2001 Renault Laguna Initiale Sport Tourer 2.2dCi (6)

Summary:

FLAWED!

Faults:

Turbo-Charger blew at 30,000 miles. Fixed by dealer for £1800.

The Laguna's been through 3 clutches and 2 gearboxes - I drive as I've driven every other car, all of which I've never had any problems with clutches or gearboxes!

Tyre Pressure Monitors fail constantly - system removed at 45,000 miles (£80)

Aircon unit failed - £450 to replace! EXTORTION!

ABS light illuminates randomly - faulty sensors.

EGR Valve sticks all the time - cleaned every 3000 miles.

Rear bushes fail periodically.

Rear Parking sensors failed.

ANYONE ELSE HAVING THESE PROBLEMS!?

General Comments:

Very comfortable, that's where the good points stop. Renault's customer service is apalling. The Laguna requires some SERIOUS work, although there were improvements in 2005 (The wife has a 2005 55 plate Dynamique, none of the problems I've had and she's covered almost 100,000 miles in 3 years!). My advice would be not to touch any of the earlier examples, they're riddled with electrical gremlins!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th April, 2008

2001 Renault Laguna Privilege Sport Tourer 1.9dCi 120 (6)

Summary:

Flawed, very flawed

Faults:

Tyre Pressure Monitoring System - Complete failure, computer detached itself from the bottom of the car on the dual carriageway at 70mph, removed for £80 at Inveralmond Renault.

Rear bushes failure - SEVERAL occasions.

Airbag warning light illuminates temporarily - dodgy connections under front seats.

ABS warning light constantly illuminated - faulty sensors.

Chipped windscreen causes automatic wipers to behave erratically - chip right on light sensor.

EGR valve replaced 3 times (45667, 58823 and 61002 miles)

EXCESSIVE wear on rear tyres.

General Comments:

If this car wasn't engineered by Renault I'm confident that it would be excellent, but Renault's terrible reliability record compared with sloppy dealer services and ridiculously high repair prices make the Laguna II a terrible investment.

The car is PERFECT for motorway miles and even copes well with winding country roads - although steering is a little too light.

The countless reliability problems make this ideally 'cheap to run' estate car VERY expensive to run.

Don't buy one unless you can get FULL service history.

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

Review Date: 23rd March, 2008

2001 Renault Laguna DCi Dynamique 1.9 diesel

Summary:

Expensive and unreliable

Faults:

Within weeks of purchase:

- Rear axle bushes replaced; £200 inc labour

- EGR valve replaced; £150 + Labour

- Air flow sensor replaced; £150 + Labour

- Aircon system stopped working

- Turbo and intercooler now need to be replaced

General Comments:

I have only owned the car for three months, and it has turned out to be the biggest heap of junk I have ever owned.

I previously had an Audi 100, which had done 135,000 miles and had all manner of the whistles and bells, and despite its age, everything without exception worked and continued to work well for the 5 years we had it, until a Skania truck drove in the back of it!

This Laguna however has proved to be a huge money pit. I started to notice a knocking from the back of the car only a couple of weeks after I'd bought it. This turned out to be the rear axle bushes.

Shortly after this the engine management light started to come on coupled with a loss of power. Turning the engine off and on again would briefly cure the problem. The investigations revealed that the EGR valve was faulty, and then the air flow sensor and eventually the turbo and intercooler. On top of this the aircon has lost its gas and so doesn't work.

All in all, as soon as I can afford it, I'll get rid and buy another Audi. I wish I'd read all of the reviews first.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st August, 2007

12th Sep 2007, 06:13

The turbo failure on these engines is caused by the sticking EGR valve. The EGR valve reduces the combustion temperature which in turn reduces the temperature of the exhaust gases entering the turbo.

When the EGR valve fails, the turbo effectively overheats causing a failure of its seals and allowing its lubricating oil to be drawn into the inlet manifold. This, if unchecked, will also destroy the engine as the engine consumes its own oil, and can "run away", being unstoppable with the key.

Renault fixed this on post-2003 dCi engines, and it's accepted wisdom to remove and clean the EGR valve on every service on the earlier engines which is an effective workaround for the problem.

Obviously, it's Renault's fault for such a poor design, but buyers need to research these things before parting with their cash. You can find all this stuff documented with 2 minutes on Google, and even Parkers mention many of these issues now.

6th Feb 2009, 05:18

Hi there, can any one help, I am getting a knocking from the left hand side back wheel area when going over bumps. The kids say it is under their seat - big thuds. Does anyone know what it could be and how pricey it would be to fix?

25th Feb 2009, 08:39

I have a 1.9dci Laguna on an 02 plate (77000 miles). Last week on the motorway turbo failed, engine would not shut off, could not stall the engine. Was attended by 2 fire engines and police cars as the smoke was horrendous. Glad I was driving and not my wife as it was quite frightening and potentially very dangerous. Engine eventually cut out, possibly seized.

27th Feb 2009, 06:28

Have a look on Parkers website. Enough reading on there about dci turbo problems to keep you busy for a while.