Renault UK Problem, advice/help
Discussion
This is more so for people who have bought new/pre-reg/still within warranty.
I bought my 2012 Clio 200 new from Renault.
4 years warranty etc as any other new Renault.
Just 6 months into ownership I had an alternator failure- replaced under warranty.
In total the car has had;
New alternator
New exhaust manifold- waited 6 months for!
New gearbox
electrical fault with drivers door
New drivers Recaro
aux input
a/c failure
Now to say that's a fair list on a car that's only just turned 2, is an understatement. The car is a proper 'Friday built' car.
The car has FULL Renault service history and 34,000 miles
So this takes me up to now, a/c failure happened just 4-5 weeks ago, a/c completely lost all gas after a pressure bang, then an instant hissing through the dash board, phoned Renault and they advised to bring it in.
Car was ready for collection and they said all it needed was a re-gas, I started the car and there was still an a/c pump whine (sounded like a worn bearing noise) so I asked a mechanic at Renault to come out in the car and listen to it, to which he replied "all Renault a/c pumps are noisy" even though I questioned how was mine silent before hand the pump released all the gas, to which he replied "it'll probably quieten down after a while, now there's gas in it again" and he assured me it would be fine and I don't need to worry. So listening to the 'professionals' advice, I accepted the car back.
1,300 miles later, leaving work to come home, I was met with a quick misfire and then the car cut out. Phoned the AA breakdown that is included with the cars 4 year cover, and the car was collected,
AA report; 'alternator belt shredded and jammed up into timing casing.
So, an engine failure now....
Spoke to customer services at RUK and advised them what's happened with the car and that once and for all, with all the problems it's had, I'm rejecting it, that I want an exchange car or a refund.
Chris Boyle at RUK completely agreed with me on the Friday I broke down, then coming Mondays phone call, a complete opposite response off RUK. "Our mechanic has looked at the car and it seems a stone has hit the crank pulley and caused a dent in it, and that has caused the failure! So our warranty doesn't cover it, The cost will be left to yourself, maybe we'll do a little good will on it due to the issues the car has had, but it's not warranty covered"
so I've outright refused to take that as an excuse! A stone!? There's no damage to any of the arch lining, under-tray, paint work within the engine bay or surrounding area, so it's impossible that a stone has done such a dent to the 'crank' pulley and entered/exited the engine bay without a trace..
So, it's either the a/c gas failure has caused the dent as the gas has released with the pressure OR a mechanic (even unknowingly) has damaged it while it's had the extensive work done to it (the list above). To which I've had a reply of "iv'e spoken to he mechanic, and he said he hasn't damaged it"
of course he's going to say that!
So the car is sat in Renault with the top end stripped down, it's suffered 5-6 bent valves and a dented 'crank' pulley, now the reason I've added the ' to the 'crank' pulley, is that the picture they have said is the crank pulley, is actually the a/c pump pulley! So they're trying to pull a fast one in my eyes.
I've had the bill forwarded to me that Renault are expecting me to pay for a top end rebuild and other parts...
£5,504!
and funnily enough one of the costs is for a new a/c pump!! £978!
My argument is, If a stone has done that damage, then the car isn't fit for purpose and shouldn't be on the road,
it's a ticking time bomb until another stone does this damage and costing a further £5,504, how many engines am I expected to buy/replace?
Chris Boyle at customer services reply was just insulting;
Conversation;
I said that the car is a ticking time bomb if that's the cause is a stone, I said so if I paid this bill and 2 miles down the road it happened again, am I expected to just pay up again?
The reply I had was laughable
"it's the same principles as a tyre, you could replace that than within 2 miles a nail or something could go into it again, it's just luck of the draw"
So your comparing a tyre that is in constant contact with the road, to an engine that is up, off the road and enclosed with all casings to protect it...
So they're admitting that they're parts aren't really up to dealing with daily commutes and susceptible to stones ruining the engines, if that's the case, there's a design fault and should be recalled, with the car not being fit for purpose.
These cars are advertised as a car ready for track, and offer Renaultsport track days to enjoy the car, how can they offer them if a stone can do such damage? Especially with all the gravel traps around on tracks if these cars are susceptible to stones entering the engine bay.
