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Hello (2002 RSC Owner) (Long history - Comedy of errors)


DamFrog

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Hey all,

 

I bought this car in December 2005: http://www.ozrenaultsport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1838

 

I can't say I'm much of a car person, so I found this forum invaluable when looking for advice on common problems I've found with the car (thanks Jeff for getting the extended warranty!!!) It's been back to the dealer 3 times since I got it for warranty repairs. This car and I already have quite a bit of history. Here's an autobiography:

 

1. Hard to start issue.

A few times I stalled the car learning to drive manual and it wouldn't start again. (Bad news at a red light with only 1 1/2 lanes of road and 5 cars behind you). The car just clicked when I turned the key and didn't turn over at all. After a little while (1 or 2 minutes), it usually started again.

 

It was parked in my garage one day and refused to start. I gave it a little while hoping it would fix itself, but it didn't. Over the period of a couple of days I drove my old car around and left the car in the garage, trying to start it each day, hoping it would fix itself. Finally gave RenaultCare a call and an NRMA dude came to my house. After about 10 minutes of tinkering, checking the battery charge, trying a jump start, he stuck his hand behind the engine, messed around with something, asked me to try again and VROOM! The car starts up! He said he didn't do anything except jiggle the connection with the starter motor. I made sure he showed me where it was in case (neigh WHEN) it happened again.

 

It started ok for a while, but then it started spluttering and dying on the first attempt to start. It would start fine on the second start. So I took it in for a warranty repair and RD (Petersham) had a look at it and replaced the fuel pump. They also replaced the gear stick Gaiter which had popped out. I've also been plagued with non-start issues since then to which the solution was jiggling the cable.

 

Also, my girlfriend had attempted to pull the back seat down and pulled the seat-belt clip instead of pushing the button down. Needless to say, the little clip snapped off. RD quoted me $80 to replace it. F that.

 

2. Hazard light switch popped out + continued hard to start issue.

Stalled on the hill right outside RD in medium-heavy traffic. The car wouldn't start again!!! Just clicked without turning over. I hit the hazard lights, popped the bonnet and got out of the car to jiggle the starter motor cable (lightly burning off my finger prints on the ultra hot engine in the process - cars starting to back up behind me down the hill). Jumped back in the car which roared back into life. I got into gear, headed off and hit the hazard light switch to turn it off....but it wouldn't stay down!!! Lucky my girlfriend was with me. I made her hold it down till we got to her place. Had to sticky tape it down for a few days.

 

Between this happening and waiting for a new switch to get ordered in, I had to leave the switch sticky taped down. One day, I parked the car in Newtown and left it for a few hours. When I got back (about 10pm at night) I was shocked to find that the hazard lights were lightly flasing cos the sticky tape had given way enough to let the switch go. I knew something was wrong when I unlocked the car and the indicator lights didn't flash with the same intensity as normal. Turned the car to On and all the warning light icons were really dim and that weird buzz wasn't as buzzy as usual. The hazard lights had drained the battery and the car wouldn't start. Lucky for me I was with a friend and got a jump-start.

 

When the switch came in at RD, I asked them to look at the starter motor connection as well. They fixed the light switch, but couldn't find anything wrong with the starter motor connection. They said they tightened the connection and said the amps might be draining too much voltage from the battery. (I thought this was unlikely given my previous experiences).

 

So anyway, I drove away satisfied. A while later, I go to start the car and 'click'. Nothing. Jiggle the cable and try again. VROOM! Now that I think about it, i think they tightened the connection from starter motor to engine as opposed to the ignition switch to starter which is where the problem was.

 

After a few weeks of regularly having to stick my had down behind the engine and jiggle the starter motor cable, I got fed up and lightly bent the connector to the starter in the hopes of getting a better contact between the cable clip and the motor's connectors (From feeling around down there, I think the cable is clipped in to a double prongy think (Like a computer fan) - so I think I bent the prongs a little).

 

Well, I'm glad to say, it's been a few months since I bent the connection and I haven't had any start problems since. So for the longest period since I got the car, the car's been starting first time every time. It looks like the problem has been fixed, but I'll let y'all know if it comes back.

 

So anyway, that's been my story for the past 10 months. I'm still scared to death of hill starts (but improving) and my brother says my clutch is worn out from my excessive revving to get out of first gear (2-3K RPM before hitting the take up point). I think I need some additional advice from people who have perfected driving with the high sporty clutch.

 

Despite all this, I still love the car and feel 'happy' and proud to own it....(once I'm out of first gear). :lol:

 

Sorry for the excessively long post. I hope I've made up for 10 months of neglecting to join the forum.

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Welcome to the forum!

 

After reading your long post... it doesn't surprise me!

 

So, have you ever been back to RD since then? They don't seem to know much, especially when it comes to hard-to-start problems!

 

But hey, I, like you... still love the Clio!

