Jump to content


Renault Espace 2.2dCi Major Engine Problem


devilcouple69
style="text-align: center;">  

Thread Locked

because no one has posted on it for the last 3822 days.

If you need to add something to this thread then

 

Please click the "Report " link

 

at the bottom of one of the posts.

 

If you want to post a new story then

Please

Start your own new thread

That way you will attract more attention to your story and get more visitors and more help 

 

Thanks

Recommended Posts

Hi.

 

I'm after some advice. I have a 05 plate Renault Espace 2.2dCi Initiale.

 

Its just over its warranty by a couple of months and has only done 56k miles. I had it serviced as per schedule 10 days ago at a Nationwide Autocentre, prior to this has been serviced at Renault Dealer.

 

I have had no problems with the car other than faulty tyre pressure sensors.

 

I was driving the car back from Nottingham when the was a rattling sound coming from the front of the car, it sounded as if the exhaust had split or a hole in it. A couple of minutes later a warning message on the dash came up "Low oil pressure" then the oil light came on, as i pull off the road into a layby, the STOP light came on and lost all power to the engine.

 

When the RAC arrived the told me the conrod had gone through the the Engine. The car has now been at the Renault Garage for the past couple of days.

 

They're not sure what has caused the problem, as the engine had oil in it, it hadn't overheated or had been driven hard. They say it will cost £7250 for new engine. They're also saying that because the last service wasn't by a dealer Renault won't accept any liability.

 

Has anyone experienced a similar problem or had any dealing with Renault customer service. A diesel engine that's only done 56k miles shouldn't do this.

 

Help please as there's no way i can afford £7250. :(

 

Thanks

 

Simon

Edited by devilcouple69
Added info
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Replies 68
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Sorry to hear this, this is very typical of renault. Few questions:

 

How far out of the warranty period are you?

 

Was the last 'non dealer' service in or outside of the warranty period?

 

If it was inside the warranty period was OE parts used and was it serviced according to renault standards

 

If the the car was serviced inside the warranty period and you can prove that it was serviced by 'a competent person' i.e a vat registered garage using OE parts then you can try arguing you're covered under block exemption.

 

You'll have to fight them every step of the way and argue the toss, outside of that you'll have to hope for some goodwill or a contribution for a new engine.

 

I had this with Audi on an A6 V6TDi180 and it also threw a conrod out at42,000 miles and two months outside of warranty. I threatened legal action as the fault would of been inherent and the last service (again by a non franchised dealer) wouldn't of caused the failure.

 

You may be able to argue that in your case too. Sounds silly, but you may be able to pressure your insurance too, or contact your home insurer and tell them you want to use the liability insurance most insurers offer tosue renault, they'll also pressure renault cos they'll not want the bill either.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply.

 

The car is only a couple of months outside of the warranty, although still inside the 60,000 miles. The service was carried outside of the warranty period and was carried out by Nationwide Autocentre's on there Major Service. See http://www.nationwideautocentres.co.uk/pdf/menu_service_schedule.pdf

 

They also claim on there website the following:

10 reasons to use Nationwide

 

Nationwide Autocentres are the leading UK MOT and car servicing specialist. See the top 10 reasons for choosing to service your car with us!

 

 

  1. AA audited service centres
  2. Huge savings on dealer prices
  3. Honest and accurate advice
  4. All parts are guaranteed for a minimum 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever is sooner)
  5. Price Promise - we won’t be beaten
  6. Highly experienced, qualified technicians
  7. Use of the latest technology and equipment
  8. Having your car serviced with us will not invalidate your warranty
  9. We service all makes and models of cars
  10. Over 200 centres nationwide

See point 8 of there top 10. Surely this means that the service was carried to the same as renault standards.

 

I have spoken with the Renault Garage and they've told me that they are unable to really acertain whats caused the failure and without completely stripping the engine, which they don't want to do. They have told me that the turbo on the engine has failed also.

 

They have told me that they have spoken to Renault Customer Services and they are willing to contribute to the repair and have initially quoted a 20% contribution, but they are yet to discuss it with me direct. The Renault dealer has told me to tell them it was caused by failure of the Turbo.

 

I had a look at my fully comprehensive vehicle insurance policy with MoreThan and it doesn't cover vehicle repair due to mechanical or electrical failure.

 

I have bought the car through my company, but not sure if company insurance would have any effect.

 

The garage also said that they have NEVER seen this kind of failure in an engine with so few miles on.

 

Surely this indicates a fault with either the conrod itself or the turbo, although i'm not 100% sure turbo failure would necessarily cause such a catastrophic result. Either way both parts should last longer than 56,000 miles.

