Xenoous' Renault Megane RS265
Discussion
So I thought I'd create a Readers’ Cars thread myself. If nothing else, just so I can realise what a financial mistake it is keeping a Renault Sport running with a growing family and a mortgage!.
After 7 years of ownership I decided to sell my old 5 pot Focus ST. I fancied a change, something a little more Focus'd, pardon the pun. I've always known about the reputation of Renault Sport cars and thought I'd take a look. A Clio wasn't going to cut it size wise, so the Megane was the obvious choice. It still needed to fit a toddler car seat in, and get a pram in the boot. It just about manages both, by the way.
After spending tens of hours watching review videos and reading countless articles on them, I committed to buying one. First hurdle was understanding the difference between lux, cup, full fat with cup pack, trophy, cup-s... What? Turns out I just needed the cup, after all, it needs that LSD, otherwise what's the point in these?
I found one after a few weeks of searching all the usual sites. A 2012 "Full fat" RS265 in Diamond Black, 70k miles, Recaro seats, RS monitor, visibility pack, Arkamys sound (still absolute rubbish), 18" Tibors (the 19s really don't do it for me) and more. Test drove it, it was immaculate considering the age, drove well and seemed to be a really decent car. Had a couple of modifications such as uprated intercooler, Bilstein B14 coilovers, dump valve.... That should have rung the alarm bells, but I went in heart over head. But, here we are 2.5 years later.
Day I purchased it:
It didn't take long before I started learning the car, its quirks (such as the air con light means it's off, the location of the RS button), what I felt needed sorting etc... So, on to that.
Job 1: The Thermostat
After about a week of ownership the thermostat needed replacing as it wasn't getting up to temp. Noone seemed to have one in stock (covid supply issues in Feb 21). Managed to get hold of one about 3 weeks later and got the local garage to sort. Job 1 ticked off. Car was running great again!
Job 2: The Dump Valve and Coilovers
I've never had a car with a DV before, always sticking to a recirc because well, I'm not a chav. It was quite fun, then after a couple of months it grew tiresome. I searched for a RS specialist close to Cambs... Alas, my first trip to AW Motorworks...!
A Forge recirc was fitted, and dump valve removed. Unfortunately Alex at AW told me the bad news... One of the three bolts that held the blanking plate on was snapped. Turbo needed to come off and it needed drilling out. Booked in again a few weeks later to have this and a few other bits he noticed sorted. On the plus side, I sold the dump valve for £50...
When I picked up the car it was set to almost the lowest setting on the Bilsteins. Not practical. I had it raised considerably. Still lower than stock, but not by much. At least I'm not scraping the road now, even if it does look a little worse for it.
Other jobs picked up were the front brakes were fitted with cheap rubbish discs and pads which explained what felt like poor braking, and a ball joint also needed sorting. Hada it booked in for the following month
Job 3: The Snapped Turbo Bolt and New Discs & Pads
Back to AW then. Recirc secured by all 3 bolts! Huzzah. New plain Brembo discs and pads installed on the front. Car feels like it wants to stop now... Much better. A wishbone ball joint to finish it off. More than a few hundred quid lighter.
Job 4: 2 x Michelin PS4's!
Nice simple one here, new fronts. Car drove so much nicer with these on.
Job 5: The Squealing Rear Brakes, and Service
Rears started squealing. New genuine plain rear discs and pads ordered from Renault Parts Direct. Got a different local garage to fit them and do a service. Sigh, a mistake. They were binding, clearly not fit correctly. I should have taken the car back to them, but in the end the next job came around quickly.
Job 6: The Dreaded Megane Gearbox, and The Replacement Clutch, DMF and Other Jobs
Around about the same time as getting the above done, I started noticing a whine when above 40mph that increased in frequency and volume with speed, not revs. A quick Google into the problem then showed hundreds of Mk3 Megane posts about the same thing. Bearings inside the gearbox were basically breaking up. Great. On top of this, the car started throwing a warning ‘Braking System Fault’ in bright red. Not concerning at all. Turns out this is also fairly common and the fix is to ‘delete’ the clutch damper with a braided line.
