renault scenic any good??

tonti27

thinking of buying a renault scenic 08 looked at one recently looks cool for family of four plenty of room big sun roof etc. I will be towing small caravan is it up 2 the job? should i go for petrol or diesel any feed back would be great.

civildefence

Personally I wouldn't touch Renault. Massive Megane issues. I'd go for a Focus C-max or Avensis Verso

Guy:Incognito

With towing I'd definately be going for a Diesel and the 1.9 if possible rather than the 1.5 though ,without checking carzone, I'd say if your not getting the 7 seat Grand Scenic you'll do well to find a 1.9 in the 5 seat normal Scenic.

The missus has an 05 we bought in Feb last year. she loves it and it's been a great car. We traded from a 00 Scenic that was trouble free for 2 years before that..

Dartz

1.5 diesel is alright and actually doesn't handle too bad, even if the engine is a bit noisy. Got one over 180kph once. Great head/legroom for the driver when you're 6ft 4 though.... even if size 13 boots tend to mash brake and accelerator at once..

Guy:Incognito

Dartz wrote: »

1.5 diesel is alright and actually doesn't handle too bad, even if the engine is a bit noisy. Got one over 180kph once. Great head/legroom for the driver when you're 6ft 4 though.... even if size 13 boots tend to mash brake and accelerator at once..

The extra power of the 1.9 will show when theres a caravan stuck to the back though.

I like the drive of the missus one, loads of head and leg room. Back seats can recline aswell which is nice. It's a 1.6 petrol though, wont be towing any caravans with it.

c-note

I'M with civil defense on this one
Avoid French and Spanish cars for as long as you can:p

Saab Ed

OP what year Scenic are you looking for?

Henry Ford III

A good one will be fine, but a bad one will break your heart/wallet, and will be more difficult to get rid of than a dose of very bad aids.

podge3

Its a Renault - don't buy. Absolutely dreadful cars, and I say that from personal experience.

BlackWizard

I think we have all heard of the gremlins with Renault. But I rarely hear many bad things about the Scenic.

Kashkai

Ah Renaults, you love em, or you hate em depending on experience. I've had 12 cars, 9 of them Renaults and most were problem free and the others had issues that you'd get in any car.

My wife has a 1.6 Grand Scenic and it takes a lot of abuse from her (i.e., never cleans it, uses it as a mobile handbag - women drivers :mad:), and our 4 (soon to be 5) kids. However, after 3 years of ownership, everything works, nothing has fallen off and it is a reliable car. However, it is grossly underpowered and overtaking has to be planned a week in advance . It is definitely not the one to go for if towing anything larger than a kite. I don't think the 1.5 diesel would be up to the job either as the Grand Scenic is a large car and when fully loaded (as our always is with kids and buggies), then a 1.5 diesel would sue you for abuse. The 1.9 diesel would be the one to go for.

Stevie Dakota

It has to be diesel, no question. I would go for the 1.5, cheaper to run and while no rocket it is fine. Avoid the sunroof, while it looks great they can be problematic and expensive to fix when they go wrong, also issues with noise. I mate has a 2006 1.9 and has had problems with the FAP, EGR valve and sunroof runners, all just out of warranty. 1.5 does without the FAP.

shellsmith

We have a caravan and the MTPLM is 1335kg. We are currently towing it with a 04 Mazda 6, 1.8 petrol, and the car is struggling. We also have a 1.8 petrol nissan primera 05, and just wondered before we wasted putting a tow bar on this car does anyone have experience of towing a caravan with a primera and how did you find it???

junkyard

Don't forget the electric handbrake, even Renault can't seem to fix this problem.

unkel

shellsmith wrote: »

We have a caravan and the MTPLM is 1335kg. We are currently towing it with a 04 Mazda 6, 1.8 petrol, and the car is struggling. We also have a 1.8 petrol nissan primera 05, and just wondered before we wasted putting a tow bar on this car does anyone have experience of towing a caravan with a primera and how did you find it???

