Peugeot Boxer 2.2ltr HDi

[beth collins]

As you may know we have been waiting the arrival of a BSI Unit for our new Boxer based m/h. Is there anyone out there, please, with technical knowledge who could possibly explain to me why the garage who received the part on Saturday a.m. and started work then, are now telling me at the end of a further 8 hourday that they require another at least 8 hour day for the completion of the fitting of this part?

 

I am totally gobsmacked that at the beginning of week 7 after much haranging by myself and Barrons the supplying dealers of the vehicle, that the repairing garage who have not really tried to progress getting this part from Peugeot/Fiat are now saying that it takes two and a half days to fit.

 

I would be so glad if someone can explain this to me - or maybe they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes because they have blown the part up again?

 

I do hope that someone can help because I am at my wits end but if push comes to shove tomorrow I will reluctantly have to go down the road of not fit for purpose and all the horrors that could entailed.

[johnsandywhite]

B-) Two words - RIP OFF. 8-)

[Brian Kirby]

The part is presumably being replaced under warranty?  It has been acknowledged there is a widespread general fault in this part, which has affected availability of replacements, but the repair is being made.  The speed at which this is done can only be explained by the garage making the repair, or Peugeot.

Your vehicle is a motorhome, some Boxers are their owner's means to their earnings.  Maybe the garage has had several to fix, and has prioritised those owned by people who rely upon them for income.  Maybe the garage has to await a CD from Peugeot to correctly programme the unit.  One could speculate endlessly, but the garage will know.

Why not ask the service manager if he can please explain the problem in layman's terms, so that you can understand the delay?  You'll probably find there is a logical explanation, even if it is not one you really want to hear!

However, why are you at your wits ends?  Fault has been found and is being fixed during the warranty period at no cost to you.  An improved (we hope) version is to be fitted to replace the failure prone version originally fitted.  That is all, reasonably, you can expect.  What more, apart from the fault not to have ocurred in the first place, do you really want?

However, in terms of rejecting the whole van as not fit for purpose, I really don't think you have a cat's chance in hell!  You have to allow the seller "reasonable" time to make repairs.  Reasonable, will be judged in relationship to the complexity of the repair and not, regrettably, on how long you would like the repair to take.  In this case the repair is to replace the computer that controls how the vehicle responds when you tell it what you want it to do.  Technically, that is quite complex, and I think you may be expecting too much in terms of what can be achieved in a day.

Clearly it is frustrating for you, but haranging the garage will more probably result in resistance than co-operation.  After all, the defect is not the fault of the garage, they neither sold, nor made, the van.  All they'll get from it is whatever Peugeot decide to pay them under the terms of the Peugeot warranty (generally held to be less than the repair actually costs them).  So remember, strokes - not kicks!  That may not be how it should be, but it is human nature!

Give them the time they need to make the repair thoroughly and carefully, without exerting unreasonable pressure on them.  The last thing you want, ultimately, is a rushed job, half done, in a bad temper, that lets you down again as soon as you get away in it - probably on a wet night miles from anywhere!

[beth collins]

Brian thanks ever so for your reply. I have done my very best to remain tolerant but at the time it was driven to the repairers I had only had it 5 weeks so I am sure you can understand my frustration!! I still cannot understand no matter how complex that it should take 2 and a half working days for this part to be fitted/programmed but as you and my husband would say ' impatient'!!! Unfortunately we had the misfortune to have taken our vehicle to a 'car' dealership who having been asked if they were able to deal with a large motorhome, said yes. They only so we now know deal with car repairs and ours was the only Boxer on the grid! The theory therefore that there could have been others in their line awaiting this part is a 'no no'.

 

The part would still not have arrived at the repairers if I and Barrons Group Customer Relations Manager had not pushed and shoved Peugeot/Fiat to get the part. It would still be in the warehouse at Coventry (having arrived there last Wednesday) if Peugeot UK hadn't been prompted and asked where it was?

