Purchasing an RS Megane

[BamBamBox]

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy a new car and I'm leaning towards a new RS Megane, which I can get in a base model in my preferred colour. Would have liked it with the performance pack, but it's unlikely to be tracked andI think the normal seats would be better as a daily. I can always replace the rims if they really bug me when I get rid of the Bridgestone tyres for something better. I have a couple of questions I hope this community can help me with.

• Given the move to an agency model, is buying a new Renault a good idea or would a second hand model be the better option?  I really like the updated Megane when I drove it and the prices for 2nd hand cars are still a little high like everything else at the moment. I plan to keep the car for 3-5 years.
• I live in a major regional town and we have one local dealer and a couple of euro mechanics. Should I be concerned regarding servicing in the future with Renault moving to an agent model? It's not something I'm personally concerned with due to the cap priced servicing and 5 year warranty, but my wife won't let it go.
• Is there a way to stop the auto start/stop feature? I'm not a fan of this personally and it wouldn't be a deal breaker, but would be nice.

Is there anything else I need to consider?  I have access to quite a few windy country roads and that's probably where I'll be getting the most enjoyment opening it up as well as not having a car that is the same colour or model as the majority.

[Pokinacha]

1 hour ago, BamBamBox said:

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy a new car and I'm leaning towards a new RS Megane, which I can get in a base model in my preferred colour. Would have liked it with the performance pack, but it's unlikely to be tracked andI think the normal seats would be better as a daily. I can always replace the rims if they really bug me when I get rid of the Bridgestone tyres for something better. I have a couple of questions I hope this community can help me with.

• Given the move to an agency model, is buying a new Renault a good idea or would a second hand model be the better option?  I really like the updated Megane when I drove it and the prices for 2nd hand cars are still a little high like everything else at the moment. I plan to keep the car for 3-5 years.
• I live in a major regional town and we have one local dealer and a couple of euro mechanics. Should I be concerned regarding servicing in the future with Renault moving to an agent model? It's not something I'm personally concerned with due to the cap priced servicing and 5 year warranty, but my wife won't let it go.
• Is there a way to stop the auto start/stop feature? I'm not a fan of this personally and it wouldn't be a deal breaker, but would be nice.

Is there anything else I need to consider?  I have access to quite a few windy country roads and that's probably where I'll be getting the most enjoyment opening it up as well as not having a car that is the same colour or model as the majority.

Hi mate and welcome.

So you're looking at a new Trophy with the new lights cluster which is the only change from the 2018-2020 model. 

Buying a new  cor SH car at the moment is an interesting business. 

Why do you want the Performance pack? the only real addition are the recaros. Granted you're in QLD so heated seats probably aren't on your radar, but that being said, if you have a crook back, they're amazing as a heat pack. 

Mechanically, the new cars are exactly the same as the CUP option from 2019 with the exception of the exhaust valve thing which, from what i've can work out, is fairly minor when it comes to noise. the CUP exhaust is pretty loud and well, there are options out there like Akrapovic etc if you want a shouty exhaust. 

If you have Euro indie mechanics who are Renault specialists, I'd say you'd be fine. Modern cars are tough and as said previously, the 2021 is the same car as the late 2018 models in their engine and drivetrain so any issues have already come out.

The stop start can be deactivated by DDT4ALL if you're so inclined. If you're in race, sport or Perso with the race engine settings, it wont turn on. 

There are a few SH options on the market for reasonable prices. There is a 2018, pre engine change 280 CUP in VIC that is quite nice even if it doesn't have the Alcantara interior. and they're begging to sell it. I'd say they'd take under $40k. It only has 8k kms, was sold post 2018 so has 5 year warranty, but it is white. 

 

There is also a really nice Liquid Yellow Trophy in SA for private sale. He's a user on here and the paint on that car is amazing. 

And then there is a Tonic Orange Trophy online too. Or you could find a 21 Demo. 

Regardless, they're very different to everything on the road and they don't look as ghastly as the Civic. If you want to stand out, Tonic Orange does the job.

[Pokinacha]

I also assume your profile name is a reference to this:

 

[chuckovski]

The 1.6T in the Clio is a Nissan engine - anyone know if the 1.8 is shared with any other manufacturer? If so it could be worked on by other branded mechanics.

[Pokinacha]

18 minutes ago, chuckovski said:

The 1.6T in the Clio is a Nissan engine - anyone know if the 1.8 is shared with any other manufacturer? If so it could be worked on by other branded mechanics.

The 1.8 is a derivative of the 1.6.

