2008 Renault Clio RS 197 2.0 petrol from Qatar

Summary:

Amazing driver's car, but it's made out of chocolate

Faults:

1) All the engine mounts, and some of them got changed twice. I changed them all to a Vibratec set, but they are awfully stiff.

2) Starter motor refused to stop and burnt itself.

3) Thermostat failed twice.

4) Alternator was changed because it did not produce sufficient electricity at full throttle.

5) Clutch gearbox master cylinder was changed thrice, and the clutch driver compartment master cylinder was changed twice.

6) The clutch was changed once.

7) The knock sensor was changed twice.

8) Engine rebuild at 45000km caused by the oil pump relief valve sticking open. The parts changed on this occasion were the crank shaft, connecting rods, piston rings, oil pump, oil cooler, water pump, all the bearings, all the engine seals including the head gasket, and the timing belt.

General Comments:

Amazing to drive, but a bit too stiff.

The normal seats are better than the Recaro ones.

The interior is poor and plasticy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th April, 2013

30th Apr 2014, 20:17

At 51K, the gearbox ate up the 3rd synchro. I was delighted! At that time I stopped driving the 197 because I was too scared of it breaking on me again. I drove it 1K in my last year of ownership just so it would not breakdown from sitting too long. Thankfully it was sold with a bit more than 51K on the clock. Although it went for cheap, I was happy to be revealed of such burden!

Because the 197 spent most of its life at the dealership, I bought an old Skoda Fabia and modified the suspension with coilovers and polyethylene bushings. After some work tuning the dampers, I got the old Skoda to handle much better than the 197. In other words, I pull back my comment about the 197 saying that it is amazing to drive, because my 11-year-old Skoda turns in much better, communicates more vividly, and breaks away gradually. On the other hand, the 197 loves to understeer on slow corners and snap suddenly on high speed ones. Moreover, it has very heavy steering.

I can't say anything good about the 197, because it isn't good at being a commuter car for the lack of reliability, and it isn't a performance car when a slightly modified old economy car can give as good numbers on a tight course.

2008 Renault Clio Exception 1.2 16v from Slovenia

Summary:

Lovely little car

Faults:

Plastic on the headlights became cloudy, however they were changed under the warranty for free.

At grater speeds, i.e. above 100 km/h, I could hear whistling on the passenger window. The window seal on the front passenger doors was changed. It was under warranty again, with no extra costs.

General Comments:

Despite being a small car, it is quite heavy, so it is quite slow with the standard 1.2 16V (75 bhp) engine.

However, it is quite comfortable, and it has enough space for 4 medium sized grown people.

It handles nice, and brakes good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th May, 2011

2008 Renault Clio III Extreme 1.2 16v from Turkey

Summary:

Fulfills the demands

Faults:

I bought this car two weeks ago. My previous one was a Clio RXT 1.4 16v 98hp automatic transmission. I'm interested in driving an automatic or semi automatic car, that's why I'm on it now.

This new Clio of mine has a 1.2 16v 80hp engine. In city driving, it is really fun to drive this car because of its low consumption. The average is 7,2lt/100km in city driving. Comfortable and roomy enough, especially after the Clio 2.

On the motorway this engine has disadvantages in consumption and performance. Going up the hills is challenging for this car, it needs to shift down to 3rd, even sometimes 2nd. And also if there are 4 people in the car, you need to keep a long distance for overtaking.

Rear visibility is challenging. A parking sensor needed.

The car is black, but the cockpit has blue lines, which I couldn't understand.

General Comments:

After driving a 2001 Clio 2 for four years, this Clio 3 replacement fulfills my demands, which were lower petrol consumption, a larger inside, new, less need for service. The cruise control works great on highway. I rarely use the gas pedal. And also the gear pads on the steering wheel (I call them "the ears") are very easy to use. The gearbox doesn't allow you to make a mis-shift while driving.

Handling is better than Clio 2, with larger tyres and higher weight. The steering wheel responds to the driver reactions easily.

Braking is good, gives confidence.

The dashboard looks sporty, even it is miles away from working sporty.

The seats are comfortable enough that after driving 7 hours in a day, I didn't feel any backache.

I highly recommend this car if you aren't interested in racing, but low consumption.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th May, 2011

2008 Renault Clio III 1.6i from Switzerland

Summary:

Good car except for my water leak problem!

Faults:

Water leaking from door seals - front and rear!

Rear brake squeak - possibly dragging a bit.

General Comments:

Generally like the car apart from the constant water leaks. I'm taking it back to the garage for the 5th time since I've owned it! It's really taking the shine off a car that I like. I expected much more from an 18 month old vehicle!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th August, 2009

31st Dec 2009, 17:14

Hi, I also had problems with leakage through rear door windows, but my Renault dealer replaced the rubbers around windows under warranty. This is the weak point of Clio III, but also a problem with front windscreen wipers (false design) - not possible to raise wipers because the bonnet is too close.

Everything else 10/10! Excellent car except on 1.2 TCE rear wheels - lack of disc brakes (100 HP)???

Pulls like tornado from low revs + overboost (1st to 4th gear) = smile on your face!