GOODBYE MEGANE!!!

[keeforelli]

its been a love hate relationship--(currently love)

but tomorrow i will be getting a new car- not renault-

was curious to see what other people love about their megs- i spent so much time reading ownership problems i prob convinced myself i had them all!!....carhypochondria!!!

what i loved-

style
comfort
ride quality
my interior did not rattle one jot
1.4 16v engine (when working correctly) pretty darn fun to thrash and pulled hard with no red line!!!
recent economic driving has me up to an average of 38.5MPG
its quieter than all the cars i have recently test driven
sound system
it never let me down once
no electrics failed
stop start button (im going to have a key now!!WTF!!!)
looks (again)
lights that you cannot leave on
fuel filler without nozzle
airbags everywhere..


um..maybe i should keep it!!...nostalgia eh!!

any other guys wanna post what they love about their meganes?

[Jdewer]

i am recieving mine in a couple of days read alot about the problems but they havent phased me
i love the looks of the car
Ofcourse the awesome button start
thefact that my car will unlock and lock itself without me doing anything
the pulling power of the 1.9 especially on the motorway
full glass sunroof

thats all for the moment i will update when i have the car and not just test driven

[Stranger]

I've been Meganeless for a few years now but I still miss the comfort, all the goodies and the looks but I don't miss the regular trips to the dealers.

[Bumpy macaroon]

we liked the wifes megane so much we bought one for me, next car on the list

a new shape meg.

[nickbell69]

Mines coming up to 100k and i've had fun with it and touch wood few problems.
Like you say start button, keyless locking/unlocking and auto headlights i would miss most.

[easog]

Had a P-reg 1.6RT dealer pre-registered Megane with 50 miles on it until Feb 04.
Went through 2 cats but apart from that no problems, although the heater was starting to go when I unloaded it on my father-in-law (Ddin't charge him). Oh. And left it too long to change the cam-belt and knackered the valves, which was very expensive.
Also got a T-reg Scenic 2.0RT as a second car a year and a half later on the strength of the other Megane. Once again a dealer pre-registered one with 30 miles on it. Reduced price as they were just starting to sell the face-lifted one. This one was even less problematic. It blew part of the water-pump at one point, snapped an accelerator cable once and a random wire in the loom snapped which was costly in garage time to trace but minor. Nothing else of note. Got rid of it the other weekend as part of the scrappage scheme, 88k on the clock. For the last couple of months the battery randomly went flat a few times but held the charge once jumped so no alternator problem. Got a Ford Focus Cabrio in its place but, around the same weekend, traded a Disco TD5 for a year old Grand Scenic so, still staying with Renault. Just hope this relationship is as happy as the last two (asking for trouble just saying that aren't I?). Love the new Scenic so far. The start button, the multipoint music set up, even more space, AirCon, the cool dash etc.

[OASIS(sh)]

I apologise for my ignorance, but I've just signed up for my first megane, how does the keyless locking work?? its a used megane

[nickbell69]

OASIS

Keyless locking works by being able to lock/unlock and start/stop the car with the key fob in your pocket/bag. Sensors on the car pick up signal from key fob. The doors unlock when you slip your fingers behind the door handle. Usual way to see if your Megane has this feature is buttons are fitted on the door handles or jump in the car and try and start it without putting the key card in the slot.

PS. Saw your other post hope you enjoy the new Meggy.

[OASIS(sh)]

Thanks Nickbell69, i'll have a look when I pick it up on Tuesday,

[ferguswalker]

My first and last post! Goodbye Megane for ever. My 1.9 DCi is no more and I can hold back the tears! 52 plate Privilege. Blew up four weeks agao - turbo blew, then the engine started feeding off the engine oil. By the time I realised what was happening, being unable to turn off the engine and the engine over-revving only to be stopped by stalling it, the damage had been done. Engine wrecked and probably a heart attack for that poor lorry driver behind me who had to put up with the clouds of blue smoke. Similar to a catastrophic formula one car blow up! Apart from the turbo, three of the injectors were destroyed and a compression test told the rest of the sorry story - valves and prob pistons damaged. Result, a write off - not financially worth it to have it fixed or to buy a replacement engine, and that is another story entirely. According to most of the dismantlers I spoke to, you cannot get 1.9 DCi engines for love or money because they are in such high demand because?....the turbos keep exploding! I am surprised that there is nothing in the Renault Megane sales literature to this extent even in the smallest of print! Replacement engines, if you can get your hands on them, in my very recent experience cost between £800 and £1400.

This car has been a disaster since the day I bought it 3 years ago. List of faults:

Automatic "Privilege" door opening system broken. Estimate £850
Rust on drivers door - not covered on their warranty because previous owners (Renault UK) put a door skin on it!!
Air conditioning, of course, does not work.
Rear brakes - on third set of discs. They keep wearing out and these rear discs come complete with hub and bearings! Cost £170 parts only.
Keeps misfiring - broken down three times this year. Been towed by RAC/AA three times. No garage, including main Renault dealership could find anything wrong with it.

Total disaster and I wish I had never bought it. I have owned many cars in my 60 years and I am no automobile numptie having done most of the servicing on all previous cars, including engine and gearbox building - but this Megane??? Absolute rubbish. I have lost £2,500 I would imagine having scrapped the car and have now bought a nice boring Ford Focus.

Goodbye Megane... never again and also never again a Renault!

Regards

ferguswalker

[ferguswalker]

Forgot to add that every time something goes wrong with the Megane you have to take it to a main dealership as they are the only ones that appear to have all of the diagnostic gizmos - and they know how to charge!

I am glad I got that off my chest - I needed to and I did it without any expletives which it does deserve!

I wish you all safe motoring and better luck with your Meganes than I ever got.

Regards

Ferguswalker

[ferguswalker]

One final, final post and it it a warning from the one thing I have learnt about this situation. When I first purchased the car I could not hear the turbo. However I recently started to hear the whine, not loud and asked a couple of garages about it. "No bother" they said and I believed then because my last car a Peugeot 405 1.9 TD lasted for 232,000 miles on the same engine, gearbox and turbo and I could always hear that turbo. So, if you start hearing the turbo whining get it seen to! £870 for fitting a new one is better than a £2,500 min write-off cost!

Ok that is it - going to join the Ford Focus c-max forum.

Farewell!

Ferguswalker

[nickbell69]

Fergus for your first and last post you did well there
Seems to me like you've been unlucky with your car, mine is same model and has just passed 100k miles, still on same back brakes, replaced front discs and pads once, failed MOT once(horn not loud enough!!), door locking went but fixed under warranty, 2nd set of tyres on back and just about to get 3rd on front. Cambelt replaced at 72k but perfectly normal to replace that. As for turbo mine whines at 2k rpm and above and has done since i got it without a problem.
As for your doorskin you can hardly blame that on Renault. I'd agree Renault dealers are rip off with diagnostics but plenty of independants out there that can do work on them, mine hasn't seen a main dealer since 36k on clock.
Good luck with the Focus i'm sure on their forum you'll find plenty with big problems, after all it's why 99% of people come on forums to get advice on fixing them.

[ferguswalker]

Thanks Nick - I sincerely hope that mine was just an unlucky car but it still puts you off buying another! I much prefer cars that I can fix myself but nowadays things are so much more complicated - and I find it difficult to find a car that I really want - the Megane was one such car. Peugeots which I had previously, lost their way mid 90s so I am back to the ones before then, boring old Fords!

Regards

Ferguswalker