Second Hand Peugeot 306 Radiator

The Peugeot 306 ran from 1993 to 2002, with a significant facelift in 1997 that updated the front end and interior; radiator mounting points and dimensions can differ across that 1997 boundary, so a pre-facelift unit may not drop straight into a post-facelift car. The safest approach is to confirm the exact fit with the breaker against your registration, especially if the donor car is from the opposite side of 1997. Your engine code – found on your V5 or via a VIN check – is the single most useful detail to give the breaker, as the radiator spec follows the engine rather than the model year alone.

Yes – the engine code is the most important factor when sourcing a 306 radiator, outweighing the model year or body style. Petrol and diesel units have different cooling requirements and the radiators are not interchangeable between fuel types; within each fuel type, individual engine variants can also differ in core size or connection positions. Always quote your engine code to the breaker, not just '1.4 petrol' or '1.9 diesel', as the code pinpoints the exact spec.

It can matter – automatics typically route gearbox oil through a cooler integrated into or alongside the radiator, so an auto-spec radiator will have extra transmission cooler connections that a manual-spec unit lacks. Fitting a manual radiator to an auto 306 would leave your gearbox without oil cooling, which is a serious mechanical risk. Tell the breaker your gearbox type alongside your engine code so they can supply the correct unit.

Trim level – whether your 306 is an XN, XR, XL, XSi, or any other variant – does not determine radiator fitment; what matters is the engine code, fuel type, gearbox type, and production era. A breaker pulling a radiator from an XSi and selling it for an XR is perfectly normal practice, provided the engine codes match. You may find minor cosmetic or bracket differences between cars, so confirm the specific unit against your registration with the breaker before buying.

For the radiator itself, body style generally does not affect the core fitment – the engine-driven cooling requirement is what dictates the spec. That said, some body styles may have different front-end packaging or ancillary bracket arrangements, so it is worth confirming with the breaker that the unit from a different body style matches your car's mounting setup. Engine code and gearbox type remain the details to lead with when contacting a breaker.

Not reliably – even within the same fuel type, different engine sizes and codes in the 306 range can have different core dimensions, flow rates, and connection positions, so a radiator from a 1.4 petrol is not necessarily interchangeable with one from a 1.8 petrol. The engine code is the definitive guide here, not the fuel type alone. Give the breaker your exact engine code and they can cross-reference the donor car to check compatibility before you commit.