The Primera will make no difference. What you need for towing is torque, not power. A petrol car might have enough power, but not enough torque. A diesel car with similar size engine has similar power but loads more torque. Any modern 1.9-2.0 diesel saloon will pull your caravan ok.

anon11

scrap

groupb

c-note wrote: »

I'M with civil defense on this one
Avoid French and Spanish cars for as long as you can:p

How many French or Spanish cars have you had?
I bet you do'nt classify the polo as Spanish.
I know four people who own or have had scenics and none of them had a bad word to say about them.

galwaytt

..haven't had one as new as that, but I have had 3. Two of them new. Zero problems. The only problem one was the 3rd one, the 1.9D - faulty EGR valve - and the 1.9 is definately old-tech.

Me, I'll get another one, but I'll go back to petrol. 1.4 16v is a peach.

Saab Ed

Renault seem to have the ability to build a fantastic car for one generation i.e. the MKI Laguna ( Probably one of the most reliable and best driving cars in the class ever ) and then manage to replace it with the MKII Laguna , one of the greatest piles of junk the world has ever seen. Its always been the same with Renaults R9/11 junk ,R19 Fantastic R21 junk , Laguna MKI Fantastic and so it goes on and on. Scenics IMO are by and large very good cars. MKI Scenics were bomb proof and the current car is not far behind it. Early 1.5 diesels ( 03-05 ish) gave fuel pump trouble. If its fitted with a Delphi pump then the advice is run away. If its a Bosch pump then there's nothing to worry about. Some of the interior trim shows signs of premature wear i.e gearknob and window switches but not as bad as VW's and the like. The 1.5 would probably be under powered for towing a caravan so if you can find a 1.9 then thats the one to go for. Yes it is an old engine design but its a super motor and still used in the new Megane....( It also served time under the bonnet of every Renault/ Opel/ Nissan van, Volvo S40, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Mitsubishi Carisma). The Scenic has none of the Megane hang-ups like window regs or rear suspension problems to worry about so just watch out for the normal things you would look for when buying any used car. Renaults can be junk but not Scenics.

thegen

Would not get one. We bought new in 02 and had 3 ignition coils go in it. Had a battle to get the last one covered under warranty.

Nice comfartable car but reliability issues. Not what you want with kids and caravan.

reverandkenjami

Have one nearly a year now, haven't had a problem yet! Maybe i'm just lucky!! Its great having all the space form buggies etc

Saab Ed

thegen wrote: »

Would not get one. We bought new in 02 and had 3 ignition coils go in it. Had a battle to get the last one covered under warranty.

quote]

Thats because coils go , they're supposed to go. Thats like saying you have an unreliable car because the tyres wore out. Crazy comment.

ianobrien

Saab Ed wrote: »

thegen wrote: »

Would not get one. We bought new in 02 and had 3 ignition coils go in it. Had a battle to get the last one covered under warranty.

quote]

Thats because coils go , they're supposed to go. Thats like saying you have an unreliable car because the tyres wore out. Crazy comment.

Coils as consumable parts???? :eek:

I've never had a coil or coil pack fail on me or anybody at home. I've put 200k miles on coils, I've had coils in cars for 15 plus years. I've had coil packs lasting for 12 years and still going...

Coils as a consumable part, I don't think so....

Saab Ed

ianobrien wrote: »

Saab Ed wrote: »

Coils as a consumable part, I don't think so....

Well there you go ...you learn something everyday. They are not supposed to go at 15 or 20,000 miles but they do go ...fact.

Damien360

OP, this thread will descend into a battle between the Renault lovers (there are a few), the haters (who have never owned one) and the ones who have lost their wallets on one (I am in that one). Suffice to say teh majority will tell you to avoid them and I agree. Engines last forever but the electrics will drive you nuts. Dealer network are firefighting a lost cause and they know it. you will get to know them very well if you buy one.

Stick to Japanese cars if you can. They may look boring and the dash does not compare with the french cars but they will work well for a long time. Took me quite a few cars and empty pockets to realise that myself. You said you were looking at an 08, so you have a nice budget to work off.

galwaytt

ianobrien wrote: »

Saab Ed wrote: »

Coils as consumable parts???? :eek:

I've never had a coil or coil pack fail on me or anybody at home. I've put 200k miles on coils, I've had coils in cars for 15 plus years. I've had coil packs lasting for 12 years and still going...

Coils as a consumable part, I don't think so....

.......then I can only assume you didn't own either a VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Opel, Vauxhall for a start. Every single one of those has a coil pack issue.

