Impulse buy: Peugeot 205 GTi 16v
Discussion
As mentioned, I was at Caffeine and Machine at the end of January, I won't bore you with more pics of the 205 sat outside, except maybe this one which nicely shows 30 years of progress:
20220129_170909 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I've got absolutely nothing against modern hot hatches, I'd love one, but they do look a bit portly against the little 205!
I've started looking into a mapping session, but after speaking to a local-ish chap he advised getting the injectors cleaned before doing anything else. Seemed like logical advice, so I whipped them out and found a postal cleaning service.
First thing I noticed was some residue in the fuel rail:
2022-02-09_11-35-35 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Not a great sign, so whilst waiting for the injectors I gave the rail a thorough clean out. The injectors came back with a pretty good bill of health:
2022-02-09_11-33-18 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
2022-02-22_08-51-42 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
It's unlikely anyone reading this noticed, but the injectors are actually from a VAG 1.8T engine - apparently they flow better and were required when originally mapping the 205 to get to the 200bhp mark. As well a sonic cleaning they also got new o rings, filters and pintle caps. The process removed the paint from the injector body, so I masked up both ends and gave the bodies a couple of coats of satin black. Everything then went back together without any problems and the car started straightaway. In fact, it started much easier than it usually does from cold, which is a step in the right direction.
With my daily driver Volvo now sold, I'm in between cars whilst I wait for my Corsa-E to be ready for collection (it's at the dealers a mile away but needs an urgent recall doing before I can collect, not the best start to ownership of my first new car, let alone the first EV!). And with COVID restrictions lifting I now have to drive into the office from next week, so the 205 will be pushed into daily service for a while. It will be interesting to see how it copes... hopefully OK, in fact I'm quite looking forward to using it regularly, even if my commute is pretty boring.
20220129_170909 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI've got absolutely nothing against modern hot hatches, I'd love one, but they do look a bit portly against the little 205!
I've started looking into a mapping session, but after speaking to a local-ish chap he advised getting the injectors cleaned before doing anything else. Seemed like logical advice, so I whipped them out and found a postal cleaning service.
First thing I noticed was some residue in the fuel rail:
2022-02-09_11-35-35 by CarlosV8, on FlickrNot a great sign, so whilst waiting for the injectors I gave the rail a thorough clean out. The injectors came back with a pretty good bill of health:
2022-02-09_11-33-18 by CarlosV8, on Flickr2022-02-22_08-51-42 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIt's unlikely anyone reading this noticed, but the injectors are actually from a VAG 1.8T engine - apparently they flow better and were required when originally mapping the 205 to get to the 200bhp mark. As well a sonic cleaning they also got new o rings, filters and pintle caps. The process removed the paint from the injector body, so I masked up both ends and gave the bodies a couple of coats of satin black. Everything then went back together without any problems and the car started straightaway. In fact, it started much easier than it usually does from cold, which is a step in the right direction.
With my daily driver Volvo now sold, I'm in between cars whilst I wait for my Corsa-E to be ready for collection (it's at the dealers a mile away but needs an urgent recall doing before I can collect, not the best start to ownership of my first new car, let alone the first EV!). And with COVID restrictions lifting I now have to drive into the office from next week, so the 205 will be pushed into daily service for a while. It will be interesting to see how it copes... hopefully OK, in fact I'm quite looking forward to using it regularly, even if my commute is pretty boring.
The 205 was pressed into daily service for a week, and coped well overall. I enjoyed driving it everyday, but it's not well suited to the commute - loud, rattly, not great at speed humps, no PAS and probably not particularly economical. Of course, I knew this already, and although it was fun for a week, I wouldn't want to do it long term... but fortunately the replacement daily has arrived now, so the 205 is tucked up in the garage again.
The one minor issue I did have was a squeak from the alternator that only used to happen occasionally, started happening every time I drove it. It wasn't the belt, it was coming from the alternator itself. Fortunately I managed to source a brand new Valeo unit for the princely sum of £70. Fitting was fairly simple - with no PAS pump or other ancillaries access is fairly good from above, you just need to remove the slam panel and one of the intake trumpets:
2022-03-10_10-03-24 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
So, the squeak as now gone, which is good. Unfortunately I noticed the crank pulley was looking a bit worse for wear - it has a rubber damper to absorb vibrations, which is perished and causing a bit of play. I'll get that replaced shortly, possibly with an aluminium version for extra weight-saving points!
