Mike Rotch's RenaultSport Clio 200T

[Mike Rotch]

Oh well, booked in for an assessment at a repairer on Wednesday. Insurance has already waived excess as a result of it being a rear collision. I guess this is why I pay it!

 

[Mike Rotch]

Update: took it to the repairer for an assessment, thankfully just 20mins away. The collection of German SUVs gives me hope as to quality delivered...

The had a look, took some pics and booked it in for the 8th. They suggested the rear diffuser would need replacing rather than repairing and found some paint (either rub from the other car) or damage near one of the PDC sensors...hope it is the former. They also wanted to see what was what under the bumper as a precaution - to be done on the 8th.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Yay, after a little over a week of waiting, I got my car back, with new and painted diffuser It seems to be a shade darker grey than the original one, but I mind not one iota.

I prodded the guy about what the cost was had I walked in off the street.

$1500 for the diffuser (and black bit) and $700 for labour.

'Strya mate

 

[Mike Rotch]

:censored:ity 🤬

Took the car out this morning and had a blast, and then stopped at the shops on the way home. What do I see....but a thoughtful little easter egg left by the repairer. Kicking myself for not picking it up then and there

Closed today, but pretty sure they will just say it was fine when they released it to me. Hassle factor and taxi cost probably means I'll just had to get it done separately. Going to give them a 🤬 google review!

 

[Pete05]

:censored:ity 🤬

Took the car out this morning and had a blast, and then stopped at the shops on the way home. What do I see....but a thoughtful little easter egg left by the repairer. Kicking myself for not picking it up then and there

Closed today, but pretty sure they will just say it was fine when they released it to me. Hassle factor and taxi cost probably means I'll just had to get it done separately. Going to give them a 🤬 google review!

I'd have to go back to them & at least see what they say. You might be surprised.
If they deny, deny, deny, unleash & let them know you're going to spread the word.
Does your car have an alloy spare or one of those ridiculous space savers?
Have you priced a replacement rim?

 

[Mike Rotch]

I'd have to go back to them & at least see what they say. You might be surprised.
If they deny, deny, deny, unleash & let them know you're going to spread the word.
Does your car have an alloy spare or one of those ridiculous space savers?
Have you priced a replacement rim?

I don't think a replacement is necessary - fortunately it is scratches rather than chunks missing. They were closed today, otherwise I would have gone back to raise hell.

The hassle of going to them, having to leave car, taxis etc probably means it's just worth me getting one of these mobile alloy repairer guys to come by. One quoted me $140 online once i sent him pics, and can repair it in an hour onsite.

The universe is trying to tell me something, methinks

 

[GDII]

They have also damaged your tyre. That isn't so bad as it's not in a dangerous place but still annoying.

This is the reason I never let anyone have my car out of my site. Not worth the risk even at repair shops or similar.

Sorry to see such a nice car get damaged twice.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Thanks mate. Yeah, lucky and unlucky on the tyre. Lucky it is not invalidating it's structure as they don't sell Goodyear Asymmetric 2's no more, only AS3's....which have a different tread pattern....which 4x new wheels.

Just spewing at myself for not being so focused on them not having stuffed up the paint (dents etc) that I complete assumed the wheels would be fine. Lesson learned!

 

[Watchman]

 

 

[Katiegan]

This picture genuinely broke my heart.

Ever since getting my alloys I've been super paranoid about scuffing them, so I can imagine how annoyed you felt!

 

[lbpomg95]

I feel your pain. Granted my alloys aren't worth as much, but having had them refurbed in gloss black, any blemish will show. And of course I picked up a stone chip in the final week of my previous job. My poor car has been tortured by that job. I only worked there for 4 weeks and the alloy got chipped, a muntjac deer ran out and collided with my front bumper and stupid witch opened her door onto mine and dented the car. Glad I'm out of that place. Knew working for Ford and driving a Vauxhall was a bad omen...

 

[Mike Rotch]

Got hold of the repairer, and got the expected "we are meticulous with our cars mate, and you checked it out yourself so you should have spotted it". Eventually he agreed that if I bring it in, they'll "take a look". TBH, I don't them touching my car again nor do I want to deal with them, so I'll either live with it or arrange a wheel specialist to sort it out!

