1st Jun 2002, 11:14
Renault Lagunas are an absolute headache. I have owned on for the last year and I have had nothing but trouble with it. Don't even think about buying one as the gearbox is absolutely useless; I've had to replace mine twice in the last year!That's not all! A poorly thoughtout and manufactured car with terrible build quality. Go and buy a good vw!
11th Jul 2002, 18:42
I bought my Laguna 1.8 RT 3 years ago now - the only thing I've had to replace was the 2 rear sections of the exhaust and tyres!
Extremely reliable etc etc. Never not even nearly started! If you want to get to the church on time...!
Parts are quite expensive though (well exhausts at least).
I do also have the problem of the leaking rear door though. If anyone has a solution to this, let me know. My problem comes and goes with no real explanation to why this is.
Otherwise, I would recommend it with my full support!
Peter.
11th May 2004, 08:20
The leaking rear door seems to be a very common problem with Laguna cars. To fix this you need to cut a 1mm gap in the base of the seal at the base of both rear doors. You will see where to cut by the water stains going into the car. This will let water inside the car drain to the outside and will solve the problem.
25th Jul 2004, 16:02
To help the problem of the notchy and generally rubbish gearbox, the best thing to do is to drain and replace the box oil annually. It is a pain, but it does work and could save hundreds of pounds. Also try a synthetic type of oil for the box, as when it heats up next to the engine the oil becomes less effective and causes problems too.
23rd Aug 2005, 08:45
Renault Laguna Leaking Problem.
I also have the same problem and after a few days of rain the rear carpet is wet and the car smells badly.
Now I know that it is a common problem I'll try and take all your advice and fix it myself.
Otherwise, great car - I love it... it takes me from London to Lyme Regis and back every week in relative comfort!
Peter
31st Jul 2007, 11:22
I bought a 1997 Laguna RT 1.8 2 years ago with 140k on the clock. I've added 30k to that myself including driving it to eastern Europe. It still goes, what more can you want?
Yes, the water leak used to be a problem, but as it doesn't rain much here I no longer notice it.
Replaced exhaust on first MOT, but can't complain about that for a car of this age. This year I had to replace the O2 sensor and then the ignition coil. Gearbox doesn't always want to go from 2 into 1.
6th Feb 2008, 13:35
Renault Laguna leaking problem! Following on from the comments made with leaking door seals. Did making a 1mm hole sort out the issue??
Martyn with wet feet in Bournemouth!!
6th Jun 2008, 16:18
About a month ago (3 May 08) I purchased a 1996 2.2 diesel Laguna estate with full history and about 130,000 on the clock.
I contacted the garage that had carried out the servicing (for the last six years) and was informed the cam belt was last changed at 64,000 miles. As the car appeared to be in good condition I took it to the Renault dealer and had the cam belt etc replaced break fluid replaced, oil plus filter and coolant replaced. However I checked the coolant today and it had dropped below the minimum. Does any one know why this might be?
Many Thanks.
24th Jan 2009, 08:12
I have got a 2002 Laguna Estate and have serious leak problems, not just in the back, but also in the front. The carpets are completely soaked and I can't seem to find the problem. The water seems to be getting in behind the dash near the fuse box on the drivers side. A renault mechanic suggested that it could be getting in through the roof bars and running through to behind the dash? Any help would be much appreciated.
11th Apr 2009, 13:10
Hi, I've just bought a one owner Laguna 1.6 RT with £63k on the clock for £600, which I thought was a decent deal. I don't think it's ever had a new cambelt, so I will probably get it changed by my local garage - any ideas on how much I should be paying for this?
Also, there is a humming drone coming from, I think, the back end. Could this be wheel bearings?
Cheers.
21st May 2009, 04:04
I purchased a 1996 Renault Laguna 2.2 RT DT Estate this year. It ran fine for a week, then the radiator dropped its contents on a friend's driveway. The radiator turned out to be completely rotten along the bottom, but looked original. Replaced it with a more aluminium looking one for £200 and no more problems there.
Ironically I am now seeing a lot of water in the drivers side rear foot-well, and I am going to try the solution mentioned in this forum.
The gearbox does not like 1st, 3rd or reverse. Generally it has good days and bad days, as does the clutch, which you have to bury into the floor to operate. The car, otherwise is an absolute pleasure to drive on long journeys. Its comfortable and roomy (despite my slight overweight problem) and gets very good mileage. A bit tired of listening to the turbo whistling away though.
I have to say I do like the car, although I refer to it as a P.O.S.
26th Oct 2009, 11:39
Hi,
I have both rear doors leaking in my 1996 Laguna RT Sport during heavy enough rain, which in turn SOAKS the floors in the rear. I actually tried making the small cuts in the rubber door-seals (both sides) with a brand new stanley blade (for sharp-clean cuts), about 2mm holes x 4 inches long. However, it hasn't sorted the problem at all.
After checking again, the rain seems to make its way in through the top of the door, due to the intact but soft & worn seal going round the top of the actual doors.
I'm thinking of resorting to applying some clear water-proof sealant/mastic along the top of the inner door-way (on the car itself), which will hopefully deflect the water from dripping straight down onto the floor, and hopefully guide it down the rubber seals then through the holes I've cut at the bottom.
I'm just waiting on some dry weather though - for the sealant to be applied and dry...
In the meantime I'll continue using `Magic Tree` air fresheners to take away the mild whiff of dampness. They work a treat!
8th Oct 2010, 14:16
I bought my 1996 1.8 6v RT Laguna 18 months ago. Apart from having the heater matrix replaced straight away, I have only spent on regular services. Now have 100000m on clock and has never let me down. I agree it's a bit underpowered, but it's comfy and reliable, and I tow a trailer regularly and have never had problems with clutch etc. Would have liked a better reversing light set-up; that's my only complaint.
Graham. Enfield.
17th Aug 2001, 02:14
I've had My Laguna for 2 years now and ran it over 114000 KM ~ 52000 miles.
The gearbox is the weakest part, it's failing from time to time, the SERV light gets lit.. someone told me to always use the S button on mountainous roads..