And remember the coil you're probably thinking of hasn't been seen under the bonnet of any car for at least 10 years......I bet yours probably still has HT leads as well.......

So yes, coilpacks (as they're now called), are (for good or ill), consumable.

And changing a car over a Eur25 part, that can be changed with a screwdriver, by anyone, once every.........50/60k miles, is just plain daft.

galwaytt

Damien360 wrote: »

Stick to Japanese cars if you can. They may look boring

oh dear, we're down to that now........boring is a good thing ?

junkyard

galwaytt wrote: »

ianobrien wrote: »

And changing a car over a Eur25 part, that can be changed with a screwdriver, by anyone, once every.........50/60k miles, is just plain daft.

I tried to stay out of this but........... coil packs were failing on new Renaults after only a couple of thousand miles, known fact, ask any Renault storeman, Renault knew about the problem and would replace the faulty one under warranty with another which had a similar short life span in many cases until the car ran out of warranty and then it was you own problem. I sold a new Senic to a customer of mine in 02 and this is exactly what happened on four occasions and all Renault did was fog us off with faulty parts every time, it's hard to stand up for a company when they sell faulty stuff on a regular basis. Oh and the gearbox packed up on it too and it developed an oil leak and a few other bits and pieces all within 11,000 miles, maybe this is acceptable wear and tear to some people on here but not to me i'm afraid.

Guy:Incognito

junkyard wrote: »

galwaytt wrote: »

I tried to stay out of this but........... d.

No you didnt, you threw in a line above,, very much opting in.

Btw theres been a couple of threads over the last few days you missed.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055605615
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055606712
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055606647
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055606558

There you are, save you searching. I deliberately left out the non Renault related ones, I know you dont like those.


I'll PM next time more come up, seeing as you dont like coming in unless Renault are mentioned, it'll save you from checking.

junkyard wrote: »

I sold a new Senic to a customer of mine in 02 and this is exactly what happened on four occasions and all Renault did was fog us off with faulty parts every time, it's hard to stand up for a company when they sell faulty stuff on a regular basis. Oh and the gearbox packed up on it too and it developed an oil leak and a few other bits and pieces all within 11,000 miles, maybe this is acceptable wear and tear to some people on here but not to me i'm afraid.

A faulty new car? Well I never. Just as well no other company ever sees a car back before it's first service.
BTW, why do they fail on other cars? Is it Renault spies infiltratign the factories?

junkyard

Opinions are what people come on here for, just because you don't like what you hear doesn't mean you can scare them away. I wish I had as much time on my hands as you have or are you saving everything I say now too as well as following me around here?

Guy:Incognito

junkyard wrote: »

Opinions are what people come on here for, just because you don't like what you hear doesn't mean you can scare them away. I wish I had as much time on my hands as you have or are you saving everything I say now too as well as following me around here?

It's very easy to see everything you say, all I have to do is look in any Renault related thread.

Saab Ed

OP , this next point might just be the deciding factor of it all....

http://www.worldcarfans.com/109030317557/renault-scenic--grand-scenic-break-cover-at-geneva-motor-show

In a Renault showroom this November as far as I know

BrianD3

Re: plug coils we have had several Renault models that are "known" for having plug coil problems. In around 10 years and several hundred thousand miles the sum total of coil failures = 1. Seeing as there are 4 individual coils in each car I would say this issue is wildly overstated.

vincenzolorenzo

Can't speak for the current model but we had a 02 scenic and it gave fierce trouble. Mainly finicky things like central locking not working etc, but also much worse problems like that car refusing to start. Some problem with the immobiliser or something like that, can't really remember. Anyway we were left stranded a couple of times with it refusing to start. It was a lovely comfortable car to drive and be a passenger but my god it was slow! Brutal slow!

Henry Ford III

Hmmm.....

Strikes me that troublesome Renault models (mainly Megane & Laguna) are either:

1/. Fine (some people who have bought and run "goodun's" give positive feedback).

or

2/. Absolutely awful (those unfortunate enough to have bought a "wrong'un").

DubOnHoliday

I got a 2003 Renault Scenic earlier this year, if I could give it back tomorrow I would. Already have spent a fortune on repairs. When the car is fully laden or has anything in the boot, it crawls. Its a real pity cos the space and layout of the car is excellent.