2004 Renault Megane Dynamique from UK and Ireland - Comments

External temperature gauge is occasionally unreliable.

Trim on underneath of rear seat bench started to come away the first time the seat was folded flat.

This is without doubt the best car I have ever owned. I have covered 14000 in the first four months of ownership and it has been mechanically faultless.

It is considerably more comfortable and rewarding to drive than either the Vauxhall Vectra or Ford Focus that I owned previously.

I have no idea why the Sport Tourer model is so rare in the UK, as it is very practical, has a huge luggage space and can seat four adults in relative comfort.

I initially had reservations about a 1.5 litre diesel engine, but it is quite powerful enough, except when the car is really loaded up and returns, on average, around 54-59 miles per gallon. I can easily keep up with the other traffic on my 50 mile motorway drive to work each day.

The equipment levels are very generous for a £15,000 car and I am sure that it would offer very good protection in an accident.

My only reservation is that build quality appears a bit shoddy. Although very stylish, I am not sure that the seat fabrics are going to wear very well and the underneath of the rear seat bench is particularly poorly constructed. The rear seat backs don't fold completely flat and foul the underneath of the bench when folded. If you look very closely the exterior paint finish is also somewhat patchy. I guess only time will tell!

I have a 1.9dci hatch and overall have been very happy with it.

However, the central locking system is annoying. When you switch engine off and you want to unlock all doors with button on the dashboard, it won't allow you. Also the boot cannot be opened without the remote which is very annoying.

I also find the steering very twichy at times.

Finishes and build quality is howver far superior to the golf for instance.

If you have the RAID (Renault Anti Intruder Device) function activated, which locks all of the doors when you drive off, opening the drivers door when you stop again should unlock all of the rest of the doors.. also, there is a button under the lip of the tailgate (above the numberplate) which will open the boot without having to use the remote control. Hope this is some help!

Great car looks well although easy marked paintwork, arm rest onside of driver door slight fray after 4wks anyone else had this?

Yes - the armrest is starting to look somewhat shiny where I rest my elbow. I don't think the material on the Dynamique trim level is particularly good quality as the stitching on both of the front seats is starting to show and having entirely black trim, any food, dust and general dirt tends to permanently mark the fabric. Also, quite bizarre, but I find that I get an electric shock every time I get out of the car from the static that has built up between the seats and my clothes!!!

Static Shocks. June 05 Megane Grand Scenic Dynamique 1.4 16v. Every time in the week we have had this car we get severe shocks. I can only presume that as for the driver at least, it is due to having no 'metal key' to obtain a discharge on exiting. As for passengers, there is no available metal trim to touch before leaving. Awaiting Renaults response.

I have a Megane 1.5Dci Dynamique, and I love it! The only issues I have had is that the exhaust was blowing very loudly after just 6000miles, but was fixed for free after negotiation about the parts under warranty. Also when it was serviced the dealer forgot to clip down something to do with the oil and filters, this led to the car billowing black smoke everywhere and caused the car to give only 15mpg, but was sorted in 2seconds. Apart from this I feel the megane is a very comfortable and distictive small car.

Modern paint is now water based for environmental reasons, hence it is softer and marks more easily. This is true of all cars, not just Renaults.

I get an electric shock when I get out of my Megane, but only if I'm wearing trainers. It doessn't bother me.

My biggest complaint is how difficult it is to change the front bulbs. Overall I am very happy with my Megane and will be buying another Renault when the time comes.

I have had my Megane for almost 3 years and have done 102 000 kms and must say that this has to be the worst car that I have ever had the misfortune of owning. The reliability of the vehicle is shocking and the servicing of the car, now that the warranty period is over is extremely expensive. Although the service staff are extremely helpful and friendly the staff at a servicing centre are not the people that I would want to be on first name basis with as it means that I have been there far to often! I would never recommend buying this car to anyone!

Very happy with my Megane Dynamique (1.5dCi 106 bhp) so far. Lively, comfy, smooth, 54 mpg average, well kitted out, reasonably well put together and it looks fantastic. I had a choice between this, and a few others including a Golf 1.9TDI and a Focus 1.6 TDCi and the Megane I felt was the only one with any kind of pizazz or flair to its design. It makes everything else in the class look like a dull, anonymous box.

Here's an interesting one as well - at 70 mph on the motorway it's quieter and better riding than my friend's 2005 Mercedes C270 CDi Avantgarde! Not for one minute suggesting the Merc isn't a far better car, but it does give you some idea just how refined the car is. The dCi engine is near silent up to about 90 mph in sixth.

Hello all.

I found a way to overcome the problem of getting a nasty static electrical shock as you get out of your car. The static builds up as your trousers rub against the seat of the car as your are getting out. Then as you touch the door to close it, it earths (discharges) through the car and so gives you that nasty shock. The way I prevent that is to hold on to the car door (or any metallic part of the car frame) as I get out of the car. This way, the charge being built up is also dissipated at the same time so you don't get a static discharge.