I raised the same thing with my local mechanic, whose thoughts were that it was indeed strange that there's no mention in the owner's handbook/servicing schedule of ever changing the transmission fluid in the Koleos' CVT box. I recently bought a WS Fiesta, 2009 same as the Koleos, with a 4-speed torque converter gearbox and it's the same, no mention of a fluid change. The manual did say it should have had a new timing belt, so that was fitted although turned into a bit of a nightmare. Thankfully the Koleos has a chain, although I'm only up to 93k km anyway. The Fiesta's box got a small top-up because the driveshaft seal had been leaking and was replaced.
Koleos Hints, Tips, Problems
- Thread starter 85Fuego
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I replaced the driver's side visor at about the 3.5 year mark i.e. just outside warranty expiration. We have the Privilege with beige interior: a new visor like the original was close to $300. I bought a beige one without the make-up light for just over $200 instead. I don't wear make-up
I'd imagine there aren't too many beige interior Koleoses at wreckers. The visor and the windcreen scuttle ends are the two most annoying and egregious purchases I've needed to make. That, and needing to repaint the hideously expensive factory towbar thanks to paint falling off and resulting rust. Cheers, Mike.
I replaced the driver's side visor at about the 3.5 year mark i.e. just outside warranty expiration. We have the Privilege with beige interior: a new visor like the original was close to $300. I bought a beige one without the make-up light for just over $200 instead. I don't wear make-up
You'll be pleased to know, Mike, that a Koleos continues to function perfectly without either or both scuttle end trims. Mine's been without now for about four years. My drivers sunvisor has had a bluetooth receiver hanging off it permanently since new and the visor doesn't fall down or need replacing after ten years. I rarely need to use the visor as I'm nearly 184cm, and the vertically challenged could make use of a standard Koleos feature to avoid needing to use the sunvisor as often or until it breaks:- the height adjustable driver's seat. A tip for those that don't like the silver trim around the central binnacle on the early model: wear polarised sunglasses during daylight hours and you'll never notice it.
Hi Fred17, good to hear from you. You certainly have 'burst on to the scene' with a volley of issues you seem to be having with your Koleos. Being in Tasmania, did you buy one of the ex Hire vehicles there? I did, and am very happy with mine after nearly five years.
I cannot comment on most of the points you make except for the 'ambient temperature reading' issue: that is normal if the car has been standing in the hot sun for a while and reverts to the correct temp once you get moving or pull into the shade. We discussed that on here before. Happy motoring!
I've had the same problem, and I live in Tasmania. Furthermore, my original display was replaced under warranty (albeit 6 years ago now). It was worse before I cleared out my garage to allow room for the Koleos, when it was parked outside it would be flashing every time I went to drive it on summer days (and many other days too). Even on a warm day in the garage it's a bit blinky, but settles down somewhat when I drive it.
Hi Breitie,
I haven't really had too many issues with the car. far fewer than a slightly abused Ford Fiesta (German-made) I picked up recently. It's only 2 months older than the Koleos, but rather more kms. I've been pretty quiet in the forum, because I study at UTAS and had a fairly heavy study load up until late October. I'm aware of the "sitting car" issue with regard to ambient temperature- my job used to be reading thermometers, amongst other weather stuff, and have mounted aftermarket therms in my cars for years. The Fiesta is black, and parked outside, so its ambient temp is way out until I've driven a few kms. My beef with the Koleos display is the flickering others are getting, plus only reading to a whole degree C. Given that I had therms to check against the first display was way out, like 2-3 degrees C. To someone like me that's useless. The replacement unit is OK in terms of "reasonable" accuracy but after 6 years it's flickering badly when the interior's warm to hot.
I haven't really had too many issues with the car. far fewer than a slightly abused Ford Fiesta (German-made) I picked up recently. It's only 2 months older than the Koleos, but rather more kms. I've been pretty quiet in the forum, because I study at UTAS and had a fairly heavy study load up until late October. I'm aware of the "sitting car" issue with regard to ambient temperature- my job used to be reading thermometers, amongst other weather stuff, and have mounted aftermarket therms in my cars for years. The Fiesta is black, and parked outside, so its ambient temp is way out until I've driven a few kms. My beef with the Koleos display is the flickering others are getting, plus only reading to a whole degree C. Given that I had therms to check against the first display was way out, like 2-3 degrees C. To someone like me that's useless. The replacement unit is OK in terms of "reasonable" accuracy but after 6 years it's flickering badly when the interior's warm to hot.
Hi Kim, No doubt the cars continue to function without the scuttle. I believe the material's improved because my replacements have been on the car for close to 6 years. I am 187cm tall (down from 191!!!!) and only use the sun visor occasionally. I really do dislike them falling down in front of my eyes. As with the scuttles, the replacement is going fine after 6 years or so. I don't have any issues with the silver trim. One slight issue I've had has been the light brown paint coming off the steering wheel. My interior's in pretty good shape and patches on the wheel annoy me. I made it worse one day by not drying my hands properly after using that hospital germ gel. It's an excellent paint-stripper!
