Review
As reported in my last long-term test report, there was a fault with the passenger door which meant it could be opened even when supposedly locked.
It was duly dropped off at the dealer, Hindmarch in Stamford. On asking for a courtesy car, we were told one was available, but in the end we didn’t need it.
The 407 spent two days in the garage before the problem was fixed, but we’d only had it back a couple of days when a new hiccup arose. The on-board computer flashed that there was a problem with the ‘depollution system’, so the car was again booked into the garage.
At the time of writing, more than a week-and-a-half after it was booked in and inspected, the dealer is still waiting for the part to come in.
If we were a genuine fleet, that sort of time off the road would normally be unacceptable, but thankfully the dealer has told us we can still drive the car without causing further problems and they’ll call when the part comes in.
Despite this, any problem with a car can make the driver nervous and I wouldn’t want to trust it on a long journey regardless of any official reassurances.
These two experiences – and particularly the long wait for the replacement part to the depollution system – have marred what had previously been a trouble-free experience with the car.
All those who have driven it here like its styling and smooth ride, particularly at higher speeds and one tester praised its boot space which served him well on a holiday to Scotland.
I too was impressed with the boot space offered recently when it swallowed my daughter’s bicycle with relative ease, which meant she could use it on a day out. We’ll keep you posted of developments involving the current fault in a future long-term report.
Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi SE
Price (OTR): £17,450
Mileage: 8,223
CO2 emissions (g/km): 155
Company car tax bill (2004/5) 22% tax-payer: £54 per month
Insurance group: 10
Combined mpg: 47.8
Test mpg: 37.9
CAP Monitor residual value: £4,850/28%
HSBC contract hire rate: £378 per month
Expenditure to date: Nil
