Modification - Stabilizers bars

Front strut bar

Rear lower bar

Rear left member brace

Rear right member brace

Front member brace

Engine cover gets drilled to accommodate front member brace

Original lower front bar shows Peugeot acknowledges such things

Front and rear stabilizers were added to cut out that floating feeling experienced in the stock Peugeot 407. The stock lower front bar was retained since it compliments the engine cover. Even the mechanic said the original was good enough. A 4-point front member brace was the last bar to be added but only after the engine cover was drilled to allow access. 

Coming home, I had the opportunity to test the car on the outer loop from the Federal Highway into Subang Jaya from Klang at a speed past 90kph, the car took it superbly. It is really difficult to put into words the experience felt before and after the modifications were done, the best I can think of is wearing a loose pair of trousers with and without a belt. Is it worth the investment? If you are the rear passenger and demand more comfort, if you enjoy a more stable ride eventhough the car is driven slowly or just like me, a driver's driver...yes! This completes the road-holding modification for my ride. However, the (lower) front member brace is the only shortcoming because of its short but extended 4 legs which has a tendency to scrap many a road hump sometimes at shopping malls, other times at housing estates. I plan to see the assembler on day (don't know when) and want them to shave off as much as possible the legs without weakening the joint.

The rat that caused that intermittent noise was found so the
exhaust pipe was lifted by its support not to touch the stabilizer.

Maintenance - Cat shooer

Of lately, cats have been making the roof of whichever car that is parked under the porch their favourite nap-spot. This can resulted in numerous scratch marks over the bonnet. I have tried to polish off the scratch marks but some of them are deep and permanent. This has to stop and I tried hard to think of a solution while not hurting them then an idea popped up. I immediately went straight to a supermarket and for less than RM10, came back with a water-cannon. I keep it filled with water and rest it behind the TV rack. It has come in handy on 2 occasions where with not much than an utter, I've hit the cats on target much to their surprise. So far, it has served it's purpose well but the condition is that I must catch them in the act for them to understand what they are doing is a NO-NO. The jet squirt is effective up to a distance of 10-15 feet depending on how much pressure I give. So far so good.

Maintenance - Tool for hard-to-reach parts

Yes folks! Don't throw away old toothbrushes. Go get yourself new ones. In case you do not know, it is the perfect tool for cleaning away grit and grime in between those hard to reach places. I use it with normal car polish to clean those grooves in between the "Peugeot", Peugeot's lion logo and "407" chrome accessories at the boot which is impossible to reach with my fingers and polish cloth no matter how hard I try. A good brushing in between the edges of all three chrome accessories will probably wear a soft toothbrush (I do not recommend a medium nor hard toothbrush) so don't expect to keep it forever and replace it every time those areas need cleaning. After brushing, clean the dirt off with a soft polish cloth. I guarantee, you will like the results.

Maintenance - Flat tyre creativity

Yesterday morning while watering the plants, I noticed the car had a flat tyre. It was Sunday so that was a relieve as I did not have to go to work plus the fact that the Peugeot 407 had block my workhorse, the KIA Spectra. Although Sundays, the tyre shop opens in the morning so that was another relieve because it is usually not busy on Sundays. I have removed tyres from a number of cars so this is not something knew to me. The chrome plastic accessory that covers the alloy bolts got me by surprise because all the while I thought they were chrome bolts. No problem, there is a yellow plastic tool clip to remove them. First time for everything. With the car partially jacked with tyre still on the ground to give me better grip, I removed the bolts. From experience, mechanics tend to over-screw bolts to the point it is impossible to unscrew them with the normal tool but not in this case, it was simple  and I would say, even for a woman. That done, the car was jacked until the tyre was about 1 inch above the ground to enable me to easily remove the tyre. Then came the main problem... the alloy rim through heat had "glued" itself to the car resisting all effort to remove it. I tried and tried with all my force but it just would not come of. I needed a rubber hammer to knock the alloy rim but never had one other than that I would have to call for the breakdown team and that's the price of calling a tow-truck. Where there's a will, there's a way. I switched on my thinking cap then swap the spare tyre for the rubber hammer and nudge it hard here and there, initially at the tyre but to no avail. Then hitting the edge of the alloy rim a few times, the tyre fell off. It pays to be a MacGyver. Cause of flat tyre? A small nail. Repair cost? RM 6.