 

[Pete05]

Got hold of the repairer, and got the expected "we are meticulous with our cars mate, and you checked it out yourself so you should have spotted it". Eventually he agreed that if I bring it in, they'll "take a look". TBH, I don't them touching my car again nor do I want to deal with them, so I'll either live with it or arrange a wheel specialist to sort it out!

If I was tempted to take the car in, I certainly wouldn't let it out of my sight.
It's like sending your food back to the kitchen in a restaurant. Eat that at your own risk

 

[Mike Rotch]

Bit of a hiatus, but blow me down, this week is the one year anniversary! Unbelievable that it's been a year already, but a good time for some thoughts after living with it.

I suppose if I know now, back then, the question is would I still buy it?

I can say without hesitation, the answer would be a resounding yes It is certainly not without it's foibles, but I get a kick each and every time I drive it, whether it be down to the shops or up through the mountains. This is especially the case since I had the centre resonator replaced with straight-pipe to liberate some more noise.

So I racked up just over 5,500km, clocked up 3 points on my licence and averaged around 9l/100km all up. The highway can dip to low 6's, but you're doing something epic if anything more than ~11.5l is seen, regardless of how hard it's driven.

As I say, it's not perfect. The audio system is average at best, and that is with the Trophy pack upgrade. The driver's quarter is pleasant, but the plastics get cheap in a hurry as you move around the cabin, and mark virtually by looking at them wrongly. The gearbox needs to be warmed up to not be grumpy, and you do need to consciously drive it as if it were a manual and not an auto to get the best out of the box. The engine noise is .....not the best, a bit "whirry" but at least not gutless sounding. I also removed the intake generator tube that pipes in amplified intake noise - NVH improves a lot.

On the plus side, I love the flexibility of the engine. Equally happy to pull from 1,500 rpm in 4th as it is to be wrung out at the redline in 3rd. It's not the screamer the prior NA was, but it's perfect for my daily needs. With the exhaust sorted out, the sound in my opinion is how it should have come from the factory - pops and crackles in sport mode with mild coaxing and generally a bit more pronounced without being droney. The navigation system is the best I have ever used (comparing to GPS of various brands) too. The handling is beyond my meagre abilities, and grip levels are ridiculous....I really need a track to explore where the limits are safely. Best of, in this land at least, apart from a group of mad fanatics who give each other waves in traffic, it flies under the radar out in traffic. Just the way I dig it.

Here are some pics, cos why not. All taken on a Mamiya 645 using Fuji Pro 160c

 

[Shaun]

So I racked up just over 5,500km

I'll let it slide because you get the train to work but I've ridden my bike further so far just this calendar year.

 

[Paulie]

So I racked up just over 5,500km, clocked up 3 points on my licence and averaged around 9l/100km all up. The highway can dip to low 6's, but you're doing something epic if anything more than ~11.5l is seen, regardless of how hard it's driven.

That's good going on the km's, I average over 25 000km a year. Good to see you're enjoying your car, too many people with boring daily drivers these days don't know what they're missing.

 

[Pete05]

I'll let it slide because you get the train to work but I've ridden my bike further so far just this calendar year.

Pffft!

I easily cover that in less than a month.

I am a Truckie though

 

[PASM]

Liquid Yellow

Need I say more?

Glad you like it. A hot hatch needs some engine feedback for the quick blasts. You are still running the stock rear silencer? I'm wondering if that would be the better setup on the 197, since my Fox rear silencer makes the car a bit droney on the motorway. Still, not complaining. Mine sounds excellent at full chat.

Your fuel consumption is quite decent. I guess the turbo engine does make the car a little more efficient. Curious to see what you think of the gearbox if you are going to a trackday.

 

[Mike Rotch]

You are still running the stock rear silencer?

Just the stock backbox - yep - with the reso removed. I've listened to more video's that I care to mention and for the turbo set up, my mod is the best bang for buck. Same results as a catback basically! To get any more I would need to start removing cats and that's too much for me.

Curious to see what you think of the gearbox if you are going to a trackday.

The issue seems to be 1) air temps and less so 2) gearbox temps. The intercooler is barely sufficient for Australian conditions, so spanking it on a track means the ECU will gradually wind down power. Most serious mods involve a new intercooler kit to resolve that. The gearbox seems less of an issue, but mostly as nobody knows where the "limit" is and have been treating them respectfully. That said, a lot of guys are running up to 280hp without any failures/ issues.