Managed to find a decent little meet locally at the Winchester Auto Barn, some "exotic" car drivers didn't like driving through a little bit of mud to get onto the field, but no problems in the 205:
2022-03-16_11-28-56 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
A good selection of cars, and a decent bacon sandwich too. Hopefully I can get out there again at some point when the sun is shining!
The one minor issue I did have was a squeak from the alternator that only used to happen occasionally, started happening every time I drove it. It wasn't the belt, it was coming from the alternator itself. Fortunately I managed to source a brand new Valeo unit for the princely sum of £70. Fitting was fairly simple - with no PAS pump or other ancillaries access is fairly good from above, you just need to remove the slam panel and one of the intake trumpets:
2022-03-10_10-03-24 by CarlosV8, on FlickrSo, the squeak as now gone, which is good. Unfortunately I noticed the crank pulley was looking a bit worse for wear - it has a rubber damper to absorb vibrations, which is perished and causing a bit of play. I'll get that replaced shortly, possibly with an aluminium version for extra weight-saving points!
Managed to find a decent little meet locally at the Winchester Auto Barn, some "exotic" car drivers didn't like driving through a little bit of mud to get onto the field, but no problems in the 205:
2022-03-16_11-28-56 by CarlosV8, on FlickrA good selection of cars, and a decent bacon sandwich too. Hopefully I can get out there again at some point when the sun is shining!
The 205 continues to be a reliable old workhorse for me - after my brand new Corsa-E died on me in April the 205 stepped up to be my daily driver once again, and did a sterling job. Since then it hasn't been used much for various reasons, but decided to dig it out the garage this weekend. Before I took it anywhere I wanted to get the crank pulley sorted, as it turned out it was a bit worse than I thought:
20220710_202605_1 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Should be a video if you click it.... basically it has completely failed. I'm surprised the alternator was still managing to charge the battery. Now fixed with a Spoox aluminium replacement:
20220710_210353 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Which also gives a handy 1kg weight saving. Woooo!
With that sorted it got a wash and polish and off we went for the Simply French meet at Beaulieu:
20220717_122900 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
By chance we were parked next to a relatively rare Euro-spec 205 Rallye, which is a very cool car:
20220717_100323 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And the view from the monorail (my car is parked in the far corner):
20220717_103459 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Still quite early at this point, there were quite a few more cars by later morning, which resulted in a nice collection of French tat, from an SM to a base model mk1 Renault 5 and lots in between. It was also another good test of the coolant system - there was a nice big queue coming in, so spent 20 mins crawling along in the hot sun. The fan remained on the whole time, but after creeping up very slightly, both temp gauges then remained rock steady. There was a whiff of coolant and oil in the air, but I think that was just the standard smell of French cars in a traffic jam!
Next job is the annual oil change, at which point I may whip the sump off to clean it up to get rid of the manky, rusty look you can see in the photos above. Other than that it will be a case of enjoying it some more in the sunshine!
20220710_202605_1 by CarlosV8, on FlickrShould be a video if you click it.... basically it has completely failed. I'm surprised the alternator was still managing to charge the battery. Now fixed with a Spoox aluminium replacement:
20220710_210353 by CarlosV8, on FlickrWhich also gives a handy 1kg weight saving. Woooo!
With that sorted it got a wash and polish and off we went for the Simply French meet at Beaulieu:
20220717_122900 by CarlosV8, on FlickrBy chance we were parked next to a relatively rare Euro-spec 205 Rallye, which is a very cool car:
20220717_100323 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd the view from the monorail (my car is parked in the far corner):
20220717_103459 by CarlosV8, on FlickrStill quite early at this point, there were quite a few more cars by later morning, which resulted in a nice collection of French tat, from an SM to a base model mk1 Renault 5 and lots in between. It was also another good test of the coolant system - there was a nice big queue coming in, so spent 20 mins crawling along in the hot sun. The fan remained on the whole time, but after creeping up very slightly, both temp gauges then remained rock steady. There was a whiff of coolant and oil in the air, but I think that was just the standard smell of French cars in a traffic jam!
