French Car Reliability

gingedub

I am considering buying a Renault Grand Scenic or a Peugot 5008, but have reservations based on stories regarding electrical issues with French cars. The dealer tells me that the electrical issues with the Renaults were in models built pre-2005. Have any of you experience driving or repairing 2005+ Renaults or Peugots?

Eric Cartman

my experience with a peugot and electrics was quite bad and Ill never go there again , im not the greatest fan of french cars , but all ill say is if you have a question about the reliability of a car dont ask a dealer, hes there to sell you something and knows nothing about the workshop side of things in most cases, renaults seem to have improved but the last scenic that i have any experience of (a 2003 one) had a new electrical fault every week

Bigcheeze

Wife has an 07 peugeot 207. Horn doesn't work. On board computer gives a tail light warning when taking a corner

Mechanically it hasn't give any trouble.

I used to own a laguna until it was 8 years old. Only trouble in 4 years was water pump.

Dilbert75

I know its not 2005+ but we've a 02 Citroen Xsara Picasso for the last 5.5 years and, apart from a somewhat-inaccurate fuel gauge (normally reads emptier than it is - not a bad thing necessarily) its been spot-on.

johnos1984

OP the statistics regarding Renaults over the past couple of years has been encouraging as regards reliability.

Also form reading stories on here Renault IRL appear to be giving good customer service.

However having owned one and from talking to my mate who I've had to tow home a number of times I'll not be buying another Renault due to poor mechanical quality and electrical problems.

As for Pug, I don't believe there is any evidence to suggest they have improved of late.

bazz26

OP, the Grand Scenic comes with a 5 year warranty afaik.

faral

as some people says "never buy any car starting with F:Fiat Ford and French cars".and I think this has a confirmation in real life.its a bit like a lottery - maybe u win maybe u not, but the chance u do not are much highier

bazz26

faral wrote: »

as some people says "never buy any car starting with F:Fiat Ford and French cars".and I think this has a confirmation in real life.its a bit like a lottery - maybe u win maybe u not, but the chance u do not are much highier

I tend not to listen to the man down the pub. The Germans and Japanese are hardly pillars of reliability these days either.

coolbeans

faral wrote: »

as some people says "never buy any car starting with F:Fiat Ford and French cars".and I think this has a confirmation in real life.its a bit like a lottery - maybe u win maybe u not, but the chance u do not are much highier

What a complete load of bollox! :rolleyes:

Guy:Incognito

faral wrote: »

as some people says "never buy any car starting with F:Fiat Ford and French cars".and I think this has a confirmation in real life.its a bit like a lottery - maybe u win maybe u not, but the chance u do not are much highier

Ah ****. Better cancel my order for my 599 GTB. :rolleyes:

Mr Benevolent

faral wrote: »

as some people says "never buy any car starting with F:Fiat Ford and French cars".and I think this has a confirmation in real life.its a bit like a lottery - maybe u win maybe u not, but the chance u do not are much highier

Oh for god's sake. Fiat make excellent cars now, and Ford's last bad car was the Escort.

Bodhan

Yes I've been behind both Renaults and Pugs that have tail lights that flash when the indicators turned on, and ones that the indicator lights up when you brake, but these are largely gone now.
Renault have done huge work over the last few years, the engines were always ok but now they are working with Nissan there's been very few problems.
I can tell you the Grand Scenic is a great car, if a little under-powered but it's the one I'd choose from the two you're looking at.

johndaman66

My first set of wheels was a Renault Megavan and it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare to be quite honest. Between blown headgaskets, dodgy brakes, electrical faults and was generally a rattly and poorly built car. Although granted I did buy it used all the same I never abused it myself anyway. Would generally be inclined to steer clear of French cars after that experience call it irrational if you will. Megavan was 1996. I do understand that you will be going for a much newer model OP.

Also a friends mother has a 2003 Nissan Micra which has Renault mechanicals and she too was plagued by serious reliability issues with the car down through the years.

