Faults:

I paid £4,000 for the car thinking I was making a safe purchase. Whilst driving down the M6 it lost water and with only half a mile to the services I tried to drive at 25 mph to get there.

The AA though it was a water pump that had gone. Took it to a dealership. First they said it needed new belts and quoted around £300. Then they said the core plug had gone and it needed a new cylinder head. The estimate went up to about £1700. Then they said there was movement in the pistons and the pistons were masked; bottom line it needed a new engine. Now the estimate was £2500.

I tried to get help from Renault customer services, but that was a rather frustrating and futile experience. The dealer told me to go to Renault Customer Services and Renault Customer Services told me to go to the dealer.

I feel very angry with Renault as they have cost me so much money. I am writing this to let others know that buying a Renault Megane is a very risky purchase decision and one I wish I had been warned against.

I now have a £4000 Megane that I paid £6500 for.

General Comments:

Customers are treated by Renault with a poor regard.

Never buy a second hand Renault Megane!

Faults:

Here goes:

Exhaust center pipe broke straight away

Exhaust back box snapped off 2 months later.

Since then I've experienced problems with the exhaust on a regular basis. Last night the rear exhaust mount broke (again) and had to be fixed this morning.

Cat broke apart at 42,000 costing £209 for a new one.

Hairline crack in the manifold.

Electric sunroof doesn't work.

Radio occasionally cuts out.

I've experienced problems starting the car on two occasions.

Virtually no leg room for back seat passengers.

General Comments:

The above is a short-list of the problems I have experienced since owning my Renault Megane Coupe. I'm constantly weighing up whether its worth keeping a car that I absolutely love the look of, but is so unreliable.

I have been told by Kwik-fit (where I am now recognised due to my frequent visits) that the exhaust mounts are a design fault with the Couple models. There is not enough support (mounts) and therefore most of the weight is placed on the back box, causing it to snap fairly often?!

Faults:

My gasket blew last year even though I had regular servicing.

General Comments:

Overall I felt really comfortable driving this car. It felt right from the moment I sat in the seat. It handled well and served me well. The only problem I had was the gaskets went on a relatively short mileage.

However safety wise after being in a serious crash in this car I found I waked from it with only a few bruises amazing since I ended up in ditch and hit a tree. So thanks Renault your air bag and safety designs saved me - even the garage who lifted the car out of position were impressed.

Faults:

The engine head failed when I just bought it. Probably due to the driving style of the previous owner. Repaired in guarantee.

The electric windows sometimes fail due to weak connectors on the switches. These are easily repaired.

General Comments:

The car is easy to drive and very relaxed. It is more comfortable and has more space inside then you would expect from a small sports car. But then, it is just a family car with a fancy body on it.

The handling of the car is great! You can drive it round corners and roundabouts with almost frightening speeds with great ease. The 1.6 engine is a bit weak under 3500 revs.

Fuel consumption is a bit high on normal roads, but on the motorway it is less than much other cars, even when you are driving fast.