Faults:

CD player gave intermittent problems, radio reception poor.

Solenoid for petrol cap door went after 18 months.

Turbo blew up at only 46,000 miles.

Intermittent sensor faults.

General Comments:

Turbo blew up at only 46,000 miles – Renault not interested unless I went to a Renault dealer for repair, in which case they would make a “goodwill gesture”. Research showed that goodwill gestures are typically 20% on a repair costing well over £1000. Got it done for £750 from an independent.

Minor “niggles” began to develop within 6 months of buying this car new. Irritating rattles etc. – nothing major – just really annoying.

Comfort excellent, although the very comfy drivers seat has too little support, so not the car for someone with a bad back to use on long journeys.

Faults:

Less than 1000 miles on the clock, a wiring loom touches the engine block, repeatedly blowing a 30 amp engine compartment fuse which immobilised the car. It took 3 visits and 9 breakdowns to locate the fault.

Cruise control switch faulty, replaced within 1st 6 months.

Driver side window, safety back off too sensitive, fault returned less than 1 week after dealer fixed it.

Climate control cuts out too soon when on max cool. Dealer says "it's fine, no problem"

Rear Brake Discs unacceptably scored at 18000 miles.

Front Suspension strut rattled and was replaced at 26000 miles.

Leaking Sunroof fills passenger foot well with water. Water also drips though fuse box causing short and loss of electrics.

New Ball Joints and rear suspension bushes at 36000 miles.

General Comments:

I bought the Laguna V6 Auto with all the toys, which are great, the drive is smooth, powerful and very comfortable.

The downside is that I bought it because the 18000 mile service interval would reduce the time that I would be without the car.

The number of times it has been in the garage is unacceptable and if I had the time to fight Renault UK, I would send it back.

I have been subjected to a base level 1.2 Clio as a courtesy car. Not good if you want to drive further than the shops.

Depreciation is simply staggering, if I could afford to change the car, I would.

Faults:

Turbocharger/inter-cooler replaced at 58000 miles. The old one rattled like a pebble in a can.

Air Con. compressor replaced 59900 miles (just managed to get that inside the warranty) This made a similar noise to the turbo - I was told by my local garage that the noise was normal for a diesel!

Steering rack replaced @ 58000 miles also along with a ball joint.

Cd player skips across tracks like a worn out vinyl LP. This has been repaired, but is still skipping.

Very bad radio reception on FM.

Ashtray lid replaced. The old one just wouldn't stay down. I wouldn't mind, but I don't smoke and hardly use it.

Handbrake is very sloppy even after servicing. You really have to pull up hard to get the car to stay still.

There's a clunk from the engine compartment when the car starts, but the garage can't locate the source of the noise.

The washer bottle empties very quickly. With headlights on, by washing the windscreen, you also wash the lights aswell. You don't get a choice in this.

General Comments:

Don't buy the Continental tyres for this car, they last about 10000 miles if you're lucky and at £130 per corner, that's a big outlay. Get Michelin! They're a little more expensive, but well worth the extra.

The air con compressor should have been replaced at the 54000 mile service, but the garage told me that the noise it was making was normal. They tried to fob me off with the noisy diesel spiel so I got a second opinion... just in time.

I swapped the Lexus for a more economical car, but this car is not at all as economical as I had been led to believe.

Other than that, it is comfortable to drive, although the seats are fiddly to position correctly, and there's loads of room to carry all those spare parts around.

Great looking car, but looks can be deceptive.