I believe they are obligated for parts and labor when the car has less than
100,000 miles.
If their rebuilts are blowing seals, they are probably overfilling them
with oil. It is a fussy job, to be sure, to bleed the air and get the
exactly correct amount of oil in a rebuilt, but they should learn how if
they are having trouble.
If you don't trust them to rebuild, the next best choice is Peugeot's own
cartridge shock pair, 5202.90 which lists for $167 for the pair. I don't
think they will pay for these, but they are pretty much exact replacements,
performance-wise, for the original shocks in a non-turbo, non-STI 505,
they seem to hold up well, and they are covered by Peugeot's warranty.
I would avoid aftermarket shocks like the plague, if they are not made in
France.
It is VERY hard to match the quality of Peugeot's shocks.
Re the coolant temperature--all 505s should run above the middle line on
the gauge, if the gauge is working normally, and near the three-quarter
mark is even better, assuming the temperature is stable there and that that
is where it normally runs. It probably does have an 88 degree thermostat
in it, which is perfect for nearly all driving conditions. If this seems
counter-intuitive, blame the frog engineer who designed the gauge to have
the normal range high on the gauge, while leaving off any indication of
where *normal* is. BTW, the oil temp gauge, where used, is even worse.
Brian
At 09:06 PM 7/29/98 -0400, Anup Pahari wrote:
>A friend recently bought a 85 505S wagon and asked for my opinion on
>something that the dealer brought to his notice when they did a buyer's
>inspection. According to the dealer (former) the car needs new front
>struts to replace the existing ones which they say is rusted out at the
>spring seat. they also told him that the struts are under warranty as
>the car has less than 100k miles. However, they do not want to rebuild
>the shocks using new seals, oil and o-ring on the claim that "rebuilt
>shocks leak prematurely, and then customers want us to replace them for
>free." Instead their practice is to put a Gabriel strut cartridge for
>which they want to charge my friend roughly 350.00 parts and labor.
>
>I have rebuilt two sets of struts, so far without any sign of leaks. I
>am thus puzzled by the dealer's recommendation and reluctance to
>rebuild. My first question is, are rebuilt shocks/struts a problem
>compared to sealed strut cartridges? Second, when I rebuilt my shocks I
>used new seals, o-rings, and oil, but NOT the compensator valve and
>sealing ring. the old ones looked and functioned ok so I cleaned and
>reused them. Should I have replaced those as well?
>
>The other thing my friend the new (and first time) Peugeot owner asked
>me is about how hot the car should run at highway speeds with and
>without AC running. Since I do not own a car with the XN6 engine i did
>not have a definite answer for him. My ZDJL runs at or below the half
>way mark on the coolant temperature gauge with AC running. He says his
>gauge stabilizes at about 3/4 of the way up. Is this about right for
>that engine? i am thinking perhaps the previous owner put in a hot
>thermostat to deal with the new hampshire weather.
>
>Anything to shed light on these questions will greatly help the new and
>proud (but nervous) Peugeot owner.
>Thanks
>
>Anup Pahari
>
>
Brian Holm, Peugeotholm
Supplying parts for Peugeots only, since 1969
Plainfield, VT 802.454.7132 Fax 454.1310
Alternate E-mail: peugeots@together.net