I have spoken to everyone and anyone at Renault, my next steps now are an engineers report and push towards court action against them.
So, anyone buying/bought a Clio in warranty just needs to be made aware that the warranty isn't worth paying the extra for a Clio, you're better off buying an older 200 out of warranty, and put the money that you've saved from buying older into funds for a rainy day..
I'm completely gob smacked with the service I've received from them, they're even pushing me to pay this bill ASAP or otherwise they want the courtesy car back ASAP!
The car is in Callow Marsh Renault, Hereford. An Independent, family run business.
Expanding on the a/c issue just 4 weeks ago; just so people can see;
Just 4 weeks ago My a/c made a bang and released all gas and I had a hissing noise through the dash board.
All they did was "a simple re-gas" so they have obviously missed something and handed the car back. So they've admitted they didn't even change the aux belt as a precaution.
When I questioned why the pump was still noisy through, the reply I had was "all Renault pumps are noisy, it should hopefully quieten down now there's gas in it again too" even though the pump was silent beforehand...
Also, I made the mechanic come out in the car with me so I could show him the issue, after they apparently 'fixed' it.
Ian Smith the manager of Callow Marsh then told me that they would not change the pump, and if I wanted it changing, it would cost me £180 as there's no reason to fix it.
Now on my sheet of parts to fix the car, there's an a/c pump on there for just under a thousand pound!
Thank you for everyone who has read this, and I appreciate everyone's help in advance.
I bought my 2012 Clio 200 new from Renault.
4 years warranty etc as any other new Renault.
Just 6 months into ownership I had an alternator failure- replaced under warranty.
In total the car has had;
New alternator
New exhaust manifold- waited 6 months for!
New gearbox
electrical fault with drivers door
New drivers Recaro
aux input
a/c failure
Now to say that's a fair list on a car that's only just turned 2, is an understatement. The car is a proper 'Friday built' car.
The car has FULL Renault service history and 34,000 miles
So this takes me up to now, a/c failure happened just 4-5 weeks ago, a/c completely lost all gas after a pressure bang, then an instant hissing through the dash board, phoned Renault and they advised to bring it in.
Car was ready for collection and they said all it needed was a re-gas, I started the car and there was still an a/c pump whine (sounded like a worn bearing noise) so I asked a mechanic at Renault to come out in the car and listen to it, to which he replied "all Renault a/c pumps are noisy" even though I questioned how was mine silent before hand the pump released all the gas, to which he replied "it'll probably quieten down after a while, now there's gas in it again" and he assured me it would be fine and I don't need to worry. So listening to the 'professionals' advice, I accepted the car back.
1,300 miles later, leaving work to come home, I was met with a quick misfire and then the car cut out. Phoned the AA breakdown that is included with the cars 4 year cover, and the car was collected,
AA report; 'alternator belt shredded and jammed up into timing casing.
So, an engine failure now....
Spoke to customer services at RUK and advised them what's happened with the car and that once and for all, with all the problems it's had, I'm rejecting it, that I want an exchange car or a refund.
Chris Boyle at RUK completely agreed with me on the Friday I broke down, then coming Mondays phone call, a complete opposite response off RUK. "Our mechanic has looked at the car and it seems a stone has hit the crank pulley and caused a dent in it, and that has caused the failure! So our warranty doesn't cover it, The cost will be left to yourself, maybe we'll do a little good will on it due to the issues the car has had, but it's not warranty covered"
so I've outright refused to take that as an excuse! A stone!? There's no damage to any of the arch lining, under-tray, paint work within the engine bay or surrounding area, so it's impossible that a stone has done such a dent to the 'crank' pulley and entered/exited the engine bay without a trace..
So, it's either the a/c gas failure has caused the dent as the gas has released with the pressure OR a mechanic (even unknowingly) has damaged it while it's had the extensive work done to it (the list above). To which I've had a reply of "iv'e spoken to he mechanic, and he said he hasn't damaged it"
of course he's going to say that!
So the car is sat in Renault with the top end stripped down, it's suffered 5-6 bent valves and a dented 'crank' pulley, now the reason I've added the ' to the 'crank' pulley, is that the picture they have said is the crank pulley, is actually the a/c pump pulley! So they're trying to pull a fast one in my eyes.
