I had a very similar sounding problem and found a solution in the end that I want to share. It seems several other people had this problem but didn't solve it. I was on the verge of scrapping the car so I hope this is useful. I have no mechanical knowledge so please excuse any inaccuracies.
To summarise; there was an intermittent fault when in ignition it didn't seem to turn over at all. Completely dead (except for faint clicking around the battery/fuse area). The car would start first time sometmes and others would not start for half a day or half an hour. Then it would start for no apparent reason. One of the main problems with this was that the car often wasn't faulting when it was at the mechanics.
I spent £600 on 4 different mechanics and went to a Peugeot specialists and main dealer but got nowhere.
They changed the battery and checked the starter. The earthing was checked. One of the garages suspected it was the ignition, apparently the barrel was changed. The fuses where checked and they were all OK. The main dealer did a diagnostic check.
I asked whether it could be the Immobiliser and none of the mechanics agreed.
In the end my Dad connected a push button switch directly to the starter. It now works perfectly every time. I turn the key as normal and press the button and it "hot wires" to start.
I haven't found out exactly why it doesn't work. I'm happy to carry on as I am. I believe my dad said it could be a "relay" but he couldn't get to it easily.
Anyway, I hope this saves you a lot of time and a few quid. If nothing else it may narrow down some of the possibilities.
Posted Oct 1, 2017 (7 years ago)