New member Sheffield

AJ68

AJ68

Hi all, just joined, but had my black 2008 197 Lux (20,000) for 6 months and already got some great tips from here (WD40 in the boot grommets to stop random opening being one!). love the car, previously had 1.2 clio 2002 which i managed to get 140,000 out of :001_rolleyes:. My 197 is largely stock at moment, cept for 17mm hub centric spacers as I didnt think the wheels filled the arches nicely. so far iam happy and dont feel the handling has been detrimentally effected (i dont plan on track days, just cruising our streets). also got a set of black Zunsport grills which i think look great and also really protect my already slightly dinted radiator! i do have a couple of questions if someone has the time.

1) is my suspension the same as the cup model or the original 197? iam looking to lower it 30mm all round as i like the look. which springs are best,are they safe and how much to fit all four from a garage specialising in shocks?
2) i bought the car from Renault evans halshaw leeds, full service history, MOTs etc, anyone have any good/bad things to say about the dealership as i have purchased a service plan with them, i know they are RS recommended but might go to the sheffield/ doncaster branch instead?
3) as its coming up for 6 years old, even though the milage is low, should i be getting the belts etc changed at its next service/MOT?
4) iam assuming that the spacers and the lowering springs i mentioned may not go down well with the dealership, so is it wise to change back to stock before i take it in for service/MOT in Nov 14?

Thanks for your time

ps as a real newcomer to 197s is there anything else i should know/be keeping an eye on?
 
Welcome to the forum mate, can't help you with 1 and 4 but
2 I would stay as far away from Evans Halshaw as much as possible, probably on of the worst dealers there is.
3 yes get the cambelt replaced it due and if it goes the cars dead.

to get it done I would speak to Renault/Nissan Pontefract, ask for Adam or Daz and say I sent you they will look after you.
 
Thanks fella, will get it changed in nov, I'll find out where the ponte dealer is. Must admit wasn't impressed with EH but the car seemed a good deal with the mileage/history etc. and so far so good. Fingers crossed....
 
Ta fella.coz it's a late 197, reg 58 but only hit the road feb 09 the service book says 6 years before belts etc due. I asked bout this and was told they'll be ok till next year, all the same gonna get done in next few months. What's the usual cost :worried:
 
:welcome: to the forum!

a few points (in no order)

1. Yes get the cambelt done - also do the water pump. Use either DDC in doncaster (non-genuine parts, but good lads and good service) or Diamond in Nottingham
2. Avoid the dealership in sheffield. They're sh*t. It took them almost two weeks to do a 5minute job, and they repeatedly lied about my car being ready which resulted in my Mrs getting there, only to find it wasn't ready at all and get the tram back.
3. your car is out of warranty and fitting springs and spacers doesn't affect your cars MOT worthiness so don't worry about taking them off again (I tell people the car has spacers on, purely so they don't f*ck them up/drop them when they take the wheel off)
4. Also avoid JS Services in Rotherham. They're a 'renault specialist' but from personal experience they're a bunch of cowboys
 
Ta Robo, I really appreciate the advice. Just been looking into it with renault and because car wasn't registered till feb 09 they say major service not due till feb 2015, so time to save up! Checked with EH in Shef out of curiosity and they want £934, they say that covers the lot, all belts, pulleys,w/pump and 5 hrs labour at £72 an hr so will def be shopping around.will check out DDC and Harrats, ponte. Another thing that's got me concerned is if I don't declare the springs and spacers iam told my insurance could/will be invalid . Any advice,experience with this? I want to tell em for peace of mind (Esure), or will they just charge me extra or dump me?
 
AJ68 said:
Ta Robo, I really appreciate the advice. Just been looking into it with renault and because car wasn't registered till feb 09 they say major service not due till feb 2015, so time to save up! Checked with EH in Shef out of curiosity and they want £934, they say that covers the lot, all belts, pulleys,w/pump and 5 hrs labour at £72 an hr so will def be shopping around.will check out DDC and Harrats, ponte. Another thing that's got me concerned is if I don't declare the springs and spacers iam told my insurance could/will be invalid . Any advice,experience with this? I want to tell em for peace of mind (Esure), or will they just charge me extra or dump me?
Click to expand...

Yeah, thats about right for a dealer TBH. DDC in doncaster are £390 all in, Diamond are £450. You might need to keep some spare cash just in case the dephaser is also shot (they'll check this and advise at the time).

Yes you should always declare any mods to your insurance, as they can/will void your policy in the event of a claim if you've got something on there you didn't tell them. Every company is different when it comes to mods so you're best to ring them and see how they react. Personally I use Greenlight insurance who are not only the cheapest for me/my car but also they will add pretty much any mod I want free of charge. In fact one of our members recently put a 280bhp megane engine in to his Clio and they only charged him a £50 admin fee!
 
I read somewhere that there are less than 30 197 lux's in the UK. Is this a good thing in terms of depreciation /future /current value ? Also waiting for Esure to get back to me after speaking to their underwriters re mods.
 
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