Peugeot 405 sedan 1.9 diesel - Air Conditioner

RaineMan    on 12 May 2017

Any air con system will reduce performance and increase fuel consumtion. How much by depends on your starting point. Yours is the non-turo diesel that prodiuce 70 bhp so the effect will be more marked than on a 300 bhp ehicle. I am dubious any exact figure exist. On some modern vehicles the A/C is disconnected during full bore acceleration but I see that as something else to go wrong! The good news is from friends' experiences Peugeot's non-turbe diesels from the 90's are capable of astronomical mileages if you follow the maintenance schedule.

SLO76    on 13 May 2017

You're not clear with your question. Do you mean how it affects engine performance as answered above by RaineMan? or do you mean how effective the aircon is?

If you're buying a car over ten years old (certainly in the U.K.) then functioning air conditioning is a bonus rather than a requirement. 95% of the motors I buy in over 10yrs old do not have functioning aircon largely because people don't maintain it properly.

Owners don't use it all winter then expect it to work when summer comes round. If you don't use it regularly then the seals dry out and the system leaks.

The costs of repairing it on an older car with almost zero value like an old 405 is unviable and the likelihood of finding one with a working system in the U.K. is almost zero.

It's the least of your worries on an old modern classic like the 405 which was a brilliant car in its day but will be a Labour of love today.

Edited by SLO76 on 13/05/2017 at 09:56