Modification - Battery goes flat

Today, the battery died. It was the original battery that came with the car and lasted 1 year 2 months which I think was no good because I had expected at least 1 year 6 months. Wifey had just gone round the first corner to the end of the road in front of our house and the car suddenly died. She gave it a few hard starts and eventually gave its last saving grace enough to send the car parked safely at home. Thus, I came from work early to help get a new battery but was confronted by problems I had never faced before. Removing the positive battery terminal was chicken feed though I needed a small spanner to unscrew a nut for the negative battery terminal. Firstly, I had never come across this type of battery lock as the usual type from in other cars could be unscrewed with a spanner. Removal of the battery required a racket, an extension tool and a small male plug to unlock the latch that kept it in place. I immediately went off to my local hardware retailer but he did not keep stock of that smaller male plug as the popular version was slightly larger. Then I got a call from wifey saying the Peugeot service mechanic was coming any moment. The battery got efficiently changed and cost RM472 (which I felt was expensive. I will check it later with a spare-part shop to see how much it retails outside) and service charge was RM94 so it totaled RM566.40. Secondly, I realized is that when the battery goes flat, one cannot open the boot. It is possible to retrieve things by unlocking the rear seats but don't hope to change a tyre or get the tool kit. I usually keep the tools on top of the spare tyre. Now it looks like I have to keep them inside the car. I have to knock the head of the design team. I am sure the life expectancy of this battery can be extended by adding a separate power cable from the alternator to the battery terminal like I did for my KIA Spectra but this car has a 5 year warranty so I guess that is out of the question.

Thirdly, Peugeot 407 has a battery lock to keep it in place from moving but surprising doesn't come with an accompanying key to unlock it and l have tried on vain to acquire an appropriate lug from more than 5 DIY shops. Can you imagine if the car broke down along the highway due to a faulty battery? The driver doesn't have an appropriate tool to take the battery out to replace it and the unwanted service of a toll truck may prove necessary. So today, I went to see a local car accessory shop mechanic who suggested rather than customize a specific tool, would modify the tip of the wheel's bolt remover (forgot what it's called), have sit shaved down to function as the key. A spray of black paint over the shaven portion bought it back to look as new as original. This was agreed and a test revealed it functions very well. Service charge: RM10

UPDATE:

2020: After 9 years, the third battery needed a replacement (That charging cable I did really serves its purpose well) but I had to call a mechanic to swap a temporary battery because firstly, it was impossible to unlock the boot from inside (I don't know how my salesman succeeded to do that right before my eyes) but from now on I left the tyre bolt remover in the boot's side compartment, retrievable from inside.

Malaysian reviews of Peugeot 407

The Malaysian weather and road set it apart from other countries when motor reviews are concerned and unless you've really experienced it head on, you won't really know if your car can take the beating irrespective of make, model and country of origin. For example, my previous brand new BMW 320 had its aluminium panel popping out onto my lap for more than 10 times while driving and BMW Glenmarie service centre admitted the imported clip could not handle Malaysia's weather (eventually resolved during the last days of the warranty period but not a prefect job). So don't think you own a super-duper car, it can take on the Malaysian weather and especially the original trunk road.

Barry Lim
I like his review of the Peugeot 407 which is accurate as it gets. I crossed checked with other sites and found it most reassuring that what he comments of Peugeot 407 against popular Japanese makes Honda and Camry because I never drove a Honda nor Toyota Camry before. An update after a year of ownership can be found here.

The Malaysian Perception
Autoworld Forum, one of the oldest motor forum in Malayia gives 7 pages worth of opinion.

Peugeot 407, fc, etc
Popular Lowyat Forum has something to say about Peugeot 407 too.

Paul Tan
His review of the last generation of the Peugeot 407 which we own is here.

The 8th Gen. Civic Club
6 pages worth comparing the Honda Civic 1.8 vs. the Peugeot 407

Kereta Info
A recent up and coming motor web site mentions the Peugeot 407 here.

Kosmo
A generic write up with no test drive report. Ho-hum

EngRaff
Engineer Raff comments on his first generation Peugeot 407

Kuen Hoong's My Lovely Blue Sky
This is a comparative review between the KIA Forte 1.6sx, Peugeot 308 THP and Peugeot 407 which I cannot understand why because I think they are not well balanced.

David's My Peugeot 407
One of the early Peuegot 407 blog writers

CariGold Forum
Only 1 page worth on the Peugeot 407 2008

AutoWorld Forum
Possibilly, the roots of many Peugeot owners began here

Live Life Drive
Not much to rave about here

MyCar Forum
Seansene starts the topic on the Peugeot 407 review