First, sorry about the overly dramatic subject to this e-mail,but I
couldn't find a short, as descriptive a subject that was less dramatic
that would help searching the archive, now that we have one.
Just this last Thursday morning (1/30/97), I had just started slowing to
a stop in front of my babysitter's house when the dreaded STOP on my
instrument panel went on (and of course, the rest of the indicators lit
up like a Christmas tree), and smoke started coming out from the hood.
I stopped, cursed my Pug (I confess to a love-hate relationship with my
405, given the problems you all know we have with the 8-valve engine),
then panicked, thinking I might have to buy another car, when I opened
up the hood and saw oil all over the engine and all over the street.
Okay, enough of the dramatics. Turns out the oil pressure hose broke.
My mechanic, Carl Franco of the now Branford Dodge, formerly Dependable
Motors, utterly trustworthy but too "orthodoxly" Peugeot, called me with
the good news (again, I was afraid to hear about some new horror like
the last one I experienced, where the cylinder head had to be replaced,
evidently a known problem with the 8-valves, but that this time I'd have
to pay for it!!), when he added casually, "Oh, and I replaced your
headlights too."
Evidently PMA has just issued a Technical Service Bulletin to its
remaining Peugeot dealers that it will replace the yellowed headlights
under warranty with new headlights that will not yellow!!
This was almost worth the 2-day inconvenience!! The change in lighting
is dramatic. As good as any 1997 car. So, 405 owners, drive, don't
walk, to your nearest Peugeot dealer!!
Angel Fernandez-Chavero
1989 405 DL
almost 66,000 miles, with piercing white light beams!