17th Apr 2011, 12:24
Original owner again, @60.000:
I need to replace front tyres (and back ones in approx 10.000 km). Otherwise nothing to report. Car runs well.
19th Feb 2012, 14:27
At 75.000 km : passed first MOT, no problems (except rear fog lights not working). Had it checked before MOT by a garage (a 670 euro bill for 2 new back tyres, oil, front brake pads, work... ouch).
Nothing much to report, average fuel consumption 6.5 l/100 km.
5th Aug 2014, 17:27
Original owner at 115,000 km:
Excellent car really, no problems, good engine, comfortable car even fully loaded with 5 adults and a dog!
Some of the trim is starting to loosen a bit (boxes in front doors and side boxes in the trunk), but very satisfied.
24th Jul 2016, 16:43
Original owner at 153.000 km:
I can't remember running into any problem the last 2-3 years, except maybe the rear view mirror that occasionally tends to fall off... easy fix... very satisfied after 8 and a half years of ownership.
17th Oct 2019, 20:24
Original owner @ 215.000 km: almost 12 years of ownership, all in all very satisfied, nothing much went wrong these last couple of years. Was going to sell it 1 year ago cos my wife got to lease a Ford Grand C-Max via her job, but decided to keep it anyway as a 2nd car. We prefer it to go on vacation, fully loaded with 5 adults, dog, bikes and rooftop box. More comfortable than the Ford. The Ford however is in a different class as a driver's car; much more nimble and an excellent shifter.
19th Oct 2019, 14:06
Thanks for all the updates on the car over the years. Glad to hear general reliability has been good - I'm from the UK and Renault have a below average reputation for reliability here, especially cars designed in the early 2000's; good to know there are some reliable long lasting ones out there.
11th Dec 2019, 15:35
Hi, original owner at 215.000 again.
Their dodgy reputation is probably somewhat deserved; statistically they're not the most reliable, but I've been quite happy. I did however decide to sell it last week, killed by government regulations so to speak. From January 2020 onwards the city of Ghent introduces a low emission zone where my EURO4 is not allowed... Antwerp already has one and Brussels is probably going to follow suit. Add to that the fact that BIV tax (entry into service tax) almost doubles from Jan 2020 onwards due to a change in the CO2 regulations and you're better off buying a petrol car before the end of the year. I reckon I could have driven it for an additional 2-3 years without huge costs, although the garage indicated that one of the (automatic) handbrake cables had started to rust (big cost if you have to replace the entire unit, but they could provide a cheaper workaround)... and maybe the clutch was also starting to wear. Anyway, I bought a Renault Captur as a 2nd car... 0.9 petrol engine, a different beast altogether.
Looking back apart from normal wear & tear, I experienced the following abnormal faults:
* Rear window "exploded".
* Rear door lock had to be replaced.
* The car was flooded once due to clogged up drainage tubes; apparently a common and known error with them.
* The car suffered a massive oil leakage once due to a deformed oil pan (?), something the garage owner had never witnessed.
On the positive side, original engine still going strong, original clutch, original gearbox, no rust anywhere (it was never kept indoors and cleaning of the road salt was never a top priority..), no oil consumption to speak of, economical (6.2 l/100 km), every electronic gizmo still works and it never left me stranded in the middle of nowhere.
In other words, not 100% perfect but pretty good IMHO.
19th Nov 2010, 07:02
Good engine. Averaging 950kms on a tank of diesel.
Very comfortable.
Paint job still looks great.
Electrics (bulbs, lights, 12v point) not as good as my old Toyota.
Replaced front tyres at 45000km.