Hi all,
I'm de-lurking to ask a question as I'm kind of in a sticky pickle and have a feeling its going to get worse...
The story begins with me buying a new (s/h) pug 306XS a few months ago. 70k on the clock and very tidy. The first thing I do is take it to my local Peugeot express guys to get a full service performed and in the book. This it gets through with no worries. Great. Then a month later she starts leaking gearbox oil big time. I take it in to be looked at and the garage reckons the driveshaft seals are wasted and need replacing, so I get them to do this. I'm slightly concerned on paying that the invoice shows no charge for gearbox oil but the assure me that this is a mistake and it has been filled.
Now, a few weeks later I hear a clonking noise from the left driveshaft. It sounds like a CV joint going so I pop in and ask them if that's the case and if its safe to drive as I cant afford to get it fixed on the spot. They reckon it'll just be noisy but safe, so I leave it for a while - but don't bother to do an inspection or test drive.
This weekend I do a 250 mile run fully loaded and on the way home, the gearbox starts whining whenever the clutch is up. Later in the journey it becomes difficult to change gear (feels like the gating is broken) and even the synchromesh feels dodgy with a few screeches. There's also a weird smell that's kind of like butane? I take it immediately to the same garage the next day. After a test drive around they tell me they reckon I need a new 'box as the input bearing is gone. I'm not very happy...
Later that day I take it to a second local garage to get a quote for the same job. After a drive and a ramp inspection they tell me that it looks like the driveshaft wasn't replaced correctly by the garage and the gearbox oil is almost out and maybe not the correct grade. According to them, the dust cap off one end of the drive shaft isn't there. The other end is not fitted correctly, and there's the old seal still loose on the shaft. I'm really starting to worry now. While it was on the ramp, I take the following pictures however.
LAB Carry Out Ramp Inspection Check Driveshaft Fitted Correctly (See Report) DEF
********** DEFECT REPORT ********** O/S Driveshaft Centre Support Bearing Collar Loose On Shaft O/S Driveshaft Seal Leaking Gearbox Noise Even At Low Speeds Difficult To Engage Some GearsAsking the woman at reception if it looks like a bodged job, she says definitely. This isn't on paper however :-(
So, armed with this I go back to garage number one and ask them to take a look at the driveshaft, with the report from the main dealer. They (understandably) get a little defensive about their workmanship, and say that it's may be something inside the gearbox unrelated to their driveshaft replacement that's caused the damage, but they're going to be impartial investigating. I'm nervous about this but have left the car with them to look into given that I have some pics and the other report from the main dealer.
Has anyone got any advice on this situation?
- Does it sound likely the problems are due to the bodged seal replacement?
- Is it plausible that it could be something else?
- Are they going to create a problem while investigating to get out of having to fix it all?
I'm sure I'm not the first person to be in this situation, but the thought of having to buy a new gearbox and driveshafts is making me *very* stressed at the moment :-(
Thanks for reading my sad story, and t.i.a. for any advice!
~Pev
P.S. as an aside, A friend of mine had her brakes done (a new cylinder) by the same place and a few weeks later the brakes failed. The garage she then took it to reckon they bodged it causing this. Doesn't bode well...