Cracked Sealant O/S Top Mount

[ShantiT]

Has anyone else experienced this kind of cracking of the sealant? It runs the entire way across the chassis top mount where it meets a plate, under the wiper scuttle. The N/S is fine, or I can't see any crack of any sort.

It's a 2012 car on three and a bit thousand miles. So hardly had a pounding. Full manufacturers warranty still valid under Renault 4+ so easy enough to fix if a problem. Although in my experience of Renault, fixing it will cause more problems than it causes.

Apologies for the photo being upside down. I attempted to attach it via multiple methods, rotating it to upside down in its original location and nothing did the trick.

 

[_Ben_]

I've seen a similar problem on a different part of the shell. Renault were unable to fix it after three attempts. There is underlying movement in the panel that is too great for the flexible sealer.

Definitely take it to Renault for investigation, please let us know how you get on.

 

[ShantiT]

I've seen a similar problem on a different part of the shell. Renault were unable to fix it after three attempts. There is underlying movement in the panel that is too great for the flexible sealer.

Definitely take it to Renault for investigation, please let us know how you get on.

Thanks Ben. It seems pretty clear that the suspension set up and spring rates are a little too hard for a shell that isn't sufficiently rigid to cope. All a balance of compliant handling or having your teeth shaken out, and the shell folding up well on impact to absorb energy.

I may take it to Renault for inspection as over time it could turn into a super rust trap where it is. Trouble is I really don't think there would be anything they could do about it. Bar stripping the whole front end, resealing, respraying and putting it back together. Probably for it to simply happen again. Is it worth the hassle and disturbing what's in situ I ask myself? Knowing Renault the car could become plagued with niggly little faults after they've messed with it.

 

[_Ben_]

Yeah, I know what you mean it's a difficult choice. You might be lucky and find a good body shop that can carry out the necessary work, you can always agree to not proceed. When I had the seam sorted on mine, the dealership was very careful with the car (had about 200 miles on it at the time), fortunately though there was no dismantling in order to get access.

My 200 is a 2012 car and only covered about 4600 miles, will be interested to see if mine has the same issue... Will let you know.

 

[ShantiT]

Yeah, I know what you mean it's a difficult choice. You might be lucky and find a good body shop that can carry out the necessary work, you can always agree to not proceed. When I had the seam sorted on mine, the dealership was very careful with the car (had about 200 miles on it at the time), fortunately though there was no dismantling in order to get access.

My 200 is a 2012 car and only covered about 4600 miles, will be interested to see if mine has the same issue... Will let you know.

Given we've similar low mileages, do let me know if it has the same crack developing once you've taken a look under the bonnet. It's easier to see the sealant on the O/S than the N/S.

It's going to Renault tomorrow morning. Will post what the outcome is. I intend to sit with the car and be there when they look at it. Although I was instructed to 'leave it with us all day'; not a chance pal. Depending on the diagnosis, and how professionally they articulate how to resolve the issue, I'll then make a decision to proceed or leave it.

The sealant is there simply to inhibit rust formation, it won't do anything structural, until the rust takes hold and the damper and top mount appear through the bonnet one day...

 

[ShantiT]

Having spent 30 mins at Renault today the workshop manager instantly approved any required remedial work for the perished sealant. It will take a few days for the paper work to rumble through the system and they'll be in touch when it can be booked in. Naturally it has to go to a Renault approved body shop as it's warranty work.

Now the question is, do I bother having it done?

I watched the guys walk around it, all three of them, and they had a good poke about under the bonnet. Including pictures being taken of the interior (it's standard) and the cars rear by the junior guy on his mobile phone, while he caressed the Cup spoilers end plate. I guess he's a fan boy.

On asking if they saw anything on the N/S as they were poking about there, the workshop manager said they had to remove the rubber trim to get a good photo of the perished sealant. Err I managed fine without touching a thing and could have given them all the photos they need. Now the A/C fan/motor/system makes a God awful whirring noise it didn't before. Coincidence? Who knows.

On asking the workshop manager who the best person to talk to about the work that will be required and how it would be done he initially said Customer Services. Having said I meant the real detail, he suggested the body shop manager in Orpington.

Anyone had experience of Renault's bodyshop on Orpington? Is there a Renault approved body shop in the South East or Midlands area (Gloucester to Hereford to Shrewsbury to Birmingham vicinity) that people trust?

 

[_Ben_]

Hi,

I had a check of mine, no cracking but on the near side I would say its a bit of a poor job in that the sealant has a couple of small gaps in it.

Funnily enough, Renault Orpington was the nearest body shop to me and had a few goes at repairing the other area of cracking I referred to in my earlier post.

Nice bunch, struggling to remember the body shop manager's name, happily trusted them with my car but things may have changed in the 2.5 years it has been since I was there.