 

Be that as it may this experience has left a very bad taste. As for the Service Manager at the garage - enough said! He couldn't even - no I had better not go down that road or else I will blow a gasket. As far as their Customer Service goes all we need is to be told is when the vehicle is ready for collection, despite the fact that it had hung around there for 7 weeks and that the world and his wife have been running rings!!.

 

Still I suppose this is par for the course with the motorhome industry and I should not expect more!!! If I had performed my profession in this way I would have been out on my ear!

 

Still enough said - what more can I expect!!!! I paid my money and no one could care less after they have got the dosh!!!

[davenewellhome]

Brian is right Beth, you won't stand a chance of rejecting the 'van as not fit for purpose. It shouldn't take two days to replace the BSI unit though as it's usually a little black box with half a dozen wiring plugs plugged into it, the van might well then need to be plugged into the computer to set it all up. Interestingly I was talking to a chap from Peugeot at the weekend and he hadn't heard of a fault in the BSI unit (he knew of plenty of others though 8-) ).

 

 

In edit, sorry Beth our posts crossed. You are slating the motorhome industry for a very poor performance by a car garage though, do you think that's fair? Why didn't you take it to a commercial Peugeot dealership?

 

 

D.

[beth collins]

Thanks Dave but we didn't know any better at the time. We phoned before we went to the repairers to ask were they able to deal with a motorhome etc. to which they said 'yes'. We now know to our cost that they only deal mainly with cars!!!! I really didn't mean I was slating the motorhome industry for this garage's inept dealing with things but was bemoaning all the faults that the customer has on purchasing a new vehicle. Maybe I have expressed that badly but we were newbies having come back to motorhoming after tugging so were out of touch with things. As for having a Peugeot before this is the first one we have ever owned so we were naive!! Previously we had Fiats. Yes I know they are from the same source but we were fortunate to have had hardly any problems. Still we have learned a very hard and unpleasant lesson and will never go down this road again. I have no confidence whatsoever in the vehicle and will not encounter any joy in using it in the future for it will always in my mind be ready to break down!!

 

p.s. Some happy retirement eh! A bitter pill to take as a 25th wedding anniversary present.

[Brian Kirby]

Calm down Beth; it's only a motorhome!

There is no need to lose confidence in an entire motorhome because of one fault, however irritating it may be, on the base vehicle.

Once it is fixed it will be fine.  Remember, it is one of the first production run of a new vehicle, so it has suffered annoying teething problems. 

It's a shame it's rained on your parade, but you're descending far too deep into the slough of despond: honest!  Cheer up.  Wait until the sun comes back out and you can get away in it.  Then you'll know why you bought it. :-)

[beth collins]

Yes I have dropped into the deepest trough, and although as from today it is standing on my drive, having opened the bonnet, guess what? we have the water ingress problem as well!!! Oh happy days! It don't rain but it pours! I will do my best to keep my chin up and maybe I might feel so enamoured to want to go away in the ------ I don't know what to call it without swearing.

[Basil]

Although no consolation to you, our neighbours new Ford Transit suddenly started running rough on the way home last weekend. After getting home it would not start back up at all, it was taken to the main dealers on a recovery vehicle yesterday and he has just had a phone call telling him that the main ECU has failed (unknown cause) and there are none available, currently, in the country. It is now on what they call VOR Priority but don't expect anything for at least seven days.

It just goes to show that it doesn't matter what make of base vehicle you have, as things become more complicated then if they go wrong they can go wrong in a big way.

 

Bas

[Dave Newell]

It is true that modern ECUs can break down and when they do its usually terminal but when you think about it they are actually incredibly reliable, especially given the inhospitable environment most engine ECUs live in i.e. under the bonnet where they are subjected to extremes of heat, cold, vibration and damp conditions. Having looked at a new Ducato/Boxer and the water ingress into the engine bay situation I'd simply tape the offending plastic panel down to the bottom of the windscreen as a temporary cure until it can be fixed properly under warranty. Now stop worrying and start using your new 'van.