I've had the bill forwarded to me that Renault are expecting me to pay for a top end rebuild and other parts...
£5,504!
and funnily enough one of the costs is for a new a/c pump!! £978!
My argument is, If a stone has done that damage, then the car isn't fit for purpose and shouldn't be on the road,
it's a ticking time bomb until another stone does this damage and costing a further £5,504, how many engines am I expected to buy/replace?
Chris Boyle at customer services reply was just insulting;
Conversation;
I said that the car is a ticking time bomb if that's the cause is a stone, I said so if I paid this bill and 2 miles down the road it happened again, am I expected to just pay up again?
The reply I had was laughable
"it's the same principles as a tyre, you could replace that than within 2 miles a nail or something could go into it again, it's just luck of the draw"
So your comparing a tyre that is in constant contact with the road, to an engine that is up, off the road and enclosed with all casings to protect it...
So they're admitting that they're parts aren't really up to dealing with daily commutes and susceptible to stones ruining the engines, if that's the case, there's a design fault and should be recalled, with the car not being fit for purpose.
These cars are advertised as a car ready for track, and offer Renaultsport track days to enjoy the car, how can they offer them if a stone can do such damage? Especially with all the gravel traps around on tracks if these cars are susceptible to stones entering the engine bay.
I have spoken to everyone and anyone at Renault, my next steps now are an engineers report and push towards court action against them.
So, anyone buying/bought a Clio in warranty just needs to be made aware that the warranty isn't worth paying the extra for a Clio, you're better off buying an older 200 out of warranty, and put the money that you've saved from buying older into funds for a rainy day..
I'm completely gob smacked with the service I've received from them, they're even pushing me to pay this bill ASAP or otherwise they want the courtesy car back ASAP!
The car is in Callow Marsh Renault, Hereford. An Independent, family run business.
Expanding on the a/c issue just 4 weeks ago; just so people can see;
Just 4 weeks ago My a/c made a bang and released all gas and I had a hissing noise through the dash board.
All they did was "a simple re-gas" so they have obviously missed something and handed the car back. So they've admitted they didn't even change the aux belt as a precaution.
When I questioned why the pump was still noisy through, the reply I had was "all Renault pumps are noisy, it should hopefully quieten down now there's gas in it again too" even though the pump was silent beforehand...
Also, I made the mechanic come out in the car with me so I could show him the issue, after they apparently 'fixed' it.
Ian Smith the manager of Callow Marsh then told me that they would not change the pump, and if I wanted it changing, it would cost me £180 as there's no reason to fix it.
Now on my sheet of parts to fix the car, there's an a/c pump on there for just under a thousand pound!
Thank you for everyone who has read this, and I appreciate everyone's help in advance.
You need to know why they are wanting to replace the a/c pump now.
Stone damage can cause a sudden severe belt failure in which case you are not likely to get anywhere - it's just one of those things but it's unlikely that a stone/belt failure that caused engine damage would also cause a seized a/c pump whereas a seized a/c pump could cause the belt to fail causing engine damage.
Given your recent a/c problems and the noisy pump that followed, finding out why the pump now needs replacing is first priority.
Stone damage can cause a sudden severe belt failure in which case you are not likely to get anywhere - it's just one of those things but it's unlikely that a stone/belt failure that caused engine damage would also cause a seized a/c pump whereas a seized a/c pump could cause the belt to fail causing engine damage.
Given your recent a/c problems and the noisy pump that followed, finding out why the pump now needs replacing is first priority.
Get yourself down to the workshop and inspect the air con pump see if it's seized get pictures , tell renault you want a field visit for someone from renault to take a look . Renault are usually good with there engine warranty replacing with a new one most of the time , but it's what ever the mechanic had told them has happened . Garages want to make there retail budget and will try push for retail most of the time ! Good luck !
Rather than a stone, it could easily have been a socket either left on a bolt or dropped into the engine and ignored. May have been interfering with the pulley hence the noise before eventually flying out and damaging the pulley.
Obviously just speculation but if all the undertrays are in place it's hard to see how a stone would have got in.