Got in touch with Alex at AW and he agreed to take a look at the car without charge, and then quoted me for the work that needed doing.
'Braking System Fault' warning only came on randomly.
Bearings eating themselves, causing all kinds of noises
New bearings and seals installed
New flywheel and clutch installed
Gearbox back on
Bill of over £1,700. This stung, and I seriously considered getting rid and getting something easier to live with. I didn't, and I still have it a year on.
Job 7: 2 More Michelin PS4's!
Rears this time. Pretty fresh rubber all round now.
Job 8: The 'Why Won't You Steer Straight?' Woes
I'd started noticing the car wandering when accelerating. It felt like it was tram lining, torque steering and just veering all over the place. Thought the worst and prepared myself for another hefty bill.
Got in touch with Alex at AW again and booked it in for swivels and anti rotation links. He looked it over, said everything's solid and had a look at the tracking instead... It was way out. Not sure how, perhaps I'd hit one too many potholes recently.
Tracking straight and true again. Lovely. Also cost 15% of what I had prepared myself for. Happy days.
That leads me to the day of writing this post. A long story short, I think the previous owner looked after the car well cosmetically, but was likely aware of a bunch of failures incoming. At least that's what the bitter taste left in my mouth feels like. It is what it is, and I'm glad I still have the car, even if it has cost me in excess of £4,500 so far in repairs and basic maintenance. Part and parcel of owning a Renault Sport I suppose.
Next must do jobs on the list:
Some nice touches/mods I'd like to do:
The car now drives better than ever. I've found the love for it that I never had before, and really enjoying every trip I take out in it. It handles superb, pulls very well, and puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, at long last. One day, I’d love to track it, but that money is better used elsewhere at the moment, sadly.
That's it. I'll keep the thread updated as things happen.
Cheers,
Xenoous
Pics
After 7 years of ownership I decided to sell my old 5 pot Focus ST. I fancied a change, something a little more Focus'd, pardon the pun. I've always known about the reputation of Renault Sport cars and thought I'd take a look. A Clio wasn't going to cut it size wise, so the Megane was the obvious choice. It still needed to fit a toddler car seat in, and get a pram in the boot. It just about manages both, by the way.
After spending tens of hours watching review videos and reading countless articles on them, I committed to buying one. First hurdle was understanding the difference between lux, cup, full fat with cup pack, trophy, cup-s... What? Turns out I just needed the cup, after all, it needs that LSD, otherwise what's the point in these?
I found one after a few weeks of searching all the usual sites. A 2012 "Full fat" RS265 in Diamond Black, 70k miles, Recaro seats, RS monitor, visibility pack, Arkamys sound (still absolute rubbish), 18" Tibors (the 19s really don't do it for me) and more. Test drove it, it was immaculate considering the age, drove well and seemed to be a really decent car. Had a couple of modifications such as uprated intercooler, Bilstein B14 coilovers, dump valve.... That should have rung the alarm bells, but I went in heart over head. But, here we are 2.5 years later.
Day I purchased it:
It didn't take long before I started learning the car, its quirks (such as the air con light means it's off, the location of the RS button), what I felt needed sorting etc... So, on to that.
Job 1: The Thermostat
After about a week of ownership the thermostat needed replacing as it wasn't getting up to temp. Noone seemed to have one in stock (covid supply issues in Feb 21). Managed to get hold of one about 3 weeks later and got the local garage to sort. Job 1 ticked off. Car was running great again!
Job 2: The Dump Valve and Coilovers
I've never had a car with a DV before, always sticking to a recirc because well, I'm not a chav. It was quite fun, then after a couple of months it grew tiresome. I searched for a RS specialist close to Cambs... Alas, my first trip to AW Motorworks...!
A Forge recirc was fitted, and dump valve removed. Unfortunately Alex at AW told me the bad news... One of the three bolts that held the blanking plate on was snapped. Turbo needed to come off and it needed drilling out. Booked in again a few weeks later to have this and a few other bits he noticed sorted. On the plus side, I sold the dump valve for £50...
