Who’s buying all the used 1.2 puretech engine cars?
Discussion
Was dropping of at Peugeot dealers, mechanic tells me they currently had 7 that’s right SEVEN 1.2 puretechs all needing new engines for one of 2 reasons
- drinking oil due to piston wear
- cam belt snapped
All over 3 years old and out of warranty although one was covered by the used warranty.
Which made me think, the 1.2 puretech is widely used, it was only 2023 models where you could guarantee it has a chain instead of the belt (some models changed over to the chain version of the engine in 2022 but there where still 22 and 72 plates in the UK with the belt set up); who is buying all these vehicles with a known engine failure design?
Especially buying them out of manufacture warranty?
Lovely drive the puretech, it’s a shame like the Ford eco boost it’s made of cheese
- drinking oil due to piston wear
- cam belt snapped
All over 3 years old and out of warranty although one was covered by the used warranty.
Which made me think, the 1.2 puretech is widely used, it was only 2023 models where you could guarantee it has a chain instead of the belt (some models changed over to the chain version of the engine in 2022 but there where still 22 and 72 plates in the UK with the belt set up); who is buying all these vehicles with a known engine failure design?
Especially buying them out of manufacture warranty?
Lovely drive the puretech, it’s a shame like the Ford eco boost it’s made of cheese
Most manufacturers have "known issues" with engines... but not everybody knows or cares. Googling issues on a car is a bit like Googling your health symptoms, you end up down and rabbit hole convinced of the worst. Not every 1.2 Puretech will fail so people probably tend to just get on with it and deal with it if it happens. Can't live live nor base car purchases on a worst case scenario or nobody would buy any cars.
I have friends who are either oblivious or simply don't care and there are times when I wish I could be a bit more like that. I think knowing or being around people who do know can be very good, but can also be quite restrictive as there's always somebody out there ready to tell you X, Y or Z will likely go wrong and you really shouldn't buy X, Y or Z either.
My friend, not a single care... he recently bought an older Audi and I went "Oh, are they not bad for X, Y or Z" and he said "And? If it breaks, I'll fix it" and he likes the car, it's what he wanted and so he bought it with minimal regard for what ifs. He very bluntly pointed out that women are prone to breast cancer but that didn't put him off marrying his wife 20 years ago.
The man has a point!
My friend, not a single care... he recently bought an older Audi and I went "Oh, are they not bad for X, Y or Z" and he said "And? If it breaks, I'll fix it" and he likes the car, it's what he wanted and so he bought it with minimal regard for what ifs. He very bluntly pointed out that women are prone to breast cancer but that didn't put him off marrying his wife 20 years ago.
The man has a point!
Regular punters have no idea about what a good/bad engine is.
My mate bought a car that has known issues (1.5 PSA diesel) and it promptly shat itself on the A1, needs a whole new engine and the warranty company, dealer and manufacturer want nothing to do with it.
He does 40k PA so you'd think he would have done some research or speak to mates who know...
My mate bought a car that has known issues (1.5 PSA diesel) and it promptly shat itself on the A1, needs a whole new engine and the warranty company, dealer and manufacturer want nothing to do with it.
He does 40k PA so you'd think he would have done some research or speak to mates who know...
I have one (well wife does) 1.2 peugeot 308 (2014) and to be honest it’s been a great little car. bought it 5yrs ago, and didn’t know there was a ‘known issue’ with the wet timing belt.
this summer, car started stuttering, threw and engine warning light. turns out it was the timing belt disintegrating and blocked the oil pick up pipe. took it to a local garage, who stripped it down, cleaned it out, new timing belt, plus service for £650. back on the road and all good.
with hindsight would’ve got the belt done at 55k, was a bit of a stressful week when it went wrong, but not the end of the world
this summer, car started stuttering, threw and engine warning light. turns out it was the timing belt disintegrating and blocked the oil pick up pipe. took it to a local garage, who stripped it down, cleaned it out, new timing belt, plus service for £650. back on the road and all good.
with hindsight would’ve got the belt done at 55k, was a bit of a stressful week when it went wrong, but not the end of the world
I think you have to remember that the internet is full of horror stories. No one posts up "my car didn't blow up today". 
How many 1.2 Puretech engines within a reasonable radius of that dealership are merrily running around having not expired?
I have owned two RX8s with the infamously fragile wankel engine, a Porsche Boxster with the dreaded IMS and RMS problems, and my girlfriend currently drives around propelled by an Ingenium diesel engine. All were relative bargains because of their reputations. If the internet is to be believed, the combined force of their failures should have ripped open a fresh black hole over my driveway! Full disclosure ... I got burned on the RX8s. Everything else has been perfectly reliable. You win some, you lose some.
Maybe I'm just a glass-half-full guy, but when people get worked up about a 10% failure rate, my brain immediately goes "so a 9 in 10 chance of getting a good car at a bargain price".
Most people are ignorant of these reputations. Some people who aren't ignorant chose to take an informed risk. The few who are both informed and risk adverse avoid them. So to answer your question, it's either people ignorant of their reputation, or those who are aware and willing to take an informed risk.
How many 1.2 Puretech engines within a reasonable radius of that dealership are merrily running around having not expired?
I have owned two RX8s with the infamously fragile wankel engine, a Porsche Boxster with the dreaded IMS and RMS problems, and my girlfriend currently drives around propelled by an Ingenium diesel engine. All were relative bargains because of their reputations. If the internet is to be believed, the combined force of their failures should have ripped open a fresh black hole over my driveway!
Full disclosure ... I got burned on the RX8s. Everything else has been perfectly reliable. You win some, you lose some.Maybe I'm just a glass-half-full guy, but when people get worked up about a 10% failure rate, my brain immediately goes "so a 9 in 10 chance of getting a good car at a bargain price".
Most people are ignorant of these reputations. Some people who aren't ignorant chose to take an informed risk. The few who are both informed and risk adverse avoid them. So to answer your question, it's either people ignorant of their reputation, or those who are aware and willing to take an informed risk.
The wet belt is a stupid idea but it's easy to prevent failure by servicing regularly and using the correct oil.
The problem is that the engine is fitted to run-of-the-mill cars bought by those whose idea of servicing a car only extends as far as replacing a set of tyres or brake pads to get it through an MOT.
Mine's on 154k and runs like a dream.
The problem is that the engine is fitted to run-of-the-mill cars bought by those whose idea of servicing a car only extends as far as replacing a set of tyres or brake pads to get it through an MOT.
Mine's on 154k and runs like a dream.
Davie said:
Most manufacturers have "known issues" with engines... but not everybody knows or cares. Googling issues on a car is a bit like Googling your health symptoms, you end up down and rabbit hole convinced of the worst.
That's a good analogy. As my current car was by some distance the most expensive I've bought I took it upon myself to do a fair bit of research. According to the internet, amongst other things I'd chew through tyres every 12,000 miles (so roughly every 8/9 months), would struggle to get above 35mpg, would be buying locking mechanisms and window regulators every other week, any suspension components would cost a fortune, any spares at all would cost a fortune, it would drink almost as much oil as it did diesel, the handling would see me slewing off into ditches on a regular basis and the gearbox would s
t itself soon after 100k miles. The reason I bought it anyway was that every other car I considered was apparently no better in the round. As it turns out none of that has happened so I can only conclude that A) you really do get a doom-laden view of the world from the internet, and B) a lot of such info comes from people that are stupid and can't drive for toffee. So the next time I spend even more on a car I doubt I'll bother doing any such research, I'll just get the one I like. Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff