Clio 'TCE' engines? Any experience?
Discussion
I posted something similar this morning. It got moved to the French section, thanks, not very helpful!
Am taking the mother-in-law to look at this car tomorrow morning:
http://www.jct600.co.uk/dealerships/Mazda_Bradford...
Looks a nice car and good value by all accounts. I've dealt with countless examples of the old shape Clio but not the new shape. It has a 100hp 'TCE' (Turbo controlled efficiency) engine. A 1.2 with a wee turbo attached. She will be buying the car by virtue of my approval so want to make sure they have no inherent problems. From the limited amount I've read, the motoring press appear to like this engine, but of course, that only tells half the story. Anyone have any experience with these? Is the engine much cop?
Cheers.
Am taking the mother-in-law to look at this car tomorrow morning:
http://www.jct600.co.uk/dealerships/Mazda_Bradford...
Looks a nice car and good value by all accounts. I've dealt with countless examples of the old shape Clio but not the new shape. It has a 100hp 'TCE' (Turbo controlled efficiency) engine. A 1.2 with a wee turbo attached. She will be buying the car by virtue of my approval so want to make sure they have no inherent problems. From the limited amount I've read, the motoring press appear to like this engine, but of course, that only tells half the story. Anyone have any experience with these? Is the engine much cop?
Cheers.
Sold Renaults, new and used, for over 10 years now, first off they are as reliable as anything else out there, don't believe the French haters.
Secondly the 1.2 tce is a great little engine, it is far better than the 1.4 it replaced, which has always been a bit of a disappointing engine, it's smooth and pulls very well with no lag and so far has proved to be very reliable, the only dissapointment is its not that economical if pushed hard.
Also the build quality on these is on a par with anything else in the sector of a similar age, interior and exterior.
They aren't the best car for a bit of back road fun however the majority of people in the market for something like this aren't really bothered about that.
They are good cars.
Secondly the 1.2 tce is a great little engine, it is far better than the 1.4 it replaced, which has always been a bit of a disappointing engine, it's smooth and pulls very well with no lag and so far has proved to be very reliable, the only dissapointment is its not that economical if pushed hard.
Also the build quality on these is on a par with anything else in the sector of a similar age, interior and exterior.
They aren't the best car for a bit of back road fun however the majority of people in the market for something like this aren't really bothered about that.
They are good cars.
We have an 06-reg Clio III at work (albiet a 1.5 dCi model) and over the 120,000 miles it's done so far, it's been pretty reliable. Aside from the usual wear and tear items, it's had one rear wheel bearing and one injector replaced. Other than that, it feels just as good to drive as the day it was new. That said, next year it's being replaced by a Dacia Sandero as it should provide much of the same, but for less!
simoid said:
poing said:
Can be chipped quite cheaply but for much more power it needs upgraded injectors.
I'm sure his mother-in-law will bear this in mind 
Yup probably not at the top of her list of priorities. She's no speed freak! A set of tailored mats would be nice for crimbo, though.Thanks for your input, I was hoping someone involved with Renaults would respond. Think this one will do the job nicely, I was quite impressed reading the blurb about TCE engines.
Well I've worked on various renaults for over 10years and I would say they are below par reliability wise compared to many of their rivals - the DCI diesels are particularly poor. Some parts can be pricey and they can be quite labour intensive to work on - in fairness I haven't worked on a TCE engine yet so can't comment.
I run a Twingo TCe GT (the 1149cc 100bhp turbo).
I find it is nippy enough in the twingo to not feel completely sluggish. It's as quick as a zetec s 1.6 fiesta.
I would imagine it's a bit slower in the clio.
It will pull nicely from just under 2,000 rpm and you get a very slight hiss from the turbo (more noticeable in a higher gear under load (full throttle on a hill)). There's the slightest hint of turbo lag, but I only ever get hindered by it if I'm rolling up to a roundabout at say 6mph and am in 2nd gear, and then it's only a momentary hesitation before the turbo helps me a long.
It's very quiet and smooth enough.
In terms of reliability my car has done 52,000 miles (35,000 with me) and I have had no issues so far. It doesn't use an excessive amount of any fluids. I can get 44mpg out of it on a work run (25 miles eachway, mostly on motorway or dual carriageway). I could probably get even more if I did under 70mph and was even lighter on acceleration. If I'm having a week of leaving late and have to boot it I get 36mpg and that's cruising above average UK motorway speeds if you get my drift.
Only thing I will say is due to the gearing in the twingo the engine is doing just under 3.5k rpm @ 70mph. It's not too invasive as the engine is fairly quiet, but it could be annoying. I would hope the Clio has better gearing though.
One more thing - spark plugs. When I had mine serviced my guy just got the dealer recommend ones. Cost me £120 for the 4. I felt that was rather steep.
I find it is nippy enough in the twingo to not feel completely sluggish. It's as quick as a zetec s 1.6 fiesta.
I would imagine it's a bit slower in the clio.
It will pull nicely from just under 2,000 rpm and you get a very slight hiss from the turbo (more noticeable in a higher gear under load (full throttle on a hill)). There's the slightest hint of turbo lag, but I only ever get hindered by it if I'm rolling up to a roundabout at say 6mph and am in 2nd gear, and then it's only a momentary hesitation before the turbo helps me a long.
It's very quiet and smooth enough.
In terms of reliability my car has done 52,000 miles (35,000 with me) and I have had no issues so far. It doesn't use an excessive amount of any fluids. I can get 44mpg out of it on a work run (25 miles eachway, mostly on motorway or dual carriageway). I could probably get even more if I did under 70mph and was even lighter on acceleration. If I'm having a week of leaving late and have to boot it I get 36mpg and that's cruising above average UK motorway speeds if you get my drift.
Only thing I will say is due to the gearing in the twingo the engine is doing just under 3.5k rpm @ 70mph. It's not too invasive as the engine is fairly quiet, but it could be annoying. I would hope the Clio has better gearing though.
One more thing - spark plugs. When I had mine serviced my guy just got the dealer recommend ones. Cost me £120 for the 4. I felt that was rather steep.
The 1.2 TCe is a nice little engine, surprisingly eager. Coolant smells awful though.
Unlike above, I was recently held up by an obstinent 1.2TCe for two thirds of the M69 as he refused to move over (like he was trying to prove something due to driving a Clio
) and I was in a 1.6 Zetec-E Escort.
But then that's probably not want your MOL is concerned with. iirc it does make a bit of a wooshy noise when pushed.
We're really too early in the engine's life to tell if there are any reliability concerns. Seemed solid enough. Just don't lean on the car, it bends
Unlike above, I was recently held up by an obstinent 1.2TCe for two thirds of the M69 as he refused to move over (like he was trying to prove something due to driving a Clio
) and I was in a 1.6 Zetec-E Escort.But then that's probably not want your MOL is concerned with. iirc it does make a bit of a wooshy noise when pushed.
We're really too early in the engine's life to tell if there are any reliability concerns. Seemed solid enough. Just don't lean on the car, it bends
HTP99 said:
ajb85 said:
A few reports are suggesting gearboxes can be a weak spot, some go as far to say 'not fit for purpose'. Hmmm.... 
News to me, the number I have sold would be in the hundreds and I have never heard such a thing. J4CKO said:
HTP99 said:
ajb85 said:
A few reports are suggesting gearboxes can be a weak spot, some go as far to say 'not fit for purpose'. Hmmm....
News to me, the number I have sold would be in the hundreds and I have never heard such a thing. 
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