2004 Renault Megane RS 225 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Lever for adjusting the height/reach of the steering wheel came off the first time I tried to use it, 15 minutes after I took delivery.

The steering rack has been making a crunching sound on full lock ever since I took delivery.

Power steering failed after 600 miles.

This is a frighteningly quick car at times. Turbo lag is noticeable when accelerating from low speeds, but once you get going there is ample power throughout the rev range. The car will cruise very comfortably at high speeds and suffers from little of the unpolished road manners that characterize most 'hot hatches'. What this also means, however, is that handling has been compromised somewhat, and it certainly can't hold a candle to the 205 GTi I once owned in terms of cornering ability.

In addition to a slightly wallowy ride, the makers' other concession to comfortable motoring is masses of sound-proofing. At low speeds, you would barely know that the engine was running, which suits me fine, but will disappoint boy racers looking for a really sporty exhaust note. As well as being quiet, the cabin is extremely comfortable, even on long journeys.

The immensely powerful brakes give the car a very secure feel, while the suspension set-up and those wide wheels make it feel far safer in the rain than other cars that I have driven. That said, torque steer is still a problem, and is not helped by over-light (when it's working!) power-steering.

Reliability is the most serious issue, and my car has been back to the shop 3 times in 840 miles.

As an update to the above, the car now has 3500 miles on it and is 6 months old. In addition to the problems noted above, I have had to have the ignition coil replaced twice, and now the starter button has failed completely, clearly making the car undriveable. I am also getting vibration from the brakes when they're applied at speed (not much of a problem at the moment!), and will have to have them fixed once the car is running again. I am now determined never to buy another Renault, and I will be sure to sell this one before the warranty expires.

Surprised to here about the "unreliability" I have took delivery of my Megane 225 on 04/04/2004 (my birthday;-) and I have driven it now for 52.000 KM with no problems what so ever. I mostly drive it on long highway trips (+ 2000 km) and on practically every trip I'm lucky enough to cross Germany (800 km of no speed limit highway). The only discomfort I have experienced is the fact that the cars interior panels at my left foot are getting really hot. Also the position from the pedals is not very comfortable after 3 to 4 hours driving. But whith the cruise control it's no problem to take my feets up and let them col down ;-) )

Maybe the problems are due to the fact that this car is originally developed for right hand drive and that the left hand drive's (who's idea was this anyway to drive on the wrong side of the road???) are in fact modified cars.

As a 225 owner for the past year I have had numerous reliability problems and agree wholly with the comments about the cars pace and handling. I used to be a big Renault fan, but ownership of such and expensive and unreliable car has changed this. I know of many 225 owners that have encountered similar ignition coil and fueling problems. The cars just don't work properly.

I've had my 225 since Nov 2004 & it's just done 27,000k so far. the biggest problem I had was noisy brakes when backing. I had to take it back a couple of times & apparently they've had 4 or 5 225s with the same problem - wrong compound used in the brake pads apparently. I've just had that done (they changed the pads), the steering was apparently clicking on the airbag at full lock (Renault fixed that), the brake pedal was playing up (again Renault went in & fixed it), faulty underseat airbag senor on passenger side. Apart from that, it goes a cut cat & accelerates pretty damn fast. I have taken it up to 220k with no vibrations etc. Touch wood I won't have too much going wrong with it before warranty runs out. I do like the car & it's a head turner, but I don't think I'll buy another Renault. Btw, I'm in New Zealand - right hand drive of course.

Love or hate affair. personally I hate it.

I bought Megane Renault-sport 225 Trophy in Nov 05. Love it, apart from the starter button now and then. Think it has something to do with steering lock depending on how you park your car regarding front wheel position. When wheels are straight and a bit of free play in the steering and not lock against itself tight then its fine. But tremendously quick and handles like a GO-cart.

I have a Renault sport, Renault-sport) 225 5 door.