 

D.

[ADRAD]

Re your water ingress, I have a new Boxer 2.2 with rust around the injectors and to the engine mountings on driver side, I read all the emails on various sites booked it in to the Peugeot dealer in Manchester for inspection. Not a problem it won't hurt it I was told what can I do? they do not accept it as a problem.

[Dave Newell]

It is a problem and they do know about it. A remedy cannot be created overnight as new parts need to be designed, tooling made and the first off the line will almost certainly go intro the new production build. Go back to your dealer and tell them it is a known issue and they should contact Peugeot/Fiat/Citroen to seek advice on remedial action.

 

D.

[Champstar]

Do these problems mean there is little point in buying a new van on these base vehicles until the probs are sorted out?

[Dave Newell]

No Champstar I don't believe it means that at all. There are likely to be teething troubles of one sort or another with most brands and certainly the most serious ones should all get taken care of during the warranty period.

 

D.

[Old Git]

Has anyone noticed the tiny little drain holes under the wiper shafts?

 

Probably not, as they are only about 2mm in diameter. The one on the driver's side can't be seen unless the wipers are stopped in an upright position, and even then it takes some finding in the dirt.

 

The driver's side one is guaranteed to block up at frequent intervals, leaving the wiper shaft almost completely under water.

 

Don't they have dirt and leaves in Italy?

[DonW]

All these new fangled things may work more efficiently but there is far more to go wrong. Its not just Motorhomes all sorts of things. Ideally you need a dealer that can service both the base vehicle and the habitation side. Avoids problems where they interconnect such as the electrics. If you bought from a motorhome dealer did they advise who could service the base vehicle?

If you are in the West Country Chelston are probably the biggest service aand repair dealers. You could ask them how long it should take hinting that you will be looking for a could dealer to service the MH.

Don

[davenewellhome]

There might well be more bits to go wrong but they are, in general, far more reliable than ever before. The real downside is that if it does break down it is no longer possible for the DIY mechanic to fix it at the roadside.

 

D.

 

 

[Old Git]

Got it in a nutshell Dave. A hole-in-one!!

 

That's what concerns old gits like me who tend to live in the past - being utterly powerless if one of these fancy gadgets goes wrong.

 

I'm not showing off here, but I have built three cars, can do woodwork to furniture-making standard, and am still marginally involved in building websites for a local education authority. I am very lucky in having such a range of practical skills, but I wouldn't have a clue what to do if the touch-sensitive main control panel gave up the ghost. With the "old fashioned" Zig switch panel (or similar) if one of the switches fails you simply pull it apart and wind the wires together until you get home.

 

Again without wishing to appear conceited, if "useful" bods like me are powerless to fix even a small problem, what chance have those who are not at all practical!

 

On the bright side, you are of course quite right about the reliability. Anyone else remember motoring holidays to Italy in an elderly mini about 40 years ago? An ordinary mini was no good - it had to be a van or estate so there was room to carry all the tools and spare parts!

[Dave Newell]

"Again without wishing to appear conceited, if "useful" bods like me are powerless to fix even a small problem, what chance have those who are not at all practical!"

 

Well they do exactly what they would do with the older technology, call in an eggspurt. ;-)

 

D.

[Old Git]

Point taken Dave, but I used to be able to masquerade as one of them there eggspurts. If anything goes wrong these days it hammers the miniscule pension, whereas before I could probably have fixed it for next to nothing.

 

Ah - halcyon days!!

[David B]

Am I likely to encounter this problem with the BSI unit on my 2005 Peugeot Boxer 2.2HDI engine, or is it just a problem with the new chassis fitted with a 2.2HDI?

[davenewellhome]

Hi David B no you won't suffer this BSI problem with your 'van as it doesn't have one. Speaking to a chap last weekend who works for Peugeot and he's never heard of the BSI failure so it might just be a one off.

 

D.