Are French cars as bad as people say?

I have recently bought a 4yo diesel clio and keep on getting people saying I have made a mistake. Are they really any worse than cars made anywhere else? All the members of m y family have had really good experiences with French cars. Is it much like all things in life, if you look after it, it will look after you?

Would like to hear (good) stories of other French owners/mechanics preferably not stories that start “I heard”

Are French cars as bad as people say?

No.

I’ve had 4 Renaults and 1 Citroen – all from new. All were faultless.

The most unreliable car I’ve ever owned was a (new shape) Honda Civic.

Can’t say I found my Peugeot or Renault any worse than any other brands based on country alone. Some problems but no more than other non-French brands I’ve had.

And at least it’s not an Italian car 😉

I think their reputation is unjustified.

I have been the happy owner of a H reg BX and a P reg ZX, the ZX TD got to 130,000 miles before I retired it when the steering rack went, which wasn’t surprising as it was street parked and spent half its life being wound lock-to-lock to get into tiny spaces. Someone else obviously decided it warranted the repair as it was still on the MID a year later.

I now have an Italian van (Iveco Daily) and until recently an Italian car (Punto) and neither have been unreliable, although the Punto was just horrible.

Totally unjustified IMO, especially considering they’re at the cheaper end of the market. People rave about electrical faults and yes they do occur. But I also know of someone with a nearly new 5 series BMW that’s just had to have several parts of the rearward loom replaced as it frayed and started shorting to the body, whos climate control has gone mental and whos airbag etc system is playing up – doesn’t mean all BMWs are poor.

Some people have problems, some people don’t. With no idea how cars are treated before the faults occur, how long they were left before being fixed (causing how many other faults), it’s pointless commenting on it.

3yr old Clio 197 Renaultsport here – it does have the odd minor rattle every now and again but in the 3 months of ownership it has otherwise been faultless. Having looked at lots of cars before purchasing I can’t say the quality of finish was any worse than the competition. The other cars with as firm suspension from VAG and others also seemed to just as prone to rattles. I have a feeling lots of folks opinions are based of no/outdated experience.

My ownership standards are low though – 8 yrs of owning a Fiat prior to this car mean my expectations are easily exceeded!

Had a few french cars they were ok but not great but price reflected that. Build quality was a bit poop squeaky and rattling in no time at all.

Classic faults though with dodgy electrics on the 307 then not mention the known engine fault they refused to fix. But had that with Ford too.

Can’t comment on modern ones but my 1991 Citroen AX GT was a hoot to drive but it fell apart and leaked like a sieve. However, no car could be as bad as my 1999 Fiat Bravo which was a nightmare to keep running.

I had a Renault Clio RSi and it was a lovely (faultless) car.

I had a Pug 205 Lacoste and it was okay but not without minor faults.

I had a Citroen ZX Furio which was, without question, the worst car I have ever had the misfortune of owning. It was 2 yr old and low mileage when I bought it, it needed a full engine rebuild (under warranty thankfully) because of some serious problem it had and it used to randomly cut-out – eventually it cut-out halfway across a roundabout so I took it back to the dealers and got a full refund (I had been logging all the problems I had leading up to this and had continually told them I had not accepted the car).

We’re picking up our 4th Renault in a row on thursday. Had no major issues with the first 3, just little niggly things, but no deal breakers.

I used to manage a fleet of about 100 cars about ten years ago and we ended up delisting Renaults as they spent so much time off the road.

Most people will not notice problems as they will have the odd issue a year at 10k pa. Once they started doing 30-40k per annum they were crap really really crap.

Saying that I don’t look after the fleet anymore and we have a lot of Peugeots now and they seem ok. The interiors fall apart compared to many other makes but these cars are a tool not pampered like most private cars.

Comme Ci, Comme Ça.

So, a lot of British people are a bit condescending about French cars.

Go figure eh?

Who’s the country with three major manufacturers?

Allons enfants de la patrie!

DD – probably only because they’re state supported… 😉

pal of mine had a 55 plate laguna, it needed the rear suspension rebuilt at 70k miles, along with a few other bits and pieces, add to that servicing was very expensive for an ordinary car (apparently its very time consuming to get to the oil filter).
i wouldnt touch one with a pole.
however, my dad had a ’92 clio 1.2 petrol, he only got rid of it last year, and he swears its the best car hes ever owned, done 100k miles with hardly any problems.
its just luck innit.

And because they mostly make the same range of cars with different badges on.

DD – probably only because they’re state supported…

Like duh 😛

Good point all the same – but then, I’d be happy if “we” had anything as strong as the French and German motor industry.

I’ve had a xantia and a 307. They were 4-6yrs old and they had numerous problems, worse than I’d experienced with astras. The 307 was a particular money pit. Brand new they seem ok, my dads c4 has been fine. I’ve now got a similar age skoda octavia and it’s far better built and so far more reliable.

The French motor industry only still exists so that French politician can actually drive around in French cars… 😉

mastiles_fanylion – Member
And because they mostly make the same range of cars with different badges on.