[tfdpny]

3 hours ago, BamBamBox said:

Given the move to an agency mode

Technically, Renault haven't moved to an agency model, theyve just stopped being a factory importer in Australia. Import and distribution being sorted by Ateco. 

This is different to Honda Aus which you might be thinking of, where Honda aus are still the importer, but they now own, price and hold all the stock and the dealer effectively just works as a shopfront like a lot of other retail. 

As a result there shouldn't really be any change from an after sales perspective. 

[chuckovski]

1 hour ago, Pokinacha said:

The 1.8 is a derivative of the 1.6.

Well if that's the case, any experienced Nissan mechanics locally for you?

[85Fuego]

4 hours ago, BamBamBox said:

 I plan to keep the car for 3-5 years.

• I live in a major regional town and we have one local dealer and a couple of euro mechanics. Should I be concerned regarding servicing in the future with Renault moving to an agent model?

 

TBH

Any manufacturer makes cars that will last 3-5 yrs.

No trending horror stories have cropped up about the 280/300.

Buy - however there may be concerns about tyre/rim longevity in rural crap roads.....

[woot woot]

I think from memory there was the common engine mounts failing early and also the fuel filler gasket problem. These could be random occurrences though

[BamBamBox]

10 hours ago, Pokinacha said:

So you're looking at a new Trophy with the new lights cluster which is the only change from the 2018-2020 model. 

From what I can tell there are a few interior upgrades too, but nothing major. I was also looking at a cup last year when they had the run out sale, but didn't end up pulling the trigger and wish I had now given what is going on in the car market 

I enjoyed it more than any other car I test drove at the time but something else came up and my want for a new car was put on the back burner.  I'll know I'll take the depreciation hit on new vs SH but there is also something about purchasing a new car that always draws me in.

 

10 hours ago, Pokinacha said:

Why do you want the Performance pack? the only real addition are the recaros.

That's about it really but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I like the recaros but probably not enough to pass on a car or pay 4k

 

10 hours ago, Pokinacha said:

The stop start can be deactivated by DDT4ALL if you're so inclined. If you're in race, sport or Perso with the race engine settings, it wont turn on. 

Not really keen on messing with the ECU just yet, but looks like there could be an option based on the settings

 

10 hours ago, Pokinacha said:

I also assume your profile name is a reference to this:

hahah yep, although have owned a couple of JDMs in my time. Also love what those boys are doing.

 

Sounds like I should be ok with a local dealer and the two local mechanics if needed. I assume being a euro that if something does break that the wait on parts could be a bit painful, but think that probably applies to most cars at the moment.  If the dealer confirms a couple of my queries, looks like a Megane will be my next car.

Cheers guys!

 

[Pokinacha]

47 minutes ago, BamBamBox said:

Sounds like I should be ok with a local dealer and the two local mechanics if needed. I assume being a euro that if something does break that the wait on parts could be a bit painful, but think that probably applies to most cars at the moment.  If the dealer confirms a couple of my queries, looks like a Megane will be my next car.

Cheers guys!

With places like spareto and K-etc in the UK, parts are cheap for euros. They’re also quick to get here as per previous @Matt205 thread will show.

Good luck

 

 

[tfdpny]

1 hour ago, BamBamBox said:

From what I can tell there are a few interior upgrades too, but nothing major.

Yeah much bigger digital dash and larger portrait infotainment. 

[Bikecrazy]

On 30/09/2021 at 7:50 PM, BamBamBox said:

From what I can tell there are a few interior upgrades too, but nothing major. I was also looking at a cup last year when they had the run out sale, but didn't end up pulling the trigger and wish I had now given what is going on in the car market 

I enjoyed it more than any other car I test drove at the time but something else came up and my want for a new car was put on the back burner.  I'll know I'll take the depreciation hit on new vs SH but there is also something about purchasing a new car that always draws me in.

 

That's about it really but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I like the recaros but probably not enough to pass on a car or pay 4k

 

Not really keen on messing with the ECU just yet, but looks like there could be an option based on the settings

 

hahah yep, although have owned a couple of JDMs in my time. Also love what those boys are doing.

 

Sounds like I should be ok with a local dealer and the two local mechanics if needed. I assume being a euro that if something does break that the wait on parts could be a bit painful, but think that probably applies to most cars at the moment.  If the dealer confirms a couple of my queries, looks like a Megane will be my next car.

Cheers guys!

 

Hi, I just got my Trophy last week and there is a physical button on the dash, can be seen in the photo, to disable stop start. It is also disabled automatically in one of the modes as mentioned above. 

As a gripe I cant figure out (and it may not be possible) how to disable the engine noise coming through the speakers while having the powertrain, throttle and exhaust in race mode.

