Renault quality...

[25v6turbo]

Heres my list of modern poor quality renault problems...Water leaks,the new coupe/cab leaks like a sieve,renaults answer is more black mastic on the roof seals....Red recall on Twingos,this is because the wrong airbag sticker has been fitted to the end of the dashurgent recall on old skool scenics,this is for the electric mirror switch,it burns out.laguna 2 rear axle bushes,a sure favourite MOT faliure...ALL window regs,scenics,meganes,clio,made of plastic,total crap!!!£200 eachF9Q diesel engines must NEVER,EVER be overfilled,they will pickup on the oil and blow up,when its maxxed out at full revs,and you have blown the G/box up trying to get the revs down.Auto boxes are total toliet,STILL playing up after all these years,they can,t build an auto boxElectric handbrakes seizing on,on espace and Laguna.Theres several more but i can,t remember at the moment!!!!!

[Torsten2001]

How are the 2.0 DCi Auto Espaces? we just bought a load to replace our Previas, nice enough so far although Renault London are total shite

[25v6turbo]

Service them,MILK the warranty and don,t abuse them to much and they should be O.K,but don,t overfill the engine oil!they suffer from,Handbrake probs,rear brakes siezing,ABS pump problems,key failiure etc,but if in warrenty,get it sorted ASAP.

[25v6turbo]

Just noticed you said 2.0 DCI,that will be a M9R engine from Nissan!!

[BD3]

I think Renault are turning things around after a few bad years esp. the 2001-2003 periodIf you work in a Renault garage naturally you're going to see plenty of Renaults with problems and may get a pessimistic view of their reliability. I know people who work (or have worked) for VW, BMW, Ford, Peugeot etc. and they have pessimistic views on the reliability of these marques!As for window regulators if they were actually made of plastic that would probably improve matters Any failed regs I've seen failed because the metal cable rusted/frayed and jammed in the motor.

[25v6turbo]

BD3 thats a very good point,yes i do work for Renault,and of course i only see the Renault problems and no-one elses,other manufatures must be the same???

[Richard]

What's the deal with electric handbrakes? I thought the parking brake had to be mechanical but I've heard of a few cars with electric ones now.

[Ratdat]

I hear plenty of horror stories about new Nissans from the lads down at my local dealer. I take cars there loads for MOT's so have plenty of time nattering with them. They are regularly replacing engines and back axles on new Navaras which seems ridiculous when you consider that old 70's Datsun pickus were all but indestructible. Micras are apparently a bit rubbish too, most due to cost cutting and nasty plastic fittings breaking which should be metal. It's not just a Renault thing... unless of course Nissans have only got this way since their alliance with Renault I doubt that though. Cost cutting is rife in the motor industry these days.

[mouseflakes]

Auto boxes are total toliet,STILL playing up after all these years,they can,t build an auto box

I was gonna say that the old 4141 3 speed autobox like on my R30 is pretty good and tough enuff - then I remembered I read somewhere it was an American design. Electronic control for it (no doubt added by Renault themselves) is pants - okay if rebuilt with decent components though!!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I could never bring myself to have one of these modern french cars with loads of unnecessary tech crammed in them - A fuggin Clio with automatic wipers, whats the point? I'm quite capable of switching the bastard wipers on you know. LEAVE ME ALONE.The french version of Auto Express is rammed every week with Watchdog-style investigations into some horrendous electronic problem or other on modern Peugeot/Renner/Citroen jobs.

[Richard]

My Xantia has automatic wipers. They take the place of the intermittent setting. They're OK I suppose but I often end up just using the flick wipe.The Xantia has conventional wiring though, we have a C5 with multiplex wiring and that can be a bleeding nightmare. A couple of weeks ago the suspension stopped working with the ignition on. The problem appears to have been caused by a bad connection in the brake light bulbs. Because the side brake lights weren't working the centre one was staying on all the time, even when the car was switched off and locked up.That's just an LX model and it's quite new, It's hardly got any toys at all. I dread to think what a fully laden shitter would be like.