When I picked up the car it was set to almost the lowest setting on the Bilsteins. Not practical. I had it raised considerably. Still lower than stock, but not by much. At least I'm not scraping the road now, even if it does look a little worse for it.
Other jobs picked up were the front brakes were fitted with cheap rubbish discs and pads which explained what felt like poor braking, and a ball joint also needed sorting. Hada it booked in for the following month
Job 3: The Snapped Turbo Bolt and New Discs & Pads
Back to AW then. Recirc secured by all 3 bolts! Huzzah. New plain Brembo discs and pads installed on the front. Car feels like it wants to stop now... Much better. A wishbone ball joint to finish it off. More than a few hundred quid lighter.
Job 4: 2 x Michelin PS4's!
Nice simple one here, new fronts. Car drove so much nicer with these on.
Job 5: The Squealing Rear Brakes, and Service
Rears started squealing. New genuine plain rear discs and pads ordered from Renault Parts Direct. Got a different local garage to fit them and do a service. Sigh, a mistake. They were binding, clearly not fit correctly. I should have taken the car back to them, but in the end the next job came around quickly.
Job 6: The Dreaded Megane Gearbox, and The Replacement Clutch, DMF and Other Jobs
Around about the same time as getting the above done, I started noticing a whine when above 40mph that increased in frequency and volume with speed, not revs. A quick Google into the problem then showed hundreds of Mk3 Megane posts about the same thing. Bearings inside the gearbox were basically breaking up. Great. On top of this, the car started throwing a warning ‘Braking System Fault’ in bright red. Not concerning at all. Turns out this is also fairly common and the fix is to ‘delete’ the clutch damper with a braided line.
Got in touch with Alex at AW and he agreed to take a look at the car without charge, and then quoted me for the work that needed doing.
- Gearbox rebuild with new bearings and seals
- Clutch and flywheel if these needed doing (they did)
- Clutch damper delete line as it was leaking
- FARB remounting
- Strip, clean, rethread and regrease rear callipers as local garage that fit these messed up the thread.
'Braking System Fault' warning only came on randomly.
Bearings eating themselves, causing all kinds of noises
New bearings and seals installed
New flywheel and clutch installed
Gearbox back on
Bill of over £1,700. This stung, and I seriously considered getting rid and getting something easier to live with. I didn't, and I still have it a year on.
Job 7: 2 More Michelin PS4's!
Rears this time. Pretty fresh rubber all round now.
Job 8: The 'Why Won't You Steer Straight?' Woes
I'd started noticing the car wandering when accelerating. It felt like it was tram lining, torque steering and just veering all over the place. Thought the worst and prepared myself for another hefty bill.
Got in touch with Alex at AW again and booked it in for swivels and anti rotation links. He looked it over, said everything's solid and had a look at the tracking instead... It was way out. Not sure how, perhaps I'd hit one too many potholes recently.
Tracking straight and true again. Lovely. Also cost 15% of what I had prepared myself for. Happy days.
That leads me to the day of writing this post. A long story short, I think the previous owner looked after the car well cosmetically, but was likely aware of a bunch of failures incoming. At least that's what the bitter taste left in my mouth feels like. It is what it is, and I'm glad I still have the car, even if it has cost me in excess of £4,500 so far in repairs and basic maintenance. Part and parcel of owning a Renault Sport I suppose.
Next must do jobs on the list:
-
DIY service - Cambelt due 2024
- Oil breather gaskets leaking (I'll get this done at the same time as the cambelt)
-
Air conditioning condenser has a hole in it...
Some nice touches/mods I'd like to do:
- Wheel refurb - Being a black car, some satin bronze Tibors would look just right.
- Gearknob - I like the machined aluminium knob on some RS's, however these are ridiculously expensive for what they are at £170.
- Decals - Nothing too extreme, just some RS themed Decals to break up the black a little.
- Speaker amp - Even with the upgraded Arkamys audio, it's pretty rubbish. A common mod is to install a mini amp above the glove box in the dash.
- 300 bhp map - It's standard power at the moment, perhaps I'll look at mapping it later down the line
- Centre res delete - Just for a bit more noise. I don't intend on making it loud, just tad louder than stock.
