Hi, I'm Mr "Scared to buy one because of the Prince engine"

[AdAds406]

Greetings all from Yorkshire, England. I've got the chance to buy a 2010 RCZ 156bhp for a surprisingly reasonable price. Unfortunately it has 107,000 miles on the clock, and as many of us know, Peugeots were not built for the long haul.

I haven't test driven it yet but on startup I heard a metallic noise behind the engine note which I thought might be a blowing exhaust or maybe even a loose mounting, but after reading into it, it sounds like the 1.6 T Prince engine is a horror show of unreliability and expensive repairs.

What are people's experiences? Should I go for this car, or listen to what my friends are saying and steer well clear?

EDIT: Apparently it has had a recent new timing chain.

 

[Pedro]

The metallic sound might just be the exhaust heat shield which were a known issue on early models as they tended to loosen over time?
The Prince Engine is fitted in the Peugeot 207 207cc - Mini one- Citroen C3 Citroen Picasso-Peugeot 208
They are a hard working reliable Engine "IF" they are serviced & maintained correctly I have had the 200GT over 4 yrs now I gave it a full service when bought & the only issues have been generic like fuel pump-Thermostat tank & coolant sensor plus a MAF sensor add the usual wear & tear items like tyres & battery plus brake discs & pads & I can't complain so out of the 24 or so cars I have owned over 40 odd yrs this is by far the best of the bunch & I have owned some pretty fast cars in my time but this one will eat the road if its let off the leash

 

[Verminator]

Hi there and welcome to the forum from sunny York... I would think that it could be worth looking around the car or getting an AA or RAC inspection before you buy as there is a nice one up for sale close to me and many others out there but it all depends on what your budget can stretch too...
Happy hunting for your RCZ..
Drive safe and stay lucky
Les n Co

 

[AdAds406]

Thanks everyone. Perhaps not quite the ringing endorsement of the RCZ I was hoping for, but having read countless reviews and finding not one single negative review of an RCZ, I'm tempted to ring the dealership and arrange a test drive.

 

[neilgsxr69]

Thanks everyone. Perhaps not quite the ringing endorsement of the RCZ I was hoping for, but having read countless reviews and finding not one single negative review of an RCZ, I'm tempted to ring the dealership and arrange a test drive.

The prince engine isn’t the quietest engine on the road and with all the horror stories that’s thrown about tends to make you hear things that aren’t there, those horror stories mainly consist of miss diagnosed problems where people throw parts and money at an issue that with a bit of experience could have been sorted a lot cheaper.
One things for sure these cars have to be meticulously maintained and if they are will serve you well

 

[AdAds406]

Thank you very much for that. What kind of maintenance do they need to avoid this problem? I'm guessing a new timing chain every 2 years, oil change every year at most (will probably do it every 6 months), decent grade fuel, occasional walnut blasting?

 

[Pedro]

Timing chain data suggests changing at 100.000 klms that is obviously referring to the Engine being in good health & Oil services on a regular basis I would suggest its changed at at most every 4.500 _5000 klms to ensure full protection of the Chain & Lubrication dependant ancillaries - Walnut blasting is recommended at 60.000 klm & yes fuel is important as these are direct injection engine & for efficient combustion run better on 99 Ron for maximum efficiency

 

[Kerr]

We've had three prince engined cars. Two Mini Clubman S and the RCZ R. The first Clubman had zero engine related issues. I think the only thing that needed replaced was the air conditioning condenser. Sadly that car was written off after an accident. It was a lovely car.

The replacement Clubman S has now done nearly 95,000 miles. They are good cars for dogs with the Clubman boot. It can be a little stuttery on a cold start after being left for a day, but if there is Miller's Ecomax petrol additive in it doesn't.

The only engine related problem with the R was a crankshaft oil seal. The fuel pump went too, but there is a guy on eBay refurbishing them for £150.

Three cars and a lot of miles, but very few issues considering the age and mileage.

 

[stewartwillsher]

Thanks everyone. Perhaps not quite the ringing endorsement of the RCZ I was hoping for, but having read countless reviews and finding not one single negative review of an RCZ, I'm tempted to ring the dealership and arrange a test drive.

Have you considered the oil-burner 2.0 HDi?

 

[Marmite]

The prince engine isn’t the quietest engine on the road and with all the horror stories that’s thrown about tends to make you hear things that aren’t there, those horror stories mainly consist of miss diagnosed problems where people throw parts and money at an issue that with a bit of experience could have been sorted a lot cheaper.
One things for sure these cars have to be meticulously maintained and if they are will serve you well

Guilty of that but mines running super fine now , got close to throwing the towel in but glad I never

 

[AdAds406]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies. While I was very concerned about the risks of the Prince engine, there comes a time when a man simply has to say "bugger it".

Tomorrow I'll ring the dealer about test driving the RCZ 156. A 200 or HDi would be preferable but would involve a lot of travelling and are more expensive. An R is miles out of my price range but would be a nice upgrade in a few years.

If I buy it, it'll be getting a remap and walnut blasting straight away.

How can I tell the Sport and GT trim apart? It has black full leather, but only 18" wheels.

 

[neilgsxr69]

The sport usually comes with cloth seats

 

[DKZ5745]

I think the GT had a smaller steering wheel & a shorter gearstick ?

 

[neilgsxr69]

I think the GT had a smaller steering wheel & a shorter gearstick ?

I believe it’s the 200 that has the short gear shift and also the small wheel but the small wheel could be purchased as an option so can appear on any variant