1996 Renault Laguna Reviews - Page 4 of 6

1996 Renault Laguna RT 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Year of manufacture	1996
First year of ownership	2001
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	1.8 Manual
Performance marks	7 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	9 / 10
Dealer Service marks	6 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	42000 miles
Most recent distance	72000 miles
Previous car	Vauxhall Cavalier

Summary:

A very underrated motor.

Faults:

I have had to replace the the front brake disc's at 71000 miles.

The rear brake cylinders were replaced at 65000 miles following a leak.

General Comments:

This car is the most comfortable car I have ever owned.

It has never once failed to start first time.

The engine still sounds brand new even after towing a caravan for several thousand miles without any difficulty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th April, 2004

5th Mar 2007, 08:20

Agreed with most of the comments made here. I too had to replace front discs at 78,000 miles. I have been using the car for the 2nd year now. Never failed to start at the first attempt.

Very comfortable, easy to handle and spacious car. Have been moving home a year ago and it could move all my stuffs in 2 trips :)

Few problems I see with this car is, hard to change gears at still (quite OK on the move). One told me it is native to Laguna's gear shift linkage (s). Body under the front bumper corroded.

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1996 Renault Laguna RT 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Year of manufacture	1996
First year of ownership	2001
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	2.0 Manual
Performance marks	8 / 10
Reliability marks	7 / 10
Comfort marks	9 / 10
Dealer Service marks	2 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	6.6 / 10
Distance when acquired	87000 miles
Most recent distance	92000 miles

Summary:

Not a good fist time buy

Faults:

Fan switch had to be glued back on to the radiator because the threads for the switch fell in the radiator!

Head gasket had to be changed over £200.

Overheated because of faulty fan switch.

Could not change fuel filter as it was seized cost over £100.

Rattling noise starting to come in dashboard.

Water leakage into back seats through heavy rain.

Scratches and dents easily.

New key costs over £100 from dealer only.

General Comments:

Very expensive to run.

Not too bad on pick up.

Very spacious.

Gets very hot in summer.

Good boot space.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th March, 2004

11th May 2004, 08:14

I'd agree with most of these points - I had rain water leaking into the back seats too. This was caused by water running down the inside of the seal and collecting at the bottom of the door where it just poured into the foot well.

Aside from that, if it has recently been raining and I open either of the front doors or the boot I get water pouring onto me and into the car. This is due to a design flaw in the way the chassis drains off water. It is such an obvious flaw it is amazing it was never noticed before production started.

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17th Nov 2004, 05:29

I am also having a problem with a leak into the rear foot well. And obviously, reading from comments of others, it is a design flaw. However, does anyone know how to fix this leak?

Kind Regards

Peter.

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1996 Renault Laguna RT 2.0 8v from UK and Ireland

Year of manufacture	1996
First year of ownership	2003
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	2.0 8v Manual
Performance marks	8 / 10
Reliability marks	5 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	4 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	6.3 / 10
Distance when acquired	112000 miles
Most recent distance	128000 miles
Previous car	Vauxhall Cavalier

Summary:

Very nice family hatchback, but flawed

Faults:

Intermittent misfire on cold start - still haven't got to the bottom of that one although coolant temperature sensor, coils and HT leads have been replaced.

Idle control valve sticking (cured by cleaning with white spirit).

Uneven front tyre wear.

Coolant leaks from various points (including a split in the expansion tank).

Door lock motor sticking.

Power steering fluid leak.

General Comments:

Drives and handles well, plenty of power and good fuel economy.

Could be a great car, but is spoiled by design faults which make it lack a feel of quality.

Quite a few niggling problems and numerous parts have had to be repaired or replaced - the electrical and cooling systems seem to be weak areas.

Shame really, as it's a comfortable and capable car, even with five people and a full boot, and once it's warmed up it will quite happily plod up and down the motorway all day.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 16th February, 2004