Next job is the annual oil change, at which point I may whip the sump off to clean it up to get rid of the manky, rusty look you can see in the photos above. Other than that it will be a case of enjoying it some more in the sunshine!
It was time for the annual oil change on the 205. In some ways this seems pointless as it does so few miles, but on the otherhand, for the sake of £25, why would I not do it in order to keep the old engine in the best health possible. So used my usual combination of Bosch oil filter and Shell Helix 10w40 semi synthetic oil - nothing special but the engine seems to like it!
I mentioned in the previous post that I was thinking about taking the sump off to clean it up. I actually bought the gasket to do it, but in the end decided not to disturb the current well-sealed gasket, and instead I'll give it a quick coat of POR15 in situ at some point. One other oil-related job I did attend to though was the oil pressure sensor. The oil pressure gauge didn't seem to be too accurate and I thought it might be a combination of firstly an old sensor (probably original to the engine), and secondly that the ZX 16v sensor is mis-matched to the 205 GTi gauge. So I acquired a new Intermotor GTi sender relatively cheaply (part no 53800), along with an adapter to fit it (M16 male to M10 female IIRC). Bit of a faff to get it out, but eventually I had a shiny new sensor:
2022-09-13_06-52-05 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The gauge now registers 6 bar on cold startup, 2 bar at warm idle and 4-6 bar when warm on the move. Lovely!
Not much else going on with the car, I've been trying to use it a bit more this summer, which has been thoroughly enjoyable. Here's a couple of shots from out and about around the Hampshire countryside:
2022-08-30_01-11-02 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
2022-09-04_03-26-20 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Thanks for reading!
I mentioned in the previous post that I was thinking about taking the sump off to clean it up. I actually bought the gasket to do it, but in the end decided not to disturb the current well-sealed gasket, and instead I'll give it a quick coat of POR15 in situ at some point. One other oil-related job I did attend to though was the oil pressure sensor. The oil pressure gauge didn't seem to be too accurate and I thought it might be a combination of firstly an old sensor (probably original to the engine), and secondly that the ZX 16v sensor is mis-matched to the 205 GTi gauge. So I acquired a new Intermotor GTi sender relatively cheaply (part no 53800), along with an adapter to fit it (M16 male to M10 female IIRC). Bit of a faff to get it out, but eventually I had a shiny new sensor:
2022-09-13_06-52-05 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe gauge now registers 6 bar on cold startup, 2 bar at warm idle and 4-6 bar when warm on the move. Lovely!
Not much else going on with the car, I've been trying to use it a bit more this summer, which has been thoroughly enjoyable. Here's a couple of shots from out and about around the Hampshire countryside:
2022-08-30_01-11-02 by CarlosV8, on Flickr2022-09-04_03-26-20 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThanks for reading!
The 205 continues to plod on without too much drama. I've managed to pile on a few more miles over the past few months, including a journey across country to a friends wedding. Couldn't miss the opportunity for a few photos at the reception venue the next morning:
20221009_094131 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20221009_134009 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Back at home with the daily driver:
20221007_134344 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I'm pretty happy with them as a pairing - the 205 for when you want a bit of excitement and noise, and the Corsa-E for when you want a more relaxing (and cheaper) journey. I would have liked the e-208, for an all-Peugeot lineup, but the deal on the Corsa was much better so decided to make do with a 208 in a cheaper frock!
Last weekend was probably the last car meet up of the year for me, at Thruxton for the Hendy Coffee Run. Only the second time the event has run (I missed the first in October), but it was quite a nice mix of cars. Everything from your typical Fiesta STs to a Morris Minor V8 to a Lotus Carlton (well, 2 actually!). And a lovely cross country drive to get there too.
2022-11-22_08-39-20 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Finally, to bring us completely up-to-date, yesterday was MOT day for the 205. It didn't start well, this was half a mile from the MOT station:
20221126_080545 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The left front indicator decided to stop working. Well I say "decided", turns out I hadn't connected it back up after adjusting the headlight last week. Ooooops. Luckily an easy fix! The MOT itself went well, with just a couple of minor advisories on the handbrake adjustment and slightly rusty brake lines. I'll get those sorted, along with a few other jobs over the winter.
