Renault Meganes
Discussion
DuncsGTi said:
daemon said:
DuncsGTi said:
It actually threw up a strange fault tonight. 50 MPH into a sharp left hander which drops away and as I got back onto the power it went into limp home mode? I turned around, went back and tried again and was able to replicate the same fault. No code stored on the ECU and LH mode cleared by switching off/on.
Anyone got any ideas?
Just because you cant read it, doesnt mean the code isnt there. It may take a proper Renault system to read it.Anyone got any ideas?
It could be ABS related for example - a lot of code readers dont / cant read those systems.
I have a mate with a snap on reader but not much use if I have to replicate the fault then drive to him in limp mode.
It sounds like it could be ABS related - the ABS system / traction control systems are linked.
vikingaero said:
Same place the Mk1's went - ruined by French reliability.
Actually, I saw one today (on French plates!) that looked in great condition.Mine was an unreliable turd of a car that nearly killed me with a steering failure on the M5. But I know of many others that were just fine- think I just got unlucky.
daemon said:
Matt UK said:
My missus had a brave new mark 2. Traded it the day it 3 years old. Was an unreliable f
ker of a thing and the dealer tried to wriggle out of so many issues which should have been covered under warranty.
It just didn't do anything well enough to even consider forgiving it its faults.
The dealers are properly st IMO.
So basically a pretty crap car IME.
Extrapolate that onwards and when one reaches the £500-£1000 bracket its going to get scrapped at the next big bill.ker of a thing and the dealer tried to wriggle out of so many issues which should have been covered under warranty. It just didn't do anything well enough to even consider forgiving it its faults.
The dealers are properly s
t IMO. So basically a pretty crap car IME.
Mines just gone over 110K still pulls like a train (1.9 diesel) good economy, all day comfy seats, vast boot for class, happy in lane 3 of the motorway with the big boys ;-)
Front doors still leak despite 2 recalls, just open both wide after it rains and let them empty, apparently it doesn't rain in France I guess?
Had a recall about the rear spoiler (on the estate) but mine had shed its stock one before the recall (at warp9, quite a impressive bang) so replacement is properly attached (by me not Renault)
Electrics all good (touch wood) except CD multichanger- but never used it much anyway after MP3's were invented- keyless start and entry is Superb, don't want a car without this ever again, Auto lights and wipers both very effective.
There may be better small family estates now but a few years ago it was the biggest, comfiest and IMVHO best looking of the class and despite almost a decade at the seaside mine is rust free and other than an annual oil and filter change hasn't seen a spanner since I got it. My MOT tester reluctantly admitted it drove beautifully because like many here apparently he said- "I always assume French cars will be sh*t"
Maybe I was lucky and got a sober Tuesday morning car rather than a Friday afternoon rush job?
Front doors still leak despite 2 recalls, just open both wide after it rains and let them empty, apparently it doesn't rain in France I guess?
Had a recall about the rear spoiler (on the estate) but mine had shed its stock one before the recall (at warp9, quite a impressive bang) so replacement is properly attached (by me not Renault)
Electrics all good (touch wood) except CD multichanger- but never used it much anyway after MP3's were invented- keyless start and entry is Superb, don't want a car without this ever again, Auto lights and wipers both very effective.
There may be better small family estates now but a few years ago it was the biggest, comfiest and IMVHO best looking of the class and despite almost a decade at the seaside mine is rust free and other than an annual oil and filter change hasn't seen a spanner since I got it. My MOT tester reluctantly admitted it drove beautifully because like many here apparently he said- "I always assume French cars will be sh*t"
Maybe I was lucky and got a sober Tuesday morning car rather than a Friday afternoon rush job?
They have a large number of poor quality components in them that cause them to break down. Our 1.6 used to eat through coil packs. For us it was a mild annoyance, £19 a coil and literally two bolts to change it when I came home in the evening. For the non-mechanically minded that may well have meant calling for breakdown recovery, faulty finding at a garage, labour to change and a higher parts price.