Top Dog

My father has a '05 Laguna - never had any issues
Sister has a '05 Megane Estate - had to replace both front window regulators
Aunt has a '09 Megane Saloon - no problems to date

And up until last week I had a '02 Laguna Sport Tourer which was also pretty reliable.

The problem with Renaults and everything else french is that you only ever hear the bad stories down the pub or online. No-one ever comes on to have a rant that their car is uber-reliable so its always a very biased picture that you'll get.

Personally I bought my Laguna on the basis that my dad was on his 5th and had never had any issues whatsoever with any of them. I never regretted my purchase

Hillmanhunter1

We drove a Peugeot 306 for 17, mostly trouble-free, years. One of the best cars in its class.

dak

I just switched to Renault and bought a Grand Megane 1.5 Cdi a month ago . So far so good ...very pleased with it especially the Mpg . Drove to Cavan last weekend filed it with diesel in Virginia and the gauge said I could go 1080 km (675 miles) before refueling. Got to Dublin and it read 1060km (662miles).

Sure beats 21mph in my old Opel Omega !

I've had a Peugeot 309 and wife had a 206 for years .. not a single problem. Wife has a 2002 307SW which has given her a lot of grief. Built quality of many opartsdoor handle etc is rubbish IMHO.

101sean

My sister has an 07 Renault Scenic which has had some electrical problems and a couple of recalls, eats tyres too. Renault parts prices are a joke and servicing can be expensive. We were quoted over €600 to do a timing belt so we did it ourselves, took most of a day as you have to strip much of the front RH corner of the car including the suspension to get to it :rolleyes:

Father runs a 97 Renault Trafic camper van which has been a nightmare, on it's 3rd gearbox and simple jobs like changing brake discs require the suspension to be stripped. Fallen out with both local Renault parts stores as they can't locate parts or deny that the engine in it exists :mad:

gingedub

Thanks for the replies - I think the overall concensus is that you might get a good French car but that the odds are a bit higher than other cars that you'll have engine trouble. I think I'll wait to see what the new Ford C-Max is like when it comes out in mid November or else wait to see if 2nd hand prices drop early next year (assuming that the scrappage scheme isn't extended).

dunsandin

I hired a diesel c-max in the UK a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. Fast, comfy and practical, and fast, and economical. Did I mention that it was fast? Really nice motor.

kasper

i nearly always buy french cars renault mostly ,second hand , cheap to buy cheap to service , do my own servicing . i love to hear negative stories about french cars ,it keeps the second hand prices nice and low

mickdw

dunsandin wrote: »

I hired a diesel c-max in the UK a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. Fast, comfy and practical, and fast, and economical. Did I mention that it was fast? Really nice motor.

Fast? I doubt it.

dunsandin

2.2 turbo diesel, and yes, it was fast as feck. I was seriously surprised as i expected a wallow-mobile.

mumblin deaf ro

JD Power reliability survey, which might help you:

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/lexus-dominates-jd-power-2010/250150

mumblin deaf ro

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

JD Power reliability survey, which might help you:

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/lexus-dominates-jd-power-2010/250150

UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study

Wolfe Tone

Dont buy Renault. My folks have an 06 megane, causes no end of trouble. have lost count of the amount of times new motors were needed for the windows, at least 6.

mumblin deaf ro

Oops - you're right - I have the reliability survey in a whatcar magazine recently - i think this is the right link (not good for renault I'm afraid)

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/what-car-reliability-survey-2010/alfa-romeo---kia/250839

gingedub

Intersting survey - even some of the cars higher up in the survey showed that 1 in 4 cars required work! How reliable is the survey - sounds like its the perfect place to get stats rather than opinions?:)

Bigcheeze

Judging by that survey there should be a thread about German Car Reliability. Citroen scores better than BMW, Audi, VW, Merc

shaunandelly

Ring the Samaritans.....they can help you. Things are never as bad as you think.:)

johndaman66

shaunandelly wrote: »

Ring the Samaritans.....they can help you. Things are never as bad as you think.:)

?? I for one don't follow. Posting error?

fonecrusher1

johndaman66 wrote: »

?? I for one don't follow. Posting error?

