Anyone else’s clio falling apart?

[Chris.200]

Hi All,

I’ve owned my 2009 200 for about 5 years now, approaching 75k miles and it seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Steering wheel falling apart, steering/suspension components failing, corroded, broken etc always fails mot’s costing £££

General condition not great either, lacquer peeling off paint etc.

Engine & gearbox still excellent which is the only silver lining. Not sure how much life the gearbox has got left though as still the original one and most seem to have problems at some point. I really want to get it to 100k miles but a little scared how much that’s going to cost me. Car tax is a misery once a year and constantly filling up.

Excellent car to drive though, I can’t think of a better handling car for the money you can pick them up for now. It’s also the last of the n/a, 3 door manual hot hatches which makes me want to keep it.

Anybody else at 10 years old 75k plus miles in the same boat?

 

[Doogle]

I know what you mean. Mines clocking over 125k now and is 12 years old. I've all but renewed the original suspension with new shocks, springs, front topmounts, both front wishbones, nearside swivel joints, front and back discs, pads, cambelt and waterpump, offside stub axle, both rear calipers, retrimmed steering wheel and a brand new wiper linkage. I want to change to get something 5 door and a bit cheaper to run in order to save for a how and that I dont get the opportunity to drive it very often in the way its best. But with its little financial worth and how good it can be when hooning down a B road I still get pangs of wanting to keep it, despite the almost daft tax bill and impractical nature for what I now need.

Fuel is getting more expensive and at £70 a tank to 350 miles its a belittling return. At least insurance isnt too bad at £225 for me now Im past 30.

PS I dont think my gearbox has been done either and it doesnt need doing, I think if they were going to go it was lower mileage.

 

[Big Ben]

Mine pretty much started failing around that age but I committed to spending the money on it because as you say they’re great cars when on song.

I changed hub carriers, track rods, discs, pads, rad support, full suspension, gearbox etc. Car feels amazing now though!

 

[link]

It's age as much as it's mileage, by 10yrs your looking at new suspension, new brakes, melted steering wheel, worn seats (3-5yrs if recaros), alloys peeling, rusty subframe, knackered flexis on manifold... The list goes on!

If your not prepared to give it yearly tlc don't buy an old French hot hatch; cheap to buy, costly to run, not for the faint hearted!

 

[Ed Hall]

☝ Yep on 90k and pretty much rebuilt all the steering rack and all the suspension, my last MOT was £2k new tyres, replaced a cracked spring with lowering springs and replaced shocks with cup shocks and new ant-rotation links.

Previous MOT's were inner and outer track rod ends etc.

I've just spent another £800.00 on a cambelt, water pump, auxiliary belt and oil change with Beaniesport this month.

I had a bit of chat with a guy on Instagram and he was asking about getting one. I had to explain on face value they look really cheap in the classifieds, but when you realise how much they cost to maintain and the labour costs, they are an expensive toy.

 

[Sideshowfred]

They're not young cars now. Mines 10 years old with 53k on it and everything seems to have either broken or is on it's way out. I think we sometimes forget how old a vehicle they are now. Mines got lacquer peel starting on the bumper, inner tie rods etc need doing and it's more than likely due most of the other suspension bushes based on age.

They're very expensive to run/maintain given the value of them now.

 

[Beany]

Mines a 12 plate on 86k. Whilst engine and gearbox have remained good, I’ve had the front suspension changed and tie rods sorted in my ownership along with cambelt and water pump.

I recently changed my headlights and saw the current state of the rad support bracket which is needing replacing and the underneath of the car looking like it’s been in the sea for 20yrs

 

[suj]

I've changed every suspension part (bar rear axle bushes), all engine mounts, all brakes, rear calipers, lambda sensors, thermostat(s) (more than once), exhaust manifold.....the list goes on haha.

Mainly preventative maintenance mind you, I am very bad for "while I do A, I might as well do B, C, D...." ends up at Z lol

But I would do the same on another car, funny as I do 20+k miles a year and the Clio has been very good for the last 2.5years, better than previous cars, so it's not as bad as people make out "french car, it'll breakdown every 10mins"....

 

[bedoef]

I think the French built these cars for the desert, dont think a wet climate helps them much!

Mine's done close 75k, and only recently had the gearbox rebuilt and the suspension replaced. Still on the original bushings! I am sure that job will come due in another 12 months tops...

 

[Doogle]

They are not any different to any other car, let alone any other performance car. Ive had a few BMW's which have needed injectors, full suspension refreshes and other worn out bits close to 100k. I would say now its age rather than mileage which is worse, but depends on how that mileage happens! Due to the sheer amount of mileage in the first 3-4 years of its life Id say mine was up and down a motorway, which no doubt causes less wear than pootling around town.

Where I begrudge paying money is things that wouldnt need replacing on other cars generally. Wiper linkage for example, gearboxs sh*tting themselves, etc. But you have to take the rough with the smooth.

 

[Ianboom]

I've just bought my wife's old 197 back from a neighbour after 3 1/2 years.
Having just done the cam belt on my 182 and thinking there's another few thousand miles left in the car (currently on 137k), I was horrified to see the corrosion on the front subframe and front suspension of the 197 which has 66k on it!

 

[ec123]

Hi All,

I’ve owned my 2009 200 for about 5 years now, approaching 75k miles and it seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Steering wheel falling apart, steering/suspension components failing, corroded, broken etc always fails mot’s costing £££

General condition not great either, lacquer peeling off paint etc.

Engine & gearbox still excellent which is the only silver lining. Not sure how much life the gearbox has got left though as still the original one and most seem to have problems at some point. I really want to get it to 100k miles but a little scared how much that’s going to cost me. Car tax is a misery once a year and constantly filling up.

Excellent car to drive though, I can’t think of a better handling car for the money you can pick them up for now. It’s also the last of the n/a, 3 door manual hot hatches which makes me want to keep it.

Anybody else at 10 years old 75k plus miles in the same boat?

yes and yes.

 

[Plummer]

My experience, owned mine 3 years, 2011 plate, bought it on 85k with FSH when it had just had the belts done and now it sits on 120k;


Front radiator mount (front sub-frame) replaced under corrosion warranty in March 2018

Fixed flexis at 90k
Front shocks replaced at 92k
Front lower ball joints replaced at 95k
Replaced exhuast manifold with Predator system at 101k as flexis went again
Track rods needing done now and the car is at 120k

Overall I consider this normal in terms of wear for the car, nothing to outrageously expensive to fix either.
I'm still on my first gearbox and got no crunches too.