--- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "Tim" <tim_bycroft@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi all!
> I'm looking to buy a V6 ... first ... am I mad?!
> Second ... Any tips as to what to look for?
> Cheers,
> Tim
>
Thanks for all your advice!
Please keep it coming!
I'm hoping to view a few vehicles very soon so hope to join the ranks
of Avantime owners before too long!

Hi, the avantime I own is a 52 reg Illiad Blue 2L

It has satnav, the premium sound system (which I have had no problems with
thankfully) and
cream leather seats.

I bought the car 18 months ago with 11k on the clock and I have now racked an
additional
30k over that time. As mentioned the only mechanical problem I've had was the
clutch going,
additionally the sump gasket went as soon as I got the car back but I suspect
this had
something to do with the repair.

Body work in good condition, the paint work still looks stunning but the roof
rails have had
to be resprayed due to bubling now need to respray the black wing mirror mounts.

Unfortunatly I won't be able to attend the meet, but am very pleased to have
access to the
minds of other UK Avantime owners!

Regards
Alastair

2002 53 reg
Illard Blue
  tan leather
3L V6 Privilege Auto
no sat/nav.

I have clarkson to blame for me buy my car i loved it when it first
come out but could not aford it, them clarkson said on top gear that
rernault pull the plug on this model the hunt was on .
I purchased on the web unable see the car to far away (Liverpool) that
300 mile from home i collected it on 10.march 04 secondhand with 35
miles on the clock full tank and for only £1995.00 from LEWIS REED
Great dealers very helpful even pick me up from the airport,
Had lovely drive home did find i had a faulty clock which my local
replace, have had three coils go,replaced CD ,and one driver seat trim,
I added Nokia 810 phone ,origin b2 speed camara dector,tinted windows,
most of the extras just about to fit Auto lights, and hotshot windscreen
wash, mileage todate only 9,100m
i'm now worred about all the e-mails with owner with faults,
i watch avantime's on e-bay for bit and bobs have done some great
buys of avantime equipment ,
i wish i could get hold of good workshop manuel with wiring .
hope to exchange ideas with the owners on the 12.11.06 i be they
early as i love driving a night .TONY.

Mine is...

2002, 02 reg
Illiad Blue
Tan leather
3.0 Privilege manual
No sat nav

I bought it in January 2005 with a little over 9k miles on the clock. I paid
£12k from
Smith's Renault in Peterborough. It had several problems pretty soon after I got
it - I think
probably as a result of the car having been sat unused for a time on the
forecourt. The
major problem was failure of the ABS computer in April 05 - this knocked out all
the
instruments, the cruise control etc and I had a bit of a sweat with Renault
about it being
covered under warranty as it was a £2.5k repair, but it was all fine in the end.

I've also had two ignition coil failures and had a problem with the N/S/F window
having a
mind of its own, lowering at odd times and refusing to stay up when closed.

The niggles were very frustrating, but I've never considered parting with it and
I don't think
I ever will. I don't drive it very much - it has 27k on now but that's mostly
down to my
wife. I live and work in London and use a motorcycle to get around - it's the
only way - so
I fall in love with the Avantime all over again every time I drive it.

One more frustration - the CD changer packed up and can only be replaced with
the same
unit. I inquired at a car audio specialists about replacing it with something
better - maybe
a DAB radio unit with MP3 compatibility - but it's impossible as you'd lose the
dashtop
display. So, it's had the Harman/Kardon Drive+Play fitted. It's a dash-mounted
display that
mimics the display on your iPod and has a separate control wheel to control its
functions. I
found a sympathetic and very experienced car audio dealer who relished the
challenge
presented by the Avantime - but he's since said he wouldn't touch another as
it's been
such a pig to deal with.

The paint work has taken a bit of punishment - mostly careless car park light
scratches.
Frustrating, but will ahve them sorted sometime.

A review of the Avantime from one of my favourite writers, Giles Smith...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/wheels/story/0,3605,781052,00.html

And a good piece by Tony Dron, another good writer...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2001/06/29/
emfava30.xml

All i found that if you dont put your front seatbealt away properly
you can damage the door panel easly done , my answer is a sheep buff
pad that take a velco back use s/a velco on door panel then place the
buffer pad onto the velco save damage ,

Great intro Steve and thanks for the photos. Lets see some more from
other owners please........Mike

--- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <stevebrough@...>
wrote:
>
> Always thought it a good idea in these places that people just do a
> short introductory post about themsleves and maybe their car or
> anything else that the rest of us might want to hear.
>
> So I'll go first....
>
> I'm Steve from Manchester and I bought my Avantime in March 2003.
>
> I'd been looking to step up to a bit of luxury and it was the only car
> I saw in the showrooms that looked the remotest bit interesting or
> original. Amongst the silver Mercs and Audis it just screamed "Buy Me
> Now !"
>
> I had originally ordered it from an Agent in Holland. However after
> waiting 6 months, they went bust the week my car was due to be
> collected. I had taken the precaution of protecting my deposit so all
> was not lost.
>
> Unfortunately the week I discovered this, it was also announced that
> production was to be ceased. The local dealership was now my only hope
> they had no '03 plates left (it had to be that due to the private
> plate I'd purchased). However they did produce a shipping list of
> vehicles on their way across from france with a bout 20 vehicles on it.
>
> Only one matched the spec I wanted, 3.0L Auto with all the whistles
> and bells. So unfortunately I was stuck with the awful blue leather
> trim. Still..... at least its not grey !
>
> What do I love most about the car ?... the feeling of exclusivity.
>
> What do I hate most about the car ?... idiots asking if its the new
> Scenic..... Philistines.
>

Always thought it a good idea in these places that people just do a
short introductory post about themsleves and maybe their car or
anything else that the rest of us might want to hear.

So I'll go first....

I'm Steve from Manchester and I bought my Avantime in March 2003.

I'd been looking to step up to a bit of luxury and it was the only car
I saw in the showrooms that looked the remotest bit interesting or
original. Amongst the silver Mercs and Audis it just screamed "Buy Me
Now !"

I had originally ordered it from an Agent in Holland. However after
waiting 6 months, they went bust the week my car was due to be
collected. I had taken the precaution of protecting my deposit so all
was not lost.

Unfortunately the week I discovered this, it was also announced that
production was to be ceased. The local dealership was now my only hope
they had no '03 plates left (it had to be that due to the private
plate I'd purchased). However they did produce a shipping list of
vehicles on their way across from france with a bout 20 vehicles on it.

Only one matched the spec I wanted, 3.0L Auto with all the whistles
and bells. So unfortunately I was stuck with the awful blue leather
trim. Still..... at least its not grey !

What do I love most about the car ?... the feeling of exclusivity.

What do I hate most about the car ?... idiots asking if its the new
Scenic..... Philistines.

FIRST MEETING 9:30am 12th NOVEMBER 2006
http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/

In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "grabay308" <grabay308@...> wrote:
>
>  If it is in the midlands I will be there.
> --- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "bty1036080"
> <mike.widlof@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Guys,
> >
> > Well six weeks have gone by since we started trying to arrange a UK
> > meeting. I would like to propose a date and venue and then if anyone
> > can't make it we'll then look at possible alternatives.
> >
> > So far everybody appears to be available on 12th November so that
> > seems like a good starting point. Possible venues that have been
> > suggested are as follows:
> >
> > http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/ (my personal preference)
> > http://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/museum/index.htm
> > http://www.bammot.org.uk/
> >
> > Please post your responses to this thread
> >
> > Regards, Mike W
> >
>

Check that the CD works,they are very unreliable and expensive to
replace.

My car was at the dealers to have the roof rail blistering removed,
under the 12 year warranty.

While there the car would not start, the garage replaced the
starter, £407 but still the car would not start.

The engine would turn backwards but not forward, it jammed forwards.
The problem turned out to be a broken clutch in the alternator
flywheel.

New alternator, fitted £600, The A/c has to be disconnected and
recharged to fit the alternator on the V6 (It took the dealer ages
to find the problem) All paid for by Renault.

I've also had a new exhaust as it cracked round the joint under the
hand brake. (Always keep a length of wire, 10", in the car.)

We still love the car. Can't make the meeting in November. Need lots
of notice.

Great web site!!!!!

Can't say I've experienced that problem, all seems fine in automatic.
The only transmission problem i've had is the opposite really. When I
use manual mode it takes ages to decide to change up when I tell it
to, that's when I get screaming engine syndrome.

--- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <stevebrough@...>
wrote:
>
> Anybody else experienced a problem with the box changing back up again
> after you've used the kick-down ?
>
> It doesn't seem to matter how much you back off the gas, the engine
> just sits in the same gear screaming. Rarely use it now. I just knock
> the lever over to the semi auto and use that instead.
>

Anybody else experienced a problem with the box changing back up again
after you've used the kick-down ?

It doesn't seem to matter how much you back off the gas, the engine
just sits in the same gear screaming. Rarely use it now. I just knock
the lever over to the semi auto and use that instead.

and from me....

I can confirm the paint bubbling on the aluminium bars.

To add to that, had real problems with the black textured paint on the
door pulls. It seems to chip/flake very badly. Both of mine look a bit
of a mess now.

Had the CD multichanger replaced, it kept reading non-existant errors
on perfectly good discs.