His thinks he's being funny. He's implying that you will need some form of therapy due to the stress associated with owning a bad car like a renault. Thats bollox, they're not all bad. They make a decent diesel engine.

Why is it i see alot more old renaults & peugeots than i see old fords or opels?;)

BigEejit

Why more old Renaults and Peugeots? Cheaper to buy new?

tbh, I have only bought Hondas for the last 6 years, apart from corrosion on the disks caused by salting the roads over here I havent had any problems. There is a reason why Hondas hold their value more than french cars.

johndaman66

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

His thinks he's being funny. He's implying that you will need some form of therapy due to the stress associated with owning a bad car like a renault. Thats bollox, they're not all bad. They make a decent diesel engine.

Why is it i see alot more old renaults & peugeots than i see old fords or opels?;)

Ah I see. Contrary to popular opinion I think sarcasim is actually the highest form of wit, but only if its done right, otherwise it probably is the lowest form of wit.

I must say though I'm inclined to disagree with you on Renault diesel being a good motor. The flat diesel engine in my Megavan was a nightmare. They were a serious culpurit for blowing head gaskets. I actually had difficulty getting a mechanid that would repair it. Most agreed it would be a dirty job and I'd only be back to them complaining when it goes again, which it did in the end. A few said to me it was soft engine and gearing too low, which made sense as it was screaming at 60mph in fifth. A couple of them even said they wouldn't even use a Renault diesel car to block a gap and they were independent guys not affiliated to any particular brand. Judging by the numerous electrical gremlins I had with it I would certainly not be too fussy on the prosepect of owning a newer more technologically advanced Renault diesel.

I do agree that there have being good well renowned and strong Peugeot diesel engines but Renault....I won't be converted.

RTT

I have noticed lately that when some cars indicate in front of me their brake lights start flashing like the indicator does, or the brake bulb dims when the indicator is on. Mainly been Renaults and Peugeots, especially the old 206s I see. Also noticed it on a good few Fiat puntos too, the older model. Is it just me or have you guys noticed it too?

ThisRegard

So basically the issue you're talking about is not confined to French cars to if you're including Fiat. It happens with practically with all marques, usually due to a blown bulb somewhere which when replaced usually resolves the problem in my experience.

200motels

Confab wrote: »

Oh for god's sake. Fiat make excellent cars now, and Ford's last bad car was the Escort.

I beg to differ I've had 3 fords from 2002 to 2007 and had nothing but problems with them, the fuel pump went on one of them, the coil went on the 3 of them, the water pump on 3 of them I could go on and on, I changed to Honda in 2007 and I've not had one problem.

daithi09

And how about citroens? Barr the fact that you lose a lot on them from new, are they reliable these days?

manatoo

daithi09 wrote: »

And how about citroens? Barr the fact that you lose a lot on them from new, are they reliable these days?

Well unless by these days you mean post 2006, JESUS no....sister's C5 has had 2-3k spent on it in 2 years. Can't sell it, can't afford to keep fixing it. Total disaster

Tabnabs

My old man had a 2004 C5 from new for three years and not one bit of trouble.

ShadowHearth

I owned 406 and it was moust reliable yoke i had in my life, on the ather hand i cant say pugs are amazingly reliable... As mych as i know 206 are horible .