Just sorted the heater on a mates mum's one. Cause was mild corrosion on the fan's plug connection. Sorting that meant pulling the glovebox out, getting behind the dash and pulling everything out. Interestingly (or not) Google says there are three reasons for the failure, the relay, resistor pack or the fan itself. Realistically none of those should fail enough to warrant the amount of user guides out there for replacing all three.
Shame really. It's easy to dismiss the Megane but it's a well thought out, nicely styled design and the RS models are really quite fabulous to drive. Scrimping on the boring bits means that many of them will end up scrapped because of a single cheap component failure.
Just sorted the heater on a mates mum's one. Cause was mild corrosion on the fan's plug connection. Sorting that meant pulling the glovebox out, getting behind the dash and pulling everything out. Interestingly (or not) Google says there are three reasons for the failure, the relay, resistor pack or the fan itself. Realistically none of those should fail enough to warrant the amount of user guides out there for replacing all three.
Shame really. It's easy to dismiss the Megane but it's a well thought out, nicely styled design and the RS models are really quite fabulous to drive. Scrimping on the boring bits means that many of them will end up scrapped because of a single cheap component failure.
daemon said:
It "should" be. But it might require CLIP to read it. It should be logged somewhere.
It sounds like it could be ABS related - the ABS system / traction control systems are linked.
Hmmm, Cheers for the info. I think I'll try to replicate it with the TC off and see what happens.It sounds like it could be ABS related - the ABS system / traction control systems are linked.
Im not braking at all for the corner so that could rule out ABS sensors etc.
DuncsGTi said:
daemon said:
It "should" be. But it might require CLIP to read it. It should be logged somewhere.
It sounds like it could be ABS related - the ABS system / traction control systems are linked.
Hmmm, Cheers for the info. I think I'll try to replicate it with the TC off and see what happens.It sounds like it could be ABS related - the ABS system / traction control systems are linked.
Im not braking at all for the corner so that could rule out ABS sensors etc.
I do recall on my Merc C36 when the ABS module failed i lost traction control too.
By your description it does sound like its happening at a point when one wheel is spinning significantly faster than the other - thats saying traction control / ABS to me. And also feeds in to you not being able to read it as the ABS module is usually not readable by a "standard" code reader.
Edited by daemon on Monday 27th February 22:38
daemon said:
I "think" the ABS sensors feed in to the traction control too - its part of the readings the car takes. I could be entirely wrong of course.
I do recall on my Merc C36 when the ABS module failed i lost traction control too.
CoolI do recall on my Merc C36 when the ABS module failed i lost traction control too.
It needs new discs in the next month or so anyway so I'll give the sensors a good clean when I'm changing them
DuncsGTi said:
daemon said:
I "think" the ABS sensors feed in to the traction control too - its part of the readings the car takes. I could be entirely wrong of course.
I do recall on my Merc C36 when the ABS module failed i lost traction control too.
CoolI do recall on my Merc C36 when the ABS module failed i lost traction control too.
It needs new discs in the next month or so anyway so I'll give the sensors a good clean when I'm changing them
I rescued a 2003 1.9 dci megane a couple of months ago. I use it to leave at customers houses when I pick their car up.
I say rescued, because it had been stood for 3 years.
When it works, it's great. However it's an electrical nightmare! Sometimes you press the start button and nothing happens, sometimes it starts, and other times it's cuts the whole electrics to the car.
I can see why people get rid of them, but for me it does a job, and Ido t have to pay to have it fixed, so it works.
I say rescued, because it had been stood for 3 years.
When it works, it's great. However it's an electrical nightmare! Sometimes you press the start button and nothing happens, sometimes it starts, and other times it's cuts the whole electrics to the car.
I can see why people get rid of them, but for me it does a job, and Ido t have to pay to have it fixed, so it works.
Dodgy rear tail lights and indicators seems to be a common feature of Meganes, as surely as a Peugeot 206 with its brake lights jammed on and an Audi A3 with its rear wiper stuck straight up on the back window, or an Astra with its front wipers halfway up the windscreen. It's that recurring fault you nearly always see on the car.