 

[Mike Rotch]

So here is good old fashioned lols.

Through the RenaultOz forums, us RSC4 owners have discovered that is a bizarre inconsistency coming through in the RS models. This was only discovered because one guy bought his wife a new RS220 and himself a new RS220 at the same time, took them home...and discovered they had different door seal kits.

As in, hers had full secondary rear door seals and his didn't. Small thing, but still wtf.

This resulted in a forum stocktake and lo, I of course somehow have the "without" variant. When I went for my service the other week I tried to pin down the servicing agent for a reason, and of course got excuses and denial. I was lucky in that there was this parked next to me:

Cue more mealy-mouthed excuses.

Anyway, RS220 driver, me and a few others started pressing Renault Australia for a response and this is what finally came back:

With reference to your contact with us regarding the fitment (or non fitment) of door seals in your
Renault Clio RS Trophy.

We have made enquiries to our parent company who has advised the following:
• The build specification for this model variant is that there are no door seals fitted. However,
they have advised that due to production constraints there were some vehicles which had them
fitted, and which are considered to be 'outside' build specification.

As you may be aware the Clio model variant is built in France, and the factory have confirmed that
there is no manufacturing defect with vehicles that do not have a door seal fitted, and therefore
there is no requirement to fit them retrospectively under the New Vehicle Warranty .

Whilst we appreciate your feedback and comments, we would also advise that Renault reserves the
right to modify the specifications, vehicles and accessories described and featured at any time.

In closing, thank you for bringing this to our attention, allowing us to clarify our position and
we trust that you will continue to enjoy driving your Renault Clio RS Trophy.
Yours Sincerely, Renault Australia
Renault Customer Service

What a load of 🤬. The other dude is a lawyer, so won't go down without a fight.

FWIW, lacking secondary seals doesn't let anything into the cabin, it just makes for a dirt door sill that requires washing.

 

[Pete05]

So here is good old fashioned lols.

Through the RenaultOz forums, us RSC4 owners have discovered that is a bizarre inconsistency coming through in the RS models. This was only discovered because one guy bought his wife a new RS220 and himself a new RS220 at the same time, took them home...and discovered they had different door seal kits.

As in, hers had full secondary rear door seals and his didn't. Small thing, but still wtf.

This resulted in a forum stocktake and lo, I of course somehow have the "without" variant. When I went for my service the other week I tried to pin down the servicing agent for a reason, and of course got excuses and denial. I was lucky in that there was this parked next to me:

Cue more mealy-mouthed excuses.

Anyway, RS220 driver, me and a few others started pressing Renault Australia for a response and this is what finally came back:



What a load of 🤬. The other dude is a lawyer, so won't go down without a fight.

FWIW, lacking secondary seals doesn't let anything into the cabin, it just makes for a dirt door sill that requires washing.

WTF indeed

Keep us up to date. I have a feeling this could get interesting with 'lawyer guy' involved.

 

[GDII]

That is very odd. But then when you look at other cars they all have very odd differences as they update the model ever so slightly.

My MR2 has a seal around the outside of the door (frameless window) and one around the inside of the door opening but I still get a ton of water running down the door opening between the 2 seals. I guess it gets in at the back of the window on the door. I'm not too concerned as the inside seal stops any water getting in to the car.

 

[Pupik]

So here is good old fashioned lols.

Through the RenaultOz forums, us RSC4 owners have discovered that is a bizarre inconsistency coming through in the RS models. This was only discovered because one guy bought his wife a new RS220 and himself a new RS220 at the same time, took them home...and discovered they had different door seal kits.

As in, hers had full secondary rear door seals and his didn't. Small thing, but still wtf.

This resulted in a forum stocktake and lo, I of course somehow have the "without" variant. When I went for my service the other week I tried to pin down the servicing agent for a reason, and of course got excuses and denial. I was lucky in that there was this parked next to me:

Cue more mealy-mouthed excuses.

Anyway, RS220 driver, me and a few others started pressing Renault Australia for a response and this is what finally came back:



What a load of 🤬. The other dude is a lawyer, so won't go down without a fight.

FWIW, lacking secondary seals doesn't let anything into the cabin, it just makes for a dirt door sill that requires washing.

