Yesterday I had a weird thing happen with my Renault Laguna 2.0 petrol estate which I cant get my head around. Its only done 49,000 miles and I have owned it for 2 years with a few electrical problems which they are notorious for. It has a push button starter like most modern cars and for the last 2 years it has started perfectly.
Yesterday I was out visiting a customer and when I went to leave , got in , pressed the starter and nothing , no sign of it starting. Tried taking the key card out , cleaning it but made no difference, no way did it want to start. Phoned my Son who came out with the spare key card and that was the same.
I am now thinking what the fuck is going on so call out the RAC.
Wait a while , he turns up , I explain the problem to him , he gets in the car and it starts straight away!!! He starts it with both key cards and says he cant explain it . I am feeling like a prick for wasting his time.
He leaves and I drive the car home.
Try starting it after 10 minutes and nothing again, completely dead. Try for next 15 minutes with both key cards but no joy.
I am baffled so call out the RAC again.
He turns up and for the second time I explain the problem. He says thats strange , gets in and fuck me it starts straight away!!!!!
I am gob-smacked and say to him you are taking the piss, how the fuck did you just start it!!!
The next bit is really weird , he says to me do you push the clutch pedal down as you start it ? I say, no I have never done that in the 2 years I have owned it. He says , on these cars it wont start unless you push the clutch pedal down as you start it.
I expain to him I have never done it and he says it sholdnt have been able to start for the last 2 years!!!!!!
I get in, do it the way he said and BINGO it starts every time!!
How the fuck do you explain that because it has got me beat?
For 2 years it has started first time without pushing the clutch down and now its decided it will only start with the clutch down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I said do cars have a mind of their own???

 

I'll bet he thought you were a right nutcase haha

 

Possibly a sticking switch or maladjusted switch?

Had that happen to me with a brakelightswitch.

 

well thats 2 mins im never getting back

 

Missus has a Megane convertible with the same system. You should see a message on the dash saying to push clutch or brake when you put the keycard in.

 

There is nothing to tell you to push the clutch down when starting mine but as I said its started fine for 2 years without doing it.

 

I bet you felt like a right cunt didn't you!

 

A bit like when the father in law called the rac out to get his Peugeot automatic started. He didn't realise it had to be in park before it would start even though he had had it about 4 years lol.

 

I certainly did , but the whole episode was weird!

 

mate had volvo automatic.. rang me up saying wont start... i said press the brake pedal...oh yeah he said

 

That's renaults for u :-( cars should go back to the key in ignition and have no more probs I'd say. Modern cars going too far with things now

 

Same as fly by throttle. Whats wrong with a cable.

 

My mums car did the same today. Refused to start. I finally got it started and limped it to the garage. Explained what was wrong. The lad started it up and it was fine. Been fine all day after.

 

Well it is a French car

 

What did you expect with a Renault?

 

i know, probably to do with being able to speed limit the car in certain speed zones, no cable but a potentiometer electronic control, taking away manual control of throttle..

still remember a news thing 20 odd years back saying cars would be speed limited by speed zones in the future,(getting close now i bet) enter a 20 zone thats all the car will do etc..

 

I had always thought they were a good make but it seems loads of people have trouble with the electrics on them. I have replaced 2 lots of drivers door central locking and 2 tailgate locks plus drivers side electric window motor and switches. The drivers side electric window is still playing up, if you open it and then go to close it it goes down not up and then wont close again. I picked my wife up from Heathrow and after opening the window to put the ticket in the machine to open the barrier it stayed down and I drove all the way back to Southampton on a freezing cold day with it wide open!!
I think its time to get something else!!
All this with a car that has only done 49,000 miles!
My 2wd Sapphire that I have had for 21 years has had fewer problems with its so called outdated technology!

 

I've heard nothing but bad! Always seem to have niggly faults, just poor build quality.

 

The first thing I said to myself when I seen the title was, well if it's french I suppose it would . The lot of them need rewiring, new ones included and the placement of them causes a lot of them to chafe against other parts.

 

Have you ever watched herbie? think that answers your question