View Full Version : Renault Clio buying advice...
I'm thinking about getting a 1.5dCi 100bhp Clio. Its a 54 plate with 13K on the clock. I'm torn, I like the look of the car, test driving it tonight and have read that its quite fast but equally I have heard stories about dodgy electrics and bad dealer service.
Anyone had any experience of Renault build quality etc?
Any advice appreciated
Dude... they're FRENCH. Should explain it all. :lol:
;)
Edit: seriously though, I've never heard anyone say anything good about french cars.
Lift up the rear boot carpets and check that there is no ripples in the body work floor.
Recently bought a 52 plate Megane for the wife, only had 18000 miles but had been the demonstrator for the dealership before its last owner so its got all the toys 8)
I must say the past experiences of French cars I've had made me very wary of this car but she was adamant she wanted it so I agreed. The only problems we've had were the radio wouldn't pick up anything (repaired under warranty) and the stupid on board computer system. The tyres have (expensive) pressure sensors in the valves which are linked to the seperate corners, so swapping tyres around means that the whole thing loses the plot and doesn't then seem to know its a*se from its elbow :roll: That said, we've only been swapping tyres because shes managed to get 2 flipping punctures in the past 3 weeks.
Other than that the build quality is much, much better than I thought it was going to be - almost on a par with my 06 Toyota Avensis - and its really comfortable for a hatchback and the majotiry of the front end is plastic so will never rust.
Can't really comment on the Clio, but a friend of ours has a petrol sporty looking 53 plate and she hasn't had any problems with it.
Lift up the rear boot carpets and check that there is no ripples in the body work floor.
Looking for accident damage or is there something else?
Lift up the rear boot carpets and check that there is no ripples in the body work floor.
Looking for accident damage or is there something else?
Small cars are very easy to damage the floor at the rear with even slow shunts from the rear.
454697819
11-12-06, 11:25 AM
I'm thinking about getting a 1.5dCi 100bhp Clio. Its a 54 plate with 13K on the clock. I'm torn, I like the look of the car, test driving it tonight and have read that its quite fast but equally I have heard stories about dodgy electrics and bad dealer service.
Anyone had any experience of Renault build quality etc?
Any advice appreciated
imho i have no more problems with french cars than any other,
my brand new 1.5dci megane broke at 56 miles that's not 56k that's 056, but dealers were good and sorted it eventually.
just remember, don't pay a alot or it will be worth nothing in a couple of years, unless you get a popular model, plus the new Clio is out too.
economical though.... i have the weedy 85bhp it does good mpg
Steve H
11-12-06, 11:55 AM
Dude... they're FRENCH. Should explain it all. :lol:
;)
Edit: seriously though, I've never heard anyone say anything good about french cars.
I thought that you were trying to sell a Renault.
Not doing it many favours with statements like that! :wink:
Why do you think I'm trying to sell it? :lol:
It's comfy and seems to be reliable (never heard mum complaining about it) but it's GUTLESS and NO FUN TO DRIVE. :P I know there are people who prefer cars like that but I'm not one of 'em.
:lol:
I've had Citroens and Peugeots in the past (diesel and petrol) and they have been fine, decent, comfortable cars with no sign of gremlins.
I had a 1.9 litre Clio back in 1994 and that was a great little car; went like stink and was totally reliable.
However, Mrs Jabba's Megane Scenic 1.6 RXE is the most unreliable pile of motoring crap we've ever owned. Electrical gremlins have been expensive to rectify this year and have caused the car to break down twice. Its 4 years old and only done 27k miles.
Advice? Steer clear of Renaults as their electrics are worse than those of Italian motorbikes. Don't think that the diesels will be better than petrol ones because they won't; modern diesels are as complicated as modern petrol cars which wasn't the case when I owned my diesel Clio.
Want a French diesel? Buy Peugeot.
DanDare
11-12-06, 12:14 PM
The Missus and I got an 05 Clio 1.2 Extreme last May.
Renault Dealer was great, very helpful. No problems with the car touch wood.
I've owned 3 french cars now and I have to admit their the most reliable cars I've ever owed and I have driven quite a few cars in my time.
I would have thought that the 100bhp version with deisel torque will be a pretty nippy motor.
I've had a 1.4 petrol clio 75bhp, have curently got a 2.0 16v Renaultsport 182. About to own a crappy old 1.2 clio.
Dealerships... I've always receieved good service from the swindon franchise. The dealerships seem expensive, but are probably in line with everywhere else (£60-70/hour for labour iirc). When you take the 182 in there you get treated like royalty too... the dealership in skipton were very good with the mrs when she bought the car. I had a service in the Burnley dealership too who sorted out some warranty work (erm CV joint i think) with no problems.
The only major problem i had with my clio was a coil pack that went at 60,000 miles. Their diagnostic process was a bit rubbish, and they replaced the wrong part (at my cost) before finding the problem. but then it was an intermittant fault so perhaps thats not so bad. Servicing was always done in a timely manner and i didn't get the feeling they were taking the ****... e.g. they only ever suggested changing parts i thought needed doing anyway.
I actually think that the trim insude the new clios is good quality for a car at that price point, i thought that the drive and comfort were very good.
The only major problem i had with my clio was a coil pack that went at 60,000 miles. Their diagnostic process was a bit rubbish.......
Exactly the same problem as our Megane..........
Cheers for the advice guys, seems like a split in opinions! Think I'll reserve judgment until I test drive it tonight. I was going to say that the dealer has been very helpful so far but then again he will be until he gets the sale :D
The only major problem i had with my clio was a coil pack that went at 60,000 miles. Their diagnostic process was a bit rubbish.......