 

So not sure what next step will be. 20% is definitely insulting this rate will not be getting a renault again. :mad:

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would be tempted to quote SOGA at them, as 3 years(just over) is not a reasonable period of time for durability and fitness for purpose for such a major repair to occur. A conrod is not a common fault, and should not occur in this timescale.

7 years in retail customer service

 

Expertise in letting and rental law for 6 years

 

By trade - I'm an IT engineer working in the housing sector.

 

Please note that any posts made by myself are for information only and should not and must not be taken as correct or factual. If in doubt, consult with a solicitor or other person of equal legal standing.

 

Please click the star if I have helped!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sale Of Goods Act ;)

7 years in retail customer service

 

Expertise in letting and rental law for 6 years

 

By trade - I'm an IT engineer working in the housing sector.

 

Please note that any posts made by myself are for information only and should not and must not be taken as correct or factual. If in doubt, consult with a solicitor or other person of equal legal standing.

 

Please click the star if I have helped!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I presume that there was some oil in the sump?

 

The rattling sounds like bearings going (or gone!) before they seized and it threw a conrod.

 

If there was no oil, how soon after the service was this? It could be that the oil filter or sump plug wasn't fully tightened.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The oil level was fine, it was only change 10 days prior and the oil level check when you start the car said it was ok aswell. There was plenty of oil left in the engine even after there was a big hole in it.

 

The first thing the guy from the RAC did was check the oil level on the dipstick and it was showing a good level even after the incident.

 

The Renault garage can't find any problem that may have caused the conrod to go, other than the turbo has also blown.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Latest Update

 

I have finally had a call from Renault Customers Services. They asked me a few questions about why i bought a Renault & what happened prior to the incident.

 

They are telling me that the cause of the problem as far as they are concerned was catastrophic turbo failure which sucked the oil from the engine causing the conrod failure.

 

They also asked me what i expected from them with regards to a contribution from them.

 

I've had a look on a few forums and there is one on the Parker's website which is a very long thread on fault with the turbo on the dCi engine. Has anyone else had this problem.

 

I'm not holding out for much assistance, been two days since they've called me.

Link to post
Share on other sites

What did you say you expected? I personally would have said you expected FULL contribution from them.

7 years in retail customer service

 

Expertise in letting and rental law for 6 years

 

By trade - I'm an IT engineer working in the housing sector.

 

Please note that any posts made by myself are for information only and should not and must not be taken as correct or factual. If in doubt, consult with a solicitor or other person of equal legal standing.

 

Please click the star if I have helped!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Have a happy and prosperous 2013 by avoiiding Payday loans. If you are sent a private message directing you for advice or support with your issues to another website,this is your choice.Before you decide,consider the users here who have already offered help and support.

Advice offered by Martin3030 is not supported by any legal training or qualification.Members are advised to use the services of fully insured legal professionals when needed.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

"They are telling me that the cause of the problem as far as they are concerned was catastrophic turbo failure which sucked the oil from the engine causing the conrod failure."

 

Having run many turbo diesel vans in the past and having this happen twice,my understanding of this kind of problem is that the turbo sucks up the oil from the engine and actually runs the engine on your oil and will keep going (you can't turn it off by the ignition!) until it has run the engine dry of oil.I'm no mechanic but surely if the the turbo failed and did this it would have emptied the engine of oil?.

I'd query this explanation with a qualified motor engineer as i reckon they're clutching at straws!.

PS - I own 2 Renaults at the moment,one is a 2003 van that my mechanic can't get the heater plugs out of because the bolts that hold them in have rusted away due to bad design and a 2002 Diesel Laguna that has just begun to lose water.....i can feel a change of manufacturer coming:).

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Turbo failure on the 2.2dci espace is very very common and Renault know it.

 

We had 2 last year both with less than 60,000miles on them and the best deal renault offered was 50% towards the bill . The keycards are also a very big problem.

 

They are by far the worst vehicle for reliability.

 

I suspect the turbo broke up and deposited metal into the intake which would inturn go into the top of the engine thus causing catastrophic top end seizure and jamming the intake valves, the piston would then not make fullstroke and the conrod would have to keep moving and the only place it could go is outward and off the piston.

 

Tell Renault to strip the engine and find what caused the conrod to come through, you,ll find it was turbo failure , which means THEY are liable as the turbo should still be warrantied.

 

If you need other owners to make a statement advocating they had the exact same fault i can definately supply a number for 1 ex owner.

