Hi fellow Peugeotlists,
I'm afraid the time has come for me to part with my faithful Pug. I
took it into the former Peugeot service garage in Rochester for a
pre-inspection inspection, and the news wasn't good. They told me I
need to replace the steering rack and the proportioning valve for the
rear brakes. If the rear rotors don't clean up with a new valve
allowing brake fluid to get to the rears, they may need replacing,
too. I haven't pulled my records yet, but I believe both rear rotors
were replaced last year at inspection time. It also needs two new
tires, which I knew. The final straw was when they told me my a/c
wasn't cold because the bolts that hold the condenser in place had
put holes in the aluminum tubing, a common problem according to them.
I talked to Brian Holm about the steering rack, and he asked if I was
sure it was the rack, and not just the inner tie rod ends. All I know
is what the garage here told me. But the owner of the garage is in
retirement mode. He was the Peugeot dealer in Rochester until Peugeot
pulled out. He then bought the garage where he is now and was one of
the last authorized Peugeot service garages. The factory trained
mechanic left the garage a couple of years ago and bought a
restaurant. The mechanic who's going to buy the shop hates Peugeots.
(He thinks the Jetta is the best thing going.) A few months ago, I
took my car in to have the belts replaced, and learned that the week
before they had filled up a dumpster with Peugeot parts that they had
on the second floor of the garage. They were all gone, except for a
shift rod for the V6 that he had put aside for me. Early in the
Spring, I found out that he had sent an 87 stx to the crusher that
had been hit in the left rear by someone who ran a stop sign. It had
been there for a year and I had told him I wanted the interior. The
leather was like new, including the driver's seat!
So tomorrow evening I'll be taking the plates off and parking it in
my garage, and on Friday the plates will go on a 2004 Impreza WRX
that I am buying. Forty-four years of owning nothing but European
vehicles (save a 1959 Twin Coach that I had for a number of years -
but that beast did have a Leyland engine) and 20 years of Peugeots
will come to a screeching halt. Actually, the screeching will be all
four of the WRX tires as I take off. The only string that will be
intact is never an automatic.
I'll be hanging on to my sti briefly as I try to track down another
one that I had heard about. If that doesn't pan out, I would like to
find a buyer for the whole car who can fix or replace the pieces that
need it. With new tires and a new registration that allows it to be
driven temporarily without an inspection sticker, this car could be
driven anywhere. If I can't find a buyer, I will strip all the parts
that come off or out easily to sell them, then send the rest to the
crusher. It has to be gone before the snow flies, so I can put my car
in the garage.
If anyone is interested, I can post the details - what's good and
what's not - and I can put some pictures in the group photo section.
A couple of the good points: strong engine, never needs oil between
changes; (I can accelerate from 65 in 5th gear on the rte. 13 hill
heading north out of Ithaca, NY, where trucks and buses are
struggling with their flashers on) sunroof opens and closes as it
should; original Alpine radio including head cleaning kit; almost no
rust - 1999 was its first taste of salt, and there really isn't a
whole lot of snow in Columbus Ohio, then three winters in Rochester.
The only visible rust is a little around the license plate lights,
put no holes.
At any rate, I'll be on the list for a while, and if I see a question
I can answer, I will.
Thanks,
Steve
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Received on Wed Jul 26 16:36:11 2006
