2001 Lada 111 LPG from France - Comments

Central door locks didn't work after 1500km.

Boot opens when driving very often.

Lamps blow out very often.

Rain leaks from the ceiling on the front seats.

LPG didn't work after 10000km.

Cooling system was fixed five times.

Terrible vibrations on steering wheels since the beginning at cruising speeds on motorway..

Front disk brakes replaced twice.

Front tires replaced at 30000km.

It is my 6th Lada.

The worse I ever had.

I drove 257000km with my first 2102 Estate.

Despite all the problems, it never gave me up on the road, and it seems incredible!

Just to let you know - every next model of Lada is worse than previous one. Actually, the only good Ladas ever made are those manufactured in 1960's by Italians when they founded the factory (VAZ).

Lada didn't make any cars in the 1960s, and the best Ladas were made well after this decade. I have one from the 1980 and it is the best car I have owned. The Italians helped build the factory, but did not make the cars themselves. The original Lada was totally redesigned for Russian conditions. Lada quality suffered immediately after the collapse of the USSR from parts and materials shortages, but improved a couple of years thereafter.

I have heard that getting a good Lada is pretty much lottery, might get a good one with no problems or get a lot problems. Early Ladas (from 70 ties) used lot parts made in Hungary or even genuine Fiat parts, those cars lasted much longer.

You know, a target shooter who fails to score high points, should not always blame his weapon- claiming IT is always the problem for poor results. From what you write, I think you may be contributing to some of the problems with your Lada. For example: How do you wear out two sets of disc pads in such a short period of time, unless you slam on the brakes heavily and often, and/or you rest your foot on the brake pedal whilst you drive. Poor driving technique, such as fast and hard cornering, will also wear out front tyres quite rapidly. The vibration in the steering at higher speeds is not a mystery- it simply means you need to have the front wheels electronically balanced. Front tyres that are not balanced, will also suffer excessive wear. So don`t be too harsh on the Lada,- maybe it`s not ALL it`s fault!

I think the reviewer is being somewhat harsh in his/her criticisms- some of which are reall hard to understand. What do you mean by "rain leaks from ceiling on the front seats?" I`ve never heard of holes in the roof of a car- unless you are referring to a leaking sunroof- which I don`t think is the case here. You also claim the "cooling system was fixed five times". What do you mean? Do you mean you have had five separate and unrelated problems with the cooling system? Or do you mean the service technicians did not repair the initial problem efficiently in the first instance? Then you refer to the "boot that opens when driving very often". Does that mean it doesn`t open when you don`t drive often? Why can`t you simply adjust the cable regulating the boot opening latch YOURSELF- if your mechanics are so incapable of fixing something so simple. These "problems" you refer to, are really trivial. As far as the "terrible" vibration in the steering is concerned, ever heard of electronic wheel alignment and balance? Dare I say you may have hit the front wheels on the kerb a few times e.g. when parking? This is sufficient to put the alignment and balance out. With regard to "wearing out the front discs twice"- I agree with the other comment previously made- in recommending that you consider revising your driving technique- and not rest your foot on the brake pedal whilst driving and not applying your brakes too harshly. Excessive and pre-mature wear of disc pads is nearly ALWAYS the fault of the driver. Sad, but true. However, it is better to be realistic, than to heap ALL the faults onto the car. I have owned several Ladas, and have not experienced ANY of the problems that you mention. Ladas may not be the most sophisticated or technically advanced cars in the world, but they are honest, reliable and durable. Properly maintained and serviced, they will give you many years of trouble-free motoring.

Hmmm... Not too sure that the comments made against the reviewer are so fair!

They are obviously quite a fan of Ladas if this is their 6th, so I expect they are pretty able to judge the poor quality of their current car.

As for leaving feet on brake pedals while driving?!! Not a driving quirk that I'm familiar with unless I'm trying to stop. I haven't perfected my left foot braking yet. Maybe the discs wore?

So some valid comments that some more detail was probably needed, but I also guess the reviewer's first language isn't English?

Anyway, I reckon from that review that I wouldn't rush out to look for that particular model, built on a Friday or not!

