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Author Topic: Double the Espace  (Read 4291 times)
Espace Atlantic
Jr. Member
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Posts: 25



« on: December 01, 2015, 02:16:25 pm »

We had one Espace for a long time ('96 2.0 J63), and this fall we bought another ('07 2.0DCI). The immediate reason for getting the second, was that service/maintainance of the first was beginning to involve long waiting periods for parts (it took almost 3 weeks before our mechanic got the injectors he needed). Then the clutch wire broke one day and I realized we finally needed some Espace redundancy in order to keep the groceries arriving and the kids getting to practice.

One implication of this was that our two-car garage could no longer be half-devoted to the bicycles, tools, and miscellaneous stuff which long had filled it up to the point that you could hardly close the door entirely.

This is leading me to some useful Espace-related advice for anyone like us, situated in a cold climate, Norway in this case.

Last winter (at its coldest) the J63's windshield washer fluid needed refilling, but upon pouring the fluid in I soon noticed that it was continuing to run down to the garage floor...  While considering what I had to do to get at the washer fluid tank, I noticed that on top of the air filter housing there were a few fresh rat droppings. A rat was not only climbing up on the comforting warm engine, he or she was also having a nibble here and there on various parts nearby. I admit I felt some sympathy for this Espace-friendly rat, in the depth of winter.

Out with the air filter housing, and I was able to see the bottom of the washer fluid tank.  Oh no! The rubber hoses there had been gnawed off, and the rat had evidently drunk our washer fluid...

I fixed the hoses, and we never saw another sign of that inebriated rat in the engine compartment. But this winter I'm delighted that we can properly shut both garage doors so when the weather gets cold no new rats will be enticed by warm Espaces.

 Wink
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96 Espace 2.0 'Atlantic'
07 Espace 2.0DCI 'Privilege'
renaultsan
Full Member
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Posts: 98


« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2015, 05:10:55 pm »

Nice tha you bought another one as a back up. So many people get the odd problem with an older car and scrap it, never understood the logic of that when a repair would be cheaper than buying something else.
We had a similar leaking washer problem on our 1990 Espace but it turned out to be the gland around one of the washer pumps, an easy fix.
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Renault Alpine GTA D500
Renault 25 V6 Automatic
Renault 25 TXI Multivalve
1990 Renault Espace
1974 Renault 15 TL 1300
1978 Renault 15 GTL 1300
Renault 25 GTX 2,2
Renault Extra 1.9 Diesel Vans (2)
Espace Atlantic
Jr. Member
**
Posts: 25



« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2015, 01:25:34 pm »

 Cheesy

The newer Espace isn't so much a backup as a fresher, safer, and more modern version for the family - with the J63 soon becoming 20yrs old it has for a while been a little eccentric, not to have a newer vehicle.
In Norway where a lot of salt is used on the roads, any other cars that age most often have a lot of rust, and the J63's fiberglass body/hot galvanized frame is still in very good condition. It looks good and it surprises people if I mention its age -  but I've got some suspension arms that will soon be needing rust treatment or replacement.

The safety aspect has been on my mind for a while. I had to open up the passenger front door to get at the electric window mechanism last summer (I still need a new mechanism), and saw the lack of reinforcements there, in case of accident.

The J63, with good studded winter tires (Conti Ice in our case) is on snow and ice perhaps the best handling 7 seater car ever? Because of its lightness and lower center of gravity.
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96 Espace 2.0 'Atlantic'
07 Espace 2.0DCI 'Privilege'
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