pfffffft

M

Massive

Torque Master
Points
72
Location
Weir
Car
Clio 172 Cup
well i only had the car for not even two full days and its in the garage :( why?
well on tuesday i didnt drive it much as i went straight from the garage to home.
Wednesday i had a good drive to work and then into and round town, whilst at traffic lights i noticed a rough idle, ah must be one of the coil pack thingys
went to park up as i slow down go into neutral, it cut out...
hmmmmmm started back up parked
Went home and did the same again went to neutral and dead...
Ok i need to get the car to the garage after work on thursday (today)
set off for work as i came of the motorway i heard a rattling when i rev it,
i though vvt must be packing in
got into works car park and neutral then dead, oh dear
i rang the garage where i got the car from and they recommended a garage down the road from my house, happy days still under warranty
now this is the scary part, as i get closer the garage the knocking get worse
now it was knocking on tick over and cutting out pretty much everytime i went to neutral, also when i went to turn the steering wheel without holding the revs up abit
i just made it to the garage with it soundling like a dirty old diesel(sorry deisel lovers)
it had lost pretty all power and grunt

ive left the car at garage (obviously) and hopefully should get it back next week

now this is what i think has happened

i bought the car having just had the timing belt done
so maybe the tension had not been tightened properly and it skipped a tooth
so that explains the rough idle,
i think this may also explain power loss?
rattle maybe the tensioner vibrating again cast iron cam cover

any other conclusions?

oh i could also hear what i think was a flapping sound also why i think its the belt

all help very much appreciated
 
Let's hope it's economically repairable. This, unfortunately, can be a side effect of Renault ownership.

Don't get me wrong, the cars are innovative and beautifully designed (especially so the Laguna II and III) but the reliability can be questionable at times.

The fact it's running alomst guarantees that you've not had a piston/valve collision.

Keep us posted.
 
yea it still started up ok when the mechanic asked to listen to it, so hopefully a fully engine rebuild is not needed, however i wouldnt mind one since its still in warranty :D but it would be off road for a while :( so im looking on the bright side might hear from them tomorrow if hes had chance to look
 
If a rebuild isn't necessary then I'd avoid to be honest. The quality of engine rebuilds varies widely from the very best being better than factory quality to the worst where it'll pack up in 2000-3000 miles at best.

Is the supplying dealer happy to deal directly with the repairer? If not I'd reject the car ASAP and get your money back. This can take a bit of doing, you'll have to dig your heels in very hard and be potentially prepared for a bit of confrontation. Try and keep it civil, do not react to threats etc.
 
yea they keeping in contact, he knows the repairer they are friends, but ill find out more next week,

i was joking about rebuild, was just imagining a forged engine :lol:
 
Fair enough and good luck.

If it does get difficult then I can send you the letter I wrote when I formally and finally rejected a car in 2005. Just change over the details to match your car.

Hopefully though, it'll be back with you quickly.
 
thanks mate :) hopefully it wont come to that as i think ive really fallen in love with it already, quick, nimble and great exterior styling but ill give you heads up if its bad news ;)
 
If the timing belt has slipped then I'm almost sure it's gonna be bad news.
I had a similar problem with a vectra a while ago that started out as you describe but then developed into not starting at all. Ended up being a cam position sensor but it made a mess of the engine itself.
 
well everythings crossed for a bit of good news i always seem to have bad luck with cars, first car engine blew up, 2nd car head gasket, 3rd car was fine vtr <3, vts 4th car radiator then head gasket double whammy :( now this
 
At least this one is still under warranty so it shouldn't cost you anything in repairs, did you test drive the car when you first saw it/bought it?
 
yea i test drove it everything seemed fine, but tbh in a quick 20 min test drive, you cant really teel if anything like this was was gonna happen, there was no knocks and bangs, and it wont cost me anything, if he says you have to pay for the labour i will demand my money back, if not maybe take legal action if he wont as im deffinately not paying anything when ive only had the car for pretty much 1 full day, and only done about 20 miles or something
 
Don't go formally legal until you've exhausted every other option.

Courts do not like small claims procedures being used as a first resort (but by all means do threaten this). If you're too quick with the trigger finger it will possibly result in your case being dismissed immediately, thus making it much harder to re-apply. At worst you will be listed as a vexatious litigant, although it's unlikely to happen unless you're always in and out of court suing people left, right and centre.

I would keep it informal for now. If you're confident that things are OK then it's always best to maintain a good relationship will all parties. But do ensure that you don't sign any disclaimers or declarations of indemnity at any point. If the seller asks you to do this then it's likely he's trying to absolve himself of subsequent responsibility, and that's the time to be watchful.
 
Have they told you what the problem is? Don't panic unless you have due course to. I'm a big worrier and more often than not my pessimism is totally unrealistic.
 
not been in touch as of yet going to give them till thursday noon before i start to hassle them, nothing worse than an annoying customer ;) ive been there :lol:
 
well i had a voicemail from the garage on monday, rang them yesterday but the boss was out just rang them now and it turns out it had a spun big end bearing, so the engine is in bits, just waiting for an eningeer for warranty company to see whether theyare goin to pay out or not, cos we all know they will do anything to get out of forking out money even though the bloody should do thats the whole point of a warranty!!!!

Either way i wont be paying out for the car whether the bloke i bought it off pays for it or the warranty company, but he says he sparing nothing, he going to make sure its "mint" as he put it :lol: when i get it back as he understands i only had the car for one whole day which was used for work and back so should have my baby back, back end of next week :D
 
Glad it's getting sorted. It will probably be better than new now as well. Did any of the pistons get damaged?
 
he rang me again this morning letting me know the warranty engineer is round today, so he will find out if they gonna pay out tomorrow, if they dont then it goes back to the guy i bought it off if he wants to pay out or give me my money back.

He said the car was only a few revolutions before throwing the rod right out so i got a lucky escape that would have been a big bang :lol: only thing it needs is a new crank, also he putting new belt on, and obviously some new oil

but ill find out tomorrow what the crack is, i mean not the end of the world already looked at few other cars i fancy if i get my money back :lol:
 
well the warranty company wont pay out, so nowi think im gonna ring up the dealer and see if i can get my money back i think, as it may take a while to fix by the time one of them decides to pay up, but how should i approach this as i dont want to sound too soft but i also dont want to sound like an arsehole
 
HDi fun said:
I'd reject the car ASAP and get your money back. This can take a bit of doing, you'll have to dig your heels in very hard and be potentially prepared for a bit of confrontation. Try and keep it civil, do not react to threats etc.
Click to expand...

I think this is your answer. As far as I'm aware you are entitled to a refund, but I'm sure HDi (or one of the other lads) will be able to be more precise on where you stand legally.
 
just spoke with him and they gonna put a new engine in it, when they find outy who is paying for it, the warranty company are trying to blame me for the fault saying i ragged it, and i said i strongly disagree with that as i only just took the car home to and from work then it died, so i still dont really know what happening yet, if it does get dragged out for much longer i will get my money back
 
I would make sure the new engine is of roughly the same mileage as the current one and is also covered under any warranty. Personally, I'd just get my money back and go and buy something else.
 
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