The comment I made regarding resting one`s foot on the brake whilst driving, obviously needs to be explained in detail. When cruising, at say 80 - 100 k.p.h, and travelling down a slight incline, some drivers have a bad habit of "riding the brakes". What that means is, that they are constantly resting their foot on the brake pedal in order to decrease their speed- because their car keeps wanting to go faster. This is BAD driving technique, as it will cause pre-mature wear of the disc pads. So what is the right technique, you might ask? Answer: AVOID using the brakes- instead, move into a LOWER gear e.g. from 5th into 4th, or from 4th into 3rd, or even from 3rd into 2nd (if travelling down a particularly steep descent). Let the engine decrease your speed, NOT your brakes. The previous commentator states "maybe the discs wore". Of-course, they did! But the issue being discussed, is WHY! It`s through OVER-USE, my friend. The same principle applies to city driving. Some drivers are unnecessarily heavy on their brakes- accelerating rapidly, and then jamming on their brakes severely. Don`t you think that contributes to rapid wear? Of-course it does. THIS is the point that was being made. However, if your agenda is just to look for faults in the car, then I don`t believe that you are being very fair! And, if the reviewer genuinely believed that the original (first) set of disc pads were somehow deficient, then why on earth didn`t he simply fit another brand of disc pads? Extra heavy duty, maybe? After all, they are only a disposable maintenance item anyway. As far as the comment re- "not buying this particular model", that`s fine. Different strokes for different folks, and I respect that. And finally, yes, I am a Lada fan- and proud of it!

OK, of course I agree that increased usage will wear brakes more quickly. Engine braking and smoother driving is good technique. But brakes are there to be used and that wear rate seems too high.

Sorry, when I said wore I meant warped - mistake when editing the post.

I still reckon the reviewer knows their Ladas quite well and their comments should be accepted. I've had many cheap cars which have required a lot less attention than that mentioned. He maybe just got a lemon - it happens with any brand, of course.

I value these reviews because they do give a pretty good idea of what cars are probably worth avoiding. I wouldn't really do that on the strength of a single review of course. And to be fair, the comments on Ladas are generally pretty positive. In fact I'm considering a Niva as a winter beater for when my Honda S2000 can't hack the bad weather!

Thanks for your reply. I think we`ve succeeded in eliminating whatever confusion we both had, most amicably- and that`s really good. Enjoy your Honda S2000- they ARE a great car- my wife owns an immaculate Honda Accord VTis, and she absolutely loves it! And I certainly agree that a well-looked after Niva would be a great winter beater. Cheers.

As a owner of 112 model, which is similar to 111, I want to confirm some commentaries from the author of original survey.

Here in Russia it is very well known problem of vibrations on front axle on speed around 100km/h. Some drivers cure that by changing brake disks (not pads), some are blaming bad serial tires, but anyway it is not caused by wheel unbalancing.

Probably the problem is the low quality of brake disks for that model (especially when disks are heating) which lead to surface deformation and wrong geometry.

As for the rain water on front seats it is actually a problem if the driver lowered side windows even slightly. Dmitry, Moscow.

I live in the US and I have always liked foreign cars. I always thought that Lada's were interesting looking. As for brake wear, it's pretty evident on my Jeep Cherokee XJ because I can watch the brake dust accumulate on my front rims, :-0.

I don't get why somebody living in France is buying a new Lada, with so many nice cars available on the market and the French building cars as well. Sure Lada's are inexpensive to buy, but they aren't good cars and that thing depreciates more than a BMW 5 series in the first year because virtually nobody in Western Europe wants to own a Lada.

And now Lada is offering their new Kalina, which is based on the Opel Corsa B, which wasn't a very good car when Opel put it on the market 8 years ago in the first place. Absolutely hopeless.

I think Ladas are very good cars. Not only inexpensive, but thoroughly reliable. Those who criticise the car, have obviously never owned one. Avtovaz produce over 750,000 Ladas every year, and the vast majority of owners are more than satisfied with their purchases. Read some of the comments on the various Lada models in this survey, and you will find that most of them are very positive.