Check with the dealership to see if the coils have been replaced.

Overall, I love the car.

Hi, I've had the 2L for about 18 months now and these are the following issues I
have
come across which might be helpful to you:

1. The aluminium bars that form the frame for the roof tend to show signs of
bubbling
underneath the paint work, I did have them stripped and resprayed under the
warranty but
after the 3rd try the paintshop could still not match the finish.

2. The wing mirror brackets (the black part) also suffer from this.

3. if you are purchasing a manual, I have been told that the clutch really isn't
man enough
for the job. I had mine replaced at 35K.

4. The rear washer pipeline is badly designed, and becomes kinked when the boot
is
opened and closed (it's in the rubber gromet on the top left of the roof). Mine
has broken.

Apart from that it's a great car.

If anyone has a solution for repairing the washer line or instructions on how to
remove the
wing mirrors from their mounting I would be very grateful.

--- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "Tim" <tim_bycroft@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all!
> I'm looking to buy a V6 ... first ... am I mad?!
> Second ... Any tips as to what to look for?
> Cheers,
> Tim
>

Sorry folks, I'd love to attend but I I broke my foot on Saturday and am in
plaster for six
weeks. No trip to Belgium this weekend for me. No motorcycling. Gutted.

--- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "hy52ujs" <rahorn@...> wrote:
>
> I would go with the heritage motor centre as I have been there a
> couple of times and it is a stunning building with nice landscaping
> which should allow us to get some great photos of the fleet. It is
> also an excellent museum and has a café inside.
>
> Robert Horn
>

Apparently not. I went to a good car audio specialist and according to him,
there's no way of
replacing the head unit without losing the display

-- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "avantime007" <avantime007@...> wrote:
>
> seen chris`s i pod connection looks great.Has anyone got one which will
> work through the steering wheel switches? and use the original display?
> My CD player does not load and I can`t get it fixed so I am looking at
> this upgrade any info from you guys?
>

Hi all!
I'm looking to buy a V6 ... first ... am I mad?!
Second ... Any tips as to what to look for?
Cheers,
Tim

My car is March 2003 and to date has had three of these replaced.

The last one was paid for by Renault despite the car being out of
warranty. Is there an issue here ? I got the distinct impression, when
I started asking questions of the service dept., that this was hardly
news to them.

What are the experiences of others on here ?

All the V6 Ava's & Vel's ( I have both ) have the same braking
problems. If you fit these new discs. You'll need an engineers report
for your insurance company. Be very careful with this one.

The ignition coils on the Renault rage seem to have a short life. The
3 on the back bank of the V6 are difficult to replace. Has anyone
found a source for a more reliable replacement? Tip. Buy 3 from
Renault @ £35 each as the breakdown service wil not have these as
spares & there is a 3 days delivery.

I've been fumbling around on various European Avantime forums since I
bought the car in March 2003. Very nice people, but the language was
always a problem.

Its great that we finally have a place to call our own.

Looking forward to the meet in November, I hope to be able to make it.

In the meanwhile I'll post some piccies of mine shortly.

Cheers.... Steve.

seen chris`s i pod connection looks great.Has anyone got one which will
work through the steering wheel switches? and use the original display?
My CD player does not load and I can`t get it fixed so I am looking at
this upgrade any info from you guys?

I would go with the heritage motor centre as I have been there a
couple of times and it is a stunning building with nice landscaping
which should allow us to get some great photos of the fleet. It is
also an excellent museum and has a café inside.

Robert Horn

Lookng forward to our inaugural meet. I've just posted some shots of my new
audio gadget.

Haven't been to any Euro meets - was full of good intentions to go the last one,
which
included a visit to the Matra factory, but didn't get around to it.

Am off to France and Belgium in the 'Time next weekend. Its first trip to Europe
(since it was
built, obv...)

If any of you are noticing problems with brakes have a look at:-
 
http://www.avantime-gallery.org/galleries/special/technic/avantime_brakes/avanti\
me_brakes.html

I have emailed Jani and asked for details so will post them here when
I get them

Regards, Mike


--- In avantime_owners_uk@yahoogroups.com, "charles318777"
<charlie747@...> wrote:
>
> Hi fellow Avantime owners.................loking forward to meeting
> you all at the first uk meet.
>
> Have any of you been to the european meets yet?
>
> Is it me or do these cars eat front discs for breakfast?
>
> At 43K miles we're on the 5th. set!
>
> Regards
>
> Charlie.
>

Hi fellow Avantime owners.................loking forward to meeting
you all at the first uk meet.

Have any of you been to the european meets yet?

Is it me or do these cars eat front discs for breakfast?

At 43K miles we're on the 5th. set!

Regards

Charlie.