Megane 1.5 dci FAP 110 EDC - horrible experience!

[eelir]

Hi,

I just got a used Megane (110 hp) 30K miles, end of 2010 production. I did drive it a bit around town and noticed it spends a lot of fuel. That was not the least of my concerns as the first time i took a longer ride after about 25 minutes the car started loosing power (cutting off) and after doing that on and off for about a minute it showed me "engine failure hazard" sing . So I stopped, got the car to the dealer and they fixed it in about 2-3 hours. They told me it was the fuel filter that caused air to go in in the fuel lines. I do remember seeing air bubbles in the fuel lines. The car runs smoothly for now, but I still see air bubbles there. I did about 50 miles and the bubbles still appear when i press the accelerator pedal in neutral and sometimes one or two of them "float" in the fuel pipes. I am afraid it is going to happen again, although the service guy told me it is a normal residue after filter change.

The other thing is I barely get 29mpg in town drive (with about 35% of ride in 50-60 mph limit roads). I know i do a lot of short rides so the engine does not warm up properly, but the place i live is flat, and the traffic is not horrible. I really try to be light on the pedal so this just feels way too much for such a tiny engine that actually has decent(ish) power.

Anyone had similar experience? I could use any advice, as i payed some good money on lightly used car in hopes to avoid this kind of problems and so far i think i will never buy a Renault in my life again.

[petepete]

just to re assure you...

mine is always driven around town and you will not get much better mpg in winter than the 29 you quote....

Take it on a 10 mile round trip and your back to the high 50 s...


Remember to halve your service intervals...

( just for comparison my 2.2diesel civic can match out of town mpg in the high 50s with bags more power and torque.... but that does 25mpg around town )

[Phil and Liz]

my 62 plate has a 20 mile each way journey, 60% open road the rest town/villages, this winter the mpg has dropped to mid 40's, normally mid 50's, have noticed that the temp gauge on the open road in winter rarely moves past one bar unless in traffic, so my assumption is the computer 'thinks' the engine is cold and overfuels. Tempted to block the air intake in some way.
This week the 'check anti pollution' warning and engine light has been on all week, this morning for a change it read 'check injection', went out and has not come back on nor has check anti pollution light.

[AlexB]

Diesels with FAP are not suitable for short journeys. The FAP filter requires about 20 minutes at at least 50mph to regenerate.

[eelir]

Thanks for the infos guys, I appreciate it.

I was at the shop right now and they told me it is normal to have air bubbles when stepping on a accelerator, so I am happy with that.

If fuel economy is as you describe I am totally disappointed. I could have gone for Passat/Octavia with a bit more miles which is a better family car, and I am sure I would get the similar economy with more powerful engine and more reliable car in overall. My friend has 2.0 tdi passat with 140hp and gets similar number to this tiny 1.5 engine.

Do you guys know service interval. The dealership shop told me i should do one every year if I don't do the mileage. It seams a bit of overkill right?

[AlexB]

Short journeys and town driving destroy the engine oil fast. These shorten the drain intervals down to 25%-50% of the specified. If the engine just gets to the normal temperature by the end of each journey, it will be more on the 25% side of the range. You don't need full servicing this frequently, just change the oil.

As I wrote before, diesels and FAP in particular are not good for short journeys.

[Phil and Liz]

just left my 62 plate 110 dynamique tom tom with a renault dealer for a week ( far side of Glasgow so cant pick up till next saturday), left them a list of various error codes and problems, main one being check anti pollution light and fuel consumption. Asked what service interval should be and was told 18k or 1 year, so why when i bought it from same dealer and they serviced it, did they set service indicator on dash to 18k and 18 months ? Guess i'm gonna get a text saying your car is overdue for a service and this is why anti pollution light is on. Do any modern diesels not have fap fitted ? do like the 110 and have been driving wifes 80 dci today and really notice the difference, maybe a 10/15 mpg drop might have to be liveable.

[Wickydude]

From around 2004 or so (don't know exactly) all diesels in the EU have DPF (FAP) fitted, they would not meet the fine particulate requirements otherwise. And I agree with Alex, if you do short runs only, petrol's the better choice.
That dpf (and the egr system) are made for warm runs and suffer if they never get up to working temperature.

[Phil and Liz]

whats the definition of a short run ? my journey is 20 miles in the morning and 20 home, 15 of which is single track fast country roads.

[Wickydude]

That's more than a short run. By short run i mean when the engine does not come up to temperature.

[Phil and Liz]

so, on that basis my car must have a fault in the sensors as most of the time the temp gauge is only one bar especially in cold temperatures and only goes to normal if stuck in traffic. Only time will tell, heard nothing from garage yet, mind you it is Arnold Clark who do not have the best reputation but they are a Renault dealer.

[Wickydude]

I have a needle, not bars, so can't say much about that. Normally the gauges are dampened quite a lot, normal changes of + or - 5 degrees don't show on the gauge anyway. Better check with an obd reader with live data option. Or have a mechanic check.
Different engines have different temperature thermostats, I've seen. Don't know what yours is.
I have a new thermostat, the old one got the temp up to 83, then back to 73 and keeping at that, then sometimes back up to 83 for a short while etc. new thermostat fitted, now around 89, with ups and downs of 4-5 degrees. Which are not visible in needle movement.

To add, in cold weather it does take much longer to reach temp.

[petepete]

From around 2004 or so (don't know exactly) all diesels in the EU have DPF (FAP) fitted, they would not meet the fine particulate requirements otherwise. And I agree with Alex, if you do short runs only, petrol's the better choice.
That dpf (and the egr system) are made for warm runs and suffer if they never get up to working temperature.

I think you are getting confused with your faps and dpfs as my 08 1.5 diesel was never fitted with a regenerative piece of crap and was the very reason amongst other things why I chose the model....

[Wickydude]

As I said, don't know exactly....
The question was if any modern diesels do not have a dpf fitted. Don't think there's a diesel without one now in current models you buy new today. But i may be wrong. I won't pretend I know it alllllll

[Phil and Liz]

my 62 plate is with the dealers at the moment with a list of niggles, two of which are 'check anti pollution' and the hesitation, garage has reported they are fitting an exhaust flap (not sure what it is but i assume its stopping the particulates being burnt off) hopefully this might cure both of em.

One another item was front screen misting up and they say they have cleared the windscreen drain tubes, they also recommended that the pollen filter should be changed. Cost £79, what are they made of, that rare material UNOBTANIUM ?

gonna check out ebay and fit it myself