Hi folks, been a long time since I've started a post!

With the arrival of my little boy, I need to purchase a car that will do for running the little fella around with enough room for his pushchair as all my cars are anti-social at best!! lol

After much consideration I have taken a liking to 306GTi-6's. Now I'm familiar with the engines, but wondered if anyone has any general comments on the car such as the 6speed box reliability etc!!

I've head they have common problems such as the air bag light staying on and central locking faults, both down to faulty wiring, but are there any other major pit falls associated with these cars?

Thanks in advance!!

 

Karl,

We had one for a good while.

Really superb car. Obviously you have the usual french niggly problems - we had inlet manifold gasket failure and some trim clips coming loose. I seem to remember a small window seal needing replacing, but that was about it.

Fantastic everyday car, great fun, very comfortable, awesome handling. Only downside I can remember was the terrible turning circle.

 

i had one for about a week while a friend was fixing my car.

air con and half leather etc.

couldn't fault it, really nice drive.

no turning circle whatsoever tho.

 

The 100 to 180 times aren't too good mate

 

LOL at Jonno, don't worry I have a 300bhp turboGTI-6 lump ready to go in, hence wondering what the gearbox's are like for strength, ROFLOL

 

Little Ben'll be the fastest little fella in the Midlands

 

Mini roundabouts become a 3 point turn!

 

I assume the poor turning circle is as a result of having to limit the steering rack to avoid the nearside tyre rubbing on the end of the gearbox on full lock due to the BE3 box being modded to 6 speed?

 

The central locking problems are due to the shit design of the door loops where the wiring runs from the A pillar into the doors Karl.

You can buy replacement length of loom with a plug on the end but it's a c unt to do (you have to dig the wiring out from behind the dash and solder all the new wiring onto the end of the loom) so I usually try and repair the wiring already there (it's easier to take the doors off it and then you can get a soldering iron in). Any of the electrics not working in the doors will indicate these loops between door and pillar are cracking.

 

Karl, Brad from Dingyland has one, very impressive around Donno, bar the lift off oversteer, which i'm sure you already know about. Maybe he's not the best person to ask about them tho' , the animal that he is lol.

 

"I assume the poor turning circle is as a result of having to limit the steering rack to avoid the nearside tyre rubbing on the end of the gearbox on full lock due to the BE3 box being modded to 6 speed?"

this would make sense as when a friend put this box in his 205 2.0l turbo he had the same restricted turning circle issues.

A friend had a gti-6 recently and was part of the owners club. He loved the car and other than the cam belt change being a little tricky for some reason or other he said it was ideal to work on, totally reliable and he loved it to bits.

Only shame is it was torched a few weeks ago, burning his car to a crisp, the two surrounding cars were written off and the house beside it was also damaged!!

RW

 

Hi Daz,

Been to look at a gti-6 that had the problem of when you lock the car with the drivers door key the locks go down and then a second later pop back up again.

I assumed I will be able to remove the interior door cards and pull the wiring looms through the door shut to A pillar rubber and repair the loom. Does this sound feasible?

 

theres one for sale in for sale section if ya like

 

My mates done a few loom repairs on 306's and he always takes the door off to do them

Good bargaining point tho'

 

Sounds like the problem they all seem to develop. Unfortunately they break between where the plug connects onto the door and the A pillar itself which is a very small space to work in.

IMO the easiest way to repair them is to un plug the loom off the door, pop the door pins out and sit the doors on the floor out of the way (doors can be removed in a matter of minutes). Then you can get at the wiring easier. I say easier because unless someone has been under the dash before hand, the wires are well strapped up and there is very very little slack to pull ot of the pillar.

 

Nobody has mentioned the price of Peugeot parts yet

 

Oh and if you do buy the new loom repair kit efforts from Pidgeon, hardly any of the wiring colours match!!!

So don't just hack through it all.

 

christ on a bike, wee man asking for advice on cars

 

lol @ matt, I'm arming myself with as many things to barter down the price!!!

 

Just take Emma

 

Airbag light is nothing to worry about either - its just the connectors under the seats making a poor contact - chop em off & resolder new decent ones on! Job done!!!

 

Karl,

I mailed the guy who owned the burnt out 306. He wrote the following reply (keep in mind he didn't know who the info was going to so take it as is )

"Obvious head gasket failure, but that's a given.
Listen for tapping when the engine is cold, and tapping when it's UBER hot
and it's just been ragged. It if taps it means either the cam belt has
snapped and it's been fixed poorly (they're never the same after), or that
it's been mistimed and the valves are damaged. The tappets only get noisy
after headwork.

These engines have several reasons for going wrong when having the cam belt
replaced:-

1) Timed incorrectly by a fool.

2) Timed up incorrectly using the wrong belt. 2 are available with different
numbers of teeth. Pug doesn't make it easy to choose the right one, mixing
them up over the years. Also their spares departments rarely know what a
GTi-6 is.

3) The idle roller and tension rollers both need to be replaced when then
cam belt is replaced. The rubber inserts wear meaning they drop and the
new/old belt slips off. Unless the owner has specifically requested the
rollers be replaced it doesn't happen unless it's gone to a pug dealership.

Best to negotiate price with this in mind, it costs around £150 for the
proper parts alone. So if your friend looks at one which hasn't had the cam
belt changed it will need to be done ASAP. If the cam belt has been changed
but the rollers haven't, negotiate for a reduction in asking price for the
cost of another cam belt change.

Don't trust the engine unless they've been replaced, I can't emphasize that
enough.

These engines tend to overheat too if not looked after properly, they suffer
badly on a hot day so check for signs of overheating.

My advice would probably be to look for a Rallye, they seem to be selling on
cheaper at the moment.

Other problems are when the car has been lowered at the back. It seems very
few places do a good job. Having to buy a new torsion bar won't be cheap.
E
lectrics aren't too bad.
Brakes are cheap to replace .
Engine mounts are terrible and have a design flaw so nylon replacements are
a good idea.
Gearboxes seem to be very reliable
Clutches seem to last a while even when worn, not too expensive to replace
though.

Also, there are always cars for sale on our club site:

http://www.306gti6.com/forum/showforum.php?id=21&page=1

RW

 

You FOOKING PIKEY....

Thats it now no more calling me one.


J

 

Looked at two today, a 97 phase 1 and 98 phase 2, both complete sheds and not worth the £3K+ they were asking.

I have to say given these cars are only 7years old I am truely shocked at how most folk neglect their cars and are totally clueless about maintenance.

Im going off them allready!!!

 

A friend of mine bought one a couple of months ago and is very pleased with it. Everyday car yet has done 2 trackdays and a trip to the ring in 3 months. Cruised at 120 to 130 all day and did not miss a beat. I think cam belt replacement is advisable every 40000 miles from what I have ben told. He paid £1900 p plate with 45000 miles and was really good on the body.

 

Ask ollie. theres one at his work. i sold it to brad a couple of months ago. he may sell it very cheap. mechanically sound but a few little dents round the body. mainly car doori in carparks.

 

karl why not try a car auction, a mate has bought two from one up our way, first one was only 1700 and the one he has the now a blaze yellow phase two. driven both cars and great fun, the back axles are bad for going too

 

Karl,

Adam: my mate who had the gti6 suggests you log onto the owners site www.306gti6.com and check whats on there.

He also showed interest in your 300 bhp turbo motor, especially showing interest in the lack of space to fit a turbo in the conventinal location!



RW