RCZ Convert Newbie - Looking for Buyers help

[Stafford Mart]

Hi From Sunny Stafford (Staffordshire) …Not. :lol:

I’m a newbie and convert to the RCZ Marque due to loving my 308cc which is now up for sale on eBay.

I think I’ve converted to the RCZ because I want something a little more selective and unique and also something more reliable than the 150 THP engine that currently resides in the car.

Having sorted out turbo water pump, timing chain and various leaking oil pipes the car is running perfectly but doesn’t have that spark that makes me want to keep it.

However the RCZ does and in particular the THP 200 which from what I’ve read is a more reliable lump all together.

My first couple of forum questions are: (as I’ve not yet purchased my dream car – 58 this year and been through 350 Zeds, GT86’s, various Celicas, Saab Viggen’s and a 71 RS1600)

Is there a specific buyers guide to the RCZ THP 200 GT such as what to look out for on these cars, common faults etc..?

Are there any desirable additions to help with keeping the engine sweet (either on the car or as a to do list) Such as the Blow off valves as I seem to think that the mechanical ones on the cars are not that reliable.

Any kind of help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Mart :thumbup:

 

[RCZIain]

Welcome.
Things to look for:

Carbon build up, clattering timing chain/tensioner.
Collapsed jacking points, some people have had thermostat housing leaks.
Failed coilpacks, high pressure fuel pumps.
Mine needed 1 coilpack, coolant level sensor, chain and tensioners. Oh and the sat nav hard drive failed.

I've gone the opposite way, and bought a GT 86.
9k miles in it and it is a lot more fun than an rcz.
Despite the power deficit.

 

[Stafford Mart]

Hi Iain

Thanks for the reply.

Good luck with the GT86, a fantastic car but I had one after 3 Celica T sports and found that it wasn't as much fun as them and as you say lacking power. I think Toyotas tuning group ought to add a few bits (Turbo or compressor) to the car as it will comfortably handle 300 BHP.

Can't beat a good Toyota though !!!! ....oh and the chain drive lasts a lot longer too than Peugeots.

 

[DKZ5745]

THE main thing when you get your RCZ is to make sure the oil is always topped up. A low oil level can cause a multitude of issues including timing chain & Turbo, so not particularly cheap fixes.

If you want reliability the HDI is top of the list, but if you want performance and don’t want to go down the R route, then a MkII GT200 will give you what your looking for. The MK or phase II is know for being a little more reliable than the earlier models due to Peugeot correcting the faulty parts with modified versions. They can still go wrong, but not as likely.
(Don’t get me wrong, the HDI 163 or even the 156 are no slouches :eusa-think: )

The GT has a better spec than the sport, and if you can find one with a couple of “packs” on, then all the better.

The favourite pack is the vision pack, which will give you Directional Xenons, which are pretty much awesome.
The Nav pack does what it says on the tin, it replaces the dome shaped orange central display with a flip up Sat Nav, which is not the worlds best, but with a few updates is fairly reliable.
The Black Pack will give you black wing mirror shells, black callipers, and black grill.
The Feline pack will get you quad exhausts, but I’m not sure if this was still available on the MK II’s.

As mentioned above, sills need checking, especially around the jacking points, and try to make sure you hear the car start from cold, as this will be when the tell tale rattle is easiest to notice. This is a sure sign of timing chain issues.
Drive it, and give it a bit of loud pedal to see if there is any mis-firing or judders. This could indicate HP fuel pump problems, or coil pack issues.

Most RCZ ‘s have no problems at all, or at least no more than any other make/model, so don’t let any of the common faults put you off, these are simply things to look for, not to expect.

Happy hunting, and don’t forget to let us know how you get on & then we can see some photos of you beautiful new ride :thumbup:

 

[RCZIain]

I forgot to mention to watch the oil level on petrols!

 

[neilgsxr69]

Hi and welcome :greetings-wavingblue:
I think most problems have been covered above,all I can say is buy the best looked after car you can find with the lowest mileage, for future resale/collectibility you need an R.