Thanks for reading!
20221009_094131 by CarlosV8, on Flickr20221009_134009 by CarlosV8, on FlickrBack at home with the daily driver:
20221007_134344 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI'm pretty happy with them as a pairing - the 205 for when you want a bit of excitement and noise, and the Corsa-E for when you want a more relaxing (and cheaper) journey. I would have liked the e-208, for an all-Peugeot lineup, but the deal on the Corsa was much better so decided to make do with a 208 in a cheaper frock!
Last weekend was probably the last car meet up of the year for me, at Thruxton for the Hendy Coffee Run. Only the second time the event has run (I missed the first in October), but it was quite a nice mix of cars. Everything from your typical Fiesta STs to a Morris Minor V8 to a Lotus Carlton (well, 2 actually!). And a lovely cross country drive to get there too.
2022-11-22_08-39-20 by CarlosV8, on FlickrFinally, to bring us completely up-to-date, yesterday was MOT day for the 205. It didn't start well, this was half a mile from the MOT station:
20221126_080545 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe left front indicator decided to stop working. Well I say "decided", turns out I hadn't connected it back up after adjusting the headlight last week. Ooooops. Luckily an easy fix! The MOT itself went well, with just a couple of minor advisories on the handbrake adjustment and slightly rusty brake lines. I'll get those sorted, along with a few other jobs over the winter.
Thanks for reading!
A minor change in circumstances has meant the 205 has stepped up to regular daily driving duties - only once every week or 2, but it's coped admirably over the winter. This has made it a bit harder to get on with work, as I can't just leave it in an undriveable state in the garage for weeks at a time. Having said that, I've persevered and finished off a job I started ages ago - project sound dampening. I did the boot and under the back seat a long time ago, but it was finally time to do the main cabin. First up was to remove seats, trim and carpet:
20230205_110609 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
This meant full on race car mode (ish) for commuting:
20230205_201343 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
This got a few comments at work! I gradually got the floorpan cleaned up, a few minor rust spots touched up and then got the sound dampening down. I didn't think I would have enough to completely cover the floor so I was doing it in sections (the idea is to stop the metal resonating, so full coverage not essential), but turned it went a bit further than I expected:
2023-02-24_09-39-39 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
With that done, the original sound deadening and carpet went back in:
20230312_101555 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And finally the rest of the interior, all looking pretty clean for the first time in ages:
20230312_182445 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And the result? A very noticeable reduction in resonance, especially in the 3-4krpm range. It's still there, but is no longer vibrating through your ear drums at motorway speeds. Very happy with for for an investment of about £50, and especially useful for what was coming next....
So, last year I was bored one night and planned a road trip for the 205 - 10 hours of driving going from Southampton to Cheddar Gorge to the Brecon Beacons to the Elan Valley and then back to Southampton. I plotted some kick-ass roads and a few good looking photo opportunities from Google Maps, but unfortunately things got busy at work and it never happened. Fast forward to 2023 and I found myself with some free time so decided to go for it, albeit doing it over 2 days with a stopover in Cardiff. It was wet and windy but overall, pretty damn good fun. I'll let the photos do the talking:
20230328_121232 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20230328_121518 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20230329_114418 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20230329_132135 (1) by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20230329_131418 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
In total we did about 500 miles across the 2 days, and the car performed almost faultlessly. The only minor issues was the passenger speaker not working, and an occasional squeak from the alternator belt when it was really wet - both easy fixes now I'm back home. Overall it was a joy to drive, the high revving engine and short ratio box / LSD worked perfectly round the twisty back roads of Wales. And even after an 8 hour stint the seats still felt super comfy - not bad for a 30 year old tin can!
Up until the road trip I'd been having thoughts about selling the 205 and trying something different. But after a couple of excellent days driving it I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it just yet. I've still got a few jobs planned for this year, so I'll carry on tinkering and will see what happens!
