Peugeot customer care stinks, and I wouldn't recommend the car to anyone despite its good looks inside and out.

Faults:

Aircon switch wouldn't stay in (fixed by dealer).

Accelerator pedal position is bad (can't be fixed).

Under engine tray fell off (fixed by dealer after a LOT of hassle).

Indicator stalk.

General Comments:

I purchased a Peugeot 307 HDI 90BHP brand new in November last year.

The car was late being delivered.

Our first problem was that the car was late being delivered, I had taken a day off to take delivery, but the car did not materialise. I work on a freelance basis, and lost a day’s money because of this. The dealer was reluctant to offer us anything in the way of compensation, until I threatened to cancel the deal. I wish I had cancelled.

The car was substandard.

I am not happy with the vehicle. I find it sad that after 100 years of development, that the car I purchased is substandard in some prime areas.

Accelerator pedal position:

The accelerator pedal is some way below the brake, making adjustment of driving position difficult. Setting your seat up for the brake and the accelerator is a stretch. Set it up for the accelerator, and going for the brake involves bringing one’s knee high up and over. The accelerator is also too close to the carpet on the wheel arch, making one push the carpet on occasion rather than the pedal. The millions that are spent on ergonomics, and this is the best that can be done! I have looked at a whole range of other cars (including the Peugeot 206), and the pedal positions are much better. The pedal is also made plastic, giving a cheap and spongy feel.

Engine and power:

This is not a good car. The vehicle is reasonable when cold, but after reaching normal operating temperature, it is awful. It feels lumpy and unresponsive at any speed that causes the revs to fall below 3000 rpm. Between 50mph and 70mph in 5th gear is particularly bad, as it is common in normal driving conditions. The power runs out at 4000rpm, so effectively there is a 1000rpm ‘power’ band, which is highly restrictive in normal driving. The first 15mm of throttle appear to do nothing, then a sudden cutting in of power, leading into a narrow band of acceleration before it all fizzles out in a damp spongy anti-climax. This is so unlike a diesel. I am used to having TORQUE at low revs. With this car, I have to change down to 1st gear to get up my drive.

My wife has said she just cannot drive the car smoothly, and she has no problem with any other cars we’ve hired or owned. In fact the closest comparison we can make is with her old 140,000 mile MR2 MK1, which had a sticky throttle and worn second gear! Even that was smoother to drive in general. It is best cruising on motorways in fifth gear at about 75mph. Town and traffic driving are not enjoyable.

Gearbox:

The gear stick is too far away from the driver, making one stretch when changing to 1st or 3rd gears particularly. The gear change is very notchy and stiff, making fast gear changes difficult. My 30 year old MG Midget has a smoother box.

Build quality:

The air conditioning switch lasted 1 day before it would not stay in without multiple presses. (fixed by dealer).

The under-engine tray became detached while travelling along the motorway (fixed by dealer).

The indicator stalk:

This is plasticy and vague, leading to indicators being left on or headlights being flashed while operating the indicators. Often full-beam comes on when indicating, and will only come off after pulling the stalk back a few times. Apparently this is ‘normal’ on these cars.

Roof rack threads:

The roof rack thread was badly cut, making it impossible to fit the roof rack (fixed by dealer).

Rattles:

There are numerous rattles and squeaks, which appear and disappear. I have one under the dashboard at the time of writing, which only occurs at tick over. There have been others, which come and go.

Fuel economy:

The combined mpg figures for the car are quoted as being 54.3.

The BEST mpg we have had from this vehicle is 45mpg. I am doing predominately long runs on motorways and dual carriageways. Which should match the extra-urban mileage more so than the combined. At the time we bought the vehicle, I was using the M4 to Cardiff, around 100 miles each way of motorway driving. My best mpg at that time was 43mpg. My old, worn, 100,000 mile Vauxhall Astra was getting 55mpg consistently on the same journey.

If the figures were 10% out, then standard error could apply, but these are 25% out, which is tantamount to lying by Peugeot.

Visibility:

The design of the wipers is ridiculous:

a) They are too large - creating annoying wind noise at various times (this I can cope with).

b) The functional design (from the middle up to the edge sweep) would lead one to believe that they would be equally at home on a left-hand-drive or right-hand-drive vehicle. BUT NO! Peugeot have totally missed the point here! Instead of sensibly leaving as small an unswept gap as possible on the driver’s side (UK) of the screen, my car, and others I have looked at, has a 4 inch unswept area next to the drivers screen-post, creating an 8 inch area of bad visibility – particularly dangerous when negotiating roundabouts and right hand turns in bad weather!!!

Under-engine tray:

Recently the underfloor tray became detached while I was driving at 70mph along the motorway. On informing Peugeot with the hope of getting it replaced under warranty, I was told by the girl on the desk that it was not a warranty item! This was before she had asked about the circumstances of the failure, and whether it was my fault or not. I was told that I had probably run over a large stone or something. I think I may have noticed this at 70mph on a motorway. I was then told that the trays (air deflector?) were a common problem, and that was why they were not under warranty! I theorise that they, like much of the rest of the car, are substandard, poorly tested, and insufficient for the job.

One of the Peugeot Customer Care people, when I pointed out that the experience I was getting from them might stop me buying another Peugeot, said ‘We don’t sell cars’. I’m afraid at that point I just said ‘Thank you’ and hung up. I’m not sure what training these people go through, but it is clearly inadequate.

Things were finally sorted out, when I managed to speak to someone who took the time to listen, and not make up their mind without actually seeing the car or asking any questions. This person had a different attitude, and offered more useful assistance, and also agreed that it did sound like a warranty issue. I then relayed this to my dealer (I spoke to someone different), who agreed and put the required items on order.

When the parts came in, I was advised, made a booking, and brought the car in. Unfortunately I was greeted by the girl who said it was not a warranty item initially. She was still of this opinion! To make things worse, the other person I spoke to had not made any notes on the computer system, so I was back to square one. I had to get my wife to fax the pages from my notebook where I had made notes of the conversations I had with Peugeot Customer Service previously. I had to phone them back, try and speak to the same people I spoke to before, and get the same answer. This time the person said that while he agreed with me that it was a warranty issue, he could not override the decision of a dealer! I tried to get put through to the warranty department, but this was not possible. I phoned the dealer back again, and told them what the Customer Service agent had said, but they still would not change their minds. It was only when I mentioned the name (given to me by the customer service agent) of the warranty representative for the dealership that the whole mood changed, and they said that it in that case there was no problem. Even though I had never even spoken to the rep. The under-engine tray (finally!) was replaced under warranty!

Customer care:

I really fail to understand Peugeot’s concept of customer ‘care’, the dealership’s attitude or what ever happened to the ‘Customer’s always right’. It seems that Peugeot representatives, whether Customer ‘Service’ or dealerships would rather say ‘no’ than ‘certainly sir, how can we help’. The staff are poorly trained, lack knowledge and are offhand.