[Mr Lobster]

If you work in a Renault garage naturally you're going to see plenty of Renaults with problems and may get a pessimistic view of their reliability. I know people who work (or have worked) for VW, BMW, Ford, Peugeot etc. and they have pessimistic views on the reliability of these marques!

Up until 2005 I worked for Ford and used to hear some horror stories from the various dealers I dealt with. New Focus and C-Max were plagued with problems when new.Renault seem to be improving although I would still be wary of buying a new one, but then there are too many electronic 'driver aids' on most stuff now.

[RENOMAD]

I have worked in Renault Garages over here for the last 10 years.I would say that their has been no particular bad period for Renault Reliability. It is more of an inconsistancy with reliability. There seems to be either very GOOD and very BAD cars out there.The distributor had a goal of 10% Renault market share over here. They got to about 9% in 03, but then it all went wrong. Current market share is about 4.9%, mostly because of the New Laguna. Irish people have very short memories and therefore unless a miracle happens I cannot see much of an improvement.I mean---electric windows--they still work on my Fuego fo christ sake.!!!John

[r.welfare]

I think the burden of electronics affects most new motors. My wife's Fabia (51-plate, 1.4 16V Veedub engine) has a constant "cry wolf" on the engine light which could be anything, up to and including faulty piston rings which are a "known fault"! Unbelieveable.I'm looking forward to my dad's new Qashqai to be delivered and then we can take delivery of his V-plate Accord 1.8 auto as a babywagon - 112k up but has been absolutely faultless in the 100k he's run it. My wife won't be able to kill this one! The Skoda will then be put into the Trader. In fairness it's never let us down in the 60k miles/2 years we have had it, but there have been lots of niggling issues; flickering headlights, no torque, rear doors that leak water, noisy aux belt. This despite the fact I have had the car "overserviced" during it's life with us.It will be interesting to see if the Qashqai suffers any quality problems.I seem to recall reading somewhere that it's near-on impossible to change the gearbox oil on the Laguna II; if you don't get the oil level spot-on all hell can break loose. Given that they've a reputation for lunching manual boxes, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't! Incidentally on the Ford side, my dad bought a Mondeo diesel auto in 2003 which lunched the gearbox within 128 miles of delivery...My friendly local mechanic tells me Japanese cars are the only way to go, these days (he's both Honda and Rover trained). His personal view is anything built by VW and it's affiliates after 1996 is no way as reliable as the early stuff. It keeps him busy...Think I'll be sticking with my elderly Pugs as long as possible; they've hoovered up a bit of money getting them "right" but French car lovers now tell me they should now just need regular servicing for a couple of years (Mann oil, air and fuel filters every 5k - £15 from eBay, delivered). Fingers crossed.I do wonder if extended service intervals and a reluctance of the general public to get their cars serviced properly (particularly when they are outside of the warranty period) also plays a part. I used to work with a chap who had an Audi TT - he'd spent out so much on buying the car (plus the obligatory private number plate) that he pleaded poverty on servicing; that car (to my knowledge) has now gone 40k without so much as an oil change...

[marinast]

Ah, Renault auto gearboxes. The wifes 1999 Clio 1.6RXE had an auto gearbox, 35k miles and it needed two new hydraulic distributors (it was going again when part exchanged...), the head gasket went and was on its way out after only 5000 miles, the engine mount collapsed on the driver side, the rear exhaust box rotted out (after 25k miles...), the rear wheel bearings had a slight grumble when it was chopped in too. Compared to that, my 5 GTX was bullet proof, the most concerning thing was the shock absorber mounting nut which fell off whist I was driving on the M25, the only time I've driven a car on three wheels at 30mph duely followed!

