Faults:

My son has a Clio 1.2 Extreme with an 02 plate. He was overtaking a HGV and the engine cut out with vehicles coming the other way. Nearly a parents worst nightmare. The centre preheater fault light came on and stayed on. I understand that this light is for diesel models, his is a petrol model.

I suspected that there was an electrical fault and checked the connectors around the engine. This seemed to clear it but it did the same a day later.

I asked the local Renault dealer for advice, but they were less than helpful. All they want to do is take the car in and make money out of you. Having read the other reviews, I can now see that there is a serious electrical wiring problem with this car.

Any advice from others that are experiencing these problems would be helpful.

General Comments:

Nice looking, nippy car. Pity about the electrics.

Faults:

Service Light came on about 2 months from buying. Took to a dealer. Dash/Computer had to be replaced resulting in the mileage being reset.

CD player rattles when a CD is left in the unit.

Driving to work one day when a service came light on not really knowing why. Then it starts raining. The auto wipers and lights failed so had to find the nearest junction to get off!Mystery fault and its never happened again.

Doors dropped so had to be rehung.

Was on a motorway when the windscreen wipers collided with each other and snapped them both. The bolt on the drivers wiper had come loose and needed to be tightened.

On cold mornings the car shudders as you turn it on and the rev counter moves up and down. This often making the car stall.

General Comments:

Apart from the faults I love this car. For the low price you get an immense amount of equipment. My 1.4 Clio Dynamique came with:

Air Conditioning

Electric Windows

Electric Sunroof

Electric/heated Door Mirrors

Remote Central Locking

Alloy Wheels

Automatic Headlights

Automatic Windscreen Wipers

CD Player - excellent speakers & remote on steering wheel

Trip Computer

RAID - doors lock when you start driving -Excellent security feature

Alarm.

All in all you get a lot of car for not much money.

Its reliable, nippy and gets you where you want to go. Its also fun to drive and as well as being comfortable.

Basically the car looks good, drives well, and doesn't cost a lot to run. The perfect car?

Faults:

I got a recall on a suspension part, which got replaced. And other than a flat tire the car has never given me any trouble.

General Comments:

I am very happy with my Renault Clio. I find it very reliable and comfortable (A/C works perfectly after a bit over three years every-day use). It needs service once a year and the dealer is very efficient and quick (if you call in advance to make an appointment). I have heard many comments, both good and bad, about the Renault Clio. But I would definitely purchase a Renault car again. I am also considering buying a Nissan Platina (in Europe it's a Renault Thalia or Clio sedan). It doesn't have the Renault service standards (needs service more often in order to maintain the factory guarantee) but it should be as reliable as my Renault Clio, with added trunk space (trunk space in the Clio is sometimes not enough). I drive it to work every day (about 100kms every day) and feel comfortable and safe in it.

Faults:

The car had to have a new throttle pedal at 67,000 miles. When it happened, the car suddenly lost all power and acceleration, and left me to travel the rest of my journey at 10 mph max, with my hazard lights on.

The sunroof constantly rattles.

The seat back handle on the passenger seat has come off.

Electrical warning light comes on for no reason.

The remote locking recently packed up (even the central locking didn't work). I was told by the Renault dealership that it was not the battery and I needed a new key, which costed me £129.

Other than those points, I have trouble free motoring.

General Comments:

I only passed my driving test in April 2005, and this is my first car. It's a very good looking car and is quite economical although slightly underpowered. Choose the 5 door model however if you have frequent passengers (i have the 3 door model)