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Panda Our Panda 6 months on.

Introduction

Now had it about 6 months and 1100 miles, 22150 miles on the clock,
2006 Panda Multijet , it's suffered a bit from not being used, been garaged from new one owner no real rust just a little light rust on the rear spring cups rest of the axel still as paint, now covered with Waxiol.

I noticed a staggered row of plastic bungs down the length of both sills are these normal or as it had anti rust?

Needed a new battery due to not being used two rear tyres due to age cracking being 16 years old.

It also started to leak Diesel from the High pressure pump but just as I was going to do the seals it stopped and as not leaked a drop since, odd.

It also had a habit of resetting the clock and trips on start-up cured by giving the switch part of the ignition lock a good squirt of switch and contact cleaner.

You can replace just the switch bit for about £15 but not sure
which one I need as mine only as 5 wires going to it.

It could also at times be hard to start when hot, the last time it did it I decided to check the tank and could not get the fuel filler off due to vacuum, freed the anti vacuum valve in the cap and it's been fine since, it would also almost stall as you came to a stop now and then, switch cleaner and a check of the connections to the clutch switch seems to have fixed that,

It did have a lot of tyre noise but the two new tyres on the back sorted that and once up to speed you honestly cant hear the engine it's smooth and it catches me out as I tend to let the revs drop to low if not careful,

I can just hear a little turbo whine when accelerating at low speed, it's suffering form lazy car syndrome but getting better with added miles.

It replaced a 139,000 mile Clio that was noisier not as smooth but faster they seem about the same on fuel 60/70mpg non burn oil Panda has a better steering lock and seats, the Clio more storage and a rear parcel shelf that lets it's self down after it's been up I have had to get out to shove it down in the Panda many times, and the Clio had a bigger boot, Panda lights are better, and the clutch and accelerator much lighter.

It passed it's MOT with no advisory s

Will see how the next 6 months go.
Well done on getting such a low mileage car. Just about run in then, probably looking forward to stretching its legs a bit by now:)

I noticed a staggered row of plastic bungs down the length of both sills are these normal or as it had anti rust?
Yes, this is normal. The main body is galvanised, so rust shouldn't be too much of a worry.

Some have reported rusty rear sills, though.

My 2004 Panda isn't showing rust here - I've put an endoscope camera inside to check - but a squirt of waxoyl / dinitrol would do no harm. There are rubber bungs in the A pillar and inside the rear wheel arch.
 
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Thanks for the info, been out today about 40 miles or so but it's only had one reasonable
run due to covid, we usually do about 10k a year then again the near 1200 miles it's
done since we got it is more than it's done in the last 2 or 3 years, more miles it does
the better it gets.
 
Now at 22694 miles so done another 550 miles or so, it's behaved apart form
a squeak from the clutch when hot, have shoved a little Red rubber grease in
the slave cylinder it is a lot quieter not heard it for the last 2 or 3 trips, it seems
to be better mpg wise on BP Ultra Diesel but could be just imagination.
Coming home after a refuel 22 miles I did not get above 45/50 mph the usually
pretty accurate trip was saying 84.5 mpg the trip is usual 1/2 mpg low so that's
pretty impressive if true.
 
a squeak from the clutch when hot, have shoved a little Red rubber grease in
the slave cylinder it is a lot quieter not heard it for the last 2 or 3 trips

Our 2010 1.2 petrol engined Panda started doing the clutch squeak thing. A wee bit of searching identified the slave as the source so I smeared some silicone grease up it and, like your's, it stopped doing it. Unfortunately it didn't last and started doing it again. A wee while later I had a new clutch fitted and did the slave at the same time. That was a couple of years ago. Still not started squeaking again. Original master cylinder is still Ok although I've been told that you're as well to just change both at the same time if you're doing it?
 
Up to about 2000 miles now, did about 100 miles yesterday and
no sign of the clutch squeak, but the dam thing did not want to
start for the trip home, anyway got it going and it got us home ok,
been a bit suspicious of the ign switch for some time so decided to change
it.
You can get just the switch part and fit it to the barrel and steering lock
so no new keys to buy, it came apart ok but what a swine to get back,
if you do this as the switch comes off there are 2 disks being it they work
the lock out were you have to turn it off before you have a second attempt
to start it, take great notice of how these come out if they do as they only
go back one way, anyway it is starting every time now fingers crossed.
Mines a 06 multijet so only 5 contacts on the switch it's the same used
on some of the vans.
 
