need help buying 1.6vvt clio 07 plate

[ErikAbrankovich]

hello

i am looking to buy my first car and the renault clio dynamique S looks likea good option however i heard a lot of roumers about clios and would like some advice on what to look out for when buying one.

if possible i would also like to know what has to be changed at what milage for these models for example ‘cambelt at 60,000, and etc.

if any issues occur with those engines or soemthign else witthin the car.

details about the car
renault clio dynamique s
79,000 miles
2007
1.6vvt engine
£2500

[anonymous-user]

Maybe include the 1.2 TCE in your thinking - it was the engine choice I was going to go for when looking at Clios in this price range. No idea on its reliability record though.

[anonymous-user]

My son got a Clio for his first car a year ago, and has been quite happy with it. It's a 2007 1.4 16V, bought privately for £900.

The cambelt replacement interval is, 'officially', 5 years or 72000 miles (whichever occurs soonest) - but many owners prefer to replace earlier. There was no history of my son's car ever having a replacement, and at 98000 miles I thought I'd better do it for him! The replacement is pretty straightforward, but there are one or two 'gotchas' to be aware of.

The 1.6 16V engine has a 'dephaser' pulley (the 'VVT' bit), which is prone to failure - the 1.4 lump doesn't have this 'feature'.

The fastest heater setting '4' can also go missing - it did on his car, but I was able to do a competent repair.

Headlight bulb replacement can be awkward, but that's about it - other than routine brake/tyre replacements as with any car.

If you need any more Clio advice, just ask!

[ErikAbrankovich]

That’s for that! Helped out a lot

[avenger286]

Don't know much about the Clio but I have the same engine abit with a lot more power in my Twingo. As above just make sure the belts and pully have been changed. Never heard any issues with the 1.6vvt engine.

[ZX10R NIN]

The main issue was the dephaser pulley but if the cam belt's been done this should've been done at the same time, if there's no evidence of this then haggle accordingly.

[anonymous-user]

ZX10R NIN said:

The main issue was the dephaser pulley but if the cam belt's been done this should've been done at the same time, if there's no evidence of this then haggle accordingly.

There is no service requirement to replace the dephaser pulley when changing the timing belt. Mind you, there's no requirement to change the water pump, either - though that's significantly cheaper than the pulley!

[ZX10R NIN]

You're right there's not a requirement to do either but with the known issues of not doing either I'd expect this to be done & if it wasn't I'd start haggling for some money off.

[ErikAbrankovich]

Would it be expensive to change the pulley on its own or the cam belt on its own ?

[anonymous-user]

ErikAbrankovich said:

Would it be expensive to change the pulley on its own or the cam belt on its own ?

Both can be changed independently, but you wouldn't specifically replace the pulley without fitting a new cambelt kit. A belt change will be £300 or so at a decent garage - and an additional £100-ish for the pulley.

[littlebasher]

In my experience, the first sign of a failing dephaser pulley is the car cutting out when started from cold.

If it runs okay there's no reason to change it unnecessarily