[pompei]

An acquaintance of mine had a Hyundai Coupe which developed a central locking fault. Quite common I gather, and linked to other electric/electronic stuff (can you tell I have no idea what I'm talking about?) but a four figure sum to sort it, and just out of warranty. He got rid quick

[Renault18]

I think the burden of electronics affects most new motors. My wife's Fabia (51-plate, 1.4 16V Veedub engine) has a constant "cry wolf" on the engine light which could be anything, up to and including faulty piston rings which are a "known fault"! Unbelieveable.

Exactly. My uncle quickly got rid of his 52 plate Fabia for the exact same reason last year. Skoda rebuilt the top end of the engine only for the injection system to pack up and the CAT to fail, explaining that they do quite a lot of them, adding that the oil the leave the factory with "doesn't exactly help" Well here's an idea VW, try altering it He bought a Hyundai Thing, saying that he'd prefer his Renault 9 from years ago.Modern Renaults?I think they're better now. The latest Megane seems better than the first of the fat-arsed bunch - but it couldn't get any worse. Best Meganes built are 1999-2002, although not the F9Q diesel or Autos.Incidentally, there are some bargain W and X plate Scenics out there with burnt-out driver's door trims and dashboard edges - I've not yet figured out why it only affects the Scenic, as some of the part numbers were the same as the Megane.I keep wondering when the drivers door mirror controls on my Renault 18s will catch fire

[shite_meister]

I've worked in a few multi-franchised garages here so I've worked for Honda, Toyota/Lexus, Vauxhall, Daewoo, Alfa Romeo/Fiat, Nissan and Renault for a few years.Ref Renaults-window regulators seem to be a problem-we did loads on Meganes and Lagunas, currently I have a customer's Laguna with an issue with the fly-by-wire throttle. Also Hydralic Distributors on gearboxes as well as Body Computers-ECUs but everything such as windows and wipers and lights all controlled by a computer that would give up the ghost if you even looked at it. I seem to remember we did alot of Kangoo alternators, Laguna Cambelt pulleys that had been modifed, Exterior door handles on anything with the wanky hands-free key-card system. by the way the old mk1/2 clio has a habit of leaking around the sunroof seal-a near £500 part.I'm the Service Manager of a small independant garage and see all kinds of makes and you soon get to know what each models quirks are no matter who makes it.From my own experience it really would seem that the Japs are the only country that can make a decent car that the average joe can afford, when I was at Toyota the only problem car was the Avensis (I'm talking specifically about the old Avensis-I have no experience of the newer version) made in Britain no less. Mind you Hondas have been made here too. I'd also say that the quality of VW stuff from very late nineties onwards doesn't seem as good as the older stuff.As previously mentioned-it seems like alot of it is manufacturer's trying to cram frankly ridiculous equipment on cars that need electronic brains to work them. £200 mirror glass anyone? (have priced these up for Saab/BMW/Renaults)If I needed a modern reliable affordable tin-box I'd be looking at Toyota, Mazda or Honda possibly Mitsubishi.

[Richard]

In the past something like a £200 mirror glass would have rendered a car nearly impossible to sell, either new or used. It's taken decades of marketing to make drivers accept that sort of nonsense.

[r.welfare]

Nobody has mentioned Mk2 Clio bonnet catches yet That's interesting on the W-X plate Scenics. My uncle has a Y-plater, a 2.0 auto with all the fruit (leather etc), and he had to pay £500 to get his indicators working again. Why the donut ever got rid of his G-reg 2.0 Cavalier auto (260k miles up and it wasn't even rusty!) I'll never know.

[RENOMAD]

Apparently there was a recall on old odel Scenic to chech the wiring for the electric mirror switch---Apparently it catches fire,,which I recon.is why you saw door card and edge of dash burn outs Richard.(R18).

