Car cylinder woes

[Nick 50]

So I not long ago past my car test. Bought a sensible family car (from a garage) in a Renault Scenic (2002 1.4) 3 months ago and nothing but trouble with it since.

Now have a car running on 2 Cylinders. The coil packs on the middle 2 cylinders can be unplugged whilst engine is on and nothing changes.

Have 2 questions.........

1. Suggestions on how its only running on 2 cylinders and why the engine doesn't die when the 2 coil packs are unplugged?

2. Next question is more of a legal one. About a month after got the car, exhaust started blowing. Took to a different garage who replaced the mid section and also warned that a stud was missing of a flange so may have issue again.
New years day tried to go and visit family and it started running on 3 cylinders so turned back. Took it back to the garage where we bought it. They looked at it and said it had dropped a valve.
Paid £350 (Cash as he had no way of taking card payments) which also included replacing the timing belt and water pump.

So have paid out over £1350 so far and utterly pi$$ed off with it all. Where do I stand legally just taking the car back and demanding my money back???
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Current Bikes: ZX7r 97 (Black Beauty), VFR400 NC24 (The banana)
Previous Bikes: Aprilia Tuono 03 (The Beast), CBR600f (97)
First bike: A GZ125 Lemon.......

[WD Forte]

Dont know the Scenic but 'dropping a valve' is often catastrophic
and would cost a shit load more than £350 to fix
Doesn sound right to me
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[MarJay]

It sounds like a pup, and you've been had. Dropping a valve would normally completely wreck the engine and would sound enormously loud and clattery. You'd know if it had dropped a valve.

A single cylinder engine runs, yes? A twin runs, yes? So why does it seem so strange that a four cylinder engine will run on two? sounds like you need a new centre coil pack.
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[P.addy]

[prawny1]

My dad had one of the old shape scenic and that had burnt out a valve, rather than Dropping one.

A common cause for a loss of two cylinders is a headgasket blown between the two, a compression test will tell you if it is blowing.
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hellkat wrote:

Some people are only alive cos its against the law to kill them.

[Shaft]

There's more to this story.

As mentioned, even paying pound notes (I'm assuming you weren't charged VAT) that's not enough money; the book time for doing a head gasket on one of those (effectively the same job, but replacing/lapping a valve would actually take longer) is nearly 9 hours, so £350 including parts is way off the mark, even if he's doing you a serious favour.

As for the current problem, these cars are renowned for blowing coils and they will run on two cylinders, although obviously not very well.

You've clearly got enough mechanical savvy to check which cylinders aren't working, so swap the good coils into the bad positions and see if anything changes.

If it's not the coils, back to the repairing garage and get them to investigate why the new HG they say they've fittted, seems to have failed.
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[Nick 50]

Just to add, had an independent mechanic out to have a look.

We replaced the 2 middle coil packs and still no joy. He is coming back later to do a compression test and see from there.

The mechanic was of the impression of they didn't do the work claimed or if they did, they hadn't skimmed the head and just stuck a new gasket on and its got between 2 & 3 cylinders.

Had bike 2 years with no problems and its kicking on nearly 50k miles. Buy car had nothing but problems.

Someone's trying to tell me something i think......................

Thanks for the replies
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Current Bikes: ZX7r 97 (Black Beauty), VFR400 NC24 (The banana)
Previous Bikes: Aprilia Tuono 03 (The Beast), CBR600f (97)
First bike: A GZ125 Lemon.......

[MarJay]

[mentalboy]

[Shaft]

[mentalboy]

[robs321]

My mates a Renault mechanic, he told me they are prone to build up around the valve stems (super market petrol doesnt help) this causes valves to not open and close properly. He has made up a rig to run injector cleaner into them and earns quite well from this fix.

[kramdra]

you say it has exhaust issues. A blowing exhaust will often sound like 2 cylinders, sounds horrible. Are you certain ?

350 will buy the absolute minimum of time and perhaps with parts being reused when they shouldnt, thats if the job was even done?

[Rogerborg]

I know you don't want to hear this, but it's a 13 year old French car and if it's running at the moment then your best bet is to get rid of it any way that you can without throwing another penny at it.

The instant my 12 year old C3 needs anything done, it's scrap. Mrs B's last Picasso was scrapped at 8 years. Maybe Renault is different, although it doesn't seem that way.
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[Taught2BCauti...]

Have you tried reading the fault codes?

You can get a BlueTooth adapter that plugs into the diagnostic socket (OBD) for under a fiver off eBay, and it comes with software that runs on a Laptop or Mobile Phone.

You can see if there are any underlying problems with sensors, etc.

I take mine with me if I am looking at used cars, and insist on using it!
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[chris-red]

French Car

https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.13744639.4049/sticker,375x360.u2.png
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[Harold_Shand]

People part ex their knackered cars for new ones. Knackered cars go off to auction. Dealers buy knackered cars. Then people end up with a knackered car. God help the poor fucker that got my Picasso.
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Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[i.p.phrealy]

2 Years i'd have agreed with you regarding French cars.

Until I bought my 306.

https://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y475/i_p_phrealy/DSC_1671_zps18d5561d.jpg

there's no decimal point there, 190k, no rust, minimal MOT work last time round. I just can't kill it!

I only paid £318 in the first place.
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it is impossible to lick your own elbow...
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[mentalboy]

[UncleFester]

Scenic 1.4?

Ugh - get rid of it any way you can without spending another penny on it. The build quality on those things is hateful.

As above, they are famed for electrical gremlins and once they start going wrong - they just become a money pit.
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2017 Z1000SX

[Nick 50]

So a bit of an update.......

[KLR600]

[mentalboy]

[Nick 50]