THE PLAYFUL LITTLE CUB - PEUGEOT 206

 Introduction

Peugeot designed the 206 to fill the void left by the highly successful Peugeot 205.In Kenya, the first versions arrived in the showroom from 1996 to 2007 imported and supported by the local dealer, Marshalls East Africa. Later, gray imports streamed in from overseas like UK and Japan with more exotic features than the ‘plain Jane’ local ones like automatic gearbox, panoramic roof, and a host of many other creature comforts. The 206 was available in hatchback, 3 door, Coupe Cabriolet and SW body styles,all of which can be found locally.

Like the 205, the 206 came with rear trailing arm suspension as well as TU engines which were both reworked. All engines were fuel injected.

It was one of the cars that were built right in the middle of a technological revolution from simpler electricals differing from those in earlier Peugeot’s like 405, from semi multiplex (Mux) to fully multiplex  (VAN then lastly CAN) between model revisions. Hence technologically, there are differences between the earliest and latest models.While the electronics were undergoing revolution, very relatively few changes were made on the exterior like just body trims, body coloured trims and crystal lighting at the front. The performance Gti versions never made it to Kenya.

Features

When in basic trim, comes with immobiliser, airbag for both driver and passengers. 

More kitted versions come with following features:-

• power windows. 

• 14/15 Inch alloys

• Fog lights

• Body coloured trims

• Electric sunroof

• Curtain airbags

• Power mirrors

• Steering mounted remote stalk

• Seat height adjustment

• Clarion radio CD player

• Adjustable steering

• Central lock

Drivetrains 

Engines

Despite, Peugeot being the very first car manufacturer to build a 16 Valve Dual overhead cam engine in 1913 for racing applications, the Peugeot 206 was among the first production Peugeot’s to feature a 16 Valve engine, the TU5JP4, 1600cc, commonly found on the imported version, while the local ones had to contend with the 1360cc 8 valve TU3. 

The 206 also featured the following engines of which were all fuel injected:-

TU1-1100cc 1124

TU3-1400cc -1360 (ET3 variant with VVT)

TU5JP -1600cc - 1587

TU5JP4 with 16 Valve Dual Overhead Cam.

There were many engines that never made it to Kenya in the 206 like the 2 litre EW10 Petrol, and DW8/10 and DV4/6 Diesel engines but feature in other model ranges e.g 307/406 etc. These will not be discussed here. 

The local versions were equipped with 5 speed manual gearboxes.The lower powered engines came with the MA gearboxes from the 205,while the larger engines 1600cc onwards were fitted with the more robust BE3/4 gearbox. Imported versions were also available with the AL4 autoadaptive automatic gearbox.

Focusing on the TU series engines as they were the most popular; these were simple engines of aluminium design with no reputation of consuming oil, therefore very reliable. The earlier versions of the TU’s need occasional head gasket changes with age which is a relatively simple job. However, the TU5JP4 (1600cc) seems to have zero issues even with age if well maintained.

Suspension

Rather than using conventional coil over oil, Peugeot used torsion bar suspension at the rear. The trailing arms are anchored on a transverse beam with a pair of bearings inside a housing and the axle is attached to the body via rubber mountings which induce passive wheel steer for grip around corners. The arms swivel up and down in response to road undulations while the torsion bars provide variable rate damping action with adjustable height. On the converse, the front axle came with a simple McPherson strut suspension. The combination enabled the 206 to be simply maintained while having very desirable driving characteristics that define its playful character. 

Fuel consumption

The playful cub is a very fuel efficient car capable of 11-18.5 kpl depending on driving condition and average of 14.5 km/l which is very impressive because most of them do not feature Variable Valve timing except those that came with the ET3 Engine.

Servicing and Running costs

Engine & AC

Spark - plugs 8,000 genuine 2,500 good quality, 1,000 average quality

Filters - (oil, air) 2,500 (aftermarket)

Fuel filter every 15,000 

Oil 5W40 synthetic - 3 to 5,000 depending on brand

Cabin filter 1,000(aftermarket)

Service Interval Every 7,000 kms or twice a year minimum

Rough cost (7,000-10,000)

Gearbox

Automatic AL4 Gearbox oil(ATF) every 60k kms @ Genuine 16,000, Aftermarket 4,000 Ravenol

Manual gearbox 75W80 for  MA/BE3 gearbox every 100k kms@ 8000

Note that Only gearbox oil(ATF) approved for use in AL4 should be strictly used. Any alternative will destroy the gearbox.

