I Bought a 206 GTi 180 (2004)

Anzactuck

Anzactuck

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Aug 3, 2016
Messages
73
Location
Adelaide
I'd owned a cheap and standard 2001 206 GTi for a little while before my friend and housemate caught the dreaded frog disease from me, and bought himself a nice Renault Clio Sport 172.

I pondered for a while about spending 2 or 3k to install ITBs to try to catch up to his 30 extra horsepower. But I settled on just putting that money towards a car with that power from the factory, and with all the extras already installed as well.

Thus the purchase of the 206 GTi 180.
I had to get it from Melbourne as I live in Adelaide, and figured I'd find out anything wrong with it on the drive back. Despite being told, as you would expect, that everything is just fine (yeah sure haha).

It has 150,000km, and is due for a timing belt in about 10,000km. But apart from that everything is prettu good. The "failed to mention" issues with the car have been small enough that I'm pretty happy.

Left side gearbox seal was slowly leaking, and the gearbox oil was very low.
Upper engine mounts were worn, you could feel an engine clunk/wobble if you were too aggressive.
General service was due within 50km of buying it.
AND to my horror, it would missfire when very cold. Definitely didnt mention that one. Scared me heaps the next morning when I started it to drive home.

As soon as I changed the spark plugs the missfire went away. But I think it might be an ongoing problem as Ive noticed it can tend to idle not that smoothly even when warm. Its weird because I had a similar but different missfire at start in the standard 206 GTi. Common 206 issue??

But all in all it's such a nice car, I cant even think of what Id want to do to it becausr its all pretty much done already. I think Ill keep this one for a long long time :)

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What sort of modifications did you do?
Im trying to figure out which engine mounts to go for.
Vibra Technics is expensive but are good quality and strong with extra reinforcing metal.
Pug1off sells a set of "group N" OEM style extra hard mounts from BBM. Theyre cheap, probably $200 to get the kit sent.
Or I could just make my own mounts.
I was literally thinking of buying rubber and filling the voids either side of the mount where the little buffers normally go. or making some out of liquid polyurethane and a mould.
This would probably include welding a box around the normal round mount to fill with poly.
Though at that stage I might as well have just spent the money and saved the time to get Vibra Technics from the start

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DeeCee said:
Beautiful.........but what's that horrible black thing behind it? :confused:
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Im embarrassed to say how much work Ive done on that Clio... I even helped take the engine out and put it back in

Keep your enemies close, right?

 
Anzactuck said:
AND to my horror, it would missfire when very cold. Definitely didn't mention that one. Scared me heaps the next morning when I started it to drive home.

As soon as I changed the spark plugs the missfire went away. But I think it might be an ongoing problem as Ive noticed it can tend to idle not that smoothly even when warm. Its weird because I had a similar but different missfire at start in the standard 206 GTi. Common 206 issue??

But all in all it's such a nice car, I cant even think of what Id want to do to it becausr its all pretty much done already. I think Ill keep this one for a long long time :)

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G'day,
there is a definite method to starting a 180. Turn the key until the dash lights are on and you can hear the fuel pump, wait until most of the dash warning lights are out, [ put on seat belt ], engage starter. Wait about one minute before driving. There is a thread somewhere on this forum, if you can find it.
 
My 206 GTI coughed and spluttered terribly on start before I changed the fuel filter and cleaned every removable sensor on the throttle housing. The MAP clean and idle control thingie are the two things that really benefitted from a good squirt of carbie cleaner and judicious cleaning with ear buds.
 
dj4llen said:
My 206 GTI coughed and spluttered terribly on start before I changed the fuel filter and cleaned every removable sensor on the throttle housing. The MAP clean and idle control thingie are the two things that really benefitted from a good squirt of carbie cleaner and judicious cleaning with ear buds.
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Yeah Ill definitely be doing that soon, there seem to be a fair few sensors available online that arent too expensive, that usually leads me to assume they are common problems on these engines!
This has an electronic throttle body and Im wondering if all the sensors are part of that unit though? I havent spent much time taking this car apart (yet).
But i should change the fuel filter now that you mention it, to be safe

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I suppose this is a good place to ask something I've been thinking about...hope you don't mind Anzac...

Early days in your ownership I know, but what difference does the rear suspension make between the standard GTi and the 180? Is it really noticeable?
 
If feels quite different, in my opinion.

The GTi kind of squirms about, whereas the GTi180 is much firmer.
 
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I think I know what you mean with the squirmyness, at least at the rear. What's the difference at the front hardware wise?
 
I notice some have the flares attached to the guards and some don't ?

Are the models with the add on flares different?
 
Berridale said:
I notice some have the flares attached to the guards and some don't ?

Are the models with the add on flares different?
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The add on flares was Peugeot Australia selling its unused accessories :)

The local 206 "Rallye Edition" model (an otherwise regular GTi) came with a Devil rear exhaust, hatch spoiler and the stick on guard moulds (and a PS2, Logitech steering wheel with WRC 2 game). I think they only came in black.

The stick on guard moulds were originally a 206 GT accessory, for when Peugeot was homologating the 206 WRC. It had larger front and rear bumpers and stick on moulds on the guards, so that it could mimic the dimensions of the WRC car. None sold here.
 
I saw one GTI sold new with the GT bumper extensions from Taylors of Medindie.
Father of one of the salesmen bought it. Was painted and fitted locally, but the kit came through the dealer chain.
 
Brett said:
I saw one GTI sold new with the GT bumper extensions from Taylors of Medindie.
Father of one of the salesmen bought it. Was painted and fitted locally, but the kit came through the dealer chain.
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There can't have been too many around - possibly this one?

206GT_side-1.jpg

The only one I've ever seen in Australia is a 206 CC that omak (a former member) owned here in Sydney - a 206 CC:

omak206cc.jpg
 
speaksgeek said:
I find that bumper hard to like in isolation. As part of a full WRC widebody kit, it's a different story.
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That's very polite :)

I'm also not a fan - for me it invokes images of the horrible things the modified bumpers (5mph?) did for the looks of European cars (Peugeot, BMW, Volvo, etc) in the USA in the '70s and '80s.
 
pug206gti said:
G'day,
it works, anything else and the car runs like a pig, until warmed up.
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Mine also runs like a pig for about a minute until warmed up.. Are they all like that? Does anyone have one that starts and goes smoothly from cold?
 
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