Exactly the same problem as our Megane..........
it seems coil packs are common failures on anything... look how many SV's have reg/rec failures :x .
I was actually going to replace it myself when it was intermittantly stopping, but the car died for good and i got towed to the garage... where it briefly started then died again. There was corrosion on a relay box which they replaced... and the problem didn't go away so they did the coil pack.
454697819
12-12-06, 09:09 PM
in addition to my comments above i can unfortunately vouch for the Renaults ability to take knocks.. i was rear ended this afternoon quite badly damaging the car that hit me, and my 06 megane went away with nothing more than a knackered bumper.
i have a sore back and a headache to sort out but other than that, Renault's might be french and what have you but i do like the 5 star n cap thingy re assured me!!
jimmy4237
12-12-06, 10:08 PM
Turn round both ways in tight turning circles during a test drive - If you hear any squeaking coming from the front hubs, then the CV Boots are burst, hence no grease to lubricate the front hub bearings. Tis a bugger of a job to replace the CV Boots. You've to practically strip out the entire suspension, brakes and hubs simply to get the driveshaft out, then your gearbox oil comes ****ing out onto the garage floor if you don't catch it on time.
A good tell tale sign of burst CV boots is grease splattered all over the front suspension and brake calipers.
Otherwise, being french, it's a bit rattly in places. Just re-tighten the screws where necessary.
The 1.5dci diesel in 100bhp is a flying machine, and very frugal on diesel. The 100bhp version will happily cruise away at 90mph with ease. Expect no less than 55mpg or better on a run. Avoid the 85bhp version diesel - they're gutless.
Also avoid the 1.2 8v and 16v versions. They're sore on fuel and are very revvy. Get a 1.4 16v 100bhp petrol if you prefer a petrol version. They're less sore on fuel and are more punchier.
If the petrol versions start running on 3 cylinders, then a spark plug lead holder has packed in. They're now connected to the coil via electric wires and each holder is £30 each :shock:
454697819
13-12-06, 07:48 AM
Turn round both ways in tight turning circles during a test drive - If you hear any squeaking coming from the front hubs, then the CV Boots are burst, hence no grease to lubricate the front hub bearings. Tis a bugger of a job to replace the CV Boots. You've to practically strip out the entire suspension, brakes and hubs simply to get the driveshaft out, then your gearbox oil comes p*ssing out onto the garage floor if you don't catch it on time.
A good tell tale sign of burst CV boots is grease splattered all over the front suspension and brake calipers.
Otherwise, being french, it's a bit rattly in places. Just re-tighten the screws where necessary.
The 1.5dci diesel in 100bhp is a flying machine, and very frugal on diesel. The 100bhp version will happily cruise away at 90mph with ease. Expect no less than 55mpg or better on a run. Avoid the 85bhp version diesel - they're gutless.
Also avoid the 1.2 8v and 16v versions. They're sore on fuel and are very revvy. Get a 1.4 16v 100bhp petrol if you prefer a petrol version. They're less sore on fuel and are more punchier.
If the petrol versions start running on 3 cylinders, then a spark plug lead holder has packed in. They're now connected to the coil via electric wires and each holder is £30 each :shock:
i certainly wouldn't go that far, not quick maybe but real world usefull
Filipe M.
13-12-06, 12:47 PM
Also avoid the 1.2 8v and 16v versions. They're sore on fuel and are very revvy. Get a 1.4 16v 100bhp petrol if you prefer a petrol version. They're less sore on fuel and are more punchier.
:stupid:
I've driven both 1.2 before, and... well... on the 16v, there's nothing going on below 4000 rpm; on the 8v, there's nothing going on at all. Slip roads are an absolute nightmare, to the point of being dangerous. You'll have to rev the nuts out of it and wait for a 1 mile gap to pull out, else you'll be testing the rear end impact protection real soon! :roll:
Also avoid the 1.2 8v and 16v versions. They're sore on fuel and are very revvy. Get a 1.4 16v 100bhp petrol if you prefer a petrol version. They're less sore on fuel and are more punchier.
:stupid:
I've driven both 1.2 before, and... well... on the 16v, there's nothing going on below 4000 rpm; on the 8v, there's nothing going on at all. Slip roads are an absolute nightmare, to the point of being dangerous. You'll have to rev the nuts out of it and wait for a 1 mile gap to pull out, else you'll be testing the rear end impact protection real soon! :roll:
Yep, but the slip roads in portugal are just plain silly, soooo short..
Filipe M.
13-12-06, 12:54 PM
Also avoid the 1.2 8v and 16v versions. They're sore on fuel and are very revvy. Get a 1.4 16v 100bhp petrol if you prefer a petrol version. They're less sore on fuel and are more punchier.
:stupid:
I've driven both 1.2 before, and... well... on the 16v, there's nothing going on below 4000 rpm; on the 8v, there's nothing going on at all. Slip roads are an absolute nightmare, to the point of being dangerous. You'll have to rev the nuts out of it and wait for a 1 mile gap to pull out, else you'll be testing the rear end impact protection real soon! :roll:
Yep, but the slip roads in portugal are just plain silly, soooo short..
There's always one... :roll: :lol:
I had the lower powered version. It did everything OK - bland, and as others have said upstairs, damn slow. Painfully slow in fact, but I was more interested in economy than speed. Dunno about dealer service, I never needed it. Electrics were OK. However I took a clobbering on resale value after not that long. It was the basic model and most people wanted the next model up. I think mine was a Dynamique and the next one up was Expression. Also most wanted a 5 door not a 3 door.
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