The car now drives better than ever. I've found the love for it that I never had before, and really enjoying every trip I take out in it. It handles superb, pulls very well, and puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, at long last. One day, I’d love to track it, but that money is better used elsewhere at the moment, sadly.
That's it. I'll keep the thread updated as things happen.
Cheers,
Xenoous
Pics
Edited by Xenoous on Monday 22 May 14:17
Edited by Xenoous on Tuesday 18th July 06:06
Edited by Xenoous on Wednesday 19th July 21:50
Grumps. said:
Nice!
As you have spent a fair bit on it, it's gotta be worth keeping, especially now you 'know' the car?
Yes, that's the plan at this point. It's finally putting a smile on my face. I'm understanding the fuss and noise around Renault Sports now. I'd recommend these cars to drive, not to own as a daily, which mine is...As you have spent a fair bit on it, it's gotta be worth keeping, especially now you 'know' the car?
What else can go wrong?! I'm sure I'll find out
Xenoous said:
Yes, that's the plan at this point. It's finally putting a smile on my face. I'm understanding the fuss and noise around Renault Sports now. I'd recommend these cars to drive, not to own as a daily, which mine is...
What else can go wrong?! I'm sure I'll find out
As someone who is considering one of these as a daily, mind me asking why you'd recommend against it? My assumption is that it's too stiff and related to the coilovers, but keen to know if it's something else.What else can go wrong?! I'm sure I'll find out
wilbo83 said:
Xenoous said:
Yes, that's the plan at this point. It's finally putting a smile on my face. I'm understanding the fuss and noise around Renault Sports now. I'd recommend these cars to drive, not to own as a daily, which mine is...
What else can go wrong?! I'm sure I'll find out
As someone who is considering one of these as a daily, mind me asking why you'd recommend against it? My assumption is that it's too stiff and related to the coilovers, but keen to know if it's something else.What else can go wrong?! I'm sure I'll find out
The ride is firm if you out for the cup chassis, but not crashy. It's livable, but I wouldn't recommend driving it if you have a headache
CarlosSainz100 said:
I had the previous model Megane RS. It's still the best handling car I've ever had and by some way. Although like you I had quite a few niggling faults with it. I think your car is a future modern classic.
It's a fantastic car to drive. Not much comes close in terms of ability. Definitely puts a smile on my face most times I drive it. Cambs_Stuart said:
I've got a clio 172, and I've spent a fair amount more than it's purchase price with Alex at AW!
I've been looking at these megane for next year when I might sell both my clio and legacy and go to one car...
Alex is great. Renault Sports ain't cheap to keep running properly that's for sure. I'm based just outside Cambridge, I'll keep a lookout for a 172! I've been looking at these megane for next year when I might sell both my clio and legacy and go to one car...
Fuzzy69r said:
Nice looking RS mate and I must admit I have always had a soft spot for these, pretty sure that’s the old PK6 gearbox or a version of it and I remember my time at a Renault & Nissan garage these gearboxes being plagued by premature bearing failures.
Thank you. Looks lovely when it's clean. Unfortunately finding time to keep it clean is tough with a toddler and a 5 month old baby! I think it's a PK4, which I guess it's just a variation of the same box. I heard it's similar in design to the boxes they shove on their vans, which just about sums Renault up!
Edited by Xenoous on Tuesday 18th July 08:25
Well I though it was time to finally service it. Official Renault service schedule is every 12500 miles or 2 years, whatever comes soonest. It was 15 months and 6,000 miles since a local indy serviced it. Didn't want to leave it any longer as the oil was looking pretty ropey by this point.
Time to put the new trolley jack to use. Thanks wifey.
Renault have now changed their recommended oil to Castrol Edge... Might explain why this was £20 cheaper than the equivalent Castrol.
Seriously, that oil filter placement is just stupid.
Handy oil filter grab tool come in useful. Was still a ballache though. Also fashioned a little cardboard guide to avoid oil when removing the filter going absolutely everywhere. Just a little spillage, got away with that!
Job well done in the end. Engine feels smoother and more responsive. Got to love that post service feeling.
