French cars.Hmmm...

[Buff Mchugelarge]

Digby said:

Buff Mchugelarge said:

The 2 most reliable cars I've owned to date have been French (Clio RS 197 15K miles not a single problem) and Italian Fiat Seicento (13K miles without a single fault)

With the greatest of respect, 15k and 13k without an issue is what I would expect from any car.I don't think I would suggest something I had was reliable, simply because it had covered a years (or less) average mileage without a fault.

I do agree, but they were both done in under 6 months of fairly hard driving.
It's reliable in my experience of the cheaper end of motoring

[ajprice]

Digby said:

Thing is, it almost always is! As soon as we see some hazard lights, we proclaim "Bet it's French".Three times today, for example, this was also correct.In the last 6 months or so, I have honestly lost count of how many I have seen on my travels.

When I see a car on the hard shoulder, it's usually German, and of those it's usually a Mercedes. I know what you mean about the image of crap French car reliability, and I'd still go Japanese or German before French, even with seeing the Mercs on the hard shoulder. Weird.

[Digby]

ajprice said:

When I see a car on the hard shoulder, it's usually German, and of those it's usually a Mercedes. I know what you mean about the image of crap French car reliability, and I'd still go Japanese or German before French, even with seeing the Mercs on the hard shoulder. Weird.

I have a mechanic friend who swears he would never own another Merc due to numerous issues.Even the customer service side of things put him off!

But then my old boss went the way of the BMW and then went back to Mercedes, suggesting he would never have another BMW (I think the electric window motor setting fire to the door didn't help, there!)

[Dblue]

2 Megane RS250s run in our firm, 40k miles each, not a single problem of any sort over that time and both were rattle free and looked very fresh when they went.

Can only report our experience but they were better back to back than several VAG products we ran at the same time

[GrumpyTwig]

Dblue said:

2 Megane RS250s run in our firm, 40k miles each, not a single problem of any sort over that time and both were rattle free and looked very fresh when they went.

Can only report our experience but they were better back to back than several VAG products we ran at the same time

Electrically they are seeming to be bulletproof and the only mechanical weakness is some of the bearings that make up the front suspension and maybe gearbox mounts on the older cars but that's not very common. Quite a few high mile examples about and over 300bhp after a remap in a chassis so good shouldn't be scoffed at.

French cars are not as bad as some people seem to like to think and that's sad because they're usually the people who either don't know what they're missing or whom's 'wheels' are merely an extension to their manhood.

They're without a doubt a different recipe to other brands but even I'd get bored of eating Weiner schnitzel every day.

[mattshiz]

AndrewCrown said:

No no no....driving a french car is a bit like having an affair with your hairdresser (f).

At least you could borrow the hairdressers mx5 then

[Sir Bagalot]

Some Stats

[Glosphil]

2002 Megane 1.4 bought in 2004 and run until 2011. Total of problems? Needed a new battery in 2009.

2010 Clio 1.2T bought in 2011. Problems - none.

2002 Audi A4 1.8T purchased new. Faults needed car to be returned to dealer four times in 5 months and 10K miles.

[Blown2CV]

I know from an almost scientifically significant sample size that most are generally ok, but then you regularly get absolute lemons that have had issues since new. They use cheap ste French components yet seen to try and trailblaze new levels of complication. Idiots still buy them. It's weird.

[Oilchange]

We ran a Peugeot 206 in an 8 hour endurance race recently.
The lads syringed some of the coolant out to see what it looked like before the race and I suggested they change the lot, it looked like dark brown dishwater, they didn't and it still ran fine, annoyingly.

[GrumpyTwig]

Sir Bagalot said:

Some Stats

Interesting looking at Renault due to my own bias, 22nd over all making it very average but above a lot of perceived premium German brands and 4th in the engine reliability. As well according to that 3rd cheapest to repair.

It's odd that Nissan fair so much better. Especially as there's so much parts sharing between the two.

[RobinBanks]

From experience I would rather buy a Peugeot than a Volkswagen.

That is all.

[gazza285]

My last six cars have been Swedish, and my last four vans have been French. All have been very reliable, apart from my V70t, which had an intermitant EM fault that couldn't be found.

[lord trumpton]

Poopipe said:

Regarding the mk2 megane

Yes. Everything with a wire attached to it will go wrong at some point - Usually just after its rained - its always a niggle rather than a failure and most issues are best resolved using a gallic shrug followed by a short wait.

Id be more nervous of one with no warning lights illuminated if I were buying tbh. Itd suggest missing bulbs

[dave_s13]

My dad had had a 2005 citroen c5 since new and done 93k miles in it without issue.

I acquired it at few months ago and have covered a couple of thousand more miles. Last night the suspension system broke.

Fuksticks.

The main problem for me is the only place in Leeds that can work on it is a bh to get to.

[Rawhide]

I think this depends where you live and drive. I've just done a quick poll of the road Ive just walked up and I've only seen 1 French car out of maybe 60. Millions of German cars though and they are what I tend to rarely see broken down. I expect it would be different on the local council estate.

[Arquettes]

According to Warranty Direct who really should know French cars are second only to Japanese for reliability and well ahead of German etc.
Since passing my test in 1979 I have almost exclusively driven French cars and only been stranded twice , once when my first 2CV ran out of oil and seized ( my fault ) and when a DS sphere worked loose and all the hydraulic fluid leaked out!
Collecting my new Cactus on Monday and hoping it is as reliable as all the others have been

[V8s ONLY]

I've had three french cars over the years,all Renaults,but only two of them have caught fire.

[Supercell]

Digby said:

I can certainly see that making a lot of sense where the second hand market is concerned, but then it has to be asked why I never seem to see battered up old Hondas and Toytas and numerous other neglected looking makes stuck at the side of the road?

Again, I am only commenting on what I see and was left wondering why.This is not an anti-French post, despite how it may appear!

Edited by Digby on Friday 21st November 22:14

A very valid question, and one which I have no real answer to! I'll have a stab in the dark and say that the Japanese seem to "over engineer" the mechanical side of things, and have rugged electricals (compared to the French at least!) and so can take more abuse. I went from a Peugeot to a Suzuki Swift Sport, and although the interior is cheaper looking/feeling than the Peugeot, it appears well built, and the engine is supposedly very solid.

[IroningMan]

I had a 2005 Grand Espace from new; it cost more to keep on the road that the Discovery 3 that has replaced it, getting through track rod ends in less than 50k miles, then EGR valves, alternators (twice) batteries (twice) rear brake calipers, an inlet manifold, PAS pump and a gearbox.

Ultimately it threw a rod just before it got to 100k miles. And just after I had spent a small fortune on the PAS pump, new discs and new tyres all round.

In a lot of cases it seemed to be a matter of parts shared with smaller/lighter vehicles that just weren't up to the job.