I bought my Fiesta through Carsales, and signed up for My garage this morning. The average sales price for my model is $7100. Out of idle curiosity I entered the Koleos too. I was utterly shocked to find that a 2009 petrol Privilege sells on average for $8000. Luckily I have our car insured for Agreed Value, or a bit over $13k. That's shocking depreciation for a car that cost me $54k. The Fiesta sold new in the low 20s (ours is a Zetec auto). Goes to show too that expensive options like sunroof are worth nothing down the track.
This sort of depreciation is a sad fact with modern Renaults. My Renault Laguna V6 Privilege X sold for $60,000 in 2002. I bought it in 2016 for $1700. The two previous owners wore all the depreciation.
Interesting! I have a black leather-bound wheel on my 2008 which is still in quite reasonable condition, no worn patches.
What you think you might get and what you end up getting when you sell your car is a movable feast, depending on the dealer, what you are buying, the time of the year and the relative popularity of the two vehicles. Sadly, it appears modern Renaults are only appreciated for their depreciation by the second hand market.........
I'd observe that cars 10-15 years old tend to have depreciated a fair bit, in line with the proportion of their reliable life that has been expended. Renaults might be a bit worse than some, although a bloke I know has just bought a sensationally good and good model VW Golf for $5K. It's like new. What a buy.
Our Scenics were pretty cheap, well under $10K, but they are manuals, with most demand clearly being for automatics.
That Laguna depreciated $58K in 14 years, that is an average of $4K per year, or about a pint of Guinness per day. :adrink: Mind you, I'm glad the first five years of it wasn't MY money!!! Several Guinnesses per day in the early years....
Our Scenics were pretty cheap, well under $10K, but they are manuals, with most demand clearly being for automatics.
That Laguna depreciated $58K in 14 years, that is an average of $4K per year, or about a pint of Guinness per day. :adrink: Mind you, I'm glad the first five years of it wasn't MY money!!! Several Guinnesses per day in the early years....
I think 2nd hand Renaults are great value, especially if you find one that has been basically looked after.
The Laguna had a few issues when I bought it, but nothing a few hours work could not fix. There was a few oil leaks, cam belt change, a few electrical gremlins like window and hazard light switches and a few suspension parts.
The Laguna had a few issues when I bought it, but nothing a few hours work could not fix. There was a few oil leaks, cam belt change, a few electrical gremlins like window and hazard light switches and a few suspension parts.
I have the beige leather wheel and it does have some wear on the 2-10 positions as would be expected.
The main issue is the leather has worn smooth so is slippery when one's hands are wet (The AC doesn't always cool down the car fast enough on really hot days).
I've fitted an aftermarket leather steering wheel cover which is softer. not slippery, and supposedly ventilated and it's doing fine.
COOLANT REPLACEMENT : KOLEOS
Once again the age old question of "time versus distance" rears its puzzling head.
We discussed this before regarding engine oil changes. I notice for the Kadjar the distance travelled is now specified as 30,000km.
The same applies to coolant: when to replace it? Surely a quality coolant should last a while?
Nulon claim 500,000km for theirs, in 6 years. They do not qualify this by specifying type of vehicle or operating conditions.
One can expect that the Renault coolant in the Koleos is of at least comparable quality? Probably made by Nulon or equal anyway.
Two more questions:
(1) What is the significance of the different colour coolants: blue versus pink versus green?
(2) Is there a stop-cock fitted to the bottom of the radiator of the Koloes for easy draining?
On the Scenic there was NO facility for draining the coolant, which meant undoing the bottom hose,
a bitch of a job. Does this lack of a draining facility indicate that draining was not needed or anticipated?
I must confess that the cynic in me believes that the twelve-monthly intervals are specified for the benefit of the dealership,
in order to make you bring the car in at regular intervals, because that is how they survive. However, I know from very costly
experience that they usually find several other things to replace while they have your car. That is part of the 'game'.
One horriffic example I have experienced is when the 'Service Manager' phoned me and said that my entire brake system needed replacing. I said: "Don't do anything until I come in and have a look." When I got there they had my car on the lift and showed me alarming leakages of some sort of oil from each brake cylinder. The stuff was literally dripping out! Close inspection revealed that they had squirted oil into the rubber dust caps of each brake cylinder to simulate the 'leaks'.
And that is not an isolated incident. I can recount many others. Had tyres fitted the other day and was told, once again, that I needed new brake shoes and rotors all round. I said, "maybe some other time" and went home to measure and inspect the pads and rotors myself. You can guess what I found!
Have a merry Christmas, to those of you who are not offended, and a very prosperous, happy and above all, healthy New Year!
Once again the age old question of "time versus distance" rears its puzzling head.
We discussed this before regarding engine oil changes. I notice for the Kadjar the distance travelled is now specified as 30,000km.
The same applies to coolant: when to replace it? Surely a quality coolant should last a while?
Nulon claim 500,000km for theirs, in 6 years. They do not qualify this by specifying type of vehicle or operating conditions.
One can expect that the Renault coolant in the Koleos is of at least comparable quality? Probably made by Nulon or equal anyway.
