renault espace ???

spliffy · Unread post by **spliffy** » 26 Jun 2011, 14:40

hi all, having been a bx/xantia owner for about 14 years im seriously thinking of defecting and buying a seven seater espace ( spending about £2500-£3000 ) are they any problems i should look out for ,what reg should i expect for my money , what diesel engines are available and what spec models are available for example executive ect . also are they any good for towing a caravan ??

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 26 Jun 2011, 19:29

in my experiance if renaults have ECU faults it seem you have to take it to the dealer

to be sorted,

read my blinking Clio thread 4 down from this one,

pluss i find renault parts more expensive than other makes even from the factors,

regards malcolm

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 26 Jun 2011, 19:35

for your money, anymoney, you will get trouble, please do your self a favour and buy a Galaxy, a sharon anything else in fact but not a Renault Espace.

Every one ive ever known has been a pita constantly.

D

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 26 Jun 2011, 20:02

Renault ignorance on a French Car Forum as well... there's no getting away from it.

The Espace, like all other cars, has it's faults. But being a Renault, they're usually very well documented on the net as they tend to affect large numbers of cars. The great thing with the Espace is that it's very easy to tell what kind of home they've come from, as they don't respond well to neglect.

The Mark 3 Espace was the one with the worst reputation, but your budget will buy the Mark 4 which is.... slightly better.

The trim levels, starting with the most basic, is as follows:
Authentique (Wheel trims, AC)
Expression (Alloy wheels, CD Changer)
Dynamique
Privilege (Nice interior, climate control, auto wipers)
Initiale. (Full leather, sat nav)

My advice would be to avoid the Authentique, and perhaps aim for the nicely specd Privilege model. And I see you want a diesel? The dCi unit has a pretty poor reputation, suffering a wide range of problems from EGR valves to turbo failure. I would avoid the 2.2 altogether as it is by far the worst, but the 1.9 will be rather underpowered. My pick would be the 3.0 dCi V6. It's an Isuzu engine which also powers the Vel Satis, and is probably the nicest diesel engine I've ever driven. They are much more reliable than the other two, and more powerful, but I have recently heard of a few head gasket problems so be weary of that. You will have to buy the Privilege or Initiale model to get it, though.

Very important rule if you insist on buying a diesel Renault: Full Service History is a must.

Petrol engines consist of the 2.0 Turbo and the beastly 3.5 V6 - which can be picked up very cheap due to todays fuel costs. If you could live with 20 MPG around town, it's a bullet proof engine which will see your Espace embarrass quite a few cars from the lights

Other problems: Digital dash failures, electric windows aren't the best and key cards are quite fragile - make sure the lock button works!

As for towing, this should say it all. The 3.0 dCi seems to be the one to go for.

Most of the problems that give the Espace it's iffy reputation stem from the Mark 3 and the 2.2 dCi engine fitted to the Mark 4. It's a great car if you can look past the ignorance of some views

bxzx16v · Unread post by **bxzx16v** » 26 Jun 2011, 21:16

As above really , take time to find a cared for example with FSH and it should be fine , don't rule out the 1.9Dci and what you hear about it , we've had a Laguna II 1.9 Dci for nearly five years bought with 96k on and Fsh and now got 129k , serviced every 6k , other than a Turbo under warranty at 98k the cars been fantastic and never had ANY Ecu faults at all . The car returns 46/50 mpg back and forward to work , we will consider a new shape Laguna III when it's time to change

Mark

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 26 Jun 2011, 21:38

Nicely put Mark, I've got a soft spot for the Lag III as well... but they've killed off the petrol V6

bxzx16v · Unread post by **bxzx16v** » 26 Jun 2011, 21:47

Seen a few 2.0 Dci 180 bhpGT tourers that look very nice , have you tried the Dci's Luke ? This one of ours is only the 120 bhp one but it absolutly flies for what it is , floor it in 3rd and it just takes of . It would destroy my old 110 bhp C5 and even the 2.2 hdi (136bhp) , I bet that V6 of yours is a cracker . The Dci seems alot smoother and responsive than the Hdi which IMO is a little lazy , the only diesel I have drove which is possibly better is the Fiat/Alfa Jtd's , now these babies are something else but that's for another time

Mark

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 26 Jun 2011, 21:52

I haven't tried the Laguna dCi, I've always had petrol ones, but I will give one a go! I had a 2.2 dCi Vel Satis and it was horrible, a really rubbish engine. I drive my grandmothers HDi 110 Citroen C4 the odd time and I know exactly what you mean, there's nothing special about it at all. Yes the Lag V6 is quite the beast, got it down to 12 MPG

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 26 Jun 2011, 22:08

The Mark 3 Espace was the one with the worst reputation, but your budget will buy the Mark 4 which is.... slightly better.

Not exactly a glowing endorsment from a Renault fan

D

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 26 Jun 2011, 22:35

Deanxm wrote:
Not exactly a glowing endorsment from a Renault fan

D

It would be a lot more positive if he wasn't considering a diesel!

As for the Mark 3... I've owned one, they're rubbish.

bxzx16v · Unread post by **bxzx16v** » 26 Jun 2011, 22:44

Don't mention the wiring loom on the Xm's that used to cause havoc and fire issues !

Mark

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 26 Jun 2011, 23:07

never heard of xm's catching fire, well one but that was down to leaking fuel onto the exhaust

D

bxzx16v · Unread post by **bxzx16v** » 26 Jun 2011, 23:36

A mate of mine used to work at a Citroen agent and some of the early Xm's had problems with the wiring loom , always wanted a V6 Xm but he used to talk me out of it and so I stuck with the Bx 16v , would have loved a drive in the Xm though

Mark

ragger · Unread post by **ragger** » 27 Jun 2011, 00:08

If someone is considering an Espace or any other "people carrier" they are looking for practicality rather than anything else I feel.

When we first became a family with four children in he early 90s we went for a CX Fam and then a Renault Savannah GTX which was a fantastic car and served us brilliantly for about four years until the kids grew beyond being toddlers. After that we went for an early Multipla diesel - and are now on our third. Over the last 11 years we have owned a multipla for all but about six months - when I sold our previous one my best beloved gave me such earache I had to find another for her even though three of the four kids are now in their twenties. They are incredibly practical. They can carry six people and luggage, which is more than many "big" people carriers can do.

Our middle Multipla proved to be expensive to maintain, needing new drop links on a regular basis and when the clutch goes it is very expensive. We now have a facelift model and that hasn't cost me anything more than a new electro-switch for the tailgate in the last eight months.

Go for a diseasel - the petrols are ropey and if you want a bit more "go", an engine remap can transform the driving characteristics.

On the down-side, the seats don't fold flat but they all take adults. You can't get an auto.

But they are easy to drive. There is excellent visibility all round and the capacity for a variety of uses is unrivalled, in my opinion. Ours now does the University runs, family holidays and trips to the tip.

But then it isn't French although my XM is.

Rob

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 27 Jun 2011, 00:09

From my experience, I'd put a lot more faith in Renaults electrics than Citroens. Speaking of which, I just took my C5 V6 out for a blast, only to suddenly have "WARNING: RISK OF BLACK ICE" flash up on the screen - the car randomly decided it was -3 degrees outside