“ You’ll never get good parts for it” – Peugeot Parts update

A while ago I comented on the parts shortage, or at least the perceived parts shortage for European vehicles in Australia. Now it would appear the shoe is firmly on the other foot. In September I became the proud owner of one of Peugeots smaller offerings for the equivalent of a measly $1,100 AUD equivalent. On face value, it was a bargain – 1 year registration and tax, recently serviced, well presented, and low mileage. Unfortunately I realized it was cheap due to a nasty underlying problem – a head gasket failure.  For those who are not into cars, these are caused by either running the engine too hot, or running out of water, but I can firmly add another to the usual list in the UK: Cheap parts.

I bought the car with a freshly done head gasket with a machined head, complete with new thermostat, radiator cap, and the works. Usually enough to secure the nasty job of changing the gasket done and dusted for the foreseeable future.  A few weeks into ownership I experienced the first overheating due to a dud thermostat. Whether or not this was the cause of what was to come who knows. After replacing the thermostat and radiator cap ( and discovering  much to my delight that they were the worth equivalent of about 2 seconds of a Peugeot mechanics time in Australia) along with 10 L of water in a few weeks, became obvious that the head gasket was gone. Big bucks in Oz. Thankfully this sort of thing is part and parcel for a UK mechanic and was taken care of backyard style in a day with just over a hundred bucks worth of bits. Yep some were even the real deal.

So whats the point of all this? Sure European car parts prices are overinflated in Australia, but clearly the opposite problem is being faced in the UK, whereby cheap and nasty parts are readily available. There use is made even more attractive by the fact that cars are worth next to nothing after 10 years and the price of proper repair becomes significant in comparison. Sure the UK is far more competitive when it comes to business, as it still has a pseudo class structure, low minimum wage, and a far bigger market with enhanced buying power. But these very things that conspire to a varied and competitive market are also those that bring about the market for a cheaper option, of which my 106 had fallen victim.

I do wonder if there a country where one can have a Peugeot, and have it repaired reliably at a reasonable price? Think I’d better look at France, but then again, that brings a whole new problem when you considers the effects of the ever present touch-parking there!