It’s probably fair to say this wasn’t a great time in Peugeot reliability or build quality. Overall, these Peugeots (like a lot of European designed and engineered cars over the years) didn’t like Australian heat cycles and could start to wear in places they wouldn’t have in Europe.

The biggest of this model’s problems was a propensity for the timing chain to wear prematurely, causing all sorts of internal engine problems and, in some cases, the need for a new engine to be fitted. To be fair, this problem seems to be concentrated on the earlier (pre-2011) versions of this car, but we’d still be very careful about checking the engine on a later one as well. The direct fuel-injection system also meant that the backs of the intake valves weren’t being cleaned by a squirt of fuel every time the engine fired, and this can lead to a build-up of carbon in the intake tract with poor running and a misfire the likely results.

The bottom line is that only a Peugeot 308 with low kilometres (as this one has) and an impeccable service history should be considered. Even then, there are possibly better, more reliable, alternatives.

While there’s no doubt that Peugeot’s quality has improved after the terrible days of the 1990s and 2000s, there remains a school of thought that suggests the brand still lags behind much of the Japanese and South Korean competitors when it comes to build quality and reliability. Not that some of Subaru’s engineering in the last couple of decades has been beyond reproach, either (a batch of dodgy head gaskets did the brand’s reputation no good at all) but on balance, a Subaru is more highly regarded by the trade on the subject of reliability.

Like any modern turbo-diesel, the one in the 3008 can suffer if your driving habits don’t suit the way the engine and its particulate filter are designed to operate. In a nutshell, unless you do at least some highway driving every month, then a modern turbo-diesel is probably not for you (and that applies to all makes and models, not just Peugeots). Other complaints about the 3008 we’ve heard involve the heating and ventilation system, and random electrical glitches are not unknown. The diesel version of the current-model 3008 has also been recalled for a potential engine overheating problem as well as a possible fuel leak problem on a batch of early-build cars.

As for after-sales back-up, it’s fair to say that some dealerships are better than others, regardless of the brand they support. The difference might be if you live in a relatively remote area where Peugeot’s 30-dd dealerships can’t offer the coverage of Subaru’s 100-plus dealers.

There are lots of gizmos and gadgets that keep a modern engine running sweetly and maximise efficiency, and some of these do involve the camshafts. But I’ll go out on a limb here and suggest that the component you’re referring to is the cam-chain tensioner which does, indeed, operate automatically to keep the timing chain at the correct tension. Why am I so sure? Because this series of engines has a terrible reputation for premature wear of these components and subsequent replacement of them.

Shared with both Peugeot and Mini, the engine in your car experienced timing-chain problems (mainly a stretched chain) in both turbocharged and non-turbocharged variants and became obvious when the engine started making rattling noises, especially on cold start-ups or when idling. Eventually, the chain could fail and if this happened, the engine could be destroyed and would need to be replaced. The solution was to catch the damaged timing chain components before they became a problem, and that’s where having a listen to the engine each morning comes in. Beyond that, you can reduce the risk of the problem occurring by changing the engine oil every 10,000km (and not stretching this interval) and keeping a close eye on the engine’s dipstick and replenishing the oil to the correct level when necessary.

Peugeot kept fiddling with this engine to try to fix this problem and developed no less than four different timing-chain designs over the life of the unit to try to fix the problem. But none of the fixes seemed to be perfect, so it’s an ongoing thing. The build date of your car will determine which design it uses, and the bottom line is that sometimes you can get away with replacing some of the timing components, while at other times, you’ll need to replace the chain, tensioners and seals…quite a big and expensive job.

Assuming the worst, you should budget for at least $2000, maybe more depending on what workshop you use.