What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Coolant leak on a 207
Our car is a Peugeot 207 1.4. Bought it after reading all your reviews which are SO helpful.
We recently had a service and were notified 'coolant housing on cylinder head leaking' and quoted £174.40 to fix.
Even after discussion I am no clearer what this component is, let alone why it should fail so early.
Please can you tell me what this is, have you had other reports, and is the quote reasonable?
I have a second question too!
Two days AFTER the service the garage then sent me a posh cam belt warning letter.
It says 'may' need a change, high risk of damage etc.
It is a glossy Peugeot standard letter PEU01101 11/11, so it is not just a local thing. [Lots of lovely pictures of pristine scrubbed up mechanics, or are they anaesthetists?]
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that it is the job of the garage, and not the customer, to advise in the light of all factors, and in particular short journeys, whether a belt change should be done at 5 years instead of the recommended 8 years, and what should I do about it please?
Why should short journeys affect the life of the cam belt to the extent that it might need renewing ahead of schedule?
We feel concerned that they did not make the appropriate recommendation at the service, and this feels like a wind up!
We recently had a service and were notified 'coolant housing on cylinder head leaking' and quoted £174.40 to fix.
Even after discussion I am no clearer what this component is, let alone why it should fail so early.
Please can you tell me what this is, have you had other reports, and is the quote reasonable?
I have a second question too!
Two days AFTER the service the garage then sent me a posh cam belt warning letter.
It says 'may' need a change, high risk of damage etc.
It is a glossy Peugeot standard letter PEU01101 11/11, so it is not just a local thing. [Lots of lovely pictures of pristine scrubbed up mechanics, or are they anaesthetists?]
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that it is the job of the garage, and not the customer, to advise in the light of all factors, and in particular short journeys, whether a belt change should be done at 5 years instead of the recommended 8 years, and what should I do about it please?
Why should short journeys affect the life of the cam belt to the extent that it might need renewing ahead of schedule?
We feel concerned that they did not make the appropriate recommendation at the service, and this feels like a wind up!
Asked on 8 February 2012 by GE, Reading
Answered by
Honest John
It's the thermostat housing and it seems to be a common problem on this engine. Yes, early 207s still had timing belt engines (base models still do) and it is a wise precaution to have the timing belt and tensioner replaced.
Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.
The Good Garage GuideSimilar questions
A faulty O ring seal caused diesel to leak from the fuel filter of my Octavia TDI estate for a couple of days. This in turn caused the auxiliary belt to fray. Is there a possibility that the timing belt...
My 2007/57 model Peugeot 207HDi has started to leak/dribble small amounts of an oily fluid from a small plastic box situated on the underside just in front of the o/s/r wheel.
What is the fluid and...
My 2017 Vauxhall Astra has a large quantity of water sitting in the well under the boot floor where all the battery and fuses are located. It has stopped all the dashboard from working completely, however...
Related models
.jpg?width=115&height=75&rmode=crop)
The spirit of the 205 revived. Packed with personality. Fun to drive, safe, and decent quality.
Elsewhere on 
.jpg)
