Sold 2004 Reno Scenic II - Now gone. But not forgotten.

[SiC]

As a little side business that hopefully that might make me a living, I'm developing a app that can scan Renaults engines/abs/airbag/etc for error codes using cheap ELM327 adapters off eBay. The only problem I have is that I need a test subject to test on to fix bugs. Now I decided to choose the most scanned vehicle (read into that as you will...) which is the Renault Scenic/Megane with the II 1.6l VVT.

 

I spotted this advert on my Broken Renault saved eBay search before Christmas with this award* winning first front picture.

Spare and repairs that I was told was because shifting the auto box into drive, the engine dies. 150k on the clock, auto box, privilege trim so all the toys. As I was only needing it for parts to make a test jig on, I didn't really care. Ended twice at £150, no bids. So thought I'd make contact and see if they'd take a cheeky offer... which got accepted! Also got told its life history...

 

This was last week, problem is I needed to arrange a recovery to get it onto my drive. Just getting a Scenic wasn't something I was really could be bothered to get! However I finally decided to phone up a car transport guy and who actually could do it today.

 

So tonight I turned up and saw the beauty. Handed the money, did the paperwork and got given a huge wod of paperwork history. Went out to it, tried starting it and it ran ... for 10 seconds. Hmm. Tried again but kept the revs up. Really didn't want to run or idle. Shifting into drive worked but needed foot to the floor to keep it running and move. Anyway recovery truck arrived, so I managed to reverse it up enough to get it on the back of the truck.

 

I beat it home, so while sitting in my car I had a think. Now I know (from the statistics from my app) that the most common (by a huge margin) faults on the 1.6 is the camshaft sensor and the crank sensor. Unfortunately I forgot my scan tool earlier, so I couldn't scan it. A quick google showed that the failing sensors could cause that. Anyway I know from experience that the Crank sensor on these autos is different from the manuals and is much more reliable. So that left the cam sensor. 

 

Van arrived, decided to disconnect it - as if it ran better, it'd be a lot easier to get off the back of it. Disconnected it, started it, burrrrrrrrrr....

 

Gave it some beans, stuck it in drive and it merrily pulled itself off. Left it idling on the drive for a couple of minutes and it just purred. Bonza! 

 

Here is the big heap of French cheese:

 

Replacement Cam Sensor is £15 from Euro Car Parts.

 

I was originally going to rip its brains out and cube the rest. However as its still running and has a MOT until mid June 2016, it's gonna be worth something. Problem is, I really don't want a Scenic. I could do with the bits, but that'd be a bit of a waste. I could sell it, but even though it appears to be fixed it might be just playing with me like French chod does and would (imo) be unfair selling a family car potentially carrying kids, etc to someone that might break again. Hmm...

 

Part of me just wants to tax & insure it and drive it at around for a laugh. But then I could sell it and put it towards something more I'd want like a Clio 172.

 

What do you guys reckon? Sell, drive or rip apart?

[Pillock]

Seems a shame to fix it so easily and cube it. Sell as a runner, buy another FTPer and pocket the difference?

[scaryoldcortina]

It you want some help beta testing your app I'd be happy to give it a go - I have several ELM adaptors and a lifetime supply of poorly renaults available!

[The Moog]

Drive it then roffle!

[purplebargeken]

Where are you and how much for ze Renner?

 

Just out of interest.

[beko1987]

Can't you use it for test data anyway? Pull a sensor, observe the reading? Live test data? If it's worth running about on you may as well for a bit, even just for lolz, it might even reward you by throwing the EML on a few times

 

Then if it still runs roffle it at £3 a ticket or scumtree it/break it/find a car with broken bits that it has and make a very good one out of the 2 and cube the rest

[Kiltox]

What a result - tend to actively avoid buying these because of how problematic they can be but you're making me tempted again!!

[Dave_Q]

If it was cheaper than a Laguna II does that mean they paid you?

 

Deffo need more details on your app, there are more of these old crocks on here than you might think and I think you'd get a fair bit of interest.

