My ladys looking at a renault.....

[Tiff]

Haynes used to give spanner marks for difficulty in their manuals. They've changed it now.They give it Diamond marks..

1 Diamond. Take 2 Neurofen and have a lie down

2 Diamond. Fling your tools down in a rage and go to the pub

3 Diamond, Phone "Webuyanycar.com" and consider taking a derisory offer for your previously beloved car

4 Diamond, Take 1 bottle of 12 year old Malt from the cabinet,empty contents down throat and things will be better in the morning

5 Diamond, Call Samaratins,explain to lady on phone you need to be collected as you cannot guarantee yours,or any one else's safety.Sit in corner and wait,rocking gently whilst sucking thumb.

 

[Doosh1]

Bought the wife a 2005 grand scenic which uses the same electronics as the espace, In the year we had it I had to have the following done:

Dash display was intermitant - No fault found at dealer!
Dash display totalling failed! dealer £450
Remote locking key card lost memory £35 at dealer
Key card failed to start car - £250 at dealer for new key
CD player only played for 30mins then stopped until the next day!
One electric window stopped working
electric handbrake would always auto release
rear wiper ocassionally stopped.

After all these I decided to trade it in, The design of the car was good and practical. Im sure when they are new they are ok but electrical gremlins seem to be a big problem on these cars. Dealer was keen to help but expensive and couldnt alway find fault or fix problem first time..

 

[Tiff]

Bought the wife a 2005 grand scenic which uses the same electronics as the espace, In the year we had it I had to have the following done:

Dash display was intermitant - No fault found at dealer!
Dash display totalling failed! dealer £450
Remote locking key card lost memory £35 at dealer
Key card failed to start car - £250 at dealer for new key
CD player only played for 30mins then stopped until the next day!
One electric window stopped working
electric handbrake would always auto release
rear wiper ocassionally stopped.

After all these I decided to trade it in, The design of the car was good and practical. Im sure when they are new they are ok but electrical gremlins seem to be a big problem on these cars. Dealer was keen to help but expensive and couldnt alway find fault or fix problem first time..

Think how bad it would have been if you hadn't got a good one!!!!

 

[neilrr]

We had an 'R' reg Megane Scenic when they were brand new as a second company car.

What a complete piece of ****! My 20 y.o. 190E 2.6 is far more reliable.

Laughable quality & the dealers were just jaw drop bad. A new engine in the first year because the oil filler cap gasket broke, a £5 part! One time it was hit while parked on the street & it cost over £3,000 to repair the accident repair work done by Trinity Road Renault of Wandsworth, a main dealer, at Delta Renault in Maidenhead who were OK, but a 90 minute drive through London & into Berkshire away.

Finished me on Renaults for this lifetime. I'd rather drive a rusty W124 TE than a new Renault MPV.

 

[trapperjohn]

I think this thread is brilliant. Beats reading about injectors all day!!

 

[st4]

...............

 

[bpsorrel]

I'd be amazed if JAYGURNEY bought one after this!!!

 

[JAYGURNEY]

really good thread.....really glad i asked now and didnt just go down and maybe buy the espace. i knew i joined this forun for a reason, a lot of good brains in one place......... possibly 2-3 years of misery money draining hair pulling disasterous stuck at the side of the road in the rain sickening electronic malfunctioning dash light burning window stuck down in the snow....driving averted


PHEW.......THANKS GUYS

 

[mbenz76]

I'd be amazed if JAYGURNEY bought one after this!!!

I hope he doesn't. I wouldn't wish my Renault experiences on anyone.

 

[Tiff]

I'd be amazed if JAYGURNEY bought one after this!!!

If he does, I'm going to my sarcastic told you so cupboard,taking out the pump action and letting rip with both barrels the first problem he gets!!

 

[davidjpowell]

Can we stop the Espace bashing now? My plan is to sell ours shortly!

 

[trapperjohn]

As you may be coming back into the fold David, certainly.

Well I will anyway.

Good Luck with the sale!!

 

[JAYGURNEY]

LOL...........i dont think ill be buying yours either...thanks anyway

 

[Deadhead]

The worst car I ever owned was an early VW Sharan. Of course, I've never owned a Renault. OTOH I've had Citroens, Fiats and an Alfa. But the worst car was still the Sharan. And don't get me started on VW dealers and their spare-parts holdings.

Anyway, if I was looking for a people-carrier I would use my barge-pole to lever Galaxies and so on out of the way.

 

[Tiff]

Can we stop the Espace bashing now? My plan is to sell ours shortly!

Old wise Motor trader once said...

"There's a bum for every seat!"

 

[mbenz76]

And don't get me started on VW dealers and their spare-parts holdings..

This is one of the short-falls of Renault dealers. Any part needed which is not of the most basic variety has to come from France, so there is almost always a delay in getting parts.

 

[davidjpowell]

try 2 days for a battery

 

[alloam]

It ain't all bad

Lots of comments here but few from owners of Espace. We have a 2005 2.2dci Grand, now at around 65k miles. We bought it when 2 years old and I was scared over the first few months as we had a couple of faults that had it off the road for a couple of weeks. One was aircon related, the other an engine oil-leak.

However, most of our woes were down to the dealer we were using, and having switched to a different dealer we have found the experience far more satisfying.

Just as the old girl was about to head past the warranty I bought the extended warranty for a further two years, which is nearly up. Since then, of course, it has been almost faultless. The only problems have been the load sensor on the rear axle for the bixenon headlamp height-levelling, a suspension bush, and in the recent cold weather the alternator packed up. All fixed promptly under the extended warranty, and none of these resulted in being stranded - I was able to drive to the dealer with the alternator non-functioning. It is almost annoying, but if there are no other issues the warranty work won't have exceeded the payment for the extra warranty.

The only other negative issue I have with the car is the economy. However, we are almost exclusively urban-based and it is a heavy beast with an auto gearbox, so I suppose 26mpg average could be worse. It is about the same as the 1.8T petrol Seat Alhambra we had before this (it was not a paragon of reliability either with windscreen replacements, new aircon system, etc needed).

On the positive side, the Renault is a lovely drive. It is extremly smooth and easy to maneuvre, and the view for the driver is exemplary. We have had no issues with the interior, with four young kids abusing it, and all the electrical toys have been faultless. Someone commented that an Espace is just a plastic box, but the Espace IV sure does not feel that way. It feels solid and robust, and the interior is well built, certainly better than many of the alternatives I have tried recently (ever opened the glovebox of a new Galaxy?)

We are about to replace it and, to be honest, another Espace is right up there on my list of possibilities with a Grand Voyager (more space, but much, much more crude to drive), an XC90 (not as adaptable as the Renault) or an R-Class (cause I like underdogs!).

I will have fond memories of the Espace when it goes - can't say that about most MPVs.

 

[neilrr]

Lots of comments here but few from owners of Espace.

Though quite a few former Renault owner's have chimed in.

 

[whitenemesis]

This is one of the short-falls of Renault dealers. Any part needed which is not of the most basic variety has to come from France, so there is almost always a delay in getting parts.

As with MB, 36hrs min...