According to Auto express, Suzuki is going to put the Renault 1.9dci engine into the new Vitara.
Does that mean it isn't as bad as everyone claims?
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It is already used in umpteen cars and vans as a percentage of vehicles produced as apposed to warranty claims alone Renault come out very well in the reliability charts.I must admit the service garages seem to be a bit lacking or so they say.Most large companies use other peoples parts Fiat engines go in Ford for one.
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Such reciprocal arrangements have been in place for many years - it's usually because it's more economically viable for car manufacturers than developing or producing the products concerned themselves.
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Ford used both Peugeot and VM diesel in the past.
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IIRC Rover used the efficient, but noisy Perkins diesel before switching to Peugeot/Citroen diesel units in the early 1990s.
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Rover also used the Italian VM unit in the 800.
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The only problems with in are (in my opinion) down to the 18K oil change interval. It is fundamentally a fine engine, very refined and linear in its power delivery.
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My point more was not the fact that the engine sharing agreement was in place, but more the engine thta was being shared as, depending on what you read and who you listen to, this is supposed to have so many inherent faults!
However, as said before, mine has been fine and I know Mr Renault Family (as was before he defected) was happy with his as well.
As Xileno says, many of the supposed problems may arise due to the oil change intervals.
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There have been some reports of turbos going pop but it is hard, if not impossibe, to know how representative this is. One generally will only hear about the bad cases. One view is that the EGR valve may get clogged up after some time and therefore stop operating properly. As the Nox is crucial for maintaining the temperature, a faulty EGR valve may lead to overheating and damage to the turbo. Another view is that the 18K oil change interval is too long unless that 18K mileage is clocked up quite quickly.
The turbos are made by Garrett, a well known and respected manufacturer. I believe the EGR valves are made by Mitsubishi, so again one does not suspect any problems there.
My view (and it is only a view i.e. not backed up by scientific proof) is that the 18K oil change is too long for a diesel. It may be ok on the uncluttered roads of France where the engine is running more constantly. I change the oil on my dCi at 9K and when the warranty expires in just over a year, I shall remove the EGR valve to see what it looks like inside in terms of soot accumulation.
I also give mine a good blow out from time to time. I am sure this is beneficial as it always seems a bit smoother afterwards.
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Suzuki already use a Renault diesel engine- on the continent theres a diesel Jimny that uses the Clios 1.5 dci engine.
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According to tonight's news, Jaguar could be using them as well.
MSN news:
"Renault is keen to take Jaguar off Ford's hands according to the respected French business magazine L'Expansion. The report claims that the French car maker was unsuccessful in it's efforts to buy Volvo, the most profitable of Ford's 'Premier Automotive Group' upmarket brands."
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The Sharalambrahalaxy is a good example of this, OK the Seat and VW are both VAG cars though all three use VW diesel engines, interstingly (AFAIK) it is only the Seat that can be had with the later 2.0 TDi 140, the VW makes do with the 1.9 TDi 130 and the Ford can be had with a 150 bhp version of the 1.9TDi as fitted to the Golf/Bora.
Despite it's age, 10 years now, and relatively poor reliability ratings this is really a very contemporary and practical design, it would be great with, for instance, the Ford 2.2 400nm TDCi unit.
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Or the Mitsubishi Grandis, now available with the 2.0tdi unit from VW. A better buy than the Sharan or the Touran IMHO.
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