[agw9262]

Surely you have to drive it, if only for the satisfaction that you got 6 months motoring by disconnecting something so simple! Then scrap it!

[bigfella2]

Have only ever bought one elm327 off eBay and it didn't work, would not connect to my phone, is there any where you would recommend buying another?

[R9UKE]

Fantastic. The Scénic II is, without a doubt, FAR worse than the Laguna II.

 

I bloody love them. Especially in that spec, loads of beige and looks like yours has the optional panoramic glass roof?

 

They drive beautifully, especially with an auto box. Very pleasing dash, lovely driving position and plenty of toys that are broken most of the time. The list of "common faults" with them is hilarious. In fact I think the Scénic II page has crashed the Honest John website a few times.

 

I'm actually after a high spec auto for my other half to replace her Meg Coupé so I could be very interested in a roffle.

 

I would also DEFINITELY buy your app!

[SiC]

Seems a shame to fix it so easily and cube it. Sell as a runner, buy another FTPer and pocket the difference?

 

It's tempting. Could call myself SiCraft... 

I reckon its possible to make a fair bit from electri-frazzled Renaults, fixing their electrics and shifting them back on. The oily bits on these seems to generally be ok, only some of the silly electrics and moisture especially.

 

 

It you want some help beta testing your app I'd be happy to give it a go - I have several ELM adaptors and a lifetime supply of poorly renaults available!

 

I didn't want to say the name as I wasn't sure if it's classed as advertising and I know some forums don't like that.

Anyhow, its: OhNo! Diag for Renault - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ohnodiag.renscan

Why? Because when you need it, you tend to say Oh No Reno!

 

Needs a ELM327 v1.5 Bluetooth or older, or a ELM327 WiFi. Unfortunately the Chinese cheapened out on the latest Bluetooth versions (v2.1. often branded as v1.5 too) and broke them. So if buying now new, then really the WiFi ones are the easiest to guarantee a working one.

 

Currently free as not a huge a lot of functionality yet, but intend to charge for it at some point soon, once I get some features in like Live View. Not going to be big bucks though. Think like £15 or something max. I'm sure I can throw a few free licences out to you guys though.

 

 

Where are you and how much for ze Renner?

 

Just out of interest.

 

I'm in Bristol and it was £125 for the car, £50 for transport - so £175 all in so far it owes me. Not sure of value? Reckon around £400-500 and it'd shift quickly. High mileage and auto box hurts its value.

 

Had a poke around again and its a pretty decent spec too. Half leather interior, keyless ignition (can have the keycard in your pocket and start it and just need to pull door the handle to open it when in range), cd player and changer, apparently working A/C (regassed in 2014 according to the paperwork), electric windows (3 working - a result on this age Renault), movable centre console box thing and a working electronic handbrake.

 

Totally worth more in parts. A working parking brake module is worth ~£100 on eBay, dash ~£30, window control modules (3 work) ~£15 each and the centre console thing ~£50.

 

Big chunk of history:

 

With this little letter amongst it

I do feel sorry for any dealer trying to sell these things... 

[scaryoldcortina]

 

 

 

I didn't want to say the name as I wasn't sure if it's classed as advertising and I know some forums don't like that.

Anyhow, its: OhNo! Diag for Renault - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ohnodiag.renscan

Why? Because when you need it, you tend to say Oh No Reno!

 

Just installed it on my phone, opened it and it's defaulted to clio II/engine/petrol 1.2 16v which is exactly what I need to do a scan and clear on tomorrow!

 

Will it detect that the owner put K-seal into the engine though?

[Cavcraft]

You're wondering what to do with a problematic Renault automatic that's problematic, Renault AND automatic?

 

KLF and Tammy Wynette hold the answer for you.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Funny how Renault have survived despite selling an entire generation of utter, utter shit AND taking on a crippled japanese car company at the same time, how have they managed to survive? Yet they have, and have even been doing F1 for a lot of that time, its as if they have limitless cash to tip into stuff.

[Pillock]

You're wondering what to do with a problematic Renault automatic that's problematic, Renault AND automatic?