20230205_110609 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThis meant full on race car mode (ish) for commuting:
20230205_201343 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThis got a few comments at work! I gradually got the floorpan cleaned up, a few minor rust spots touched up and then got the sound dampening down. I didn't think I would have enough to completely cover the floor so I was doing it in sections (the idea is to stop the metal resonating, so full coverage not essential), but turned it went a bit further than I expected:
2023-02-24_09-39-39 by CarlosV8, on FlickrWith that done, the original sound deadening and carpet went back in:
20230312_101555 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd finally the rest of the interior, all looking pretty clean for the first time in ages:
20230312_182445 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd the result? A very noticeable reduction in resonance, especially in the 3-4krpm range. It's still there, but is no longer vibrating through your ear drums at motorway speeds. Very happy with for for an investment of about £50, and especially useful for what was coming next....
So, last year I was bored one night and planned a road trip for the 205 - 10 hours of driving going from Southampton to Cheddar Gorge to the Brecon Beacons to the Elan Valley and then back to Southampton. I plotted some kick-ass roads and a few good looking photo opportunities from Google Maps, but unfortunately things got busy at work and it never happened. Fast forward to 2023 and I found myself with some free time so decided to go for it, albeit doing it over 2 days with a stopover in Cardiff. It was wet and windy but overall, pretty damn good fun. I'll let the photos do the talking:
20230328_121232 by CarlosV8, on Flickr20230328_121518 by CarlosV8, on Flickr20230329_114418 by CarlosV8, on Flickr20230329_132135 (1) by CarlosV8, on Flickr20230329_131418 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIn total we did about 500 miles across the 2 days, and the car performed almost faultlessly. The only minor issues was the passenger speaker not working, and an occasional squeak from the alternator belt when it was really wet - both easy fixes now I'm back home. Overall it was a joy to drive, the high revving engine and short ratio box / LSD worked perfectly round the twisty back roads of Wales. And even after an 8 hour stint the seats still felt super comfy - not bad for a 30 year old tin can!
Up until the road trip I'd been having thoughts about selling the 205 and trying something different. But after a couple of excellent days driving it I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it just yet. I've still got a few jobs planned for this year, so I'll carry on tinkering and will see what happens!
Thanks all for you kind words. The old girl certainly isn't mint, but scrubs up well. I'm OK with this, as it means I'm happy to use it all year round. I can't imagine seeing any of the £30k truly mint cars being driven through Wales in March in torrential rain 
I've got a couple of major jobs planned on the car later this year, so it won't be going anywhere for now
Definitely get a thread up on yours Mark, it looks great!
I've got a couple of major jobs planned on the car later this year, so it won't be going anywhere for now
Definitely get a thread up on yours Mark, it looks great!
John Larkin said:
Good afternoon
I have just spent a pleasant hour reading your epic post about life with your 205 GTi. It will surely be my online reference manual as I work through rejuvenating the tired 1992 Gentry auto I have recently acquired.
Way back in 2017 you posted about repairing the central locking system in the roof of your car, and mentioned "a friend who is well versed in electronics has set up a little business recoding these old French systems."
The unit in my car has suffered a fire in the past (apparently not unusual, helped by a leaking sun roof) and is well knackered.
I still have central locking using key in driver's door, but it would be good to get the original remote facility working again.
Hoping that your friend is still up for such repair, if you would kindly send me his contact (jlarkin@mail.com) I can hopefully send bits for repair.
Hope to hear.
Happy Xmas
John Larkin
Thanks for reading John! Unfortunately the leaking sunroof / aerial causing a fire is not unheard, as you say. Regarding the recoding, it's not something he does any more, but from what I gather it's not too hard - you need to make sure the soldered and cut legs match on the key and the receiver chips. So, hopefully it's just a case of finding a new receiver then cutting / soldering the legs as necessary.I have just spent a pleasant hour reading your epic post about life with your 205 GTi. It will surely be my online reference manual as I work through rejuvenating the tired 1992 Gentry auto I have recently acquired.
Way back in 2017 you posted about repairing the central locking system in the roof of your car, and mentioned "a friend who is well versed in electronics has set up a little business recoding these old French systems."
The unit in my car has suffered a fire in the past (apparently not unusual, helped by a leaking sun roof) and is well knackered.
I still have central locking using key in driver's door, but it would be good to get the original remote facility working again.