We had a similar thing occur with 1999 Lexus RX 300s in America; some had rear bumper anti-scratch covers, some did not. It was never mentioned as an accessory nor an option. For a few years, we'd goodwill them to customers if they complained. Around 2002, Toyota North America put the kibosh on that; by now, '99s were out of out of warranty, and you couldn't very well warranty a non-existent item. But we tacked them on through 2003 or so.

Our dealer was audited and hit back for a decent sum. Auditors were at Electric Lexusland for about two weeks, sifting though paperwork.

That said, considering the amount it cost then to send a dozen folks to Florida...travel, entertainment, and associated expenses, and foiling them for a whopping $13,000 was a decent laugh which literally was at their expense, once our mistakes were accounted for.

(The cynic in me just thinks they wanted an excuse to vacation in South Florida in February.)

 

[Mike Rotch]

That is what I don't get. Sure, maybe the manufacturing changed and some point and some have, some don't.

But these are the range topping models. Australia is the biggest buyer of RenaultSport's outside France thanks to a small but passionate fanbase. If some people come asking for a $50 part, humour them with goodwill, instead of telling them that they should lump it. I mean the guy who had the two RS220s forked out AU$90,000!

 

[Pupik]

That is what I don't get. Sure, maybe the manufacturing changed and some point and some have, some don't.

But these are the range topping models. Australia is the biggest buyer of RenaultSport's outside France thanks to a small but passionate fanbase. If some people come asking for a $50 part, humour them with goodwill, instead of telling them that they should lump it. I mean the guy who had the two RS220s forked out AU$90,000!

Some dealerships (and a few brands) cannot tell the woods from the trees. One dealer will stick their neck out, because that could be their next sale. And another might tell you to get bent. And yet other brands seem to have no problem with an exodus of customers due to head-up-arse disease. Since I have to really play the field for work, I won't name any names.

(In my time, I have also met a few of customers that deserve prison food or smack upside the head instead of goodwill, so not every driver is a saint.)

 

[05XR8]

That is what I don't get. Sure, maybe the manufacturing changed and some point and some have, some don't.

But these are the range topping models. Australia is the biggest buyer of RenaultSport's outside France thanks to a small but passionate fanbase. If some people come asking for a $50 part, humour them with goodwill, instead of telling them that they should lump it. I mean the guy who had the two RS220s forked out AU$90,000!

I'm out of the game so I can talk now.

Depends on the dealership. I worked at the largest Subaru dealer in the southern hemisphere- money to burn. So, goodwill wasn't a problem. At Preston Toyota, "good luck" was their goodwill. Ford(in Penrith) was a whole other ball game. You could sniffle and they'd approve parts.
Mazda Australia was tough. Even when we went through hoops for customers, Mazda wouldn't help, which left us spending out of budget. So, I can understand some folks not getting helped.
Just glad we never had a concern or problem with our Trophy+.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Just glad we never had a concern or problem with our Trophy+.

Never knew you had a RS Still got it?

Thanks for sharing the experiences.....I guess I would think Renault being a low vol seller, they be of the ilk to try and be interested, but seems not to be!

 

[05XR8]

Never knew you had a RS Still got it?

Thanks for sharing the experiences.....I guess I would think Renault being a low vol seller, they be of the ilk to try and be interested, but seems not to be!

Sold it before we moved back to NSW. My wife wants another one. One of the best cars either of us have owned.

Edit: I just found out Melbourne city changed its name to Central.
Fun fact: At the time(2013), they ran the first 265s in the Shannon's Nationals. During the car's first check up, I got to speak to one of the mechanics at the dealership. Cool people.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Glad to hear you are enjoying the car @Mike Rotch, though you seem to barely put any mileage on it

I do think you've chosen the best colour for this car. Last week I spotted a Clio RS in this colour, but in direct sunlight it turned into a slight gold-ish colour. I thought it looked spectacular. You should get some black rims if you ever decide to get some new wheels, black would fit perfect on that yellow!

 

[Pete05]

Sold it before we moved back to NSW. My wife wants another one. One of the best cars either of us have owned.
View attachment 667710 View attachment 667711

Edit: I just found out Melbourne city changed its name to Central.
Fun fact: At the time(2013), they ran the first 265s in the Shannon's Nationals. During the car's first check up, I got to speak to one of the mechanics at the dealership. Cool people.

The first 265s in the Nationals.

Sounds like (Colin) Osbourne Motorsport.
He used to run a couple of the last Celicas.