Next up, cambelt if nothing else decides it wants to break.
Time to put the new trolley jack to use. Thanks wifey.
Renault have now changed their recommended oil to Castrol Edge... Might explain why this was £20 cheaper than the equivalent Castrol.
Seriously, that oil filter placement is just stupid.
Handy oil filter grab tool come in useful. Was still a ballache though. Also fashioned a little cardboard guide to avoid oil when removing the filter going absolutely everywhere. Just a little spillage, got away with that!
Job well done in the end. Engine feels smoother and more responsive. Got to love that post service feeling.
Next up, cambelt if nothing else decides it wants to break.
So it's just hit 80,000 miles. A good point to reflect on ownership so far. I purchased the car in Jan 2021 with 70k on, since then I've done everything listed in this thread to it, totalling £4,168, on top of the initial purchase price of £10,400. It's not been fun spending what I have on this car, and I grew to hate it, but I kept hold of it because there's a reason people buy Renault Sport cars.
I'm happy to say I'm glad I didn't sell. With everything that's been done to it, I'm starting to feel like I should keep it for a while now. Selling it at this point seems like I'm just fixing it up so it's a great car for the next guy/gal. Many of the common issues are now fixed, leaving the cambelt and oil breather gasket to go. Another £650-750 there. I'll tackle that next year.
I'm off on a little day trip next week in the car which I'm looking forward to. Will give me a chance drive the car a real distance and just enjoy it for what it is, a proper hot hatch.
Here's to hoping the next 10,000 miles are a lot kinder on the wallet.
oceanview said:
Fantastic cars and i admire your perseverance with it!
Back in 1998-2001, i had a Clio Williams 2 , and that had gearbox whine by 50,000. I don't know what it is with Renault but they still can't/won't put more robust boxes in, even all theses years later!
Yeah my Megane 275 had a similar gearbox problem on around 20k. Fortunately was still in warranty. Back in 1998-2001, i had a Clio Williams 2 , and that had gearbox whine by 50,000. I don't know what it is with Renault but they still can't/won't put more robust boxes in, even all theses years later!
My old 172 Cup wasn't in warranty when the gearbox started whining though!
I've had a few bills with my Megane. I don't begrudge it too much, as given the performance its not surprising it wears bits out.
oceanview said:
Fantastic cars and i admire your perseverance with it!
Back in 1998-2001, i had a Clio Williams 2 , and that had gearbox whine by 50,000. I don't know what it is with Renault but they still can't/won't put more robust boxes in, even all theses years later!
Yeah I think perseverance is the right word! I don't plan on doing much to it in the coming months, just plan on driving in when time allows. Back in 1998-2001, i had a Clio Williams 2 , and that had gearbox whine by 50,000. I don't know what it is with Renault but they still can't/won't put more robust boxes in, even all theses years later!
Zarco said:
Yeah my Megane 275 had a similar gearbox problem on around 20k. Fortunately was still in warranty.
My old 172 Cup wasn't in warranty when the gearbox started whining though!
I've had a few bills with my Megane. I don't begrudge it too much, as given the performance its not surprising it wears bits out.
In 7 years of Focus ST ownership I spend around £7,000 in mods and repairs/maintenance. That included new dampers, intercooler, induction kit, 3" exhaust system with 200 cell car and mapped to 300+bhp. The Megane has just been repairs and consumables! Still, it's one hell of a thing to drive. My old 172 Cup wasn't in warranty when the gearbox started whining though!
I've had a few bills with my Megane. I don't begrudge it too much, as given the performance its not surprising it wears bits out.
Macron said:
I normally dislike black wheels, but on this, the car's proportions just look so good, it really doesn't matter.
Hats off to you for all the work, great car!
Thank you. Hats off to you for all the work, great car!
I'm the same, I've really grown to like the black wheels. Not sure I'd want them on another car mind you. Was thinking maybe bronze for this if I do ever change. Had a mock up done of the wheels in silver and it just didn't look right. Perhaps the only car that looks right with black wheels!
Edited by Xenoous on Saturday 29th July 08:37
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