Mechanically the car is sound. Electics are extremely poor. Multiple failures, an uncontrolable alarm system going off all night, finding the car open when I return to it.

It really lets down what could be a leading hot-hatch.

Would never buy Renault again.

You need to read your manuals guys, it clearly states not to leave the wheels on lock when turning the engine off.

I have had a 225 trophy for two and a half years and the brakes started off phenomenal. They would pull your eyes out your sockets. Then they just seemed to go very average. It seems to be unsolvable (bled, new pads, discs) and the garage said they're fine, they're not. Apart from that I have the same electrical gremlins as I had in the other megane II I owned i. e start button problems, lights independently self leveling (or not) so my car looked like a Jean Michelle Jare concert. Also the hands free entry system works only intermittently. You may ask why I bought another after the first ones problems and questionable service? It's for the very same reason that I bought that one after my unreliable Clio. I love them, problems and all. They have far more character and style than the rest of the crowd of hatches. And my trophy will (and has) blow the hot hatch usual suspects out the proverbial water. And the same reason why I'll buy my next one!

I own a 225 cup and am very impressed with the reliability and performance. The only niggle I've had was issues with the washers jets having a mind of their own, all fixed however under warranty. I have a keyless entry system which works fine however be warned if you are out in the cold for a long period of time the battery in the remote loses performance and you won't be able to get back in the car until the remote gets some heat. This issue is obviously solved by buying better batteries. My only real complaint is that the driving position is far too high, this problem was addressed with the introduction of bucket seats on the F1 range.

Overall the car looks great and has a great spec - cruise control, traction control, climate control, light weight alloys, 6 CD changer, brembo brakes, self dimming mirror, rain sensors etc.. It is a very quick car with very good handling for a fwd car and a comfortable cruiser.

Just bought an 04 plate Megane RenaultSport 225. I have to say, driving it for only a week so far, I'm still very much in the honeymoon period with the car!

It's much quicker than my previous car, a Seat Toledo Cupra. When I floor the accelerator, a wry smile creeps across my face.

Haven't thrown it into many corners yet, as the weather has been very wet, but time will tell.

I've just purchased a Megane 225 Trophy which has mileage of 68,000 miles. The car feels amazing having just traded in my Clio 182, which was also fantastic to drive.

The acceleration is awesome as the turbo kicks in from around 2 thousand revs. One thing I have noticed is even though the car has Brembo drilled discs front and back, the brakes seemed to fail terribly at high speeds. I did some heavy braking tonight whilst pushing the car to the limit, and the car struggled to stop in time and scared me a little, as the reviews I had heard said the car's braking was supposed to be awesome.

The car has had brand new discs and pads on the rear, and the front the pads are only 20% worn. So why they are struggling after a few corners worries me. Apart from that it is an amazing car with all the mod cons that any driving nut would need.

21st Oct 2008, 19:14 comment.

If your brakes get too bad, change them with EBC brakes.

EBC Standard Brake Disc (Price per disc, 2 discs per car) FRONT BRAKES Part No:D982 £37.96.

FRONT BRAKES GD982 £65.96.

FRONT BRAKES USR982 £65.96.

REAR BRAKES D1298 £21.19.

Here's the website so you can look for yourself.

www.EBCBrakesDirect.com

Hope this helped.

Hi mates!!!

I've just bought a Renaultsport 225 from 11.11.2004, has 30K, the car is amazing..

I've change the oil with Mobil 1 0-40w just to keep it fresh..

I have just one problem... VIBRATIONS!!!... I mean it's nice to drive it, but not for a long time because the vibrations give me some discomfort...

I had before an Astra Bertone 2.2i, and at 125 miles per hour it was like being in church.. very, very quiet.. but this Renault, I can`t push it too much because the vibrations disturb me too much.. can anyone give me some advice??? Is this normal?? I think the car gonna disintegrate in one year!!!

Thanks!!!

claudiu2009@yahoo.com