Overview and Common Failures
The car body holds up well, but the paintwork is weak and quickly wears off. Chips are most often found under the windshield, around the trunk lid, in the rear door frames, basically anywhere where metal parts can come into contact.
The interior is excellent in terms of materials and soundproofing, however, the quality of assembly is lacking. Rattles and squeaks can appear from the first kilometers, and the leather inserts on the seats and steering wheel wear out fairly quickly. There are also quite a few issues with the electrical system: the stereo malfunctions, the climate control system is glitchy, and the heater motor has a limited lifespan.
The 1.6-liter 16-valve K4M engine with a cast iron block has a huge lifespan and is the only one in the Fluence range that features hydraulic tappets. Its downsides include weak electrics, a timing belt, and an unreliable camshaft phaser. The 1.6-liter 16-valve H4M engine has an aluminum cylinder block but cannot boast a long lifespan. Moreover, it often consumes oil. However, it has a timing chain and does not bother its owners with minor issues too often. The 2.0-liter 16-valve M4R engine is also fully aluminum, with a timing chain, and tends to consume oil from the first kilometers. But otherwise, it does not cause any major problems. The only thing to note is that the spark plugs and cylinder head gasket tightening torque need to be strictly observed as they are very delicate here.
The reliable 5-speed manual gearbox JR5 was installed with the K4M engine and is well known from other models. It is a bit noisy and the gear shifts are not very precise, but it works perfectly and does not bother the owner with anything besides buzzing bearings and oil leaks. In the first year of production, there were defective clutch discs, which were replaced under warranty. After the facelift, the M4R engine was paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox TL4. It operates more quietly, has precise gear shifts, and does not cause any problems for the owner. All manual transmissions have a cable control drive, which can freeze in winter. The 4-speed automatic gearbox DP2 was offered with the K4M engine before the facelift and is an updated version of the notorious DP0. Many of the predecessor's shortcomings have already been eliminated, but problems with overheating, low bushing and solenoid regulator lifespan remain. The 2.0-liter power unit M4R was equipped with a continuously variable transmission FK0, which was replaced by Jatco JF016E after the update. Separate and quite detailed materials are available on these automatic transmissions. The 1.6-liter power unit H4M was equipped with another CVT DK0 or Jatco JF015E, which often failed, even at relatively low mileage. However, if the oil is changed every 60,000 km, it is thoroughly warmed up before driving, and slippage is never allowed, then it can serve reliably up to 150,000 - 200,000 km.
The suspension is soft, energy-consuming, and durable, but the sedan is prone to body roll and pitching. Only some owners change the front control arms or ball joints at around 100,000 km. The weak point is the dust boots of the front shock absorbers, which wear out in just 30,000 km. The steering rack starts to make noise relatively quickly, but you can still drive like this for a very long time. More frequently, complaints can be found online about the rather strange settings of the electric power steering. The brakes are reliable, sometimes there is abrasion of the hoses or freezing of the handbrake. The rear brake discs are combined with the hubs, so replacing them can be quite expensive.