 

KLF and Tammy Wynette hold the answer for you.

Stand By Your (Ice Cream) Van?

[R9UKE]

Funny how Renault have survived despite selling an entire generation of utter, utter shit AND taking on a crippled japanese car company at the same time, how have they managed to survive? Yet they have, and have even been doing F1 for a lot of that time, its as if they have limitless cash to tip into stuff.

The French and their loyalty.

 

Was speaking to a Renault showroom manager friend of mine and he said that they (the brand as a whole) hit a scarily rough patch around 2009-2011 when all that shit from the first half of the 00s was well known for being shit, but still at proper money. The Koleos didn't help, neither did the Wind. And this is when we saw the Espace, Modus and Laguna killed for good.

 

Things are well on the up now, thankfully. The figures speak for themselves. All they had to do was suck all personality and soul out of their cars and the British public are loving them again!!

[scaryoldcortina]

Nissans selling like hot cakes despite being more or less the same tech can't have hurt them either.

[SiC]

You're wondering what to do with a problematic Renault automatic that's problematic, Renault AND automatic?

 

KLF and Tammy Wynette hold the answer for you.

 

I know I hit jackpot with this one! I bought this very one because it literally has everything on it that goes wrong with modern Renaults...

 

More modules in the car means more I can support.

[SiC]

The French and their loyalty.

 

The Renault Group yearly finance figures make me laugh when I read it. France has so many units sold, its a separated group of figures from the rest of Europe.

 

 

Nissans selling like hot cakes despite being more or less the same tech can't have hurt them either.

My o/h dads Nissan Qashqai actually out of the factory had filters with Renault branding on them! Admittedly it was the 1.5dci engine design+made by Renault, but still.

[garethj]

Anyone selling methods to fix Renaults is onto a good thing.  It's like the automotive equivalent of being an undertaker - you're never going to run out of people that die.

[Justin Case]

Why not just keep it and run it as a development hack? Accepted wisdom is that it  is going to throw its toys out of the pram frequently (and different ones each time) so you should have plenty of opportunity to test your app in a variety of situations so you can eventually release it into the wild with confidence bordering on smugness

[SiC]

Looking at the V5C/2 I've just noticed that the taxation class is down as DISABLED.

 

If I try applying for tax, there is no option to move it back, only proof that I'm disabled (which I'm not).

 

How do I go about changing it back to normal tax?

[Eddie Honda]

How do I go about changing it back to normal tax?

 

Get down the local PO that does car tax. I think. https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate/what-evidence-to-give

[scaryoldcortina]

Tried the app today, failed to connect to adapter. I used two different bluetooth dongles and two different droids - a samsung phone and an acer tablet - both adapters work fine with other apps (eg Torque). Do you have an error reporting protocol? I can connect up to adb and grab the logs if you like.

[oldcars]

You're wondering what to do with a problematic Renault automatic that's problematic, Renault AND automatic?

 

KLF and Tammy Wynette hold the answer for you.

Yep, Roam around the land in it 

[DVee8]

 

 

 

My o/h dads Nissan Qashqai actually out of the factory had filters with Renault branding on them! Admittedly it was the 1.5dci engine design+made by Renault, but still.

The panels we make for Nissan,most of the tooling is from Japan have the Renault badge ID stamp on the.

[artdjones]

Renault have 154 dealers in the UK including Northern Ireland. In France they have over 1300.That may have helped sales.

[HH-R]

Any vehicle with a letter in the service history saying how terrible it has been since day 1 is absolutely a KEEPER.

[SiC]

Tried the app today, failed to connect to adapter. I used two different bluetooth dongles and two different droids - a samsung phone and an acer tablet - both adapters work fine with other apps (eg Torque). Do you have an error reporting protocol? I can connect up to adb and grab the logs if you like.

 

Oh dear that's a bit embarrassing!

 

At what point did it fail to connect? Trying to connect to the Bluetooth adapter or trying to connect to the ECU?

 

No logging just yet, that's still on the to-do list.