Expert answer

Hi Don,

Ah, a familiar problem this one, especially to anyone who's owned a second generation Renault Laguna (yes, that's my hand up). It's most likely that the clunking noise is coming from the top suspension mount, which is a spectacularly weak area on second generation Lagunas. It's not a massive job to replace but get it done now before the mount breaks and takes other expensive items with it. In extreme cases, the noise could be coming from a broken spring, but if that were the case you'd probably notice the car sitting lower to the road on one corner. When you're getting the work done make sure the garage checks out the other suspension mounts as if one's one the way out, the others could be too.

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Hi Joan,

We highly recommend the Hyundai i40 Tourer. It has a huge boot (though the Passat's is larger again) and is very comfortable. It's not easy to choose between the i40 and Passat at a fixed budget, so see what you can get for your money. The Hyundai, for instance, comes with a great five-year warranty from new and a high level of standard equipment. Its 1.7-litre diesel engine is also better than Volkswagen's 1.6-litre TDI equivalent, though the Volkswagen 2.0 TDI engine is better again if that's within reach.

Either way you're making a good choice and we'd recommend you test drive both cars to see which you like best.

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Hi Ben,

Watch for faulty exhaust cats, failing electrics (especially the electric windows), fragile suspension mounts and bushings, disintegrating cabin trim and cracked engine mounts.

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Hi Gareth,

Unfortunately, if the dealer from which you bought the car is now in liquidation, then your options are a bit limited. You can of course apply to have your case heard by the liquidator, or bring a case to the small claims court, but I would suggest that the first thing you do is talk to Renault head office directly.

A figure of 200,000km is not excessively high mileage for a car such as the Laguna III (it’s only just over 120,000 miles in old money) so there’s no reason for the engine to fail. If the dealer in question was a Renault franchised dealer, then there may well be some comeback on it. The only problem is that, at nine years old, the car is long, long out of warranty so you are, as you suggest, relying on Renault’s corporate goodwill.

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Hi Tom,

Power steering aside (that's strange...) it really sounds like you might have connected the battery incorrectly or shorted the battery somehow. Have you any way to safely test the battery?

If you're not confident in finding the problem for yourself we'd really recommend you get an auto-electrician or a mechanic to take a quick look for you.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Catherine,

Put simply, no, they are not. There are examples out there that run without a problem, but we've heard a lot of complaints from a lot of owners and it's a used car we'd steer people away from, as some repairs - especially the electrical ones - are expensive to fix.

No doubt you've been tempted by low pricing, but we couldn't recommend it.

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Hi Jack,

The scrappage scheme is over sadly, though Renault is running a similar offer until the end of June. You can get another €1,500 off if you're trading in a car that's over eight years old. Even without that offer you're more likely to maximise the value of that Laguna at a Renault dealer.

Saying all that, I'm sure you know that the Laguna isn't worth a whole lot at that age so it's probably not worth going for a new Renault just because you'll get a better trade-in price for it. If you do decide to go down the new Volkswagen Golf route, check with the dealer how much they'd be willing to knock off the price of the Golf by taking the Laguna. If it's a tiny amount then consider selling the Laguna privately. It's more hassle, but you're likely to get a better price.

Hope that helps

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Hi John,

It's no firecracker, that's for sure, but it's not that bad really. Depends on your benchmark. Depending on the age of the car you're looking at it had either 112- or 117hp and 0-100km/h took about 11.5 seconds. Just don't expect to win any races when it's full of people and luggage.

Hope that helps

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Hi Dave,

This Laguna has a bad reputation, as you said. The two largest customer and reliability surveys in this part of the world consistently put it near the bottom in its class, which is not great, especially if you're considering a high mileage example.

However, because of all that the prices are low and I am guessing that you've got a bargain.

So, first thing to look at is if the car has had all its recall work done. Call a Renault dealer with its chassis number to confirm, as there were several recalls that applied to this car.

As with any used car check that every switch and control is working as expected and that all the warning lights come on when you turn on the ignition and go off again when the car is started.

Apparently the tyre pressure sensors are inaccurate as well, so check the pressures with a gauge for yourself.

Best of luck

Expert answer

Hi Bill,

As with all such jobs, we'd recommend it is done by an experienced mechanic. Special tools are sometimes required to remove these connections from fuel filters, though most of the time they're held on with clips that need to be pushed/pulled or squeezed in a certain way.

If you send us on a photograph we may be able to give you more specific advice.