Renault Koleos Problems

It’s not something I’ve heard of, to be honest, but there are really only a handful of ways to get wet carpet. The first is that the windscreen or side glass is leaking and allowing water in. The other chance is that there’s a rubber bung or seal missing from the floorpan that is allowing water splashed up under the car to dampen the carpet. I’ve even seen worn or damaged door seals allow rainwater to be sucked into a car on the move.

The first thing I’d check would be the condition of the door and window seals and make sure there’s nothing stuck to them. Even a tiny twig or piece of leaf-litter can break the seal and allow water in overnight.

If it’s none of those things, then you have to start looking at possibilities such as a leak from the heater matrix. This is a serious hassle as often the whole dashboard has to be removed to replace the matrix. But your car should still be under factory warranty, so I reckon it’s back to the dealership and an in-depth look at what’s going on. Don’t forget, too, that even though the water is pooling in the passenger’s footwell, it could be entering the car elsewhere.

I contacted Renault Australia about this, Trevor. But it seems they need to know the trim level and precise model before they can offer an answer. Apparently, different specifications across the Koleos range meant that some variants had a different clock in a different dashboard which required a different technique to reset. Have you asked at a dealership?

You should try to haggle, you’ve nothing to lose, the dealer can only say “no”. I would try to beat him down on the delivery costs.

As the dealer caused the problem that is your starting point. Put your case to them, stating your concern about the car and what they did, and ask for a refund or a replacement car. If the response is not to your satisfaction go to the NSW consumer affairs people and seek their assistance in resolving the matter.

You would likely pay $24,000 to $27,000.

It’s still under warranty, so take the Koleos to your dealer to have it checked.

No. While it’s annoying and potentially damaging there’s no quick fix for your problem. It’s clearly an intermittent one, and they are the most difficult for mechanics to trace and fix. I suggest you talk to the dealer, and also Renault’s technical support people, to make sure they understand your concerns and are actively trying to fix it.

You don’t say what the transmission is, but I will guess that it’s a CVT, which was one of the automatic transmissions offered by Renault in 2011. I haven’t heard of such a problem with the transmission of the Koleos before, and it could be that it needs servicing and the oil replacing. Take it to a Renault dealer and have it checked.

It sounds about right to me. Replacing a clutch in a car today is not a cheap exercise.

Every car has to meet the Australian safety standards before it can be sold here. It doesn’t matter whether it’s made in France, Japan, Korea, or Outer Mongolia. If it doesn’t meet our standards it doesn’t get in. It is possible to get the approval to sell here based on testing that has been done overseas, in places such as Europe, which is where the Koleos was tested. There is no reason to fear that the Koleos doesn’t meet our standards, or that it is unsafe in any way.