Faults:

Firstly front electric sunroof failed just 2 months outside warranty period after the cable connecting the motor to the mechanism sheared. Cost of replacement £1000! Cost as an optional extra at time of purchase £250.

Secondly during its 20000 mile service it was reported I needed new front discs. This surprised me greatly as the car was serviced every 6 months and no comment was made before. Also the car was not driven hard. I contested their view and took the car elsewhere where the disc's were passed as being OK, but a more serious fault of a failing steering rack was diagnosed. Took the car back to the dealer who inspected the steering rack and said it was fine, but again said the disc's needed replacing. I opted to have the disc's skimmed as recommended by other garage. 3000 miles later at its next service the dealer low and behold told me I had a failed steering rack (as diagnosed by other garage, but ignored by dealer) only 3000 miles earlier. Cost to replace approximately £850. Interestingly made no comment to me about requiring new front disc's - this was strange as they had only been skimmed!

When I spoke to Renault UK they stood by there dealer and would not accept any blame for the 2 faults. I eventually sold the car before its 1st MOT was due. Would I buy another NO.

Faults:

Screen washer pump replaced under warranty.

Alternator drive belt failed at 48000 miles.

Central Locking remote control failed, meaning the immobiliser could not be disabled and the car had to be towed to a Renault dealer.

General Comments:

A good car, room for 5 six foot+ adults to sit in comfort.

Diesel very frugal 45mpg.

Performance pretty good.

Very adaptable, take the back seats out and you have a very capable load lugger.

Faults:

Nothing major.

Both sunroof blinds broke.

Plip keys needed attention.

Part of the exhaust separated when hitting water at high speed (not really a fault).

Driver's electric window switch became temperamental.

Lights-on buzzer stopped working.

General Comments:

Second choice to a Citroen Berlingo which wasn't available for another 3 months.

It did the job asked of it and its flexibility was very useful.

Seats and ride were not what I expected from a French manufacturer.

Heavy clutch gave me leg-ache in town.

Horn buttons on steering wheel are impossible to find in an emergency.

Would benefit from a battery protection system to prevent the internal lights running the battery down on picnics.

Difficult to keep cool on hot days if not fitted with air conditioning - I've driven at 70mph with everything open on very hot days (and paid for it in fuel consumption).

Sound system was mediocre.

Local Renault dealer was unhelpful.

Faults:

Roof aerial was faulty when bought, replaced by the dealer under warranty.

Non starter, due to a bad electrical connection on the starter motor, quite a common problem according to the AA man.

At 40,000 miles the car broke down, first sign was a rising temperature gauge followed by an engine cut out. The car was towed to the main dealer. Timing belt had broken due to a core plug (which had worked loose) being caught up in the timing pulleys. Luckily valves were not bent. Cylinder head needed machining due to distortion because of loss of coolant, which had caused overheating. Repair bill came to over £500.

General Comments:

The wife and kids like the car, it is an ideal car for a family with three young kids.

It's also a drivers car which I enjoy driving briskly when conditions and mood are right.