Some photos to help you make up your mind if you havent already.

 

Edited 4, October 2021 by Bikecrazy

[Pokinacha]

48 minutes ago, Bikecrazy said:

As a gripe I cant figure out (and it may not be possible) how to disable the engine noise coming through the speakers while having the powertrain, throttle and exhaust in race mode.

Use Perso and you can change the engine noise to comfort which deactivates the cabin enhancements… that being said, yours doesn’t have the big tablet infotainment so it may be different 

[Bikecrazy]

It has got the full tablet screen however the perso mode is gone and is now called 'My sense'.  That does not seem to offer the  customisable control over all the parameters, so while I can turn the sound off I cant have the engine, exhaust and throttle like I want. 

Not a big deal but I'll ask the service guys at the first service, maybe they can disable it via CLIP or something similar. 

 

 

[BamBamBox]

Providing there are no surprises, should be picking mine up next week. Reckon I'll be ditching the wheels pretty quickly for something better suited to the Tonic Orange paint job. The standard wheels with red stripes look a bit weird.

[Gambit]

On 04/10/2021 at 6:42 PM, Bikecrazy said:

Hi, I just got my Trophy last week and there is a physical button on the dash, can be seen in the photo, to disable stop start. It is also disabled automatically in one of the modes as mentioned above. 

As a gripe I cant figure out (and it may not be possible) how to disable the engine noise coming through the speakers while having the powertrain, throttle and exhaust in race mode.

Some photos to help you make up your mind if you havent already.

 

Looks so good! How are you finding the recaro seats btw?

 

[tfdpny]

1 hour ago, BamBamBox said:

Reckon I'll be ditching the wheels pretty quickly for something better suited to the Tonic Orange

Just get them painted black all over. Or just get the red painted bits done black. They're actually quite pleasant wheels just with an awful colour scheme. 

[mpearce38]

Like you I was looking at 2nd hand vs new, mechanically there is not much difference if your comparing the trophy variants (sport / cup doesn't have the active exhaust and ceramic turbo so down on power output) biggest upgrade is the interior with a full digital display and larger portrait screen with a more pleasing button layout. It lifts the cabin and gives it some wow factor especially with the different dash views. Some odd things got deleted on the new model (blind spot monitoring and RS monitor the main ones). There are claims from overseas that the 4ws system is more refined but I'm not sure on that. ultimately I bought you because I had to have a residual on my finance so it protects the resale in 3 years. and 2nd hand prices where not all that competitive 

with regard to servicing its 12 month intervals so not too much of a hassell to drive to a major renault service centre once a year. They also provide 24 road side assist on new models but check if your area is covered. 

Edited 16, October 2021 by mpearce38

[BamBamBox]

15 hours ago, tfdpny said:

Just get them painted black all over. Or just get the red painted bits done black. They're actually quite pleasant wheels just with an awful colour scheme. 

That's probably what I'll end up doing.

[chuckovski]

2 hours ago, mpearce38 said:

Like you I was looking at 2nd hand vs new, mechanically there is not much difference if your comparing the trophy variants (sport / cup doesn't have the active exhaust and ceramic turbo so down on power output) biggest upgrade is the interior with a full digital display and larger portrait screen with a more pleasing button layout. It lifts the cabin and gives it some wow factor especially with the different dash views. Some odd things got deleted on the new model (blind spot monitoring and RS monitor the main ones). There are claims from overseas that the 4ws system is more refined but I'm not sure on that. ultimately I bought you because I had to have a residual on my finance so it protects the resale in 3 years. and 2nd hand prices where not all that competitive 

with regard to servicing its 12 month intervals so not too much of a hassell to drive to a major renault service centre once a year. They also provide 24 road side assist on new models but check if your area is covered. 

What about rear cross traffic alert? It's one of the few drive assist Tech that I like

[Bikecrazy]

23 hours ago, Gambit said:

Looks so good! How are you finding the recaro seats btw?

 

Hi they are very comfy and build quality seems good. I havent been on a long drive due to the lock down however I believe these are the same seats as in the 275 trophy which I owned for 2 years and they were awesome for the hills.

Also should add, the seats can go really low also. 20mm lower than the standard seats I believe.

 

 

Edited 16, October 2021 by Bikecrazy
New info added

[Bikecrazy]

4 hours ago, chuckovski said:

What about rear cross traffic alert? It's one of the few drive assist Tech that I like

MY21 Doesnt have rear cross traffic alert.

 I have the my21manual and its got lane departure warning only where the steering vibrates if you are wandering across lanes, emergency brake, adaptive cruise control, front distance warning and speed limiter.