Edited by sickovit
Link to post
Share on other sites

As a mechanic in a non-franchised garage I have experienced a few problems with oil pressure relief valves in recent Renault turbo diesel engines. This causes insufficient oil flow to all parts of the engine and turbo. Usually the turbo is first to give up and the problem is remedied before engine damage occurs. However if you were cruising on the motorway you may not have noticed the turbo fail and have suffered the engine failure as well. Believe me Renault are only too aware of this fault and I'm quite sure would have done a recall were it not for the fact that the part seems to last just beyond the warranty. I know of several mechanics in similar positions to myself who will be only too willing to back up your claim that this is a known fault and is caused by an inherent fault. I doubt very much that an improperly closed valve would cause the problem as you suggest as in every engine I have ever worked on the valves are softer than conrods. I.e. the valve would bend rather than the conrod break. In very few engines you may shatter a piston

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have had this happen to a Scenic I sold last year. The engine runs on and on, sucking all the oil up and running on that. You switch the ignition off and it keeps going until it blows!! Some people try and stall by putting in gear and releasing the clutch only to detonate the clutch/flywheel as well...........

 

I have a very very good contact at my local Renault garage and he tells me it is a massive problem on 1.9 and 2.2 DCi's. Renault are aware but don't really want to help.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hi devilcouple69,

 

Have you got anywhere yet? Or have they settled? If not, I'll tell you what I did with my auto gearbox which packed up, although the Renault contact may not be still there. In brief though my warranty had run out, the muppets at Customer Care don't know anything about the Sale of Goods Act, and if they have said they will pay something, they actually know there is a problem. They offered 50% but ended up paying the lot.

 

DD

Link to post
Share on other sites

Some contributors say that turbo sucks up oil and engine runs on that? This being the case, you would notice an immediate loss of power and smoke belching from exhaust. Sorry to hear of Renault engine problems, the only good thing about their heavy trucks was the engine.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi, i have also had exactly the same problem, conrod through engine, thank god it wasnt at 80mph and only when i was coming off motorway, i had my kids with me. This all happend last night and i dont know what to do.

 

My car is a renault espace 2.2dci expresion, i didnt buy from renault direct but from an independent dealer who gave me a warranty for a year, upon checking it, its only a max 500 pound claim. What can i do ?? The car only has 32000 miles on it and is a 04 plate.

 

Would really like to know how you got on with your claim and any advise you can give, am i still able to go to renault even though i never got the car from them?

 

Please help.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Simon - I've just had what sounds like exactly the same fault

 

I have a 03 plate Renault Grande Espace 2.2dCi Priviledge.

 

It's only done 64k miles. I have had problems with the faulty tyre pressure sensors as well but more importantly I had the same fault you describe with the 2.2dci engine.

 

I was driving the car to Bristol when a warning message on the dash came up firstly as "fuel injection system faulty" accompanied by a dramatic loss of power followed by a "Low oil pressure" then "low oil level" , as i pulled off the motorway onto the hard shoulder, the STOP light came on with "chargeing circuit fault".

The engine would subsequently not turn over to restart (suspect it was seized) and I needed to arrange recovery from the hard shoulder.

 

Further diagnostic analysis by a local garage guessed that at least one injector became faulty and has subsequently broke the associated piston and damaged the crank - new engine required was the diagnosis. I'm currently looking for a second hand or reconditioned engine at an estimated cost of £1750 + VAT + installation

 

Dave

Link to post
Share on other sites

Robinson, very sorry to hear your dreadful story. can understand that your main priority is to get car back on road asap and as cheaply as poss. I can't however understand "Guessed" story about injector. even if nozzle had come off, it shouldnt have caused all that damage. Maybe a cracked piston, but crankshaft??? It's a pitty budget does not extend to engine strip down to see exactly what went wrong and full extent of damage. Could be interesting and maybe give indication on what to look out for in future. Hope you can get replacement engine OK, but may be scarce if this is wide problem. Breakers tend to know of these things and price used engines accordingly.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for your reply, but even if I do find a new engine the maximum the car is worth has been estimated at £3750, the car looks absolutely pristine - full Renault service history, Sat Nav, panaoramic sunroof, reversing sensors, xenon headlamps and alloy wheels etc, but at 64,000 miles its a throw away because the engine replacement far outweighs the cars book value - I could buy a newer one for less money -isn't this a ridiculous situation? I paid £32,000 for it less than 6 years ago!!This has got to be a design fault with the DCI 2.2 engine - hasn't it?

 

Dave

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 Caggers

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Have we helped you ...?


×
×
  • Create New...