Renaultsport Megane 275 Cup-S | PH Fleet
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Owning a Renaultsport isn’t always as glamourous as it looks. I’ve had eight of them, so I should know. I doubt you need me to tell you that French cars have a bit of a reputation for being unreliable either. Ironically, the six Renaultsports I’ve owned prior to GJ65 BYO have been the most dependable cars I’ve ever owned. So obviously it was time for a change.
I doubt there’s a single buying guide on PH without a few warnings for common problems and things to look out for when buying anything built across the channel; it’s just that the Renaultsport Megane 275 might have a slightly longer list than normal, and not all of them are cheap to fix. I bought my car with an open mind, and on the assumption that there would be a few things that would need sorting along the way. As it happens, almost all the things listed have cropped up in my 21 months of ownership.
The leaking rocker cover gasket was a lucky catch early on thanks to an early belt change at five years instead of six, which might have been otherwise catastrophic for the engine. The other biggy that I’d prepared for was a gearbox rebuild, which seems to be a trait in the 275-variant due to Renault changing to different bearings towards the end of the product lifecycle. Lord knows why.
Consequently, once the age-old trick of trying to ignore a strange noise or turning the music up to drown it out stopped working, I finally caved and swung by AW Motorworks in Essex to get it checked out. It didn’t take Alex long to confirm something wasn’t right, so we swiftly booked it in for a quoted £1,200 for the gearbox rebuild including removal and refitting.
Even though my car had only covered 39k miles, I figured while the ‘box was off I may as well get a new clutch kit and flywheel fitted. They found minor oil and coolant leaks along with a weeping clutch damper (another common failure) too. So, with a handful of new parts I hadn’t really planned for - on top of having my front Brembo calipers rebuilt - the final bill ended up a grand more than the original quote.
Thankfully, the service at AW Motorworks was outstanding and I’d thoroughly recommend them to any fellow Renaultsport owners – everything was done in-house; I was kept informed every step of the way and GJ65 BYO is driving beautifully again without any unwanted noises. On top of all the above, since buying the car is September 2020, I’ve replaced discs and pads all round and a pair of tyres, taking my total expenditure including servicing but excluding modifications, to £4,297 in just under two years. And sure, I could’ve cut some corners here or there, but I’m a peace-of-mind kinda guy.
Nevertheless, it does reinforce the idea that while Renaultsport Meganes are relatively affordable cars to buy, there is a tendency for the running costs to be higher than a lot of people expect. Which is likely why they change hands so often, rather than owners being disappointed with the way they drive. Because how can you be? Despite the cost, I still look at it like a puppy that has just chewed your favourite shoes. You can’t help but love the thing.
Every time I drive GJ65 BYO on a clear B-road it reminds me why I bought it, and despite what might be quite a shocking cost of ownership to some for a six-year-old French hatchback, it has been totally worth it to me. And seeing MDifficult’s cost of ownership for his F10 M5 shortly after the rebuild made me feel a bit better. Let’s just hope the next two years are a little less expensive, especially after my acquisition of the Megane’s older brother with a long shopping list in hand.
Car: 2015 Renault Sport Megane 275 Cup-S
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: September 2020
Mileage: 41,032
That being said, I've just had to have new lower swivel hub bearings fitted, which along with a track rod end and new battery ended up costing me over 600 quid. Such is life I guess, the car is back to its pin sharp best now.
So it's interesting to hear that the gearbox problems is somewhat specific to that variant, as i'm more likely to go 250 or 265 and get a mild map on it.
Other than a thermostat on my first 250, the last one (also a flame red 275 with Ohlins, Akra, Recaros etc) was the only one I had issues with, with a swivel bearing going at sub 30k miles and the same engine leak from the top. All sorted under warranty though.
This article has really whetted my appetite for another though.
I’ve had an R26 for 4 years, RS250 for 2 years and now an RS275 Trophy last 3 years and none of them have given any trouble bar servicing costs and normal consumables, and I do like to abuse them.
Ive gone and bloody cursed it now for sure
Cost of regular maintenance is a little on the high side for a hot hatch I think (£800 approx for belts, water pump and dephaser, £800 approx for OEM disc and pad replacement).
It was still on the original clutch at 62000 miles. Overall, I'd say my ownership experience was reasonable, from a reliability & maintenance point of view.
Then they sell them as virgins.
Some years ago I was looking for a GTR r32 and there was not a single one sane in its head. All were destroyed by mods with a gazillion of hp.
Then they sell them as virgins.
Some years ago I was looking for a GTR r32 and there was not a single one sane in its head. All were destroyed by mods with a gazillion of hp.
Then they sell them as virgins.
Some years ago I was looking for a GTR r32 and there was not a single one sane in its head. All were destroyed by mods with a gazillion of hp.
Compare and contrast to my competiton car - an MX5 used for sprints, hillclimbs and track days. After a lot of brutal use I replaced the engine and gearbox this year, both 30 years old and at least a third of that on track (120k miles as well). Its not a standard car either, 196 bhp on a nat asp 1.6. Renault could learn a few lessons about durability from that car.
- gearbox removal, new bearings and seals, refit
- clutch and DMF
- clutch damper delete
- FARB bracket
- rebuilt rear calipers
My car, like yours has had nothing but issues, however I went in with a heart vs head decision, and wish I went otherwise. My car is in my PH garage if you want to see the work I've had done since purchasing in Jan 2021, but long story short, just about everything common that can go wrong, has.
Now the vast majority of work is complete, I'm looking forward to enjoying it over summer. It drives better than anything I've sat behind the wheel of. It's hugely capable, fun at normal speeds and looks brilliant, at least in my opinion.
Remaining jobs to get sorted are dog bone mount, oil breather gasket, a/c condenser and cambelt next year.
Would I recommend these cars to someone? Probably not, no. The more I read, the more I understand they're unreliable, French and generally poor quality cars. However, to drive, they're sublime. If you can afford to splash out at least 1k a year in maintenance, go for it, otherwise look elsewhere.
Ben, if you're fairly local to Cambridgeshire/Suffolk, I'd love to meet up at some point and go for a drive if you're part of any clubs. I really do want to get out and enjoy this car properly.
Anyway, pics of its latest surgery.
- gearbox removal, new bearings and seals, refit
- clutch and DMF
- clutch damper delete
- FARB bracket
- rebuilt rear calipers
My car, like yours has had nothing but issues, however I went in with a heart vs head decision, and wish I went otherwise. My car is in my PH garage if you want to see the work I've had done since purchasing in Jan 2021, but long story short, just about everything common that can go wrong, has.
Now the vast majority of work is complete, I'm looking forward to enjoying it over summer. It drives better than anything I've sat behind the wheel of. It's hugely capable, fun at normal speeds and looks brilliant, at least in my opinion.
Remaining jobs to get sorted are dog bone mount, oil breather gasket, a/c condenser and cambelt next year.
Would I recommend these cars to someone? Probably not, no. The more I read, the more I understand they're unreliable, French and generally poor quality cars. However, to drive, they're sublime. If you can afford to splash out at least 1k a year in maintenance, go for it, otherwise look elsewhere.
Ben, if you're fairly local to Cambridgeshire/Suffolk, I'd love to meet up at some point and go for a drive if you're part of any clubs. I really do want to get out and enjoy this car properly.
Anyway, pics of its latest surgery.
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