r/Renault • u/potbite • 3d ago
Question What could go wrong?
hello, all. i am currently looking at getting a car for running about and going on long and short journeys. looking at Megane's and Clio's as they are a car of preference. i was looking at this and ticked all the boxes. just wondering what can go wrong and what to make sure has been done. or any red flags about these cars.
it’s currently on 90k Miles. says it has great service history, dont know if its full. what do you all say or think?
thank you, all.
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u/martie55 3d ago
I would be worried obout the picture beeing made with Ai. The front of the car is megane 3 and the back is from a clio :)
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u/Dankleberry_Don 3d ago edited 2d ago
Check the cam belt's been changed. Recently bought a 2016 scenic 1.5 dci, it had done 86k miles and not had the timing belt changed since it left the factory. The dealership's response was "well if the engine blows on your way home we'll replace it" which didn't inspire confidence. The limited edition is the least "fleshed out" trim so not much that can go wrong in the way of electronics, but I'd still check they all work. Use a third party site (I used carcheck.co.uk) to check the service history via the number plate/ VIN, the checks run a tenner apiece and can reveal if there has been any damage the dealership chose to conceal. Other than that idk standard stuff, check for damage to rims, the body, the glass and tyres. Check for any warning lights, and if possible, bring an OBD scanner with you (cheap Bluetooth ones run around a tenner off Amazon). If you end up wanting a higher trim one, for the love of god don't get ones with a sunroof, mine cracked within 2 months of purchase lol.
EDIT - meant cam/timing belt not wet belt oops!
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u/potbite 3d ago
thank you. this one has panoramic roof 😂 i really wanted one and this just happened to have it. would an OBDeleven Pro 3 work fine to check for faults?
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u/Dankleberry_Don 2d ago
All I'm gonna say for panoramic roof is get insurance that covers any breakage in the roof, if you do go for it. As for the OBD scanners, they usually have a vehicle compatibility list either on the manufacturers website, or wherever you buy them from.
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u/TunerJoe 3d ago
There is no wet belt on this engine
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u/Dankleberry_Don 2d ago
My mistake in the terminology, I meant the cam/timing belt - got it right the first sentence and wrong in the second 😅
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u/MC8R 2d ago
No wet belt and energy is not a trim level. Considering the top spec wheels and the roof (and the name limited), this is a higher trim. Not that higher trims receive electronics that break compared to the lower trims.
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u/Dankleberry_Don 2d ago
My mistake - got the terminology mixed up, meant cam belt and LIMITED trim not energy trim lol.
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u/MC8R 2d ago edited 2d ago
I drove one for 8 years, 2012 1.5 dci, base fleet trim. They are overall very good cars. Check the service history and see if it's had a timing belt done recently (should be every 5 years on this). If it's been in an accident, the bonnet, the boot and the fuel filler cap never fit correctly and don't match the body lines of the car.
Engines are stout. You can come across EGR and DPF issues but I never did despite driving short trips and in congested traffic all the time (though I would keep the rpms high and do road trips every now n then). Renault workshops here recommend an EGR clean every other oil change.
Electrics aren't horrible. One issue you can come across is a stuck gas pedal signal, (isn't as horrible as it sounds, only happened to me in neutral or when clutch is all the way in and only like for a second), caused by water getting into the interior which is caused by a clogged scuttle drain. It's easy to clean.
If you can get a phase 3 (such as this) with TomTom, it can be programmed to have android auto with the original screen.
Also don't get the diesel with automatic, mk3 EDCs aren't horrible but they are still bad dry dual clutch automatics, compared to mk4 EDCs which are wet clutch.
If you have any questions you can DM me or write from here.
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u/NoSquirrel1719 2d ago
If you do your own mechanical work I'd avoid it, otherwise they're decent little cars.
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u/Sweaty_Feedback_7661 1d ago
Injecrors and ac leaking
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u/ijusttookthispseudo 9h ago
Injectors on the 1.6 dCi, normally not this one. AC leaking, probably at some point.
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u/antipatiq 3d ago
I whould change the belts, water pump, thermostat and coolant if it hasn’t been done already. Look for water/moisture in the trunk and the pockets in the front footwell.
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u/International-Mud418 3d ago
Megane is definitely superior to Clio. I had M3 2014, 110hp 1.5dci. Overall was a nice car. At this price you should check the technical condition of the car—you shouldn't really expect anything more; any features beyond the entry-level spec are just a bonus.
Also, it has a nice and rare color, most of them are white, black and silver. Good luck.
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u/ONNOLTD2018 3d ago edited 3d ago
One of the best engines out there. Very fuel efficient, I drove a 2013 clio 1.5dci (same car under the hood) from 110.000km to 370.000km with little to no problems. Swapped the clutch at around 320.000km and changed the glowplugs at 330.000km and some pressure sensor placed at the back of the engine also at around the same milleage. Other than that only standard maintainance.
Keep in mind it does have a timingbelt and an expensive battery because of the start/stop system. You have to replace those at some point. Also there's a hose system running in segments over the topcover of the engine connecting the turbo to the intercooler. These always sweat a little oil at it's connection points. Mine did that as long as I can remember, and after checking it online I found many others with the same "problem". Never did something about it other than cleaning it up every now and then.