Hoping that your friend is still up for such repair, if you would kindly send me his contact (jlarkin@mail.com) I can hopefully send bits for repair.
Hope to hear.
Happy Xmas
John Larkin
As you may have seen, my previous 205 was a Gentry converted to manual GTi spec. That was a great car, but unfortunately it had to make way for this one. If you need any advice with yours give me a shout, I'm by no means an expert, but I've been tinkering with Peugeots / Citroens for many years!
Whilst I'm here, I may as well post an update on the 205. A few weeks ago it sailed through it's MOT, the only advisory being a corroded rear brake pipe. Slightly annoying as I spent ages checking, cleaning and repainting the front to rear pipe earlier in the year (it was solid, just showing some surface rust). Ah well!
Despite the 500 mile road trip back in March, I still only added a total of 1032 miles to the 205 in the last year. An embarrassingly small number, but at least most of the miles were done for pure enjoyment, no other reason. I mentioned back in another post that I had considered selling up and trying something else - partly because of the rising cost of keeping the car on the road - tax, insurance, fuel, servicing, spare parts etc all adds up for just 1k miles per year!
Fortunately I came to my senses and instead of selling the 205, I employed some pretty dodgy man maths and replaced my sensible daily EV with a modern(ish) hot hatch to complement the 205. The interest in this car started way back in 2014 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed:
IMG_7216 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And now, I finally own one (although not in the 'interesting' two-tone paint):
20231222_120939 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20231123_140243 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
20231123_140302 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
It's a 2015 208 GTi 30th i.e. celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the 205 GTi. The original release of the 208 GTi was considered OK, but somewhat lacking compared to its contemporaries and this model added a little extra spice, with more power/torque, lower, stiffer, wider, better brakes and an LSD, which resulted in a much more complete package. Apparently! For me, I loved the nods to the original 205 GTi - the red highlights inside and out, the rear quarter badges, the black wheel arches. And, of course it was finally a Peugeot GTi worthy of that badge,
But, it is still a 8 year old French car, so the first month of ownership has not been without it's problems. I've had a few of these:
20231127_075756 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And yesterday one of the low profile tyres lost an argument with a pothole:
20231222_104157 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Typically, it was one of the relatively new Continentals on the front rather than the budgets on the rear!
But overall, I love the car. I'll spend some time ironing out the kinks and doing some preventative maintenance, which will hopefully result in a reliable daily driver that I can also have a bit of fun in. And for the time being I'll keep 205 alongside it - the sensation of driving a much more analogue car is very different and therefore still something to look forward to, even if the performance of both cars is fairly similar.
Despite the 500 mile road trip back in March, I still only added a total of 1032 miles to the 205 in the last year. An embarrassingly small number, but at least most of the miles were done for pure enjoyment, no other reason. I mentioned back in another post that I had considered selling up and trying something else - partly because of the rising cost of keeping the car on the road - tax, insurance, fuel, servicing, spare parts etc all adds up for just 1k miles per year!
Fortunately I came to my senses and instead of selling the 205, I employed some pretty dodgy man maths and replaced my sensible daily EV with a modern(ish) hot hatch to complement the 205. The interest in this car started way back in 2014 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed:
IMG_7216 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd now, I finally own one (although not in the 'interesting' two-tone paint):
20231222_120939 by CarlosV8, on Flickr20231123_140243 by CarlosV8, on Flickr20231123_140302 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIt's a 2015 208 GTi 30th i.e. celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the 205 GTi. The original release of the 208 GTi was considered OK, but somewhat lacking compared to its contemporaries and this model added a little extra spice, with more power/torque, lower, stiffer, wider, better brakes and an LSD, which resulted in a much more complete package. Apparently! For me, I loved the nods to the original 205 GTi - the red highlights inside and out, the rear quarter badges, the black wheel arches. And, of course it was finally a Peugeot GTi worthy of that badge,
But, it is still a 8 year old French car, so the first month of ownership has not been without it's problems. I've had a few of these:
20231127_075756 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd yesterday one of the low profile tyres lost an argument with a pothole:
20231222_104157 by CarlosV8, on FlickrTypically, it was one of the relatively new Continentals on the front rather than the budgets on the rear!