Timing belt kit

Complete kit incl tensioner and rollers and water pump KES 14,000

Timing belt every 75K kms KES 3,000

Rollers/tensioners every 150K Kms

Alternator bearing and power steering pump pulley - service when noisy

Cooling system 

Coolant every 50K kms or every 2 years whichever earlier

Water pump every 150K kms KES 4,000

Suspension

Control arms aftermarket at KES 6k,  Bushes only @ KES 2,400

Tie rod ends & rack ends @ KES 2800 set

Shockabsorbers 5,500 each (aftermarket)

Stabilizer bush & links 1000, links 3k

Torsion bar bearings and trailing arm bushes every 100K kms KES5,500 Aftermarket set

Prices are approximate. 

Maintenance Issues

These are the issues that owners and potential owners should watch out for:-

1. Many owners or technicians tend to forget that the rear suspension requires servicing leading to bearing and housing wear. Servicing entails replacement of bearings and regreasing. Once the housing is worn, then expensive replacement of the trailing arm is inevitable. Also height adjustment should be followed by proper tightening to manufacturer’s recommendations, failure to which can result in splines shearing thus permanent damage meaning a replacement axle has to be fitted. 

2. Majority of TU series engine breakdowns in Kenya are due to timing belt failure owing to ignorance on owner's part or negligence. In that case, being interference engines where timing belt break results in piston hammering the valves, a good number of them will need to be replaced and head torqued down using a torque wrench. Timing is only for experienced Peugeot professionals or those willing to research and follow the correct process.

3. Removal of the thermostat causes a “short circuit” of the cooling fluid hampering coolant circulation for certain parts of the head thus causing uneven temperature profile and localised overheating and overcooling. This uneven distribution of heat results in uneven expansion and contraction of the head and with time results in head gasket failure. It is therefore very important to always have a thermostat fitted. Use of water for cooling system is destructive in the long run due to rust, hence coolant is strictly recommended.

4. When buying, ensure that you buy an example whose electronics have not been abused and do not inflict or give a novice to abuse the electronics. Only competent electricians should be used to repair anything electronic - even the most simple electronic failures cannot be entrusted to incompetent technicians for repair. Any tinkering of the electronics, chopping wires, soldering boards etc by a novice will lead to expensive repairs.

5. Most with the Automatic gearbox will most probably have gone through some previous lack of, or poor maintenance that may cause the new owner to suffer issues, but it is a reliable gearbox nonetheless. If this is the case it is important to drain and replace ATF fluid twice to get in as much new oil as possible. The recommended fluid is the AL4 fluid according to PSA standard  B71 2340  Part No 9736.22 or 9730.AE, or Mobil LT71141 at an interval of 60K Kms maximum. Solenoid replacement or valve body replacement and some programming using diagnostic tool may get it back to a usable state but there is no guarantee.

6. Fuel pump failures are also common with high mileage versions due to age or dirty fuel or tank running dry, easily replaceable but fake fuel pumps are in plenty and fitment with such will not solve the problem till genuine ones are fitted. 

7. Rustproofing is perfect as long as the car is jacked up from the correct jacking points and accident repairs are well implemented; the metallic and colourful versions suffer paint peeling but nothing else major.

8. When buying an old high mileage example 250k kms plus, renewing the oil pump and thermostat with a new one is advisable for longer engine life.

Enhancements

If you want to enhance your 206’s look, you can fit 17 inch Challenger rims with low profile tyres or choose from many other options from PSA standard rims as well as aftermarkets. Morette headlights do a good job of making them look stunning and a little evil. There is a custom spoiler that can also be fitted. Solid aluminium sport knob by Peugeot does a better job than the failure prone gear knob and looks great as well. For more power, tuning parts are available online but only the 1.6 NFU version and above can respond well to tuning. Complete drivetrain swaps can be done from other versions ex-uk like the 2.0 EW and DW engine as long as all other items ancillaries that will ensure fitment are also brought over. The rear suspension can easily be lowered for stance as long as the torsion bars must be tightened properly, and lowering automatically stiffens the rear suspension. Front lowered struts can be fitted if imported.

Verdict

As can be seen, the majority of the issues hardly have anything to do with the design or manufacture of the car itself, rather how they were handled. It cannot be overemphasized that maintenance should strictly be carried out by a competent Peugeot technician using quality parts in order to avoid costly repairs and extended downtimes. Thus it is a cheap, fun and reliable runabout. The best drivetrain combo in Kenya is the 1600cc 16 valve NFU version with manual gearbox in a post 2004 version with CAN electronics.