Espace/Grand Scenic - reliability?
Discussion
I have got an older 2.2dt but to be honest it is THE WORST CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED. It is less reliable than my very first car a 25 quid Austin A30 that had 250,000 miles on it. (it was seriously rusted but still very reliable!)
The French quality of engineering is poor. Take the sump plug for example. Having bought the car from a friend it seemed a good idea to change the oil and filter. When the sump plug was removed it was noticed that its threads were coated with plumbers PTFE tape. As I was having a new copper washer I didn't need PTFE tape surely? In fact the car dripped oil everywhere that it went and of course oil leaks mean NO MOT!
Yet another new copper washer was tried and yet again it leaked! Later the car had broken down owing to a lazy starter motor (goosed owing to prolonged and excessive cranking) The car was jacked up onto blocks in order to remove the fuel tank and re-pipe the fuel line WITHOUT any of those dreadful snap-action connectors which allow air to be sucked into the DERV. This was a good time to examine the sump and its plug and Voila! the problem was seen. The sump has a drunken thread! This means that no matter how many new copper washers are bought, the sump plug will always leak! This is the reason why PTFE thread sealing tape has been used.
In these days of CNC machine tools and robots one does have to wonder how they succeeded in manufacturing a sump with a drunken female thread. NONE of my previous cars have had this fault so this was a first for me and I'm a Senior Citizen! One then has to wonder "If they cannot even get a sump plug right what about the rest of it?"
The French quality of engineering is poor. Take the sump plug for example. Having bought the car from a friend it seemed a good idea to change the oil and filter. When the sump plug was removed it was noticed that its threads were coated with plumbers PTFE tape. As I was having a new copper washer I didn't need PTFE tape surely? In fact the car dripped oil everywhere that it went and of course oil leaks mean NO MOT!
Yet another new copper washer was tried and yet again it leaked! Later the car had broken down owing to a lazy starter motor (goosed owing to prolonged and excessive cranking) The car was jacked up onto blocks in order to remove the fuel tank and re-pipe the fuel line WITHOUT any of those dreadful snap-action connectors which allow air to be sucked into the DERV. This was a good time to examine the sump and its plug and Voila! the problem was seen. The sump has a drunken thread! This means that no matter how many new copper washers are bought, the sump plug will always leak! This is the reason why PTFE thread sealing tape has been used.
In these days of CNC machine tools and robots one does have to wonder how they succeeded in manufacturing a sump with a drunken female thread. NONE of my previous cars have had this fault so this was a first for me and I'm a Senior Citizen! One then has to wonder "If they cannot even get a sump plug right what about the rest of it?"
It's a real shame about all the problems with the early Espace. It must have hurt sales a lot because Renault ended up killing the model in the UK and apparently the next one is not coming to the UK.
I still remember mine (3.0 V6 diesel), it was sublime. Nothing I have owned since has had the same cocktail of luxury, performance, comfort, practicality and general coolness. And I can't find anything on the market that does.
I still remember mine (3.0 V6 diesel), it was sublime. Nothing I have owned since has had the same cocktail of luxury, performance, comfort, practicality and general coolness. And I can't find anything on the market that does.
Espace IV was terrific - especially in Grand form - but dreadfully badly put together. Ours was a proper nightmare. In the end Renault UK offered us a goodwill payment of £750 against the cost of another Espace if bought from the dealer network - we declined and coincidentally I sold the dead one for the same sum.
It was difficult to replace, but our Discovery provides greater comfort and a greater sense of occasion; and only slightly less space inside.
It was difficult to replace, but our Discovery provides greater comfort and a greater sense of occasion; and only slightly less space inside.
A bit late but...a colleague had the LWB mk4 V6 3.0dCi for a couple of years (second hand, 55 plate I think). Lovely to be in and remarkably spritely for its size (vast inside). The electrics were rather dodgy (traced to a wiring loom crushed during assembly) and the fuel pump disintegrated. The latter was engine out to replace with a total bill >£3K, softened somewhat by Renault stumping up a 90% contribution.
We're on our second Scenic (SWB). The first (mk2) was a cacophony of rattles, suffered the odd electrical gremlin and clogged an egr valve but managed 126k miles without stranding us or failing to start. Dangerously slow off the line though (1.5dCi).
We now have a mk3 1.9dCi which has been fine since the first owner had the display unit changed (dodgy voltage regulator apparently). It feels much more robust than the previous one and is a lot quieter inside (very noticeable at motorway /autoroute speeds). Unsurprisingly, I have found that the engine needs a prolonged period of sustained high revs to keep the injectors clean (I presume), if it's been used on a lot of short journeys, otherwise it develops a bit of a low rpm knock (Renault tech unable to locate knock...). Mk3s look to be fairly reliable, anecdotaly.
We're on our second Scenic (SWB). The first (mk2) was a cacophony of rattles, suffered the odd electrical gremlin and clogged an egr valve but managed 126k miles without stranding us or failing to start. Dangerously slow off the line though (1.5dCi).
We now have a mk3 1.9dCi which has been fine since the first owner had the display unit changed (dodgy voltage regulator apparently). It feels much more robust than the previous one and is a lot quieter inside (very noticeable at motorway /autoroute speeds). Unsurprisingly, I have found that the engine needs a prolonged period of sustained high revs to keep the injectors clean (I presume), if it's been used on a lot of short journeys, otherwise it develops a bit of a low rpm knock (Renault tech unable to locate knock...). Mk3s look to be fairly reliable, anecdotaly.
I currently own an Grand Espace 3.0DCI. initial one of the last! everything said regarding its reliability is true. However the most comfortable car ever been in, brilliant to drive and powerful. Test drove 4 new SUV's cars this weekend around 40K small cabins dreadful road noise absence of refinement.
I have a car worth 1K infinitely superior to the 2018 modern rubbish available. Just wish Renault sold the current Espace in the UK.
I have a car worth 1K infinitely superior to the 2018 modern rubbish available. Just wish Renault sold the current Espace in the UK.
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