My parents have a Mk2 Scenic 1.9 DCI for tip duties that has 120k miles on the clock. It has had many issues over the last few years which would have seen it scrapped if my dad wasn't a mechanic.
1)Drain holes under the bonnet clogged so the carpets were under an inch of water. Apparently this often kills the car as the electrics are under the carpet and corrode.
2)Power steering failed. I was quoted £500 for a replacement but after some research found if you replace it with a second hand one and use the old steering lock it works.
3)Dash failed, quoted £500 for replacement but got it repaired for £100
4)Three out of four windows stopped working, ended up replacing the window regulators.
5)Heater motor stopped working as the wiring to the resister burns out. Got a new resister and modified loom which fixed it. Nightmare job as it is buried in the dash and you cannot see what you are doing.
6)Tyre fitter damaged the tyre pressure sensors so they give a warning now.
7)Key card was not being detected, I took it apart (had to cut it in half with a Stanley knife) and the solder inside had come away.
Current issues are the electric handbrake doesn't release with the button and the engine mounts are ruined so it shakes the whole car.
A few years ago I was at a car dealer and he had a Scenic parked up on his lot. The car was 8 years old and he told me he had been offered it in part exchange so offered £200 for it as he didn't want it which they accepted.
Any repair on a Renault costs £500 so you can see why people throw in the towel, scrap it and go and lease something brand new instead.
This scenic is still more reliable than the MK2 Laguna I was foolish enough to buy though.....
1)Drain holes under the bonnet clogged so the carpets were under an inch of water. Apparently this often kills the car as the electrics are under the carpet and corrode.
2)Power steering failed. I was quoted £500 for a replacement but after some research found if you replace it with a second hand one and use the old steering lock it works.
3)Dash failed, quoted £500 for replacement but got it repaired for £100
4)Three out of four windows stopped working, ended up replacing the window regulators.
5)Heater motor stopped working as the wiring to the resister burns out. Got a new resister and modified loom which fixed it. Nightmare job as it is buried in the dash and you cannot see what you are doing.
6)Tyre fitter damaged the tyre pressure sensors so they give a warning now.
7)Key card was not being detected, I took it apart (had to cut it in half with a Stanley knife) and the solder inside had come away.
Current issues are the electric handbrake doesn't release with the button and the engine mounts are ruined so it shakes the whole car.
A few years ago I was at a car dealer and he had a Scenic parked up on his lot. The car was 8 years old and he told me he had been offered it in part exchange so offered £200 for it as he didn't want it which they accepted.
Any repair on a Renault costs £500 so you can see why people throw in the towel, scrap it and go and lease something brand new instead.
This scenic is still more reliable than the MK2 Laguna I was foolish enough to buy though.....
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 27th February 23:59
Bought a Mk3 Megane RS250 Cup in 2011 and had it for 3 years/45,000kms. Had a termostat replaced under warranty and a clutch slave cylinder. Sold the car to my sister in law and she's had it for 3 years and the only thing she's had to replace is a coil pack and a timing belt (routine 4yr change) and she's over 120,000kms now and needs to replace the discs. So...it's not too bad and I know many other with similar experiences (Australia is the 2nd largest Renaultsport market in the world after France, so there's a few of them here). The only thing it eats is expensive rubber...it's now on its 5th set of tyres!
RBH58 said:
Bought a Mk3 Megane RS250 Cup in 2011 and had it for 3 years/45,000kms. Had a termostat replaced under warranty and a clutch slave cylinder. Sold the car to my sister in law and she's had it for 3 years and the only thing she's had to replace is a coil pack and a timing belt (routine 4yr change) and she's over 120,000kms now and needs to replace the discs. So...it's not too bad and I know many other with similar experiences (Australia is the 2nd largest Renaultsport market in the world after France, so there's a few of them here). The only thing it eats is expensive rubber...it's now on its 5th set of tyres!