 

Anyway, glad your finally enjoying the car. With regards to the clutch, easiest way to learn was to try heaps of times, and also try with the window down so you can hear the engine. I usually just tap the accelerator and then release the clutch.

 

Cheers,

 

Steven

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So, have you ever been back to RD since then? They don't seem to know much, especially when it comes to hard-to-start problems!

 

But hey, I, like you... still love the Clio!

 

Anyway, glad your finally enjoying the car. With regards to the clutch, easiest way to learn was to try heaps of times, and also try with the window down so you can hear the engine. I usually just tap the accelerator and then release the clutch.

 

I haven't been back to RD since they fixed the hazard light button (and hopefully won't have to). I'd been following the hard-to-start saga with your car and others so I was cautiously optimistic that they would fix the problem. So despite your experiences with RD, I didn't have any problems with their service. They fixed 1/2 of the hard-to-start issue with the new fuel pump and I had no issues getting the other stuff fixed under warranty (not that there should/would be a problem). They seemed to be aware of these issues as 'common' with the RSCs.

 

That said, I probably wouldn't go there for anything other than a warranty claim. ($80 for a seat belt clip?!...FAT CHANCE! Maybe if it were made of gold and encrusted with diamonds!)

 

Thanks for your clutch tips, I'll give it a go. Once I get over this little 'learning to drive properly' issue, I'm sure I'll love the unassuming little beast for years to come.

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So, have you ever been back to RD since then? They don't seem to know much, especially when it comes to hard-to-start problems!

 

But hey, I, like you... still love the Clio!

 

Anyway, glad your finally enjoying the car. With regards to the clutch, easiest way to learn was to try heaps of times, and also try with the window down so you can hear the engine. I usually just tap the accelerator and then release the clutch.

 

I haven't been back to RD since they fixed the hazard light button (and hopefully won't have to). I'd been following the hard-to-start saga with your car and others so I was cautiously optimistic that they would fix the problem. So despite your experiences with RD, I didn't have any problems with their service. They fixed 1/2 of the hard-to-start issue with the new fuel pump and I had no issues getting the other stuff fixed under warranty (not that there should/would be a problem). They seemed to be aware of these issues as 'common' with the RSCs.

 

That said, I probably wouldn't go there for anything other than a warranty claim. ($80 for a seat belt clip?!...FAT CHANCE! Maybe if it were made of gold and encrusted with diamonds!)

 

Thanks for your clutch tips, I'll give it a go. Once I get over this little 'learning to drive properly' issue, I'm sure I'll love the unassuming little beast for years to come.

 

 

Welcome mate,

 

I also rev the car a little to start off cleanly. If you don't give it some herbsit bogs down and wants to stall. Another way around this is to develop a sensitive left foot so that when it starts to bog down you push the clutch back in a little and give it some more herbs.

 

That being said the damage to your clutch will come about from excessive slipping of the clutch not necessarily the amount you rev it prior to release.

 

Enjoy your car buddy, are you comming along to the south coast drive?? great opportunity to meet everyone and to learn a little more about the car from the guys who have had them a while. :)

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Hey DamFrog!

 

Sucks to hear that your car is giving you so many problems, but keep at it! And we all love the car too :D

 

With regards to the starting on hills, you should try the handbrake start technique. It really minimizes wear on the clutch, and you can ensure that you won't stall because your car is already getting some forward thrust before you get off the mark.

 

And with starting the car normally in first, if you're struggling a little with that my friend's dad taught him clutch work using an empty car park...

Essentially what you do is to get the car to roll without using the accelerator. Then keep shifting up without using the accelerator at all. Your car will definately underrev and it'll strain the engine a little, but it is a very very effective way to get use to the clutch because you HAVE to stay on the bite/friction point and release the clutch slowly, or the car will stall.

 

I'm not sure if that will help, but give it a go~ Well worth it in terms of getting use to cars! I'm teaching my sister how to drive the Clio (shes on her Ls) through this technique~ Did it a couple of times and she drove all the way through some hilly start-stoppish roads without stalling once!

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Hey mate,

 

Welcome to the forums...sorry to hear about all your hard start problems...

 

I never notice the clutch in my car...I have only ever driven renaults...(learnt to drive in the parents scenic4x4 and had a r19 as my first car) so its not a problem after a while...just takes alot of getting used to...I rekon if you can drive a renault clutch you can drive anything...

 

Take it easy

 

Daniel

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Welcome!!

 

Hope u enjoy ur stay!

 

Where abouts in the inner-west are u?? Yet ANOTHER member from here!

 

cheers,

 

Alex

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Thanks everyone for your driving tips and support.

 

Where abouts in the inner-west are u?? Yet ANOTHER member from here!

I'm in Lidcombe, near Rookwood Cemetary.

 

Not sure if I can make the South Coast drive this month. I'll have to see closer to the date.

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