callin all clio 197 owners or potential buyers.

[sean19]

rikb said:

i spoke to the dealer after reading several of your comments , about remapping & using shell v-power & was told that my ecu? cannot be remapped as it has all the latest software, which they say they have checked allready? i have done a months trial on super unleaded like i was told to do, which didnt alter it.
I do understand ok the car needs a warm up.... & others need the same .. but there could be a chance that some of us could have it more severe.
anyway the last dealings i had with the dealer the dealer told me to basically they are not prepared to do anything & any other queries i should get a solicitor to deal with them on my behalf.
the spark plugs are ok & have been checked, cheers for you idea.
if the car only operates properly when engine is warm ,how do people in sweden or another cold climate ( where it could be -20 ) places cope with the car or do they not sell this model to them? all hyperthetical of course.lol.

Thats why they buy Volvo's

[rikb]

true!!!

[Catherine197]

The 197 is sold in Sweden as the Clio RS, just because the outside air temperature is cold doesn't mean the engine won't warm up to temperature.

The Clio like most cars likes cold temperatures. I found both of ours pulled likea train when the outside temperature was less than 5 degrees.

[197Kevin]

You cant check sparkplugs mate beleave me! One of them might be breaking down under load Ask them how they were checked be interesting!
We build Racing engines Citroen and Renault even new plugs sometimes give trouble Could even be one of the coils these little fellas sit direct on the plugs mind you these show up on the dianostics
Anyway good luck with getting it sorted

Edited by 197Kevin on Friday 4th April 18:42

[nick-elise]

I have a 197 f1 on a 57 plate (october) and have no problems, its a little jerky when cold but every other car I have had is the same, I just drive it very gently at low revs for the first few miles and after that its fine. Its nothing that annoys me!

Only thing i do have against the car is under hard cornering, when you hit slight bumps in the road i feel a slight knock through the steering which isnt particularly nice - this very rarely happens though!

[matt3001]

its just a common problem affecting the clio, i drove the renault sport 197 f1 press car and that suffered with it. just give it 20-30s, its like the click that happens when you boot it, its normal...

[Jaguar steve]

Could it be the car is not reading the intake air temperature correctly, or failing to compensate fully for the fact the engine is cold and under fueling slightly until the engine has warmed up?

Renault - in common with another French car company - are well known for designing their cars right on the edge to get the best possible fuel consumption. It only takes a sensor to be slightly off optimimum spec to produce symptoms similar to the ones you are experiencing.

[Catherine197]

As has been said before it is quite normal for the 197 to do this. We tend to let ours warm up for 1 minute and we only boot it when it is up to temperature.