[mikemaddams]

Hi Guys, Glad i found this site.
I went to look at some cars today and found a nice Scenic. A 2000 (cant quite remember now) 1.4, 16v, 5 door 82k.
I really love the car, its perfect for what im after, a cheap to run/tax/insure family car for me, my wife and baby.
I took the car out for a very quick test drive (mainly because car salesmen never put any fuel in the cars (is it just me or are they all like that?)), Anyways, quick drive...and as i started the car i felt it rocking very gently, when i pressed the accelerater (still stationary) it made the rock more obviously, if felt almost like when you are on a boat.
Then when i drove it, when accelerating the gear stick would be still, then when you release the pedal the stick would jerk back and forth, change into 2nd and it was more obvious, and i didnt have much of a chance to get 3rd for fear of running out of petrol...
Anyways, i told the salesman and he said he understood and he'll get it sorted this week, saying its probably something very simple.
So what i wanna know is, is this a common thing in the Scenic, or is it a big red light!! and should i run away as fast as i can or will it be an issue that is quickly resolved?

Cheers, Mike

 

[danthevan]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

I reckon you have a broken gearbox stabiliser mount (dog bone mount) and the engine is rocking backwards and forwards.
Not the end of the world to get changed as long as it hasn't done any other damage

 

[Recycled Scenic]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

Hello and welcome to the forum

Yes it's a very common problem across the Renault range it's the lower engine mounting / gear box stabiliser mounting and the bushes wear out it's not a big problem to sort out. It will be very similar to this one on a 2.0 Scenic you can see the front rubber bush is starting to hang out of the mounting

 

[danthevan]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

Hello and welcome to the forum

I always forget that bit :d

 

[Recycled Scenic]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

I always forget that bit :d

Yeah be nice to the newbies

 

[mikemaddams]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

Wow that was quick guys, thanks for the replies and Photos. Thats good news, well i'll let the garage sort it out and then i'll test drive it and see if they have sorted it out. If so then i'll drive it home. I just wanted to know if its one of those symptoms of something massive about to happen, but i suppose potentially it could drop out at speed.
Apart from that would you all recommend these cars for a small family? generally are they reliable, good on fuel, parts easy to find etc...
Thanks, Mike

 

[Recycled Scenic]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

I personally think the Scenic makes for a great comfortable family car. Yeah they are a bit tinny and not great for road noise. I also think that the 1.4 is a bit under powered and you have to keep the revs up and use the gear box and read the road ahead on an open road to keep the speed up. Thought they are fine for the school run and normal town driving. At the other extreme the 2.0 16 valve Scenic goes like sh1t off a stick! :d and the fuel consumption is still over 30mpg.

I would make sure the cam belt has been changed according to the service interval 5 years or 70,000 miles which ever comes first. So your new car should be due for it's 3rd belt soon.

The timing belts can and do fail regularly across the Renault range because they don't get changed at the proper service interval. This usually leads to the majority of the engine valves getting bent.

The engines are usually repairable but you could face a bill of up to £1000 if you can't carry out repairs yourself.

 

[SteveBee]

Re: Gear Stick Wobble???

Hi, I have just been to see a lovely 02 Megane with under 50,000 0n the clock but there was an unusual, slight wobble coming through the gearstick, would/could this be the same problem?? Any advice would be great!!

 

[GamithUK]

>Hi, I have just been to see a lovely 02 Megane with under 50,000 0n the clock but there was an unusual, slight wobble coming through the gearstick, would/could this be the same problem??
>Any advice would be great!!

Well that sounds like a dual mass flywheel problem - but are these fitted with them? hmm yes it might be so that could very well be what it is, so you could get that replaced or changed for a single mass flywheel.
It could also be loose engine mounts of course.