Obviously just speculation but if all the undertrays are in place it's hard to see how a stone would have got in.
Independent inspection by a recognised mechanical engineer would be the first port of call - be warned though, if you end up in court, the first thing a judge is likely to request are further three independent inspections, with costs funded 50/50 between you and the manufacturer - the judgement will based on the findings of the three reports
https://www.facebook.com/renault?fref=ts
@Renault_Live https://twitter.com/Renault_Live
Would be a shame not to let them know...
@Renault_Live https://twitter.com/Renault_Live
Would be a shame not to let them know...
Superhoop said:
Independent inspection by a recognised mechanical engineer would be the first port of call - be warned though, if you end up in court, the first thing a judge is likely to request are further three independent inspections, with costs funded 50/50 between you and the manufacturer - the judgement will based on the findings of the three reports
This is not correct. I do this for a living and a court will not ask for 3 independent inspections. What you need to do is:1. Write to the dealer and tell them that you don't accept what they're saying. In the letter, tell them that they need to retain all of the parts they take off your car.
2. Tell the dealer that you'll be getting the car inspected by your own engineer. Tell them the name of your engineer in your letter and give them 7 days to object. If they don't, go ahead and instruct your engineer to go and see the vehicle and the parts and prepare a report.
3. Once you've got the report (and hopefully it will help you) send it to Renault (head office and the dealer) and tell them you want the car putting right. If they refuse, write to them saying you'll be issuing a claim out of the small claims court. Give the time to respond and if they don't, issue proceedings. It's easy to do online.
Hopefully an independent engineer will see right through this and get them to see sense.
HTH.
Sounds like complete cobblers regarding the stone, virtually impossible to happen in my view (I am a mechanic). Much more likely that something siezed chucking the belt off or something was damaged by the garage on the previous visit. It is also entirely possible that the damage was caused when the belt came off.
The hard part is proving that
I'm pretty sure those renaults have a plastic guard over the belt area anyway to prevent water going up onto the aux belt area to help stop squeaking noises when it gets wet.
Post up the picture of the pulley ?
There is no way that was caused by a stone hitting it.
Look at the location of the AC compressor and the routing of the belt, a stone being flung up from the road would never have enough force to do that.
Even if a stone somehow managed to get onto the belt and get pulled in between the pulley and the compressor I wouldn't expect there to be much damage to the pulley (but the belt would probably come off).
Did Renault give you any other detail on the AC gas leak ?
Wonder if someone has been using the pulley as a lever point......
Try the Renault Sport forum, it helped me.
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/
I used the board "Ownership Experience" and was contacted directly by one of the Renault UK directors through the site who sorted my problem.
My dealership is terrible mind, appauling in fact. Other thank keeping my warranty with my current car I'm never using them again.
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/
I used the board "Ownership Experience" and was contacted directly by one of the Renault UK directors through the site who sorted my problem.
My dealership is terrible mind, appauling in fact. Other thank keeping my warranty with my current car I'm never using them again.
Gez, really sorry to hear about your woes with your Clio 200, I thought my issues with a 62 plate 200 seemingly falling apart with less than 10k on the clock was excessive!
You must be local to me as I've had issues with the same dealership and will not be using them for any of our cars, let alone an RS model. Thankfully for me RUK have restored some belief in the brand when I made a complaint - if the dealership were to believed the 4+ warranty barely covers anything! I can send you the details of the chap who dealt with my recent complaint if you want to speak to someone else?
As suggested by another member, post the details up on the Renault Sport forum as I imagine you'd get a response there from someone at HQ. Edit - just seen you've already done this, hopefully this will get picked up tomorrow.
You must be local to me as I've had issues with the same dealership and will not be using them for any of our cars, let alone an RS model. Thankfully for me RUK have restored some belief in the brand when I made a complaint - if the dealership were to believed the 4+ warranty barely covers anything! I can send you the details of the chap who dealt with my recent complaint if you want to speak to someone else?
As suggested by another member, post the details up on the Renault Sport forum as I imagine you'd get a response there from someone at HQ. Edit - just seen you've already done this, hopefully this will get picked up tomorrow.
Edited by Lubermans on Sunday 1st June 15:14
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff