Renault has started selling refurbished used cars with a warranty. Where can I find them?

An interesting and unexpected turn has taken place in the European car market (or even in the automotive industry): Renault Polska, in cooperation with the brandʼs authorized partner KrubaGroup, has opened the Renew Factory, which repairs used cars of Renault, Dacia and other brands. The project is part of a European strategy and is aimed at selling fully refurbished and certified cars.

Renault Renew Factory in Poland is the first project of its kind in Europe, implemented by the Renault group in cooperation with an authorized service center of the brand, reports the analytical agency Samar. The center, located at the partnerʼs plant in Senkocin Nowy, covers an area of 2,200 m2 and offers a full range of services sufficient to restore vehicle components that have reached the end of their service life. The plant has a parking lot for 600 vehicles awaiting repair.

Refactory certified is a program for the restoration of used Renault and Dacia cars. After the renovation process, which includes bodywork, mechanics and interior work, the cars will be resold. Orders are accepted from both companies and individual customers. Refurbished cars are covered by a special Refactory certified warranty.

Used car recovery methods are part of Groupe Renault’s circular economy strategy. The vehicles are converted using a methodology that reduces resource consumption and waste generation. Renew Factory is committed to using environmentally friendly products. For example, in line with Renault Group standards, all paints used are water-based. Production processes have also been optimised, and a significant part of the electricity comes from a renewable source – a photovoltaic system.

The current production capacity of the renovated plant in the first phase of the project is approximately 300 vehicles per month/3,600 vehicles per year with a planned increase to 5,000 vehicles next year. In 2024, the plant carried out 1,400 certified regenerations, including comprehensive body, mechanical and interior renovations. All reconditioned vehicles are covered by a special 2-year warranty with a mileage limit of up to 80,000 km.

Refactory certified — where to find such cars?

After a restoration process aimed at extending the life of the vehicles, they are certified as “Refactory certified” – a reconditioned used car. Vehicles refurbished at the Renew Factory undergo a detailed technical inspection covering 159 control points, and all repairs are documented in the form of a digital Refactory certificate. This process meets Renault Group standards and aims to guarantee customers that each vehicle has been refurbished with attention to the smallest detail.

You can view cars offered for sale after certified restoration on the official website of the program. You can order the purchase, delivery, certification, and customs clearance of cars from Europe from the West Auto Hub company — all these services are available here with a guarantee and on a turnkey basis.

Manufacturer of new second-hand cars?

The opening of such a car restoration center under the manufacturerʼs brand is a truly interesting event to study. After all, the general focus of all automotive businesses is to increase sales of new cars, accelerate the replacement of cars sold several years ago with new ones, for which regular updates, restylings, or the release of subsequent generations of a particular model are carried out.

Extending the service life of used cars contradicts this strategy, however, as we see in practice, it is the first signal of manufacturers understanding that, despite the wishes of marketers, the service life of a car is more than 10 years (and not the expected 3-4 before replacement with a new one), and forcing sales of new cars causes oversaturation of the secondary market, which in turn again reduces demand for new ones — after all, used ones are not so backward, and are quite suitable for operation for a long time. Accordingly, the presence of a new car manufacturer in the secondary market can help it get a part of this market and financial flows that previously flowed through private workshops and car commissions. Which is quite logical under the current conditions.

Is this really the first project?

Similar principles of working with used equipment are already known. For example, in aviation, the rules are such that each element of an aircraft has its own designated resource and is subject to maintenance or replacement at a precisely defined time (after a certain number of hours of operation, etc.). Only after the completion of scheduled work is the certificate of suitability for operation of each aircraft extended. This is done by manufacturers or companies authorized by them.

Car repair shops also existed in the Soviet era — they restored certain brands of cars there, depending on the specialization of a particular plant, using professional equipment under engineering supervision. However, their goals were different — mostly the repair of cars intended for military needs. Civilian cars then had to be repaired in the usual way at service stations or “garages.”

The most interesting industry for restoring used (and not just used — damaged) cars exists in Ukraine — the repair of auction cars from the USA. If the plant described above in Poland is able to restore about 300 cars per month, with the help of 30 employees, in Ukraine 4-5 thousand cars are restored every month, and the number of craftsmen and workshops involved in this matter is difficult to count. Considering that a well-known automaker has taken up such activities, the degree of skepticism and criticism from those who consider themselves opponents of “beats” should definitely decrease.

It remains to be seen whether this practice will become widespread among other well-known manufacturers, or whether their focus will remain on selling more and more new cars.

• Subscribe to the Telegram channel of the Auto Market Research Institute to receive information first, without advertising and spam.