Vince's xm - 2.1TD daily driver

[Vince]

Well its almost the weekend again where has this week gone?

Work is still going well, the branch is recovering somewhat, but i still despair for some of the staff i have to work with...they cant get basic stuff right like actually calling someone back when you say you will, never mind handle a business recovery situation against stiff competition Well these things are sent to test us i guess.....

On the car front, ive had the company 2011 Renault Scenic for a couple of days now....its horrible Ive read through the manual but the middle clock/speedo display dims to the point that you cant see anything on it when the lights are turned on during the day, you cant see the fuel guage, speedo, nothing, and at night its not much better. Couple that with a complete lack of character, hard seats, poor ride quality and an annoying electric handbrake and it leads to me not being impressed at all im afraid..... I like the design, it looks nice and has a quirky dash, but im not taking to it just yet....Im also going to check the tax situation running a company car, if its dear then they can have it back and ill run the xm instead

I took the xm out tonight in the snow and cold, what a relief to drive a proper car Ah....whatever happened to cars?.....its like they've lost their way over the years in the pursuit of being more modern, they have added gizmos etc but lost something....

[russ92xmsed]

Tell me about it Vince. It is a pet hate of mine that all modern cars have to be Germanic to sell. In the good ol days of the XM, there was far more choice of character. Shame the Renault is a disappointment. Renaults were always renowned for comfort and fluid ride and dynamics. Pity.

On the up side, at least you have the solution! Glad the new job is going well.

[Dieselman]

Im also going to check the tax situation running a company car, if its dear then they can have it back and ill run the xm instead

It depends on the business and private mileage you will do in the car and whether they will pay a reasonable recompense for not having a company car.

If your business miles are low and private miles are high, a company car makes sense, if the other way round and they will pay a decent figure, then look at the other option.

Most companies wouldn't allow an older car to be used, though.

[captainhaddock]

Interesting reading again. I never saw a recent Scenic in Ireland recently but I say a brand new one lately in Portsmouth. I thought it looked rather well compared to all the average .......t but I didn't know how it drives.....I would have hoped for more comfortable seats and better dashboards, especially since I know the previous Scenic has bad malfunctions in the dashboard area, where owners have to pay lots of money to get that sorted.

[russ92xmsed]

Of course there is that question of spec. Lower the spec the more uncomfortable the car is. Used to be like that.
A basic Laguna II 1.9DCI is utter garbage compared to say the 2.0 turbo model. They are like chalk and cheese. I know from a back to back test drive.....

[Vince]

It looks like I'll be keeping the scenic for now. The company won't allow you to visit customers in a non company vehicle and that's a big part of my job. Oh we'll, I got a £5k payrise coming into this job so if I view it as only £4k then I've got another vehicle and I'm still better off.....

[Vince]

Hooray the sun is out!!! and the snow is gone

I havent driven the xm in the recent snow, Its been sat nicely on the drive albeit covered in a thick layer of the stuff. I didnt want it out in the salt although the arches and the underside of the strut top mounts have been recently re-undersealed and the subframes hammerited.

Yesterday whilst it was thawing, i took a watering can with warm water to the car and removed all traces of snow from all the nooks and crannies. Today ill take it out for a run to blue planet aquarium and back which is about a 60 mile round trip or so....give the battery a good charge after being sat for a few days. I have noticed that although its got a Bosch battery fitted it does lose charge and is hard to turn over after about a week in the cold not being used. A new one i think will be needed for next winter.

After driving the scenic all week, i took the xm for a run to my sisters the other night. It was a very satisfying trip and reminded me of why i love it so much. The renault for a start has a key card...is you take the credit card style key and plug into a slot then its a push button start and al radio controls are stalk mounted etc. Electronic handbrake etc. It felt "quaint" turning an ignition key in a barrel and having to reach down to the stereo to change things.....ahh...the way things should be done

Im such a stubborn bugger for the advance of technology.....i only like technology when its past its initial "got to have it" frenzy. I then can enjoy its benefits without the pretension of following the masses....

Im a big fan of design though and that is a blend of appearance and function so perhaps a bit of contradiction in my own mind?

Who cares.....ive still got one of the most striking designed cars inside and out ever sat on my drive right now

[Dieselman]

I have noticed that although its got a Bosch battery fitted it does lose charge and is hard to turn over after about a week in the cold not being used. A new one i think will be needed for next winter.

Fitting new battery clamps will probably solve the problem.

[Vince]

Well im back.... The blue planet aquarium was great. I think me and Linda enjoyed it more than Jack...touching stingrays and seeing sharks swimming right over your head...i love underwater stuff anyway.

The xm was treated to a nice steady run over and back at 70mph and as usual performed faultlessly

I managed to get back just in time to grab the last bit of daylight and vacummed the interior out and treated all the plastics inside. I also applied a liberal coat of silicone based feed to the tyres which will soak in overnight and put some conditioning back into the sidewalls after being frozen and salted throughout the winter.

I might grab a night this week and take it to my mates garage for a good wash and hand wax and feed all the rubber trims on the bodywork. Gentle recommissioning into hopefully warmer weather to come and the worst of winter behind us?

I still havent had a good look around my new branch yet to see just what we stock for xm's and also on the care care front....something for one afternoon this week i think

Ill check the battery clamps Will but i didnt see any problem with them last time i inspected them. I could also do with checking the service history to see when the battery was fitted.

[CitroJim]

I love those aquariums too Vince... You are almost or as good as under water with them. magical

The xm was treated to a nice steady run over and back at 70mph and as usual performed faultlessly

Of course!

As did mine today...