1998 Renault Clio RL Biarritz from UK and Ireland - Comments

Yet again another leaky clio, mines an R reg 97 1.2 clio panache. I had the same problem of water coming from the remote locking/ map light, in the roof, especially when taking corners!! then the immobiliser stopped working, I have taken it into a renault garage after it started working again after a dry period, howeverhaving read this that seems to have been a mistake, they tested for leaks but say they havnt found a fault, they're replacing the corroded remote locking sensor at a cost of £112 parts and labour, plus 42 for diagnosing the problem. therefore id advise anybody with similar problems not to take it to a renault garage, youll get ripped off, im going to look at trying to seal ariel/ sunroof when I get it back. also watchdog, sounds like a good plan im in.

I have a P reg clio with a leak also! Seems like every clio ever made has the same fault - surprised at the number of comments in this thread! Just direct watchdog here and they'll see the scale of the problem.

Anyway, my leak come from the sunroof surround. It appears to be made from a plastic that expands / contracts with the weather causing it to eventually lift from the car body. I put a clear silicone sealant around it last year, and it worked well. However, the sealant has now cracked and started to come away from the plastic, fueling my belief that the sunroof surround expands in the sun.

So the water has broken into my infra-red immobiliser circuit yet again, and this time it appears to have finished it off. I'm going to completely remove it later and give it a clean. If that fails I'll be ringing around garages to get the immobiliser deactivated.

Hi there I have a Renault 19 and my sunroof doesn't let in water.

Why don't you write to Watchdog to get a recall on your sunroofs?

Worth a go. Good luck.

Repairing a leaky sunroof usually leads to discovering that the sunroof is not the culprit of the leak. Instead dirt and debris may be the likely culprits, since they obstruct the drainage tubes or the drain channel that are part of the sunroof's water management system. Once these are obstructed, the water backs up and heads for the nearest escape, which may be to the interior of your car. The following instructions are to help you repair a leaking car sun roof.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2106335_repair-leaking-car-sun-roof.html

Got the immobiliser working again - the wire connector at the back of the infra-red box had corroded and sagged contacts. I just cleaned them up with a q-tip and meths and bent them back into position. Works fine now - just got to re-seal my sunroof before the next downpour!

Hey, I got a 98 Clio, and I've just had this exact same problem.

Could somebody give me some quick tips on how to remove the IR box? I've managed to reset the immobiliser manually, so I can at least drive it, but that's only a temporary workaround!

Thanks :)

Clio 1.5dci expression 52 plate, water coming into o/s of car to the right of sunroof, we have to place a cloth above the sun visor to stop the water dripping onto the drivers seat. have checked both drainage holes at the side of sunroof and both seem to be clear. will be stripping out sunroof and resealing as soon as the weather turns better, will report back with results.

Hi all, I'm kind of glad others share my problem 'leaking sunroof!'. I managed to get the sunroof off (manual), on the handle there is a small red button, push this to release the catch and you can pull the sunroof out (be careful!). The drainage holes can then be seen. The problem with mine is that they are damaged! i.e. there are holes in it! So my next step will be to try the sealant option, I'm just going to block these holes with sealant and hope for the best, also around the sunroof and aerial. Will let you know what happens :)

Well I think I must have spent the last 30 minutes reading everyones tales of leaking water in their Clio. Please add me to the list. What a nightmare. My 2002 Clio started leaking a few months ago and I sealed up the sunroof (where it connects to the roof) with clear silicon sealer. Everything OK for a few weeks and then an inch of water in the passenger footwell, and immediately behind that at the rear. What is the solution to this? Any advice gratefully received.

Just thinking how are you getting on with Watchdog? Hope it comes on t.v soon so you can get it sorted.

I own a 1998 1.2 Biaritz which was also leaking from sunroof, well at least I thought it was until I discovered that the leak was coming in through the aerial and into the interior light. To fix it I loosened the aerial and carefully applied silicon to it, and then tightened up the aerial again. If done correctly it works and looks tidy!

Hope this helps!

My daughter has a Clio with a leaking sunroof. She has already paid £50 to have the drains unblocked - didn't work. We sealed round the sunroof with Vaseline - worked for so long. Now the garage is trying to charge her over £100 for a new seal, which they say is not guaranteed to work. Will try the aerial seal I think.

Good luck all leaky Clio owners.

I own a Clio mark 3 (06 reg) that has NO sunroof and have just started getting the wet passenger foot well problem. Have thoroughly cleaned out the drainage holes under the bonnet, and rigged a fan heater up inside the car before I start off every day as all the windows are covered in condensation. As the car's still under warranty I contacted my Renault Dealer who want it for a week just to investigate! Am really saddened as the car's been great so far but I'm seriously considering changing it. Renault must be aware of this problem and I think it's terrible that this defect dating back so many years has not been addressed by them.

I just fixed my 'leaky sunroof' on the '98 RT Clio I bought yesterday.

But it's not the sunroof it's the aerial. I don't think many or any of you have a leaky sunroof - it's the plastic seal on the base of the aerial that has gone hard over time due to UV damage. As the aerial moves around in the wind it lets in water!

Try taking the plastic trim above the rear view mirror (that houses the interior light / sunroof switch / infrared remote sensor) off by first removing the interior light, apply sideways pressure and then gently pull down. Then use a flatblade screwdriver inserted at one side of the trim to release one of the tongues, carefully release the other tongues without too much force and gently pull the trim down and away by unplugging all the electrical blocks

Look up into the hole in the headlining and you will see the car radio aerial as a thick black cable coming in along the roof terminating in a banjo fitting with an 8mm nut securing it.

Sit in the car and get somebody to play a hose over the roof especially around the base of the aerial and you should see it start to drip in where the aerial fixes to the inside of the roof... this is the dreaded leaking sun-roof!

Simply undo the 8mm nut using a socket, clean the paintwork on the outside - clean the base of the aerial and fill it liberally with Roof & Gutter Sealant (which is perfect cos it never truly goes solid)

Push it back onto the roof, slipping the screw on the base of the aerial through the banjo on the inside and get your mate to fix the nut back on - tighten it up until the sealant really squeezes out of the fitting. Then clean it up with White Spirit.

Put your plastic trim back and the jobs a goodun!!

I am also a '52 Renault Clio owner with a leaking sunroof problem. The wetness was appearing in the front corners of the roof lining and dripping onto the seats. Like many of you I have spent quite a bit of time trying to solve the mystery. I have considered many of the suggestions which have appeared on this site and tried a few of them. Finally this week SUCCESS!A perfectly dry interior after torrential rain storms. It suddenly struck me that water may be accessing the car via leaky seals on the two front hinge points in the sunroof. Because of their positioning and their shape you would not be able to spot water entering the car, with it going straight into the roof lining. On the outside these just look like two black plastic buttons. To carry out the repair, firstly remove the sunroof, identifying and pressing the red button to release the opening mechanism. Carefully lift and hinge up to almost vertical to remove. I found it useful to have a helper on the other side to assist. To loosen the nuts on the hinges you require a star shaped drill bit. Take apart and you will probably discover seals which have long since deteriorated. I simply used a high modulus clear sealent on both sides of the glass, making sure that the hole was well sealed. Anyway this worked for me - it may for you.