2004 Renault Kangoo Authentique 1.5 DCI diesel

Summary:

Great engine, great practicality, slightly French reliability...

Faults:

Cam belt replaced.

Power steering pump replaced at 114,000 miles.

CV joint on the way out.

Temperamental central locking.

Rear suspension torsion bars currently broken.

General Comments:

A practical car as far as internal space and adaptability go, very easy to clean, turns from a van to a car in seconds.

The 1.5 DCI engine is great, very nippy, good on the motorway and very economical. A warning light came on a while ago apparently showing a problem with one of the injectors. The garage reset the computer and it hasn't come on since, so maybe just an electrical glitch. No obvious problems with the engine driving-wise.

I think I've gotten used to dependable, cheap and cheerful Japanese engineering, and I'm maybe being a little hard on the Kangoo, it has done 120,000 miles after all, but I have a feeling reliability could be an issue at this stage in its life!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th October, 2014

26th Feb 2015, 22:52

Loss of power, Kangoo van 1.5 dCi 2007 plate.

Mechanics were saying EGR valve, mass sensor fault code. Replaced both, and still the same. Sent the parts back.

A mechanic from Stafford (Phil) came 15 minutes later. Fault found - a blocked conduction pipe from the EGR valve. A £65 pound charge.

Thanks to Phil for his expertise and no waffle. Problem solved. 4 minutes, 2 bolts to disconnect the pipe.

In reply to 26th Feb 2015, 22:52

4th Feb 2023, 16:13

Well done and well worth checking - a lot of mechanics will just replace parts (at great expense) till they solve the problem. Any issues with EGR valve or injectors must be investigated by someone who knows exactly what they are doing, or things get real expensive real quick.

2004 Renault Kangoo Authentique 1.2 petrol

Summary:

Versatile, but with reliability issues

Faults:

Coil went on way to work at 50k miles, and the car stopped on the road. Had to ring the AA to recover, and had to wait a week for a new coil to be fitted.

Catalytic converter went at 70k miles; had to limp home at 20 mph due to loss of power for 70 miles. €800 for a new one, but got a spurious one for €200, which did the job fine.

Water pump housing cracked and started leaking water at 80k miles. Replacement cost about €100 in total, but I'm lucky the engine didn't overheat, as it lost most of its coolant.

Back door always slammed hard into the body when closing, as the struts offered little resistance.

Electric windows very slow, but didn't stop working.

Safety device to keep the back doors closed when filling with petrol gave trouble, in that the doors were staying locked after closing the petrol cap, and then it stopped working altogether.

General Comments:

Plus points:

Very spacious car, and very versatile, as it could be used as a car or van very easily.

The car felt solid on the road, and handled well.

Plenty of extras, with remote steering controls and remote locking etc.

High driving position.

Minus points:

The car was slow and under-powered; felt like you were carrying a load all the time, as the weight of the car was too much for the 1.2 engine.

Suspension was hard and felt like a van to drive.

Usual Renault unreliability issues.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd July, 2012