Things Always Seem To Happen In Two's...

[shaundean 0]

I'm beginning to realise that the problems with my 205 always come along in pairs.

 

I fix the exhaust, and the clutch cable brakes on the test drive.

I replace the knackered radiator and the car won't start.

My gear linkage pops off the ball joint, then a coolant hose ruptures the same night.

And now...I fix (read: bodge) an oil flexi so I can run some errands before my new oil cooler arrives from floodys and I get a puncture!

 

Just wondering if anyone else experiences this bad luck?

[welshpug 1,657]

its called running an old neglected car!

[McDude 33]

I thought bad luck was supposed to come in threes - so consider yourself lucky!

 

Welshpug is right - it is the nature of owning something that has had years of neglect and bodged repairs.

 

There is no way around it, but you can at least plan the repairs. I wrote a list of all the issues with my car and one by one I ticked them off the list.

[shaundean 0]

I'm not complaining about it...yet.

I knew little more than "the metal bit under the bonnet makes the wheels turn" when I got my 205, so every day has been a lesson in managing with an old car and mechanics.

The car has had a hard life (I know the previous owner, she's not on here but would admit to the neglect/thrashing) and I have plenty to keep me busy when funds allow, but the topic was more about the way I get 2 unrelated problems at the same time but like you say with it closing in on 150k i guess I'm lucky it still runs nearly every day.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

It is an unfortunate result of the nature of the car that most get driven hard, and as they get older do not get maintained as well as perhaps they could.

When I first got my red 205 as a standard car I went through pretty much all the mechanicals and sorted out all the issues, and a thorough service. With this done I then did about 6000 miles in the following 12 months including a trip to France, with the only breakdown or issues duing this time being it cutting out once because the main HT lead came off the coil, and a running problem due to a duff air flow meter.

 

Really you are in a difficult position of using it every day so you cannot take it off the road to sort everything out in one hit, however persevere as you will gradually work through it until it is reliable. It is worth having a good look around at other things whenever you do a job, things like replacing a cracked water hose will save you from a breakdown in the future when it finally lets go.

[large 33]

TF I think in a round about way you are agreeing with the OP even if you don't realise it.

He is complaining that things always come in 2's. How many problems have you listed!

 

I will go and get the file marked X. When you have finished with it could you pass it on to GLP for his ufo sightings. .

[SurGie 54]

Its always been 'they come in 3's', iv never heard they come in 2's ever.

[GLPoomobile 958]

I don't think it's entirely fair to say that it's the result of poor maintenance (whether current or historic). It's just the fact that they are old, just like how most old people start to need hip replacements etc

 

To keep them good, they need a fair amount of regular maintenance. But things will still fail, as is to be expected with age. Unless you've done a full nut and bolt resto, replacing all parts with new at the same time, you are generally going to find different parts will fail one after the other. Sometimes the timing of these things can seem like the little f***er is conspiring against you, and you feel like throwing in the towel, but persevere and you should eventually reach that point where you've renewed so much that you have a decent run of trouble free motoring for a while.

 

It's been quite a long time since I've been in the trouble free period with mine though

[P_Monty 2]

In my case I only get 1 problem at a time with the car, but that usually coincides with a problem on the bike so I still end up with transport snags despite having 2 vehicles...

[blessed6383 0]

the joys of owning a peugeot only kidding my last one spent more time off the road than on and my current 205 hasn't even seen the road properly (mot/tax) yet (since march) and still a month or 2 to go so think yourself lucky you actually get to drive it if you want something that never breaks buy something like a honda accord of an old man