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I,m wanting to know about the scenic 1.4 and how good or bad as i hhave noticed on ebay that a lot have had new head gaskets fitted does anyone know if this is a common fault please and has it got any more reliability problems??
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Follow the car-by-car link above - tells you what's good and bad about every car.
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Don't buy. Headgasket is only one problem. There are much better cars out there.
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It's a Renault. Full stop
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We had a 54 plate Grand Scenic 1.9dCi.
As a car, it was superb. Practical, good to drive, supremely comfortable (drove it to Northern Italy in 15 hrs stopping only for fuel - not a single ache or discomfort at the other end). Did 42 mpg in daily driving, which for a big 7 seat car is pretty impressive. Fantastic diesel engine made almost all others seem agricultural and coarse.
For the first 60,000 miles it suffered only a couple of niggling faults. A broken window regulator (out of warranty but Renault UK paid), worn guide for the panoramic sunroof, and a split wastegate pipe. Then it got to 60,000 miles and literally fell apart. Based on our experience, you need about £1,500 a year on top of normal service and running costs to keep a post 60,000 mile Renault running as it should. Final straw was a sudden clutch failure at 60k which deposited me, my wife and my 3 and 1 year old kids at the roadside on a busy roundabout in Bracknell. That cost a grand to get fixed. We sold the car weeks later. The car was also suffering numerous random electrical faults including intermittent power steering failure, instrument panel failure, heater blower failure and various other silliness.
A lovely, lovely car as a piece of design, but I would never own another Renault outside of warranty.
Edited by DP on 15/01/2010 at 11:10
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Even though I'm not a fan of J Clarkson, I do appreciate one of his remarks - "cars can be either good or French" :)
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that made me spill my coffee
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We have a W Reg Scenic 1.9dti on 150,000 miles...
With electric pack such as aircon, electric sun roofs etc...
It had an interesting breakdown at around 80,000 miles when the alternator pulley fell apart which led via a series of self-inflicted disasters to the cambelt jamming and the head being replaced. However since then the only problems have been rev counter packing up (ignored), heater motor running slowly (hefty kick at passenger footwell set it right 2 years ago) and wiper mechanism breaking (replaced with second-hand unit off ebay). (I'm not counting normal service stuff.) Interestingly it has also transported the family to Italy and back (from Scotland).
So my advice would be if you want a Scenic to get a diesel on a highish mileage where any faults from dodgy manufacture have already been fixed and the price will be low.
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I'd also say that if you must get a Renault, either get one made before 2001 or after 2005.
This period was the one that earned Renault its reputation as the lowest of the low.
And if you really must buy one between 01 and 05, for goodness sake don't get a dCi....
Edited by Webmaster on 16/01/2010 at 02:27
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Brother in law has one and thats been pretty fair but he changes them regularly. Mate has one and its a bit of a money pit. Dash display went haywire and cast £500 to fix. Jury is out for me on Renault.
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I've had two 1.4 petrols. I won't have a third.
Both had an appetitie for coil packs. Normally these fail over several days, so you have enough warning to replace them. One, however, failed completely in a day, leaving my wife and daughter stranded. Gear change in both (2001 build, 90000 miles and 2004, 69000 miles) very notchy. Both were nose heavy under braking, and grip from the factory fit Michelin Energy tyres was poor.
They really feel as if they were designed for the 1.9 diesel and fitting the small petrol engine was an afterthought. The 1.4 petrol is chronically underpowered with more than two passengers on board; fuel economy suffers as a result.
The design is very practical - there's a surprising amount of useful space, the height is good for easy access, and there are plenty storage spaces. Safety is good in these, too. Unfortunately, I had three accidents in them (both were written off) but nobody on board ever harmed.
Build quality was terrible. Both cars full of rattling trim, the 2004 worse. Panel fit was poor. I managed to close the boot on the dog's tail once - all she did was wag her tail through the gap between the boot and the body! Rear sunroofs either fail completely or work intermittently. Beware: they can open, then refuse to close again! Both cars were riddled with annoying electrical faults.
If you're still tempted, read the CBCB carefully to pinpoint when Renault quality was at its worst and avoid those cars at all costs. My suspicion is that a basic spec diesel is the safest bet, as these are the cars the domestic French market buys, but I won't be testing my theory with my own money again!
Edit: for those wondering why I was silly enough to buy a second Scenic, the first was my wife's car. The second replaced it after it was written off , as the settlement was only enough to buy a like-for-like replacement. The second one was written off and replaced with a Subaru Forester, with which I'm every bit pleased as I was displeased with the Renaults...
Edited by Gromit {P} on 15/01/2010 at 14:29
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