I bought the car second hand in 97 from a dealer. I think the previous owner had been thoroughly ripped off by the dealer, some of the prior problems including:
- Snapped hand brake cable (x 2).
- Air con belt replaced, continuous slippage.
- Battery blew up.
I test drove the car in mid winter and noticed a flat spot / hesitant acceleration. Dealer said it was due to the car sitting on the lot for so long.
The problems I had since I got the car included a noisy fuel pump. Replaced under the 3 month warranty although the dealer tried to say it was normal for it to be noisy.. I got a second opinion and dealer suddenly changed their mind 'Oh it's gotten worse since you last bought it in'.
The ECU failed after a year. 700$ to replace (still not sure if the dealer put in a reconditioned unit, they had the car for 3 weeks, testing it by swapping parts off some poor ladies r19 who'd gone to Europe.. all this from a reputable dealer).
Since replacing the ECU I've not had a problem. I've changed the distributor cap and rotor button and changed the coolant. I don't think the dealer had ever drained it. Simply topped it up. The engine ran too hot most of time and coolant was for the most part water only. Although Australia has mild winters it's very important to put in approx 35% of coolant, mix should be pure anti corrosion/antifreeze (according to Haynes manual for 1.7 fuel injection engine) as the coolant sensor sends signals back to the ECU. After I changed the coolant the engine was more driveable. Noticeably smoother power delivery and lower down torque.
Comfortable seats (almost as good as the Renault 12).
Sticks to the road. Comfortable ride. Precise steering. Suspension could be stiffer.
Engine bay somewhat crowded because of the air con hosing.
Relatively high insurance costs if you're male and under 25 although with market value of r19's dropping on the Australian market this might no longer be a problem.
Parts can be hard to order (I waited 4 weeks for a &80 coil from France because Sydney only stocked the coil and ignition module unit non separable at $400), but hopefully this is no longer a problem
now that Renault is back in Australia.
Fuel economy is good if you drive it with a light right foot.
Unfortunately I don't think that Renault is understood or appreciated in Australia by the population that continue to drive the locally made fuel inefficient 3 or 4 litre engine capacity Fords or Holdens.
Vive la France :)
Do you still have the car as I am having itermittent problems with the car failing to start, never breaks down while driving only on restarting. Have to disconnect battery for sometime before it restarts. Any ideas.
Peter.
From comment above. What were your symptoms.
Pwicks@southcom.com.au.
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