Renault Modus?

[capt jack]

Daughter number 1 has her eye on a Renault Modus as a first car. Have spotted a very smart one reasonably locally, a 2005 petrol automatic, which we'll be viewing tomorrow.

Does anyone have any experience of these cars and the sort of things to look for and / or avoid?

The Mrs is keen too because the Modus has some impressive safety stats, plus was the "winner" in that famous "Old Volvo vs Modern Renault" head-on crash video.

We've previously had a Nissan Note in the family which is I believe a very close relative of the Modus, and that was a really good little car.

Any insights would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Jack

[Kev0607]

The Modus is a practical car, considering its size, but it never really took off here in the UK though... The Nissan Note seemed more popular, but that was due to it having more storage & a better interior (Many say the Renault's was a bit bland).

Electrical issues are common on the Renault, as with many French vehicles... Check electric windows work etc. Headlight bulbs are a pain, as the bumper has to be removed on the pre-facelift models! It works out quite an expensive job if you're paying someone to do it, or time consuming if you're doing it yourself!

Generally, the Modus' are reliable, safe & comfortable for a small car. Being honest though, I think the biggest issue I'd be most wary of would be the automatic gearbox... Personally, I wouldn't buy one because they're too problematic (Clunks, getting stuck in gear). A manual Modus would be a far better option. However, if your Daughter really likes the car, then just make sure you listen for clunks or any hesitation changing gears on the test drive because that can indicate expensive issues.

[capt jack]

Thanks Kev. The Modus we saw wasn't bad at all, but the windows didn't work properly - exactly as you'd predicted! Not a deal-breaker in itself, but once we'd had a closer look and a drive we both felt that it just wasn't the right car for my daughter to buy.

Full marks to the dealer though - they were very professional, and I'm sure that someone somewhere will get a decent Modus.

Cheers

Jack

[AndyV7o]

Yeah the modus and note are almost the same car bar a few differences, like focus and v50, though a little moreso (the modus has a more compact body).
Its a lottery with renault, I had a scenic for 8 years, few common issues but on the whole it was a bloody good old stick and is still going 20 miles away at 19 years old. We also had a grand scenic, which fitted the stereotype reputation, always something going wrong, like trying to bail out the sea...

[roundyuk]

Renault Modus....like a modern chastity belt....perfect :-D It's definatley what I'd choose if I had a daughter :-D

Coming from a dude who's first car was a 460

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Thanks Kev. The Modus we saw wasn't bad at all, but the windows didn't work properly - exactly as you'd predicted! Not a deal-breaker in itself, but once we'd had a closer look and a drive we both felt that it just wasn't the right car for my daughter to buy.

Full marks to the dealer though - they were very professional, and I'm sure that someone somewhere will get a decent Modus.

Cheers

Jack

good job you walked
they make a Strange "buzzing sound" from the Rear of the car And kill batteries
the fuse box in the engine compartment lets water in which ruins the pcb inside causing the buzz/dead battery
also takes out the throttle valve and other £££££ items

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Thanks Kev. The Modus we saw wasn't bad at all, but the windows didn't work properly - exactly as you'd predicted! Not a deal-breaker in itself, but once we'd had a closer look and a drive we both felt that it just wasn't the right car for my daughter to buy.

Full marks to the dealer though - they were very professional, and I'm sure that someone somewhere will get a decent Modus.

Cheers

Jack

Its nice when a dealer is professional, instead of pushing you for a sale. If anything, that in itself would make you return or even keep your eye on their website/forecourt to see what else may pop up for sale.

What other vehicles is your Daughter considering?

[Whyman]

Toyota Argo or Yaris are great little cars

My daughters first car was a Yaris, served her well until she needed something larger the she went for a CRV.

[capt jack]

Ta Kev. The other options under consideration are a Nissan Note (the E11 model), which is my preferred option as we've had one before and it was an excellent car; a Merc A-Class (not my choice - I think they're way too complex to buy as an older car); a Honda Jazz (but the reservations are the same as with the Merc); a Toyota Yaris Verso; A Mitsubishi Colt; Suzuki Wagon R; possibly a VW Polo of Golf (or the Skoda or Seat equivalents); or a Ford Fusion. My daughter is a musician, and so carting harp, violins, drums, guitars etc needs to be easy.

She definitely wants an automatic because driving for her is simply a matter of getting from A to B, and she wants to make it as easy for herself as possible.

As I say, my preferred option is another Note. The one we have before was a terrific little car, very easy to drive, surprisingly roomy, well-built, and generally easy to work on with regard to maintenance and simple repairs.

Cheers

Jack

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Ta Kev. The other options under consideration are a Nissan Note (the E11 model), which is my preferred option as we've had one before and it was an excellent car; a Merc A-Class (not my choice - I think they're way too complex to buy as an older car); a Honda Jazz (but the reservations are the same as with the Merc); a Toyota Yaris Verso; A Mitsubishi Colt; Suzuki Wagon R; possibly a VW Polo of Golf (or the Skoda or Seat equivalents); or a Ford Fusion. My daughter is a musician, and so carting harp, violins, drums, guitars etc needs to be easy.

She definitely wants an automatic because driving for her is simply a matter of getting from A to B, and she wants to make it as easy for herself as possible.

As I say, my preferred option is another Note. The one we have before was a terrific little car, very easy to drive, surprisingly roomy, well-built, and generally easy to work on with regard to maintenance and simple repairs.

Cheers

Jack

Nissan Note's are a lovely little car, always admired them.

I had an 2011 A Class, purchased used from a Mercedes dealership. It was a nice car to drive, servicing was fairly easy, but the engine bay is very cramped (To be expected I suppose in a small car). It was a 1.5 petrol with a manual gearbox, air con & electric windows, quite roomy too... More than adequate. I maintained the car meticulously throughout my ownership, so it was really well looked after. Anyway, one day I was driving & I heard what I could describe as bolts tapping together... I knew something was wrong because the noise was noticeable in all gears. I brought the car to a local garage, he put it up on the ramp & a gearbox specialist happened to walk in whilst the mechanic I brought the car to look at was doing his inspection. It turned out to be the bearings, or the input shaft if I recall correctly causing the noise. I was quoted £1,200 to sort the issue, but the majority of that was labour in removing the gearbox itself . The A Class has what was described as a sandwich floor, so removing parts like the gearbox is an absolute nightmare, hence the hefty cost.

I also had an issue with the fuel gauge, so I had to guess how much fuel was in the car! That turned out to be the sending unit & that was part of the fuel pump assembly, buried inside the fuel tank. The part alone at the time was £500, without the labour because you could only buy the full fuel pump with the sending unit attached, not the sending unit on its own (Confirmed by Mercedes) . The warranty had expired too, so I had to count my losses on it because the car wasn't worth spending that amount on. It only had 37,000 miles on it (Genuine too), with full service history! In hindsight, it did occur to me that my car may have been a courtesy car at some point in its life, so maybe it was driven hard. It was a lovely little car to drive, no issues on the test drive or any hint of a gearbox issue (I owned the car for approx 18 months, maybe a tad less). Maybe I'm just speculating, but I could be right at the same time. It seems like the type of car that would be used for courtesy purposes, but I can't confirm that for sure.

So yes, wise decision to stay away from the A Class, in my experience anyway. Yes, Merc make some lovely cars like the E Class & S Class, but the repair costs if something does go wrong are usually very high. They're far to complex for their own good.