Now at 22694 miles so done another 550 miles or so, it's behaved apart form
a squeak from the clutch when hot, have shoved a little Red rubber grease in
the slave cylinder it is a lot quieter not heard it for the last 2 or 3 trips, it seems
to be better mpg wise on BP Ultra Diesel but could be just imagination.
Coming home after a refuel 22 miles I did not get above 45/50 mph the usually
pretty accurate trip was saying 84.5 mpg the trip is usual 1/2 mpg low so that's
pretty impressive if true.

Very impressive indeed!

We recently did a run on the A1 from Durham to Berwick, quite a lot of traffic so the speed average was probably between 30 and 60, end result on the 2014 1.3MJ Trekking was 81.6 (not sure how accurate the trip computers are on that model though)
 

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Sounds like yours is very good on fuel too, I must admit when I
looked under the bonnet I thought "What fool thought a 1250cc
DHC turbo 16 valve Diesel was a good idea" but it's doing all right.
Been out a few times since the new ign switch and no problems so
hopefully I was right thinking it was the switch, time will tell.
22948 miles on the clock.
 
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Up to about 2000 miles now, did about 100 miles yesterday and
no sign of the clutch squeak, but the dam thing did not want to
start for the trip home, anyway got it going and it got us home ok,
been a bit suspicious of the ign switch for some time so decided to change
it.
You can get just the switch part and fit it to the barrel and steering lock
so no new keys to buy, it came apart ok but what a swine to get back,
if you do this as the switch comes off there are 2 disks being it they work
the lock out were you have to turn it off before you have a second attempt
to start it, take great notice of how these come out if they do as they only
go back one way, anyway it is starting every time now fingers crossed.
Mines a 06 multijet so only 5 contacts on the switch it's the same used
on some of the vans.

I feel your pain.

I done two ignition switches


Its pot luck how easy they go back together

one went straight back together in a couple of goes, the other took an hour or so of putting the disks in and out.
 
I had a Seicento 900 with 40K on the clock that had been a town car all it's life.

OMG it was so slow. I know 40bhp will never light any fires but this was like half of the horses ran away. Then I changed jobs which involved a lot of long motorway driving so I had no choice but to boot the "poor" thing. Initially the car was properly scary as it simply could not keep up, but it soon free'd up. Even going flat out on the M6, I couldn't get it below 50mpg.

So your "new" diesel will probably benefit from some long and hard driven miles. It will use a little more fuel doing that but, a free running engine will be more economical and (more to the point) nicer to drive.
 
23250 miles just fitted front pads easy job other wise running well not had anything
else since the ign switch for such a small cheap car I am impressed with the build quality.
MPG is slowly going up don't know if it's me getting used to driving it or the engine freeing
off a bit, I live out in't sticks it's a 25 mile trip to anywhere other than our village,
trip is showing 77.4 mpg for the last 250 miles, the trip is always 1 or 2 mpg low.
 
love the signature

"If you find a fix for your problem please let us know it will help others."

of which you have done (y)

I am surprised we dont see more ign switch fails. The dealer at the garage said it was common and I have done two
 
its a strange design, the disc the switch turns has cams on the bottom that
press plungers that in turn push little contact strips into contact with little
contact pads, 2 are connected to the immobiliser aerial one goes to the starter
relay, the last the one that burns goes to everything else, what was happening
was at times it would turn over but not start and other times it would reset
the trips and time, it's been fine since the new switch.
There are only 5 wires and connections on my 2006 Panda Multijet.
The contacts have been cleaned here but the top one with the pit mark
was burnt black.

https://imgur.com/6eFhlZL
 
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Panda radio was not brilliant in poor signal areas and I noticed the ariel had a lump
missing at the top so fitted a new mast today, easy enough to do once you get it
to unscrew, mine had been there for 15 years or so and did not want to move but
in the end the screw pulled out of the mast bit and could them be unscrewed from
the base with plyers, the mast I got came with 2 different screw adaptors and one
fitted, reception seem better I can hear French stations on long wave and Manx
radio on MW all the FM stations seem strong for less than a fiver what's not to like.

Last refuel worked out at 79.5 MPH 76.4 showing on the trip and I tried to get more
in but it was definitely full, impressed.
 
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I've had my 2004 1.2 Dynamic now for about 4 months. It's now got 66k on the clock and I think it's a great little car.

Things I've done .
Cam belt and tensioner.
Cam shaft oil seal.
Rocker gasket.
Coil pack oil seal.
Thermostat.
Dropped down rea axle, Cleaned and painted with a light coating of old engine oil (springs included)
And a good polish.
It's just passed it's MOT with flying colours. He (Ted) is a little belter. (y)
 
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