Let us know how you get on :thumbup:

 

[Plecodoras]

Hi and welcome :greetings-wavingblue:
I think most problems have been covered above,all I can say is buy the best looked after car you can find with the lowest mileage, for future resale/collectibility you need an R.

Let us know how you get on :thumbup:

Or a Launch Edition ?? :lol:

 

[dingley48]

I have had my 156gt since march autotraders review is pants comfortable reliable good on fuel fast enough been all over Yorkshire cumbria and recently devon never missed a beat when cold the timing chain will rattle for 5 seconds then quiet as a mouse and as I work for Peugeot have been advised its nothing just a bit of wear on the tensioner cars only done 55k so doesn't warrant being done on the petrol ones keep an eye on the oil levels as if it raises it means that petrol is getting into the oil and a hp fuel pump is about £800 ouch :dance: :dance:

 

[Plecodoras]

I have had my 156gt since march autotraders review is pants comfortable reliable good on fuel fast enough been all over Yorkshire cumbria and recently devon never missed a beat when cold the timing chain will rattle for 5 seconds then quiet as a mouse and as I work for Peugeot have been advised its nothing just a bit of wear on the tensioner cars only done 55k so doesn't warrant being done on the petrol ones keep an eye on the oil levels as if it raises it means that petrol is getting into the oil and a hp fuel pump is about £800 ouch :dance: :dance:

Welcome on board dingley48 !

Stick around it might be useful for us non mechanics to have a bonafide Peugeot Tech at hand !!

Right, now I've got this little.......... LOL :shock:

Cheers M. :beer:

 

[Stafford Mart]

Thanks Guys for the help.

Still looking for my RCZ....and trying to sell my 308 cc too.

Hopefully both will be complete soon.

Looking forward to my new adventures. :dance:

 

[Plecodoras]

There is a RCZ just come up for sale on here, only done 22k miles and absolutely mint, blue with cream leather all extras nearly, looks lovely check it out under for sale.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[Stafford Mart]

A quick question has just come to mind as have looked at a couple of diesel Models recently too.

I noticed one of my replies mentioned reliability and top of the list were the diesel engined models.

How reliable are the engines and what sort of mileage is a good mileage. Most I’ve looked at are around the 100k miles.

Is there anything to keep an eye out for as I’ve no clue as what to look at with regards to the engine as I’ve never owned one, just driven the odd van.

Many thanks.

Mart

 

[DKZ5745]

If top of your list is reliability then yes the diesel is pretty much bullet proof. Many other car manufacturers have fitted Peugeot Diesel engines in their cars. I don’t think 100k is a problem for the Diesel engine at all, but you would need to watch for other component parts wearing at that sort of mileage.

As I said in my previous post, don’t be put off by the list of “common” faults, these are possibles not probables, and although scanning the forum might make it seem everyone has issues with their RCZ, you have to remember that a high percentage of people on here only use the forum as they had a problem and are looking for advice. The vast majority of RCZ owners don’t have any issues, or no more than any other manufacturer, and so they don’t seek out forums like this.

My GT200 is 5 years old, I drive it hard, like, very hard, I have gone through more sets of front tyres than I am willing to admit to my wife, and I have never had any issues with the engine whatsoever. No coils, no HP fuel pump, no timing chain, nothing. So if you want the performance you seem to have had from previous cars (or better!) then don’t be put off the THP200. If you can afford & find an R, then even better.

Try to go for a MKII or make sure everything has been done (mainly timing chain - full kit) if you get a MKI as the replacement parts are usually the modified ones, so you “should” be OK.

I have no experience with the diesels, other than reading what owners have posted on here. It seems that the only real “common” issue is the DPF getting clogged, but usually a damn good thrashing sorts that out anyway.

Good luck finding the car you want & don’t forget to keep us posted how you get on :thumbup:

 

[Stafford Mart]

Thanks Mate

I think that has put my mind at rest.