Cruise control and speed limiter cannot be activated in Race mode which is the only mode where you get full control over the throttle map and the engine is in race mode also.

I terms of customisation of drive modes throttle maps cruise control and telemetry data.. cannot go past the MK3 trophys.

 

[BamBamBox]

Picked my car up yesterday and have been having a bit of fun. Surprised there is no run in, but had a fair drive back from the dealer so it got a good run.

Question about fuel. The dealer mentioned only putting 98 in it but the filler cap says both 95 and 98. From what I can tell the manual says to fill based on the cap. What are others doing?

[matt9999]

I recall Paul from RS Tuning telling me that European spec 95 and 98 fuel is not Australian spec 95 and 98 fuel - something like that Australian 98 is equivalent to what would sell as 95 in Euro.  So on that basis I'm guessing 98 only.  They seem to cost about the same regardless.

[chuckovski]

1 hour ago, BamBamBox said:

Picked my car up yesterday and have been having a bit of fun. Surprised there is no run in, but had a fair drive back from the dealer so it got a good run.

Question about fuel. The dealer mentioned only putting 98 in it but the filler cap says both 95 and 98. From what I can tell the manual says to fill based on the cap. What are others doing?

Don't skimp. As @matt9999 mentions Australian fuel quality is awful. So our best is ... Not the best. Our average is rubbish. Standard is shite. 

[Deet]

And beware. Testing has shown that BP Ultimate is actually closer to 95 than it is to 98

Caltex or Mobil 98 seem to be the best around. Possibly Shell as well but they are hard ti find in this neck of the woods

[oscargamer]

1 hour ago, Deet said:

Testing has shown that BP Ultimate is actually closer to 95 than it is to 98

Reference please

[Rene]

If only you knew how much testing of fuels goes on before being offered for sale.

Suggest that any 95 Octane has been purchased from a rogue operator and not one of the sites operated by BP or their larger franchises.  Report them.

 

@Deetneeds to take a drive to Largs North and see what brand trucks are coming out of which Terminal.  He might be surprised.

[Bikecrazy]

7 hours ago, BamBamBox said:

Picked my car up yesterday and have been having a bit of fun. Surprised there is no run in, but had a fair drive back from the dealer so it got a good run.

Question about fuel. The dealer mentioned only putting 98 in it but the filler cap says both 95 and 98. From what I can tell the manual says to fill based on the cap. What are others doing?

I know run in is debatable, but the manual recommends not to exceed 3500 rpm for the first 1000km and then it says peak performance will be reached around 3000km.

 

[BamBamBox]

98 is fine with me as that's what I was planning yesterday. Will just ignore those stickers.

15 hours ago, Bikecrazy said:

I know run in is debatable, but the manual recommends not to exceed 3500 rpm for the first 1000km and then it says peak performance will be reached around 3000km.

 

Yeah had a read of that this morning, but interesting the dealer didn't mention any of that when I asked him on Friday.

[Bikecrazy]

7 minutes ago, BamBamBox said:

98 is fine with me as that's what I was planning yesterday. Will just ignore those stickers.

Yeah had a read of that this morning, but interesting the dealer didn't mention any of that when I asked him on Friday.

From my experience most dealers are clueless about this car. Tell them aout 4ws and alignment complexities for eg and you get blank looks lol. 

[JDB]

On 30/09/2021 at 5:09 AM, BamBamBox said:

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy a new car and I'm leaning towards a new RS Megane, which I can get in a base model in my preferred colour. Would have liked it with the performance pack, but it's unlikely to be tracked andI think the normal seats would be better as a daily. I can always replace the rims if they really bug me when I get rid of the Bridgestone tyres for something better. I have a couple of questions I hope this community can help me with.

• Given the move to an agency model, is buying a new Renault a good idea or would a second hand model be the better option?  I really like the updated Megane when I drove it and the prices for 2nd hand cars are still a little high like everything else at the moment. I plan to keep the car for 3-5 years.
• I live in a major regional town and we have one local dealer and a couple of euro mechanics. Should I be concerned regarding servicing in the future with Renault moving to an agent model? It's not something I'm personally concerned with due to the cap priced servicing and 5 year warranty, but my wife won't let it go.
• Is there a way to stop the auto start/stop feature? I'm not a fan of this personally and it wouldn't be a deal breaker, but would be nice.

Is there anything else I need to consider?  I have access to quite a few windy country roads and that's probably where I'll be getting the most enjoyment opening it up as well as not having a car that is the same colour or model as the majority.

get rid of the wife