Long-term update: Vivek’s Renault Megane enjoying the summer sun
So it has been a year and 30,000 km since we bought our Renault Megane. Buying this car was an experiment, as it is the least noticed and least trusted car by the general public. Contrary to popular belief though, the car has chugged along rather well, probably due to the fact that it is almost purely a Nissan underneath, from almost every nut and bolt, right up to the engine and transmission. It may not have exceeded our expectations, but it has never let us down either. For the price paid, we actually do not have any complaints.
In the last one year of ownership, we have had no troubles with our Megane, except for the driver-side mirror that started to inexplicably fade. When we reported it during the 10,000 km service, the mechanics at the Sharjah dealer refused to replace it. However, the friendlier staff in the Al Quoz dealer service centre resolved the matter by replacing the mirror for free.
Besides this one incident though, we have not faced any issues with the dealer. The service intervals being at every 10,000 km, the car has gone through 3 services by now, all at the dealership, and all for free. There is one free service remaining, after which the maintenance costs are completely on us.
Before clocking 10,000 km, the wifey once dozed off behind the wheel right in our building parking lot and scraped the rear right passenger door on a wall. We had agency repair for the car, and the dealer wanted to replace the entire door. The car sat in the garage for about a month due to non-availability of parts. We did have a rental car for a week provided by the insurance company, and after that, we had to arrange our own. The repair was done well though.
The older-generation Megane was notorious for its overheating issue during hot summers. But even in its second summer season, our new Megane is easily beating the sizzling heat with a rather loud yet strong a/c, albeit with a weak blower, and no signs of overheating issues that plagued the older models.
However, the Nissan-sourced CVT gearbox seems a bit hesitant as the ambient temperature soars, requiring a harder push of the throttle when needed. Nevertheless, the average fuel efficiency, as recorded by the trip computer in mostly city driving, hovers at 11 l/100 kms. Manoeuvring the car around the city is a breeze, thanks to a speed-sensitive steering that varies the artificial weight of the steering according to the vehicle speed.
Hopefully our Renault Megane will continue to just chug along without troubles. Every nut and bolt being borrowed from Nissan, at the moment we trust it more than all three of our previous Ford Mondeos. Only time will tell.
Original Mileage When Bought: 0 km
Latest Mileage To Date: 30,470 km
Latest Average Fuel Economy: 11.1 litres/100 km
Cost of Latest Problems: Dhs 0
Cost of Latest Maintenance: Dhs 0Total Non-Fuel Running Cost Since Bought: Dhs 0
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