I had the chain done on my 308 at 52k and since then apart from walnut blasting it’s been reliable. I was under the impression that even the replacement parts that are put on the cars are as per the originals and suffer the same but it seems that they correct them and also the 156 and 200 engines are less prone to failure now too.

I think I’ll take your advice and keep on looking for a 200 as that was the one I wanted from the start…probably a Mk1 as my bank balance won’t stretch to a later Mk2 but I’ll try to get the best I can for the money.

Thanks again for your help….it’s all brilliant advice

Mart
:thumbup:

 

[anghel132]

Welcome.
Things to look for:

Carbon build up, clattering timing chain/tensioner.
Collapsed jacking points, some people have had thermostat housing leaks.
Failed coilpacks, high pressure fuel pumps.
Mine needed 1 coilpack, coolant level sensor, chain and tensioners. Oh and the sat nav hard drive failed.

I've gone the opposite way, and bought a GT 86.
9k miles in it and it is a lot more fun than an rcz.
Despite the power deficit.

Wait. Power deficit? the 86 is weaker than the rcz?

 

[turboguy]

Welcome, I know that Peugeot HDi's are very reliable as I have been driving them for the last 20 odd years but not driven an RCZ HDi.
I was originally looking for an R but was tempted to buy a 200 as it was very difficult to locate an R. But for me I know that I only wanted an R so held out until I found one in the right colour and R spec.
But none of them are that slow.... but for me I don't want to modify it hence it had to be an R.

 

[RCZIain]

Wait. Power deficit? the 86 is weaker than the rcz?

The 200 RCZ has a bit more punch, turbo and all that. The 86 only has around 150 ftlb of torque.
Same peak power though.

 

[Ian J.]

Welcome.
Things to look for:

Carbon build up, clattering timing chain/tensioner.
Collapsed jacking points, some people have had thermostat housing leaks.
Failed coilpacks, high pressure fuel pumps.
Mine needed 1 coilpack, coolant level sensor, chain and tensioners. Oh and the sat nav hard drive failed.

I've gone the opposite way, and bought a GT 86.
9k miles in it and it is a lot more fun than an rcz.
Despite the power deficit.

A lot more fun than the RCZ but you're still on the forum even though you no longer own one , must have made an impression .

 

[anghel132]

RWD cars still scare me a bit. Went sideways in a 5.0 V8 Mustang rental in the wet... still working it out with the therapist.

 

[Ian J.]

If top of your list is reliability then yes the diesel is pretty much bullet proof. Many other car manufacturers have fitted Peugeot Diesel engines in their cars. I don’t think 100k is a problem for the Diesel engine at all, but you would need to watch for other component parts wearing at that sort of mileage.

As I said in my previous post, don’t be put off by the list of “common” faults, these are possibles not probables, and although scanning the forum might make it seem everyone has issues with their RCZ, you have to remember that a high percentage of people on here only use the forum as they had a problem and are looking for advice. The vast majority of RCZ owners don’t have any issues, or no more than any other manufacturer, and so they don’t seek out forums like this.

My GT200 is 5 years old, I drive it hard, like, very hard, I have gone through more sets of front tyres than I am willing to admit to my wife, and I have never had any issues with the engine whatsoever. No coils, no HP fuel pump, no timing chain, nothing. So if you want the performance you seem to have had from previous cars (or better!) then don’t be put off the THP200. If you can afford & find an R, then even better.

Try to go for a MKII or make sure everything has been done (mainly timing chain - full kit) if you get a MKI as the replacement parts are usually the modified ones, so you “should” be OK.

I have no experience with the diesels, other than reading what owners have posted on here. It seems that the only real “common” issue is the DPF getting clogged, but usually a damn good thrashing sorts that out anyway.

Good luck finding the car you want & don’t forget to keep us posted how you get on

Totally agree, going on a forum is not the best place to look as most contributors are looking for answers to issues but that's representative of all forums not just RCZ.
I've had 3 of them and issues have been infrequent , added to which depreciation is very low so these cars represent very good value for money.
My wife has owned 11 peugeots over the last 25 years (currently a new shape 208 ) and guess what my next car will be a peugeot.