Like the VAG group. Terrible idea.

The French motor industry on exists so that French politician can actually drive around in French cars…

If it was good enough for DeGaulle (massive cliche, soz)

I owned a scenic and the wife a clio and both i thought were poorly made. By that i mean the problems i saw were things you wouldn’t expect from a ‘modern’ car. Things like windows dropping bonnet catch not working and an accelerator cable breaking.

There were other more expensive problems but the ones list above were the ones i attributed to it being a crap French car.

So IMO yes, French cars are crap.

My wife has a Clio…she seems to have a lot of trouble with the ECU.

…and the interior is falling apart.

Doesn’t it take about 6 hours of labour to change a headlight bulb in some Citroens? Something to do with the r/h steering column being an afterthought.

Quite right too – good old French attitude – if we’re going to be so silly as to drive on the wrong side of the road then it’s quite right that we pay the price 🙂

A bit like the attitude to veggies 😀

Like the VAG group. Terrible idea.

And Ford/Mazda too.

My point being there are, as you say, three major manufacturers but they all manufacture essentially the same cars. So there is one manufacturer making lots of cars badged as different manufacturers. Nothing wrong in doing it if it works and it obviously does for the French due to the pricing.

Doesn’t it take about 6 hours of labour to change a headlight bulb in some Citroens? Something to do with the r/h steering column being an afterthought.

That was the megane. Front wheel off to change headlight, worse if it’s hid/xenon

Had 3 Citroens. All faultless.

I quite fancy one of the massive French luxo-barges for swooshing around in, but that’s because I still can’t get over the fact I’ve never owned a DS….

So, a lot of British people are a bit condescending about French cars.

I think it goes back to a time when French cars were often rather quirky – specially Citroens, and a bit like Marmite, some loathed them and some loved them.

They often didn’t fit into what British drivers thought cars should look like and do. Whilst Britain was producing “delux” models, Rovers, MGs, etc, France was also producing no-nonsense basic utility cars to get people from A to B, such as the 2CV and Renault 4.

The French were also coming up with crazy ideas such as the “hatchback” which baffled many in Britain.
A 1938 Citroen :

Although it was the Renault 4 and to a greater extent the subsequent Renault 5, which finally convinced the majority of Britons of the advantages of hatchbacks.

Are French cars as bad as people say? Well if you look at the total sales of Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault in the UK, it would suggest that many owners are very pleased with them.

So there is one manufacturer making lots of cars badged as different manufacturers

There are three.

A laguna is not a C5 is not a 408. Platforms and engines are shared. This is why reliability and consistency have improved. A Clio is not a C2/C3 is not a 207.

Now, if you’re talking vans, then, yes, it’s essentially rebadging across the ranges.

I tried to change the bulbs in my wife’s Clio…I just couldn’t get the clips off as you needed Jeremy Beadles right hand.

Peugots seem to be bought by people whose expectations of cars are stuck in the 60s and are happy to accept a few bits falling off and maybe only one breakdown a year.

I grew up with Japanese cars and consequently I do not expect anything to go wrong with a car ever, and if it did I’d be annoyed.

Out of all the people in real life I knew who had Peugots, only one had not had tons of major issues with it and his was only a year old. Peugot owners seem to adopt a Gallic shrug when you point this out and say ‘ah well, cars break down don’t they?’ Well no, not like that 🙂

Surely the large scale customer surveys are what we should go by?

Having said that I do think they are getting better and I do think the aesthetic and functional design effort that’s gone into modern Citroens could well compensate for reliability.

Peugeot Citroen are one group – PSA Group??, but Renault are / were separate.

I think there is some justification for the fun / practical but tinnily built reputation.

Used to have a couple of 309s in the 90s. Great fun, but made of tin foil. My father still has a Renault Scenic, an this has the same feel (well, the tinny bit, not the fun)

Italian cars a better made.

Yep, PSA = Peugeot and Citroen – common platforms.

Peugeot Citroen are one group – PSA Group??, but Renault are / were separate.

Ah right, fairy Nuff. If that’s true, I stand corrected.

I still “regard” them as different manufacturers. They compete directly don’t they?

The French were also coming up with crazy ideas such as the “hatchback” which baffled many in Britain.
A 1938 Citroen :

Ohh, and the Citroen “Traction Avant”

And not to mention the 2CV with linked suspension for driving over a ploughed field at 40+mph, removeable bench set for a picnic and room for the farmer’s hat 😉

clubber – Member

And not to mention the 2CV with linked suspension for driving over a ploughed field at 40+mph, removeable bench set for a picnic and room for the farmer’s hat

Nobody minded if you used a farmers hankie in it either.

my dci clio served me well for 4+ years. had an electrical problem sorted under warranty and since then very minor problems – there are a few common faults – but that seems to be the case with most cars ime.

did 70mpg, 100mph on the motorway and you could get a pig to market in it mountain bike in the back, perfect.

Citroen Berlingo 118,000 miles from new. Never broken down, Standard wear and tear only. Totally reliable.