Megane GT220 Wagon - Smells of garlic and cheese

[Latso]

Sorry, title posted for attention

Hi first time Renault buyer, so obviously I suffer from all the usual non-Renault owning prejudices (the doors will fall off, it'll catch fire, it's likely to surrender etc). Apologies for that in advance.

Having said that, I'm liking the look/practicality/compromise of a GT220 wagon. It's reasonably well powered, my daughter gets her Ls next year so we need a manual to teach her, and I often buy unnecessary large objects from Bunnings and occasionally carry livestock.

They're getting on for 5 years old now, so warranty has lapsed. Are there any known issues with this model I should be on the lookout for? I realise with only 200 odd on the road the survey sample is small, but maybe someone's had experience with one, good or bad? Also are they belt or chain driven?

I'm also thinking with so few examples in Australia, parts would be in short supply so any repairs would result in lengthy delays?

 

Thanks for reading

 

[smy0003]

Glossing over the borderline inappropriate stereotyping for a moment, the engine is more or less the same as the RS meganes of the same era (which was also more or less the same as the previous RS Megane engine). They are belt driven and the RS cars have to have there belts changed every four years, despite more powerful Japanese engines having much longer belt change intervals.

The brakes might be unique to the car, but remember there was also a GT hatch which would most likely be identical component wise.

These cars are very much old tech, and nothing really is specced oddly or is too pricey.

There's a couple of GT220 owners on here, I think @ace had issues with one he was dealing with?

Maybe. My memory is horrible.

[ScottS]

They should all smell of cheese and garlic, they’re French!

[japarn]

9 minutes ago, ScottS said:

They should all smell of cheese and garlic, they’re French!

Not just the cars, but the owners too!

[trixie]

There's plenty of commonality with non GT Meganes as well as the RS versions so I wouldn't really worry about parts and servicing complexities. As mentioned, they are well-proven without too much unusual or tricky tech and most people's experience is pretty good. Plus they are the last of their era so generally that means that reliability issues (esp if a manual) are sorted. The GT 220 benefits from the expertise of Renaultsport so is a great drive.

Finally there are two excellent independent Renault mechanics in Sydney who will know these cars inside out, so if a problem was to develop you can avoid a fair bit of mucking around.

[chuckovski]

Hey welcome, good choice IMHO but there is one form member who has had a horrid time with one. Probably more of a Renault not fixing it properly issue rather than anything else...

But otherwise they can be amazing if cared for properly. They're pretty much the same engine as the RS250 and subsequent models. They have a timing and accessory belt which should be replaced every 4 years.

Get whatever you're looking at combed over by Renotech or Paul V if you're in Sydney.

[rob 240]

Great car - you’ll have zero issues so just enjoy. 

[Safetyman]

Ours is a beast.

I can't pry my wifes hands off it.

 

I can drive it just a hard as my 265 and have almost as much fun.

It just requires correct technique which can be ignored in the 250\265\275 etc due to their having lsd and different front hubs.

 

Front brake discs are the same as Clio IV RS, rears same as all the megs.

 

Start/stop function is annoying but can be switched off after every start up. Unfortunately, there's no provision to switch off permanently like in the later meg RSs. It may contribute to the 4 year life span of the original battery whereas my 265 managed 5.

 

Wheels can be shared with clio IV rs, not the megs due to similar offset.

 

Engine is the detuned RS motor (via the ecu) and there haven't been many issues with megs which is why I moved across to the 2 megs.

I'm very confident with their reliability.

 

Interior is the same as meg rs although only sore point is the gt220 radio software for some unknown reason disables the front tweeters. Thankfully, it's a semi easy fix which just requires a matching radio from the same spec RS Meg.

Door pulls should outlast the RSs as the door is smaller and lighter and the leverage is greater.

 

I've upped the standard tyres to the 18" size fitted to the meg RSs. It's cheaper and lifts the profile which is better for gravel roads that we've smashed her along on camping trips.

 

She's no track monster (although at some point I will get her out there) but she's definitely a very capable and comfortable GT cruiser, which is why I can't get rid of her.

We had a Skoda RS before her and we still prefer the GT220.

 

Also good, now that my son has pipped me with height (not hard) having the extra leg room in the rear as they have a longer wheelbase than the hatch.

 

Oh, only mod I've done was adding a proper full size spare so trips aren't interrupted by flats.

The standard is a different sized steel wheel which can screw around with front diffs.

There's plenty of room under the bum for a full size. And a recent repair from a rear ender had the smash repairer praising renault for the way in which the rear plastic tub is fitted along with the material used.

Same design principle as the VF commodore plastic tub but simply bolted in instead of being permanently glued, necessitating longer repair times.

It also uses a more ductile material that doesn't crack like it does on all the VFs from any impact, leading to flooded boot floor wells.

 

I think that about covers it.

Anything I've missed, just ask [emoji4]

 

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[Dave200]

Safetyman has covered most of it, only thing i can add is that the stock spare wheel doesnt fir on the front hubs, it doesn’t clear the brake calliper. 

I had a string of warranty-related issues a couple of years back, clutch cylinders and shoddy dealer repair work but touchwood its been reliable since then. Approaching 100k KM now 

[ScottS]

Safetyman has covered most of it, only thing i can add is that the stock spare wheel doesnt fir on the front hubs, it doesn’t clear the brake calliper. 
I had a string of warranty-related issues a couple of years back, clutch cylinders and shoddy dealer repair work but touchwood its been reliable since then. Approaching 100k KM now 

My space saver spare says not to put it on the front and comes with some shorter bolts for mounting

[Safetyman]

Thanks guys, I'd forgotten the reason why I'd ditched the steel wheel and gone to the 18" spare wheel.

