Hefty service bill?! Is it worth it . . . ???

Pick up the parts yourself, there's a thread with OEM suspension urls.

Ads@Renault is the chap for discs/pads.

and there's a place that'll do the hub bearings for like 35 pounds iirc.

 

Disks and pads are beyond easy to do yourself, track rod end doesn't sound too hard not sure about the hub.

I do a lot of parts fitting on my cars and I work in IT so if I can do it anyone can

 

Where are you from?!

 

They are very expensive to keep in good shape, IMO.

Bought mine at 5 years old with 45k on it. Currently it's costing me £2785/year in maintenance, or 31p/mile.

In comparison, my ph1 172 bought at a little older but on the same miles, driven in the same manner and maintained to the same standard cost £987/year or 13p/mile.

With the maintenance costs added to the loan repayment, I could easily run a new 265, factoring in MOT's, warranty, insurance, fuel.

They are brilliant when they're working properly but you have to ask yourself if it's worth it.

 

Mine has also cost a lot to keep in top shape, so much so that I haven't been able to mod it. If you enjoy it then i don't see the harm in repairing it. If not then I would trade it in and get something newer.

 

ive recently thought along the same lines mate, plenty of 265s under warranty with similar repayment costs less the risk of hefty repair bills.

 

I've currently owned my car about 15 months... its cost me £2500 in maintenance so far... its an 2004 225 and just gone over the 80k mark... but it still puts a smile on my face every time i drive it so it must be worth it... but as above I've thought about getting rid of it several times.. but majority of cars are all the same... you just never know if the one you buy will be reliable...

 

This is true, but only works for some people/situations. I just need to run it past the misses now.

 

Time to bring on the charm. My niggle is in several months it'll be paid off and then I won't be paying for a car. Then I can remap and have as much power as a 265 for £400 extra

 

Yeah that's the thing. Leasing a new 265 will never result in owing the car, for the same money as an 8 year old R26 which you will.

Difference is in new versus old, you own an 8 year old car that's not worth much. Modifying is a whole different ball game, and obviously introduces it's own additional maintenance costs.

What side of the fence are you looking at mate? I'm still undecided.

 

Someone I know has just bought a 15k 250 cup - I don't think personally there's a big enough difference between mine and that to justify spending an extra 10k.

10k will get you a LOT of goodies for a mk2! if you were that way inclined! personally again I'm happy enough so far with a remap and a very well looked after car - even though I do love the way the mk3's look!

 

Probably gonna stick until it's paid off then decide next spring before insurance is due. Although when I think of spending 20k on a car I have to look at other equivalents and so far I've been thinking Focus RS or Golf R. No idea if they are more enjoyable but they will be different and hold their value more and have better reputations for reliability. In terms of acceleration and handling I don't think the the mk3 meg is that much different than the r26 tbh. Owners of both may have different views.....

if another repair bill comes through in the meantime then I may just sell up.

 

Where are you based? If you're anywhere hmbear mark black, he should be able to do that work cheaper.

 

Yeah its not great when you can start feeling the next repairs coming up. Tbh if i had the time then i wouldnt be that bothered by it however at the minute, i dont have that luxury. For bigger jobs i take it to a garage, nearest known / trusted garage i know of is Leeds as Im only average with a spanner but when the GF wants to do soemthing on a weekend its hard to find the spare couple of hours to change the sidelight or spray more WD40 in the window regulator and re-tape it.

I have checked other forums tho and I have read some issues with Golf Rs and FRSs namely gearbox issues with the DSG Golf R models and boost with the FRS. Tbh they have all told me that small annoying niggles are few and far between so the quality is appealing atm. Dont get me wrong i still love the R26 and its only wear items thats posing a replacement issue atm.

 

You'd have been better off having the hub bearings replaced (cheap) rather than buying a second hand hub. They often go at 40-50k so it could well be a waste of money.

My 225 was great, owned it 31/2 years and it cost next to nothing in repairs. Now had the R26 for 15 months and it's needed a driveshaft and a drop link. Currently also needs a radiator due to a slow leak but that's not a fault, something damaged it. Thanks to Mark Black being so cheap I've spent about £700 since I've owned it, that includes work done, MOT, service including plugs and new injectors.

For me, RenaultSports have been the most reliable and cheapest to maintain cars I've owned!

 

^^^^The £700 also includes two Goodyear Eagles!

 

A lot of Megs have a hard life that's for sure. My last was a 5dr and I knew the guy that owned it before me, I bought it on 30k and sold it on 51k. The engine was totally faultless, it just needed a few bits over the years (a hub and I think that was it, though an engine mount had gone when I traded it in - still nothing for 20k miles).

I don't do a lot of mileage and I don't rag them very often so that also tips things into my favour, they don't have a hard life with me at all.

My R26 was first owned by a mechanic who serviced it loads, second owner was a guy on MeganeSport so was an enthusiast. 3rd owner bought it from him, had the cambelt done at Cooksport then sold it within a couple of months. I bought it from the dealer he sold it to, so I know the full history of it. It's on 45k miles now and runs faultlessly, I'll be keeping it for 2 more years before selling it and it will only have around 55k on it by then. Someone will get a great car when I move it on.