But overall, I love the car. I'll spend some time ironing out the kinks and doing some preventative maintenance, which will hopefully result in a reliable daily driver that I can also have a bit of fun in. And for the time being I'll keep 205 alongside it - the sensation of driving a much more analogue car is very different and therefore still something to look forward to, even if the performance of both cars is fairly similar.
I have a few winter jobs to do on the 205, but I've been pretty slow in getting them done. I planned to take the 205 away last weekend, so thought I get an easy one ticked off - a gearbox oil change. I didn't bother jacking the car up, with the wheels at full left hand lock I thought I could just reach under to get the the drain plug - wrong! It was totally seized in place. After some swearing it eventually came out a bit battered, but fortunately I had a replacement on a spare gearbox:
20240115_223653 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
So with that done we had a family trip away in the 205. The only reason for taking this over the 208/Corsa was that we managed to squeeze in breakfast at Caffeine and Machine, which is always a pleasure:
20240121_095217 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The 205 was the oldest car there, I guess everyone else's 'classics' are safely tucked up in the garage. Back at home I gave the underside a pressure wash to get rid of the muck and salt, which gave me an opportunity to grab a photos of the 2 Pugs:
20240122_135201 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I'm still enjoying the 208, although the experience has been slightly tinged by a recurring EML light when giving it some beans. I started doing some preventative maintenance this week and have hopefully discovered the problem... this was the intake to the turbo:
20240122_100713 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The garage I bought it from had replaced this rubber seal, but clearly had not refitted it properly which is annoying. In the end I replaced the whole intake pipe with a silicone version to avoid any future problems. So far the EML has not come back despite some trips to the red line at full throttle, and the car appears to be much more eager in 1st and 2nd gear. Result! Still to do is an oil change (engine and gearbox), new plugs and new ignition coils - all preventative so no rush for now, but plenty of tinkering to do with the 205/208 combo!
20240115_223653 by CarlosV8, on FlickrSo with that done we had a family trip away in the 205. The only reason for taking this over the 208/Corsa was that we managed to squeeze in breakfast at Caffeine and Machine, which is always a pleasure:
20240121_095217 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe 205 was the oldest car there, I guess everyone else's 'classics' are safely tucked up in the garage. Back at home I gave the underside a pressure wash to get rid of the muck and salt, which gave me an opportunity to grab a photos of the 2 Pugs:
20240122_135201 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI'm still enjoying the 208, although the experience has been slightly tinged by a recurring EML light when giving it some beans. I started doing some preventative maintenance this week and have hopefully discovered the problem... this was the intake to the turbo:
20240122_100713 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe garage I bought it from had replaced this rubber seal, but clearly had not refitted it properly which is annoying. In the end I replaced the whole intake pipe with a silicone version to avoid any future problems. So far the EML has not come back despite some trips to the red line at full throttle, and the car appears to be much more eager in 1st and 2nd gear. Result! Still to do is an oil change (engine and gearbox), new plugs and new ignition coils - all preventative so no rush for now, but plenty of tinkering to do with the 205/208 combo!
As Mr Zephyr Speedshop mentioned, the new Caffeine and Machine opened recently about 30 mins from me. I had a ticket for 9am on the opening day, so the 205 was washed, the family were dragged out of bed and this was us at 9.30:
20240317_100627 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
A gradually worsening mis-fire eventually stranded us a few miles away. It's the first time the 205 has let me down when out and about (I think!) and now marks the 3rd time I've called the RAC in the last year, albeit for 3 different cars. Not a great statistic!