I cant say a thing about newer car quality, as i thin all of the cars. Past 2000 droping in quality, and the foult of it are electronics.

highlydebased

Parents had 2 Scenics in fact- the first one had to be replaced by the second it was so bad! Anything that could break, broke. Mostly electrical problems. Car would randomly stop working. The electric dash and handbrake were notoriously bad. Radio had to be replaced in both cars. Coil pack went on both cars during rush hour on O' Connell street in Limerick. The second one was so horrendously unreliable the garage refunded us the cost of it!

v3ttel

A jeep pulled out in front of us one time as we were doing 60MPH on a main road when we were in a Clio, could have been very serious, but the thing was build like a tank. Could still drive it after smashing into a jeep at that speed. Un-f*cking-believable.

Won't ever say a bad word about Renault after that.

fonecrusher1

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I owned 406 and it was moust reliable yoke i had in my life, on the ather hand i cant say pugs are amazingly reliable... As mych as i know 206 are horible .

I cant say a thing about newer car quality, as i thin all of the cars. Past 2000 droping in quality, and the foult of it are electronics.

The 406 is pretty much the only french car i'd consider as an old second hand purchase. Particularly the hdi version. Apparently there are loads of old 406 hdi's used as taxis over in england so they must be fairly decent to withstand that sort of punishment.

Ghost Estate

Hillmanhunter1 wrote: »

We drove a Peugeot 306 for 17, mostly trouble-free, years. One of the best cars in its class.

well that was the 306. there was a thread here recently saying how bad the 307 was.

any of the Peugeot's ending with a '7' seem to be bad news

really this yoke was the best peugeot and its been downhill since then

ShadowHearth

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

The 406 is pretty much the only french car i'd consider as an old second hand purchase. Particularly the hdi version. Apparently there are loads of old 406 hdi's used as taxis over in england so they must be fairly decent to withstand that sort of punishment.

agree, the worst thing i ever did, was selling 406... after 3 years now i see that car allmoust daily ( sold it to a friend ) and kicking myself for selling it back in the day... It was 1.8, but it was soooo economical! Misses was driving it from cork to Ennis, then back 6 days per weak for 4 months!!! all we did to car, was changing oil and brake pads!

It was comfortable too, very good noise reduction. Parts cheap and easy to get. I was even considering buying one again as a daily banger.

BigEejit

I wouldnt buy a daily banger if I was you, the missus would go mental

ShadowHearth

BigEejit wrote: »

I wouldnt buy a daily banger if I was you, the missus would go mental

she will go mental if i will mention any purchase of a car lol. she crashed clk200, so it was a free ticket for me to buy skyline, as she felt sorry . ( i know i am a bastord)



i am allways wondering what will she tell me, when i will mention of idea buying old camaro as a weakend toy...

Paparazzo

When top gear did their surveys, the bottom 3 were always the 3 french makes. But the last survey was in 2006.
They're cars you rarely see taxi drivers drive. We know they're cheap, but if they were reliable, lots more taxi drivers would have them. Obviously that's not a proper statistical analysis on car reliability.

I'd love to see some stats from AA, what make cars they tow most often.

mondeo

My mother has a 06' 207 which she got last september and it has not given any trouble at all. A bulb blew but thats about it. My brother in law has a 98' Clio which he bought new and he had nothing major go wrong with it in 13 years...Other then being completely sick of it by now! 13 years:pac:

ianobrien

I had a French car before, and I loved it! Needless to say, it had some interesting traits, but considering the death I gave it (it was a night Nav car) it took the punishment well.

I had a Citroen AX GT Sportif. Granted the electric windows motor would stick, the valve stems leaked and the starter solonoid worked when it wanted to, the only time it let me down was when the coil packed up. That car took some abuse. Once, it was driven down a farmers cow path so hard that a rock split the floor, and the standard mechanicals took that level of abuse....

I really learned alot about lift off oversteer in that car. I should never have sold it....

jimmycrackcorm

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Dont buy Renault. My folks have an 06 megane, causes no end of trouble. have lost count of the amount of times new motors were needed for the windows, at least 6.

Same as that. Replaced four window regulators on an 06 megane. Bad design. Rain gets through the window rubbers and leaks straight down to the motor electrics. No permanent solution.