[mk2_craig]

Nobody has mentioned Mk2 Clio bonnet catches yet

A Watchdog cause celebre no less - but at least the car was still on the market at the time. They started banging on the other week about 03 plate Focus instrument panels going bung, if it wasn't for the fact that the replacement parts are priced on the steep side I'd have backed Ford in saying 'f*ck off'

[RENOMAD]

No manufacturer is without problems- Even Toyota( the best built bla bla)had a recall that most people never heard about.In 2002 people were bringing in their cars at 9am in the morning to have a service done and told to call back later.Many of those people went home with a brand new engine,and never knew.(old engine burning oil).

[r.welfare]

Avensis D4-D fuel pumps are a well-known problem (eh BS6?). Swindon-built Hondas seem to be pretty good though, my dad and I covered a total of 150k in two Accord autos (a '99 2-litre for me and a '00 1.8 for him) with no problems whatsoever, apart from slightly rattly door locks. A couple of mates have racked up big miles in old-model ("Tardis") Civics with no issues either.Toyota got royally stung in Oz in the late 70s/early 80s by having to use a Holden 1.9 engine in the Corona to meet local content regs, and they ended up buying their way out of the contract early. Apparently the engine re-introduced Toyota buyers (and dealers) to oil leaks...

[shite_meister]

I was working for Toyota in 2002 and had never heard of replacing engines due to burning oil-I don't belive for one second that they would not inform the customer of the engine change also Franchised dealerships do not get the full retail on labour or parts when doing a warranty claim therefore it is not in their interests to replace anything unless the customer has specifically made a complaint about or it is a safety related issue or an official recall of which the customer would be informed by law by the vehicle manufacturer.Where on earth did you hear this? wasn't a bloke in the pub by any chance?The most common Toyota recall I remember was the old shape Yaris rear brake pipes-and the recall was to make them a slightly different shape because they had a habit of collecting snow-not a major problem here but was enough of an issue in Scandinavia to make Toyota do a recall campaign.Oh yeah just remembered-Renault Scenics old shape-rear tailgate has a tendency to spit out the button in the handle-Renault will happily sell you a new lock assy and most were painted adding to the cost-truth is a small washer or o-ring fixes them.Old clios with vague steering-its the universal joint in the steering column but Renault won't sell you the joint unlike the good old Renner 5, instead they modified it slightly meaning you have to buy £150 quids worth of steering column.did loads and I mean loads of either cam or crank sensors on Meganes/Clios/Scenics etc and also loads of the 'pencil' type coils fitted to anything with a 1.4/1.6 16v engine.Toyota and Holden had some weird tie-up thing going on, you could buy all sorts of Holdens with Toyota badges on-I'm certain if you search on the forum someone's put this up.Best advise if you want a decent car-look at what most taxi driver's use and ask them next time you hire one what its been like.

[retrogeezer]

Best advise if you want a decent car-look at what most taxi driver's use and ask them next time you hire one what its been like

Skoda Octavias for everybody then!!

[RENOMAD]

I have a mate working in a Toyota dealership.He told me of this.He said that because Toyota was number 1 in this country ,it was felt that this was kept hush to protect the Brand,as Irish people tent to focus more on the bad than the good(I agree).John

[pompei]

Until quite recently the Hull taxi drivers used Lada Rivas

[mk2_craig]

Old clios with vague steering-its the universal joint in the steering column but Renault won't sell you the joint unlike the good old Renner 5, instead they modified it slightly meaning you have to buy £150 quids worth of steering column.

Friend of mine's recently done this job on his Williams 3, I think he considered the component good value on the basis that he'd been convinced the steering rack wanted changing!! - a vindication of one-make forums that he was advised the problem was likely to be less severe. The UJ was a weak point on early Fiesta mk3s but at least you could change the joint on those (and Ford would supply an improved design meaning that the owner wouldn't have to do the job a second time)Regarding older Clios, are the sunroofs a weak point? I see a lot with gaffa tape repair jobs to the plastic surrounds.

[r.welfare]

Dunno. I think you see a lot of older motors with gaffa tape around the sunroofs. People don't seem to release that the seal is designed to let in water, rather than keep it out - it's the drain holes/pipes that are likely to be blocked...