Faults:

Petrol tank warped, causing a leak in the sender unit housing seal.

Dash airbag warning light.

Tailgate locking mechanism.

General Comments:

My Grande Espace was bought in July 2005, specifically for the school run.

It cost £7000, but had just 20,000 miles on it, confirmed by MOTs.

The exhaust fell off (corroded through) on day two, and the front tyres needed almost immediate replacement.

The front brakes had been renewed 6 months before my purchase; the rear ones were replaced 6 months after.

Apart from these consumables, it has been pretty good.

Around April 2006, it started to smell of petrol, so off to the garage it went for its annual service. The warped petrol tank was replaced; cost £500.

It is a nice car to drive, big and roomy with space for 7 six foot adults and their luggage. Or six 15 year old kids and their school bags.

It has taken the family 2000 miles round France on holiday, and never failed to start.

The engine performance is impressive for a 2 litre in such a large car, pulling eagerly and returning an average 30 MPG.

It has niggly faults, but you get used to them, and overall it is a very good car.

Ownership is enhanced with access to the RenaultForums.co.uk website. Here the pooling of information can save a lot of time and hassle.

Faults:

In the cold the boot fails to open - the central locking sticks. This was fixed by removing the door panel and spraying with a grease.

The sunroofs leak slightly, in heavy run.

General Comments:

This is a great 7 seater with the boot space to go with it. Interior styling is a lot better than most MPV's. Great family car and more economical than my previous Suzuki Jimny 1.3 although the book figures both suggest 35mpg!

Faults:

Where to Start!!

Wheel bearing - near side.

Airbag computer.

Wheel bearing near side.

Air Bag control unit - fault not located by the Renault dealer - still a problem.

Cat - at about year 5 - this may be normal - but it was expensive.

Hydraulic Clutch.

Accelerator cable - again to be expected?

Fairly rapid tyre wear.

And now the big one - Cam belt - Prior to the official mileage change - but 4 months after the age change date!!! so a complete head rebuild.

And now the electronic dash has a mind of its own - most of the warning lights seem to randomly come on - everything from Oil to Airbag warning with the battery thrown in for good measure.

General Comments:

Excellent ride and interior space.

Lots of luggage space even 7 up.

Great looking well designed internally.

Functional dash - again a lot of thought.

Handling a bit ship like - but it has a massive wheelbase and it's not a sports car - what I would expect.

Reliability - appalling - talk about a Friday afternoon car - the Renault factory must only work Fridays...

Faults:

- Gearbox replaced under warranty at 40,000 miles.

- Fan belt + tensioning roller broke at 52000 miles while on holiday in Italy - cost £250 to replace.

- CD player refused to recognize disks 15 48,000 miles. Fixed under warranty.

- Air conditioning stopped working at 49,000 miles. Fixed under warranty.

- Drivers seat split at base at 48,000 miles - fixed under warranty.

- Electric window switch failed at 45000 miles - warranty repair.

- Brake light sensor malfunctioned at 46000 miles (AA fixed that one!)

- Flywheel/fuel injector sensor failed 3 times (twice while on holiday, once abroad in Poland, once at home) - took 3 attempts by local dealer to replace (warranty fix).

Ongoing problems with front heater matrix (demister doesn't work properly).

General Comments:

Bought for safety (NCAP 4 star) and for size (5 kids + dog!)

Currently in negotiation with Renault UK for warranty extension/replacement.

Just waiting for the next thing to fail.

Our previous Grand Espace had equally poor reliability - continual electrical problems, water pump, rear door jammed.