MK3 RS are very solid, particularly given the treatment they receive on the road and track. So the assumption that French = unreliable is obsolete I'm afraid. 20k kms is pretty good for front tyres actually ! But maybe you rotated with rears so suddenly, that's not so good!We had a 2004 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi which is based on the Megane II. It threw £500+ bills for fun once it got to about four years old. Parts were expensive, and nothing was easy to get to, remove or repair. Renault UK also seemed to be living in complete denial every time, although to be fair, they did stump up for two window regulators that failed just out of warranty. After endless ridiculous issues, the final straw was the complete failure of the clutch hydraulics at 60,000 miles necessitating a 9 hour clutch replacement, and leaving barely any change from a grand, even having the work done at an indie. I paid the man, drove it home, put it in Autotrader as soon as I walked in the door, and never drove the thing again. It was last MOT'd in 2011, so someone clearly managed to nurse the thing up to 7-8 years old before it finally died. I honestly pity them.
I also had a 2005 1.5 dCi Megane Sport Tourer (estate) that was provided my employer at the time. That was putting SERVICE warnings on, and suffering from electrical gremlins in the first six months of use. The scary thing about this one is that it seemed almost possessed. You'd come out to it one day and have intermittent loss of power steering with CHECK POWER STEERING messages on the display. Then at next restart it would be fine. It would work perfectly for a few weeks, then a random STOP message with a load of beeping that would then fix itself. Another couple of days and CHECK INJECTION followed by limp mode. Utter, utter junk, and hopeless dealers that didn't seem to have a clue where to start. This went off the road in 2013.
The diesel engines were good, I will give them that. Smooth, refined and economical.
For the beer money these things are worth now, it must just be a case of putting up with or ignoring the serial failures until something terminal goes and you call it quits. Although what effect of 10+ years of wear and tear, and general use and abuse has had on what was a pretty shonky bit of engineering out of the factory doesn't really bear thinking about.
I also had a 2005 1.5 dCi Megane Sport Tourer (estate) that was provided my employer at the time. That was putting SERVICE warnings on, and suffering from electrical gremlins in the first six months of use. The scary thing about this one is that it seemed almost possessed. You'd come out to it one day and have intermittent loss of power steering with CHECK POWER STEERING messages on the display. Then at next restart it would be fine. It would work perfectly for a few weeks, then a random STOP message with a load of beeping that would then fix itself. Another couple of days and CHECK INJECTION followed by limp mode. Utter, utter junk, and hopeless dealers that didn't seem to have a clue where to start. This went off the road in 2013.
The diesel engines were good, I will give them that. Smooth, refined and economical.
For the beer money these things are worth now, it must just be a case of putting up with or ignoring the serial failures until something terminal goes and you call it quits. Although what effect of 10+ years of wear and tear, and general use and abuse has had on what was a pretty shonky bit of engineering out of the factory doesn't really bear thinking about.
Edited by Limpet on Tuesday 28th February 13:46
A mate of mine whinges incessantly about his Megane - how awful it is to drive, how gutless the engine is, how hateful it is in general, really.
So I ask him the obvious question... Why does he have one, his wife has one, and why he's also had Meganes in the past?
At this point his face brightens - "Oh, because they're dirt cheap!"
Personally, I'd spend a bit more money not to be miserable, but that's just me!
So I ask him the obvious question... Why does he have one, his wife has one, and why he's also had Meganes in the past?
At this point his face brightens - "Oh, because they're dirt cheap!"
Personally, I'd spend a bit more money not to be miserable, but that's just me!
The wife's 2007 175DCi still going strong 165000 miles on. Considered other options, but going to keep it for a good while longer. Just got some new cup shocks waiting for a free weekend to fit them and refresh the handling. No more awkard to work on than other modern(ish) cars. Needed a gearbox rebuild a couple of years ago, but in hindsight couldn't see much wear once opened up and could have carried on with the slight whine for a while longer.
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