Faults:

Some people say that car manufacturers no longer produce bad cars. Well these people obviously never owned a Renault Laguna.

- Gearbox replaced

- Clutch replaced (2x)

- Turbo replaced (2x)

- Exhaust system replaced

- Aircon no longer working

- Display of climate control broke down (3x)

- satnav unit replaced

- Tire pressure monitoring system kept breaking, constantly giving false alarms. When I had a flat tire for real, I though it was another false alarm and couldn't be bothered anymore.

- Keyless entry door handles have been replaced on countless occasions. The card itself also needed to be replaced twice.

- Rattles and squeaks everywhere.

And a lot lot more of small breakdowns and annoying problems.

General Comments:

No wonder the Laguna has a 5 star EuroNCAP rating, it makes people so miserable they want to crash the car on purpose. This car is so notoriously bad that you would risk your life driving it in a canal just to get rid of it and claim the insurance money. Luckily it was a leased car so I didn't have to worry about the cost to replace the countless parts.

Faults:

Catastrophic gearbox failure while driving on the M4, resulting in the front wheels locking while driving along! Apparently I'm not the only one this has happened to.

Would really like to know if anybody got anywhere with claims/damages claims? Gearbox and engine require replacement. The crankshaft was also damaged, hence engine damage.

Faults:

There was a rattling noise coming from the engine area, which was never fixed, even though I took it to the dealer I bought it from on numerous occasions and reported the fault - it always came back to me the same way.

The car would not start at about 37000 miles. Had to get the car lifted and taken to the dealer. It was away for about 2 weeks before I got it back. Something was wrong with the chip in the key card and it had to be replaced.

The drivers seat was worn badly when I bought the car. Then at approx 38000 miles, the passenger seat started to move up and down freely. The ram had no effect at all. It would have move up and down about 5 inches, or more, when braking, going over bumps etc. It did not feel safe for the passenger. It cost £700 to fix.

At 40000 miles the rear brake light on the boot stopped working - took it to the dealer and they never fixed it. When a friend came over from Scotland he was able to fix it. The bulb was loose.

General Comments:

The car was really comfortable when driving and it was good at handling. I think I had more problems with the dealer than the car gave me. The dealer was unable to determine causes etc.

I have now went and bought myself a Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Zetec.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

It was the most beautiful vehicle I ever owned.

It was sexy, it was fast, and it was my ideal car.

It never gave me a single problem. I had it regularly serviced by Renault. In fact Renault recommended servicing every 18000 miles because of the then new DCI engine design, however I ignored this and made sure the oil was changed every 9000 miles with a full service at 18000 miles.

I left UK to emmigrate to Canada, and sold the car to a close friend who wanted it badly after seeing it, and since he has told he's had no problems with it. To be honest, any bad review may be for the petrol models, but I have always driven diesel and found it to be reliable.

The interior is elegant; the sporty half leather bucket seats are so comfortable, and the 6 speed gearbox is good for economy as well as performance.

I bought a demo model with 7k on it, and some extra options; the comfort pack and climate control, which was nifty.

If someone has had a bad experience with this vehicle, it's most likely they didn't keep up with servicing, or just got a bad build, which is just unlucky.