After sulking for a few weeks I thought I better get the 205 sorted. First stop was to pull the spark plugs:
20240406_165405 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Cylinder 1 plug looking a bit sooty there! I've had a long standing concern over the injector wiring on this cylinder as it had a bit too much insulating tape for my liking (admittedly I may have added some of this!), but up until this point I had taken the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" stance. Having removed the tape it was most definitely broke:
20240425_111112 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I'm not overly confident when it comes to wiring - I'm happy to fit a stereo, but I've always tried to avoid working on the more important looms, so I decided to try and call an expert in. Contacted a local auto-electrician with good reviews and his exact words were "sorry thats out of my league". FFS. This put my back up, so decided to have a go myself - what's the worst that could happen?! I don't have a proper criming tool, so instead bought a pre-wired plug off Ebay for a few quid. Practiced on a few old bits of wire, and then attacked the 205 injector loom and managed to splice it in:
20240425_114649 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
It's not super neat, the wires are the wrong colour, and the plug is a different to design to the others, but it does the job. And it it looks acceptable once everything was back in place. For peace of mind the spark plugs, leads and ignition coil were also swapped out for new items. The test drive revealed that all was well again, and if anything it was running slightly smoother, but that might have been a placebo.
Still haven't made it to C&M, but I did get out to the breakfast club at Goodwood at the weekend. The 205 performed faultlessly, and was a joy to drive there and back. I was allocated a parking spot with some other hot hatches - was great to see some other 205s there, including a proper LHD Rallye, along with a few other 90s throwbacks. I was parked with a more modern Fiesta ST on one side and an Alfa Brera on the other - but the variety is part of the appeal with these events!
20240505_072432 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
In other French hot-hatch news I decided to bite the bullet on a suspension refresh for the 208. They have a habit of eating through front suspension components and mine all looked original and a bit tired. So this little lot was acquired, and to save time, I got my local garage to fit it all:
20240419_152657 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The difference is astonishing. Everything is so smooth now, no more knocks and bangs from the front end and the car feels more eager to turn in. Very pleased with that. Next thing to address is a clicking CV joint, then some service items.
20240317_100627 by CarlosV8, on FlickrA gradually worsening mis-fire eventually stranded us a few miles away. It's the first time the 205 has let me down when out and about (I think!) and now marks the 3rd time I've called the RAC in the last year, albeit for 3 different cars. Not a great statistic!
After sulking for a few weeks I thought I better get the 205 sorted. First stop was to pull the spark plugs:
20240406_165405 by CarlosV8, on FlickrCylinder 1 plug looking a bit sooty there! I've had a long standing concern over the injector wiring on this cylinder as it had a bit too much insulating tape for my liking (admittedly I may have added some of this!), but up until this point I had taken the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" stance. Having removed the tape it was most definitely broke:
20240425_111112 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI'm not overly confident when it comes to wiring - I'm happy to fit a stereo, but I've always tried to avoid working on the more important looms, so I decided to try and call an expert in. Contacted a local auto-electrician with good reviews and his exact words were "sorry thats out of my league". FFS. This put my back up, so decided to have a go myself - what's the worst that could happen?! I don't have a proper criming tool, so instead bought a pre-wired plug off Ebay for a few quid. Practiced on a few old bits of wire, and then attacked the 205 injector loom and managed to splice it in:
20240425_114649 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIt's not super neat, the wires are the wrong colour, and the plug is a different to design to the others, but it does the job. And it it looks acceptable once everything was back in place. For peace of mind the spark plugs, leads and ignition coil were also swapped out for new items. The test drive revealed that all was well again, and if anything it was running slightly smoother, but that might have been a placebo.
Still haven't made it to C&M, but I did get out to the breakfast club at Goodwood at the weekend. The 205 performed faultlessly, and was a joy to drive there and back. I was allocated a parking spot with some other hot hatches - was great to see some other 205s there, including a proper LHD Rallye, along with a few other 90s throwbacks. I was parked with a more modern Fiesta ST on one side and an Alfa Brera on the other - but the variety is part of the appeal with these events!
20240505_072432 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIn other French hot-hatch news I decided to bite the bullet on a suspension refresh for the 208. They have a habit of eating through front suspension components and mine all looked original and a bit tired. So this little lot was acquired, and to save time, I got my local garage to fit it all:
20240419_152657 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe difference is astonishing. Everything is so smooth now, no more knocks and bangs from the front end and the car feels more eager to turn in. Very pleased with that. Next thing to address is a clicking CV joint, then some service items.
I arrived quite early and there were no other 205s at that point - fairly normal these days. Was great to see 3 others when I came back, but unfortunately missed the owners. Which one was yours? I think we have crossed paths at Goodwood before... I always try and get the 205 in for the appropriate BC themes!
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