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Specifically from the 80s and early 90s. Are these to be avoided like the plague, or am I being overly cautious?
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In last 3 years ive bought for my wife to use a 94 clio auto a 99 clio auto and a renault espace 2.0 auto all have been fine with no issues , gear change is a bit slow but no worse than the 2002 bora she has now
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92 ford sierra 2.9 glsi ex police
87 ford sierra cosworth 3dr (In storage) scared to use
01 vw bora 2.0 sport
95 bmw 728i
92 2.9 xr4x4 barn find
87 xr3i
92 xr2i
89 escort van with rst (Blown up engine)
94 TRANSIT beavertail needs engine 3.0d waiting
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I had an old Renault 25 V6 with an auto gear box that did what ever it wanted.
I understand that this was not uncommon but I also understand that the auto gearboxes of
the smaller Renault's were bullet proof when maintained.
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Jul 10, 2016 11:13:23 GMT
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Dad had a Safrane that he put several thousand on without issue, then the 'box packed up completely - but it was cheap, and once fixed (£800 at the time), it soldiered on indefinitely.
Basically, your mileage is really going to vary, haha. Roll the dice, I say!
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Jul 10, 2016 11:48:27 GMT
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Avoid Renault autos will always be a good idea but I would 100% have an 80's or 90's auto over anything 2002 ish onwoards auto as they are cvt which truly are terrible. my rubbish opinion old autos MUCH better than newer.
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Jul 10, 2016 11:55:19 GMT
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You want something to avoid - all modern CVT cars, as we've had a few and they all break. Probably the best automatic car my Mam had was a Renault 19 Automatic.
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta
2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van
2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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gezzard
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 615 
Club RR Member Number: 69
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Renault automatics, avoid?gezzard
@gezzard
Club Retro Rides Member 69
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Jul 10, 2016 17:36:53 GMT
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I have a 1990 Renault 5 auto I use as a daily hasn't given me any trouble thus far, it's on 89000 miles.
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Jul 10, 2016 17:42:05 GMT
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I have never known a Renault that doesn't run out of electric, but gearboxes are no more troublesome that anyone elses..
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Needs a bigger hammer mate.......
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,201
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Renault automatics, avoid?ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Jul 11, 2016 12:39:36 GMT
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I know that most people (at least outside the USA) would avoid any automatic cars. We only ever had one renault, a 92 clio 1.4 automatic - it had a lot issues, but the auto worked fine. I would avoid equally old ford automatics (e.g. stay away from a mondeo auto around 100k kms and the first gear box), but never heard anything about renaults. The Ford C4 gearboxes can go well beyond 100k  . There are reasons for why the bands break (generally being 1st and second): 1)The oil should be changed every 40k 2)The right oil should be put in. Alot of people will throw in whatever is to hand and then wonder why things break. I've had two steering racks go bad on a Mondeo III as a result, both of which had to be topped up by the garage for various reasons. The two Mondeo IIIs we owned with only the Ford spec stuff going in were fine (one of them is on the drive 320k on the clock). I've had a Mondeo MkIII V6 before. The first gearbox did 180k and then it was the driveshaft splines that kept on stripping. For some reason that car used to do that, but that car was also like trigger's broom (new engine, hoses, rack, I could carry on). I have never known a Renault that doesn't run out of electric, but gearboxes are no more troublesome that anyone elses.. My old 172 was fine as are two of my friends' 172s and 182. I reckon most of the issues arise from careless mechanics. |
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Jul 11, 2016 15:52:38 GMT
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Thanks for all the helpful information. Consensus seems to be, they have the potential to give trouble, but not significantly more trouble than anything else. I'm in the process of buying a 1991 Clio Baccara with the automatic gearbox, hence my concern. Would it be recommended to take it to a specialist immediately and have the transmission fluid changed as a matter of course, or leave well alone for the time being? I'm hoping to keep the car for a while as a quirky commuting tool.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,201
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Renault automatics, avoid?ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Jul 11, 2016 22:22:12 GMT
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If the fluid has never been changed there is the danger of making things worse. It is said that new fluid has fresher detergents that can dislodge unwanted debris in the gearbox. Some people even drain a bit, top it up until eventually changing the entire gearbox so as to not 'shock' the system.
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Jul 11, 2016 22:31:06 GMT
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Renault were one of the first to use an electronically controlled autobox, somewhere in the late 70s if memory serves, and early ones were awful! I reckon their bad rep dates from then. I worked at a Renault dealer briefly (till blood loss became an issue) around that time and they were having a load of problems that the mechanics couldn't fix cos they hadn't been on the courses yet.
But like anything else, practice makes perfect and newer ones seem to have no more bugs in them than any other brand. Though if you want a truly bulletproof autobox, the GM/Aisin/Warner takes some beating.