I have a Mazda rx8 18" wheel as a spare so I don't have to fiddle with front to rear exchanges on a country road.
Same pcd, centre bore and offset.

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[Dave200]

13 hours ago, ScottS said:

My space saver spare says not to put it on the front and comes with some shorter bolts for mounting

Shorter bolts? I dont recall seeing shorter bolts with my spare...damn

[ScottS]

Shorter bolts? I dont recall seeing shorter bolts with my spare...damn

Almost a full cm shorter, the difference in rim thickness between the steeve and the steel space saver. On a Meg 3 8:08

[Dave200]

6 minutes ago, ScottS said:

Almost a full cm shorter, the difference in rim thickness between the steeve and the steel space saver. On a Meg 3 8:08

I wonder if that is because of the RS front hubs? My GT doesnt have the fancy perfohub setup

[ScottS]

I wonder if that is because of the RS front hubs? My GT doesnt have the fancy perfohub setup

I wouldn’t have thought so, as the space saver has a big sticker picture on it saying it’s for the rear only. And from what is in this thread, they share the same rear brakes

[harbo]

I think the GT220 is a good fit, for your cheese and garlic fix.

I do wish it had an LSD and more traction at the front - but that’s why we have the 265.

Found ours reliable. That said we are getting a door sensor and speakers replaced under warranty (still have another 2 years left).

The suspension could be more comfortable for a family car, but it’s not uncomfortable.

It’s a hell of a lot of car for the money used.

[Safetyman]

I'm guessing the difference in wheel bolts is also due to the steel wheels themselves.
The shorter bolts don't have the alloy collars.

Could it be matching the different rates of heat expansion between alloy collared bolts matched to steel wheels?

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[Mouse]

On 10/11/2018 at 5:49 AM, Safetyman said:

... only sore point is the gt220 radio software for some unknown reason disables the front tweeters. Thankfully, it's a semi easy fix which just requires a matching radio from the same spec RS Meg.

...

 

 

 

Safetyman, any details on exactly which RS radio will fix the front tweeter issue? For example the one in the ebay link below? (which has a different layout):

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RENAULT-MEGANE-X95-RS-265-275-SCENIC-BLUETOOTH-MP3-CD-RADIO-PLAYER-HEAD-UNIT/232882395568 ?

And do you know if the RS radio integrates with the column mounted controls and and displays on the satnav screen in the GT220 Premium pack?

Edited 31, January 2019 by Mouse

[Safetyman]

It needs to be like for like.
Similar year and body shape, so can't be from a facelift car if yours isn't nor from a 250.
So base 2013 GT220 = 2013 cup rs
Premium pack GT220 = trophy+ rs

There's a thread in the ICE forum about it.

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[TC265]

On 10/11/2018 at 8:49 AM, Safetyman said:

Ours is a beast.

I can't pry my wifes hands off it.

 

I can drive it just a hard as my 265 and have almost as much fun.

It just requires correct technique which can be ignored in the 250\265\275 etc due to their having lsd and different front hubs.

 

Front brake discs are the same as Clio IV RS, rears same as all the megs.

 

Start/stop function is annoying but can be switched off after every start up. Unfortunately, there's no provision to switch off permanently like in the later meg RSs. It may contribute to the 4 year life span of the original battery whereas my 265 managed 5.

 

Wheels can be shared with clio IV rs, not the megs due to similar offset.

 

Engine is the detuned RS motor (via the ecu) and there haven't been many issues with megs which is why I moved across to the 2 megs.

I'm very confident with their reliability.

 

Interior is the same as meg rs although only sore point is the gt220 radio software for some unknown reason disables the front tweeters. Thankfully, it's a semi easy fix which just requires a matching radio from the same spec RS Meg.

Door pulls should outlast the RSs as the door is smaller and lighter and the leverage is greater.

 

I've upped the standard tyres to the 18" size fitted to the meg RSs. It's cheaper and lifts the profile which is better for gravel roads that we've smashed her along on camping trips.

 

She's no track monster (although at some point I will get her out there) but she's definitely a very capable and comfortable GT cruiser, which is why I can't get rid of her.

We had a Skoda RS before her and we still prefer the GT220.

 

Also good, now that my son has pipped me with height (not hard) having the extra leg room in the rear as they have a longer wheelbase than the hatch.

 

Oh, only mod I've done was adding a proper full size spare so trips aren't interrupted by flats.

The standard is a different sized steel wheel which can screw around with front diffs.

There's plenty of room under the bum for a full size. And a recent repair from a rear ender had the smash repairer praising renault for the way in which the rear plastic tub is fitted along with the material used.

Same design principle as the VF commodore plastic tub but simply bolted in instead of being permanently glued, necessitating longer repair times.

It also uses a more ductile material that doesn't crack like it does on all the VFs from any impact, leading to flooded boot floor wells.

 

I think that about covers it.

Anything I've missed, just ask

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

yeah, I think that about covers it!

 

Edited 31, January 2019 by TC265
just because

[Danny]

Technically built in Spain so smells like Paella

[Safetyman]

6 hours ago, Danny said:

Technically built in Spain so smells like Paella

Seafood or chicken?