Renault Megane reliability around 2011

Renault Megane reliability around 2011

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LuS1fer

Original Poster:

41,080 posts

244 months

Wednesday 26th May 2021
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I have to find a car for my daughter and one she likes and which is cheap on insurance is a 2011 Megane 1.6 currently running 90k on the clock and with a relatively clean MOT history.

My MOT man shook his head and muttered darkly about electrics and window regulators and key cards but it's around £2k so less than a lot of Ford Focuses, the quality of which is not high, locally. A friend had a Megane RS and he said his was OK.

Not the place for performance diuscussion, I know, more a reliability question for that era Megane. It's a more basic Bezu if that helps.

Twig62

746 posts

95 months

Wednesday 26th May 2021
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The dark times for Renault were around 2000 - 2005. Since then they have been no better or worse than any of the major manufacturers. Does it appear to have been looked after ? Any service history, matching set of decent tyres etc ?

M3Gane-Fan

219 posts

268 months

Wednesday 26th May 2021
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As long as well serviced (oil changes & filters especially & coolant top ups) engines are very very strong no major issues petrol engines anyway do not know about the diesel range but heard the diesel engine is a massive PITA for access around the engine bay.

2011 mk3 will however need to have the cam belt changed by now along with the water pump & belt & cam tensioner as all lower engine region they get changed at once usually.

Cam belt is 72K or 5 years whichever comes first so 2011 means it needs to have been done around 2016. You will find on your search for a decent model most have no record as it was not done due to cost (£500-600 independent or £1K main dealer!). Its something which most owners sell the vehicle on rather than pay to get it done in time so look out for that more than anything else. You can DIY but its about a 4-6 hour job due to the parts you need to remove & if not done properly the engine will break on re-startup as the timing will take the top end out if not done properly!

Renault have been very reliable for well over a decade like most modern cars look after them sensibly they return the favour. Mine starts first time every time even after lockdown not being used for 2-3 weeks in the snow it still started first time & never once let me down!

Minor weakness on Megane mk3 are the electrics but only little things really nothing major at all it seems you either get a good one where everything works fine for years or you get an unreliable one which might need silly little things like bulbs, new battery (they need to be looked after either regular every few days use or tickle charger).

Other things to look out for are:

Cabin pollen filter is a pain to change due to access in the footwells. You need to remove the clutch pedal assembly to gain access to the panel on RHD cars this is time consuming & major hassle. Main dealers charge £100 for this (the filter cost under £20!) due to how long it takes. If its not done & many owners do not get it done (should be done at main service yearly but many dealers skip as its such a PITA to fiddle around with!). You can easily live without changing it all this just means if you use the aircon in hot weather on recirculation (no outside air) then you might have some unpleasant smells in the cabin!

Also look closely at when were the brake pads and discs changed & make sure all 4 tyres match as these cars are very sensitive to having the same tyres handling & safety wise otherwise it can have unpredictable cornering which is unsafe. Tyre pressures as well should always be checked weekly it makes a massive difference to handling & they drop 1-3PSi per week on average depending on atmospheric conditions.

Always get a test drive! Check the clutch is working properly it should be very light & easy to use. Gearbox is a little clunky. Takes a little getting used to but take it slow on shifts its very easy to learn & use. Clutch replacement is quite expensive on these up to £750-1000 (due to labour charges mainly) so if you do not think the clutch is working properly avoid that vehicle!

Look closely at the bodywork for signs of repairs in different lights at different angles as the metallic paints especially are good at hiding flaws. On mine I did not do this & was dazzled by the car so it cost me an extra £500 for a respray around the petrol filler panel due to a previous owner spilling petrol which burnt the clearcoat!! This was only noticeable in certain lights & angles so easy to miss! Dealers are very good at masking paintwork flaws with ceramic wax & coloured polishes which when they melt off reveal the true paintwork condition...!!

Panel repair costs can be quite expensive as Renault use soft paint which is easy to scratch & mark. Metallics cost way more to respray & match the existing colour. 2011 models did not all have parking sensors either!

Look for a Dynamique or Dynamique S spec vehicle with around 50-60K miles on it even 70-80K is fine or higher as these engines if looked after will quite literally run for years with no major problems. 200K minimum I know of one owner in france who has 430,000 KM on his 2011 Megane!! The petrol engine design is very strong & reliable. Expect to pay £2.5-3K for a good one from a dealer. Avoid the VVT models that's expensive to fix if it goes wrong!! Most reliable models are the petrol manual gearbox variants.

If you find any ads you want advice on post here I will check back now & again & advise if I can!

LuS1fer

Original Poster:

41,080 posts

244 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
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Wow, thank you very much for such a comprehensive and useful reply. Much appreciated.

M3Gane-Fan

219 posts

268 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
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LuS1fer said:
Wow, thank you very much for such a comprehensive and useful reply. Much appreciated.
Hope it helps you find a good one! MK3 Megane is a very safe choice for your daughter as they also got 5* on the NCAP tests (most cars only get 4*) due to how strong the car is & how many airbags it has front, rear & side (hopefully she never ever needs the safety but its very comforting to know the actual car is so safe & strong!).


Edited by M3Gane-Fan on Thursday 27th May 14:46