Faults:

Brake fluid cap was left off after the PDI and leaked inside the engine cabin.

Brake fluid leaked from the car totally after 20 miles due to a leaking pipe.

Shock absorber unit replaced after 1 month, even though this was a known fault.

Computer control unit failed after 1 week and was replaced.

Air bag showed a fault and had to be replaced.

Sunroof was constantly rattling inside the roof and had to be repaired several times before the problem was cured.

Sunroof itself was never aligned correctly, so produced high wind noise when closed correctly.

Many smaller items too numerous to mention were replaced.

General Comments:

After buying this car I thought, finally, I have my first new car, life is great!

It only took 20 miles for the problems to start.

After 4 weeks of complaints and numerous trips to the dealer I gave up and insisted that I saw the head from the main office in Dublin. He arrived about a month later at which point he drove the car and suggested that it was really only a few problems that he would assure me could be fixed.

I assured him that if the car was not replaced he would be in court a lot quicker than he thought.

A new car arrived and when I collected it from the dealership, the handbrake was so loose you could not even pull it up, one of the bolts holding it was missing and had not been even checked during the PDI. Also the sunroof again and the suspension again, enough!

Finally it was repaired and I had 2 years of trouble free driving, was it worth it? NO. I have a new Renault Laguna II now, 3 weeks old and perfect.

Faults:

Alarm kept on giving false activations.

Dealer could not trace the problem with the diagnostic machine & yes the problem just happened outside the warranty. Despite the dealer doing everything to sort it out it beat them. Needless to say I am not going to have a new alarm fitted due to the cost.

General Comments:

For an estate, as far as they go, I find the car practical with shattering performance & excellent value for money.

Good load area with a neat rear drop down bumper for ease at load area. I slid a washing machine straight into the rear without having to alter the rear seats in the car.

Interior good quality & solid. Controls well placed & good functional equipment.

Engine lively & performs very well for the car in its class.

Fuel consumption a little heavy round the doors but on a long run gives 30+mpg if you don't tonk it too much.

The cars eats tyres or is it the way I drive it, well who can argue with the fun in a 20v 5 cylinder estate which handles like it's a much smaller car. Tremendous fun on windy roads.

Overall I would recommend one. The spec is good, performance is exceptional, looks are defined & compliment the car. The prices are good too. Build is solid & feels sound, unlike some other cars on the market.

Faults:

When I serviced it the airbox screws had corroded to the point of not being able to undo them without drilling the heads off, other than that nothing has failed or dropped off. There does seem to be 2 odd rattles, one from behind the dashboard, and the other from the drivers seat, but nothing seems to have broken.

General Comments:

The car is HLX spec with climate control, so there is not much you could really desire on the spec side of things. I have had a Marea before, a 2 litre ELX, and the performance of the diesel is obviously not as good, but is very good at in gear flexibilty as long as the turbo is spinning. It returns between 36 and 40mpg, which isn't too bad considering the way I drive it! Service costs are steep, 220 UKP for a 24,000 mile service, hence why I did it myself. I bought the car at 18 months old with just under 20k miles on it for 10,000 UKP less than list price, which makes it a good bargain in my book. Overall I like the car, and it's a bit different to the normal rep-mobile's on the roads, and would probably buy another.