Will be pulling the trigger on an 8 legger shortly coupled with a plant body for plant haulage.
Currently have a merc and man doing the same which have been blinding lorries
Therefore naturally priced up another merc or man. Although neither really completely fit the bill due to some inconvenient issues. Got a price on the renault which ticks all the boxes so leaning towards one of them. Scania and volvo are too much money at the moment
Ive heard some good things about renault trucks lately and that the engines gearbox running gear and undercarriage etc are all Volvo. International truck of the year 2015 etc
Dont see a huge amount of them about compared to the usual names. Is there a reason for this? What is the reliability like in the longer term? Any french electrical gremlins doing the rounds?
Just looking to get opinions from people who drive / own / live with renaults and how they find them please bargain or loads of little problems waiting to happen?
As you say volvo running gear so that’s fine electrics are renault ! One of the worst things is the blind spot where the mirrors are pulling out at junctions /roundabouts is a pain . All our hgv are renaults and the reliability seems ok .
Auto gearboxes are very good and pick up well with minimal delay and change gear when you normally would manually, engines pull well. Interior seems quite hardy, certainly more robust than Iveco and MAN. I find the seats quite comfortable too and my back is shafted. Agree with the comment about the mirrors.
ThePlantMan:
Thanks for the replys chaps. Will be going for a manual and take note of the mirrors
Any comments on reliability at all?
I drove an 11 plate Renault premium for 3.5yrs and reckon it must have been the most reliable truck I’ve driven. It went back in February with just under 900k on the clock, and in that time it chucked the fan belts off twice and needed the exhaust flexi pipe replaced 3 times. The only time it had to go back to a Renault garage, was when a module on the gearbox was playing up and it sometimes wouldn’t select gears.
Don’t completely discount an auto Renault. The I shift in the Renault has got to be the best auto on the road. I reckon once you have driven one, you might be very tempted to go for one. They never put a foot wrong.
ThePlantMan:
Thanks for the replys chaps. Will be going for a manual and take note of the mirrors
Any comments on reliability at all?
I drove an 11 plate Renault premium for 3.5yrs and reckon it must have been the most reliable truck I’ve driven. It went back in February with just under 900k on the clock, and in that time it chucked the fan belts off twice and needed the exhaust flexi pipe replaced 3 times. The only time it had to go back to a Renault garage, was when a module on the gearbox was playing up and it sometimes wouldn’t select gears.
Don’t completely discount an auto Renault. The I shift in the Renault has got to be the best auto on the road. I reckon once you have driven one, you might be very tempted to go for one. They never put a foot wrong.
Well done damoq great to view a sensible reply for once on what is a very but very good motor , the badge snobs may think otherwise , again well done .!!!
I agree. Not a badge snob but trying to build some confidence in a purchase of something never experienced before. Its a large cost so has to be right!
ThePlantMan:
Thanks for the replys chaps. Will be going for a manual and take note of the mirrors
Any comments on reliability at all
Don’t completely discount an auto Renault. The I shift in the Renault has got to be the best auto on the road. I reckon once you have driven one, you might be very tempted to go for one.
Agreed on the gearbox, try it, preferably after being shown how to use it properly by somebody who really knows them, you might be surprised how good it really is especially if your experience of autos is limited to some of the other makes.
Day cab isn’t ideal; very limited movement on seat back so not good if you’re tall.
What the others said about the driveline and the auto option; mine’s an 8-legger with rear-steer, i-Shift and I deliver to farms, but I’ve only ever been stuck once and it wouldn’t have happened with a double drive. Full height sleeper on mine, plenty of space and excellent bed.
Reliability-wise; only problems I’ve had were with the rear-steer but that was fitted after-market. prop centre bearing was replaced recently, not because it failed but I think there was a recall due to potential fault.
Lot of the tipper franchisees seem to be using them; that says a lot for me. Dealer experience (Cardiff) pretty good, Bristol aren’t bad either.
muckles:
Agreed on the gearbox, try it, preferably after being shown how to use it properly by somebody who really knows them, you might be surprised how good it really is especially if your experience of autos is limited to some of the other makes.
Put it in drive, press pedal. I’ve never had to manually shift on a Renault, even when they first came out with the auto boxes 10 years ago.
I currently drive a 2007 premium unit with auto box best auto iv driven by far and we have had the vehicle from new now on just under 900k and never missed a beat pulls like a train.
If your considering brand new I’d make sure what you want is available with a manual box first - The few models that can have manual are special order.
I have an 08-reg Renault Magnum with 860,000km on the clock, I’ve had it for three years now. I can’t really fault it mechanically, I have had a lot of work done in that time, new alternator and tensioners, clutch, nox sensor, anti-roll bar bushes, the list goes on, but nothing which wouldn’t have needed replacing at a similar mileage on any other make of truck.
I’d buy another Renault, that’s the best I can say.
bargain or loads of little problems waiting to happen?