Two more questions:
(1) What is the significance of the different colour coolants: blue versus pink versus green?
(2) Is there a stop-cock fitted to the bottom of the radiator of the Koloes for easy draining?
On the Scenic there was NO facility for draining the coolant, which meant undoing the bottom hose,
a bitch of a job. Does this lack of a draining facility indicate that draining was not needed or anticipated?
I must confess that the cynic in me believes that the twelve-monthly intervals are specified for the benefit of the dealership,
in order to make you bring the car in at regular intervals, because that is how they survive. However, I know from very costly
experience that they usually find several other things to replace while they have your car. That is part of the 'game'.
One horriffic example I have experienced is when the 'Service Manager' phoned me and said that my entire brake system needed replacing. I said: "Don't do anything until I come in and have a look." When I got there they had my car on the lift and showed me alarming leakages of some sort of oil from each brake cylinder. The stuff was literally dripping out! Close inspection revealed that they had squirted oil into the rubber dust caps of each brake cylinder to simulate the 'leaks'.
And that is not an isolated incident. I can recount many others. Had tyres fitted the other day and was told, once again, that I needed new brake shoes and rotors all round. I said, "maybe some other time" and went home to measure and inspect the pads and rotors myself. You can guess what I found!
Have a merry Christmas, to those of you who are not offended, and a very prosperous, happy and above all, healthy New Year!
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1. There is no significance of the colour really. Consider it irrelevant. All modernish Renaults (as far as I know) should have Type D. It is a premium product, available in pre mix for from dealers at reasonable price.
2. Dont know, my mechanic replaced it around 60k, 5 years.
Jo
"............where angels fear to tread!" Thank you jo proffi for the advice, although it seems that similar to oils, 'coolants ain't coolants' and there is a significant difference between colours and specifications, and some should not be mixed at all. I will have to proceed with caution.
According to the general wisdom, Renault Type D should be green. However, the stuff in my Koleos is blue, like 'genuine' Nissan coolant.
Different manufacturers of coolants make all sorts of claims. The green Type A Nulon 500K 6-year stuff is claimed to be suitable for Renaults and most other modern cars. Pour it down the gurgler, do you think?
Best to stick with the OEM Renault Type D stuff I suppose, just to be safe.
PS: I notice the discussion on coolants in the 'Technical' thread. Did not see that before. Sorry.
According to the general wisdom, Renault Type D should be green. However, the stuff in my Koleos is blue, like 'genuine' Nissan coolant.
Different manufacturers of coolants make all sorts of claims. The green Type A Nulon 500K 6-year stuff is claimed to be suitable for Renaults and most other modern cars. Pour it down the gurgler, do you think?
Best to stick with the OEM Renault Type D stuff I suppose, just to be safe.
PS: I notice the discussion on coolants in the 'Technical' thread. Did not see that before. Sorry.
Hello again jo proffi, thank you for staying with me on this subject. I trust I am not wasting your time too much. Maybe others can learn something as well.
Whenever it is time for me to do some 'maintenance' on my car/s I am forced to 'educate' myself in order to do it properly. Very useful exercise each time.
Well, the stuff in my Koleos is definitely blue, well perhaps aquamarine, may have been topped up with green at some stage.
I have printed out the instructions for changing the coolant from the workshop manual. Not difficult. Will do it as soon as I have the correct coolant.
And yes, the Koloes has a convenient stop-cock at the bottom of the radiator and a drain plug in the side of the engine block. However, to reach the stop-cock I have to remove the plastic shield under the engine - a nuisance because I have to get down and dirty. I might just pull off the bottom radiator hose that I can reach from the top. Much easier. Relatively speaking.
I will contact a Renault dealer and ask them about their 'Type D' coolant, and the colour thereof. Probably order it at the same time.
Last point: interesting to see that Nulon have a super duper one-size-fits-all coolant they call "ONE" 100% Concentrate Type A, good for 10 years and one million km (I should live that long!) that is yellow in colour, actually more beige like cafe late. Perhaps the same as Renault's? I still need to learn what the difference is between Type D and Type A. And, they are adamant that this "ONE" stuff must NOT be mixed with either green, red or blue coolant!
Thanks again for sharing your experience and wisdom.
Have fun and a great New Year. Happy and safe motoring.
Hi Breitie, Not wasting my time at all.
I'm not an authority on coolant, nor am I an industrial chemist, but I know that coolant colour is not a good indicator.
Green blue red...whatever, we can all do a lot better that to used those descriptions, otherwise I'll call my tyres black ones.
It is well reported to not mix different coolant types or risk the dreaded Gell formation.
You don't really need to know the specs of Type D, knowing that doesn't help your engine cool, or its inners from corroding. Simply using the stuff in your cooling system is enough. If you need to find out more, good luck, info is scarce.
But it is a good product, and comparable in price to other brands and formulas.
Having a modern Renault, coolant really is simple.
Buy two bottles of Type D coolant from dealer, empty old coolant, flush with a bit of de mineralised water then replace with new coolant, keeping the left over from the second bottle for the occasional top up over the next few years.
Good luck, Jo