I love autos (never thought i'd say that) for daily driving and own several including 2 mkIII Cavaliers which have stood up to my driving for over 50,000 miles between them with not a sniff of trouble, but i'd never countenance one of the awful CVT things.
Steve
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,565
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Jul 11, 2016 23:32:48 GMT
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Renault 5's and probably other small engined cars had transmission fluid/coolant coolers that can fail and it's not great for the gearbox if the coolant gets into it.
A friends grandfather had a nice 86/87 5 which got scrapped due to this happening.
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paul99
Part of things
Posts: 410
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Brother in law had a '95 Laguna, went to the scrappy when it needed it's 3rd autobox. Electronic issues both times. So another in the 'Avoid' camp here......
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taurus
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,084
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Not a lot to go on but a mate had a Laguna auto and that was terrible.
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Jul 12, 2016 22:04:07 GMT
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Renault were one of the first to use an electronically controlled autobox, somewhere in the late 70s if memory serves, and early ones were awful! I reckon their bad rep dates from then. I worked at a Renault dealer briefly (till blood loss became an issue) around that time and they were having a load of problems that the mechanics couldn't fix cos they hadn't been on the courses yet. But like anything else, practice makes perfect and newer ones seem to have no more bugs in them than any other brand. Though if you want a truly bulletproof autobox, the GM/Aisin/Warner takes some beating. I love autos (never thought i'd say that) for daily driving and own several including 2 mkIII Cavaliers which have stood up to my driving for over 50,000 miles between them with not a sniff of trouble, but i'd never countenance one of the awful CVT things. Steve Not the aisin warner autoboxes in the early phase 2 v70s. Shift flare between 2-3rd and eventually a total loss of gears on anything above 100k. Sold as a non service item by volvo, so obviously they never were, until it was to late. First hand experience. Twice. |
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Jul 12, 2016 22:27:03 GMT
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Personally I would change the fluid and filter on any auto box vehicle I was intending to keep. People just neglect them leading to problems, it's unlikely you will be able to fully drain a box as the torque convertor will be full too.
Check and double check what spec oil it needs. This applies more to later boxes but it doesn't hurt to be sure.
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squonk
Part of things
Posts: 862
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Personally I would change the fluid and filter on any auto box vehicle I was intending to keep. People just neglect them leading to problems, it's unlikely you will be able to fully drain a box as the torque convertor will be full too. Check and double check what spec oil it needs. This applies more to later boxes but it doesn't hurt to be sure. The usual procedure is to change the fluid, run it for a hundred miles or so then drain and change the fluid again along with the filter. You then get the majority of what was in the TC out as well. |
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2004 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71
2005 Mercedes CLK320 Cabriolet
1996 Mercedes C180 Elegance Auto Saloon
1996 Rover 620Ti (Dead fuel pump)
1992 Toyota HiLux Surf
1987 Range Rover Vogue (Rusty)
1992 Range Rover Vogue SE (More Rusty)
2006 Chrysler Grand Voyager
2008 Corsa 1.4 Design
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Jul 13, 2016 10:17:18 GMT
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Renault were one of the first to use an electronically controlled autobox, somewhere in the late 70s if memory serves, and early ones were awful! I reckon their bad rep dates from then. I worked at a Renault dealer briefly (till blood loss became an issue) around that time and they were having a load of problems that the mechanics couldn't fix cos they hadn't been on the courses yet. But like anything else, practice makes perfect and newer ones seem to have no more bugs in them than any other brand. Though if you want a truly bulletproof autobox, the GM/Aisin/Warner takes some beating. I love autos (never thought i'd say that) for daily driving and own several including 2 mkIII Cavaliers which have stood up to my driving for over 50,000 miles between them with not a sniff of trouble, but i'd never countenance one of the awful CVT things. Steve Not the aisin warner autoboxes in the early phase 2 v70s. Shift flare between 2-3rd and eventually a total loss of gears on anything above 100k. Sold as a non service item by volvo, so obviously they never were, until it was to late. First hand experience. Twice. Must be a different box spec to what Vauxhall used, I have 2 Auto Cavs, both over 100k, 1 is now at 160k and I had another a while back that was over 220k. none have given a sniff of trouble. I have had one or two customers Cav autos with problems but they have all been easily fixed external electrical or looming problems. I have bought 2 in the past for peanuts cos the box was in limp mode and fixed both simply by changing the blown fuse! Steve |
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Jul 13, 2016 10:28:02 GMT
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Completely agree vauxhall must use something different , same with saabs as they use warner boxes and seem alot more hardy even on the 2.3 turbos, and they're giving alot more stick to the transmission than volvos lazy 2.4 engine.
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. There are reasons for why the bands break (generally being 1st and second):