If it was me I would probably have it fixed. The other area of seam sealant to be wary of is the part just on front of the rear wheels where the inner and outer wheel arch meet. I've seen gaps here on two 2012 200s.

Good luck.

 

[ShantiT]

Hi,

I had a check of mine, no cracking but on the near side I would say its a bit of a poor job in that the sealant has a couple of small gaps in it.

Funnily enough, Renault Orpington was the nearest body shop to me and had a few goes at repairing the other area of cracking I referred to in my earlier post.

Nice bunch, struggling to remember the body shop manager's name, happily trusted them with my car but things may have changed in the 2.5 years it has been since I was there.

If it was me I would probably have it fixed. The other area of seam sealant to be wary of is the part just on front of the rear wheels where the inner and outer wheel arch meet. I've seen gaps here on two 2012 200s.

Good luck.

A few gaps doesn't sound too great. I hope they're not complete holes and just patches where it's not a fully filled seam. Complete gaps may act in the same way a crack would regarding water ingress.

Although you suggest having it repaired, given Renault Orpington couldn't cure your sealant issue, is there much chance they're going to remedy this issue correctly? 50/50 at best I reckon, and they could still leave a mess behind, not to mention later issues appearing due to the disturbance of the work being done.

I'll chat to the body shop manager and then make a call. I'm erring on the side of 'if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it'.

Thanks for the tip on the other area to keep an eye on in front of the rear wheels. I'll take a look. Will also update the thread when I hear more from Renault about booking it in and the prognosis from the body shop manager.

 

[R27#239]

If anybody has this issue and is out of warranty i would suggest using 3M drip-check sealer 08531 to seal it (ive used this to seal many race car shells prior to painting) and then touching it up with a touch up pot.

 

[ShantiT]

If anybody has this issue and is out of warranty i would suggest using 3M drip-check sealer 08531 to seal it (ive used this to seal many race car shells prior to painting) and then touching it up with a touch up pot.

That solution probably sounds a better way to remedy the perishing issue when in warranty too. Far less (no) invasive surgery to the car required; depending on how Renault actually propose to remedy the issue.

 

[R27#239]

All the seal is for is to literally seal the panel gaps to stop any crud and water getting inside. Its not structural

 

[ShantiT]

Its not structural

Exactly. Therefore probably better to just reseal over the existing or fill any hole(s) in. I don't yet know what Renault would propose to do in order to remedy it.

Although adding sealant to what's there now could look pretty poor though. If I was a future buyer I'd be wanting to know why the sealant was looking bodged and question whether it had been involved in an accident.

 

[_Ben_]

If anybody has this issue and is out of warranty i would suggest using 3M drip-check sealer 08531 to seal it (ive used this to seal many race car shells prior to painting) and then touching it up with a touch up pot.

Thanks for that tip. When the seam on my car was "repaired" they used a similar looking gunge to what that 3M drip-check looks like. In my case, the bit that is cracked is a part that's not sealed on the race shells, granted they live in a slightly different environment but that did give me some assurance.

In the OPs case, I would be hopeful that the seam sealant was put on a bit too thinly at manufacture. I would love to know at which point these shells were seam sealed, I presume most of the work is done at Dieppe. Was a bit disappointed with some of the manufacturing workmanship on mine and when I nearly bought another new 2012 Clio 200 at the same time as mine was being repaired - I was gutted to see exactly the same seam issue on a completely different car! As a result I decided to spend my money elsewhere.

I suppose in my case, the repair procedure was a bit different. The problem was not so much a crack but rather a gap at first. It had been filled with waxoil from the factory which soon washed out. So the remedy was for Renault to scrape out the road gunk and degrease, brush on the sealant and finally paint. Because the part of the shell is not a neat seam in the first place, the repair was easily masked. In my case, because there is underlying movement in shell there, a small crack has started to appear on the surface.

Having re-read your earlier post, I missed the point you made about your AC making a noise. I doubt its a coincidence if they moved pipes and rubber trim out of the way in that area - check that nothing is fouling the AC components or belts aux belt.

As I get nearer the 4 year mark I will probably get it looked at again. My only reservation is the massive pain in the arse it is to get to the nearest Renault bodyshop.

Ben.

 

[ShantiT]

Classic Renault main dealer service. I call them last Friday to follow up on where the warranty approval is. "Sorry, we're busy, we'll get someone to call you back later." Yesterday, a week later, I call them and ask for an update again. "Sorry the man that approves the warranty work isn't here, but he's in tomorrow. When he speaks to me I'll update you".


So I politely ask "I see, does he only visit you once a month or so?". No answer to that, simply "when we know more tomorrow I'll call you".


All this from a Service Agent who claimed to pride themselves on how perfect a service they provide to all customers and that "what goes on in the workshop is beyond my control, but I'm highly professional".


Massive disconnect Renault. Massive. One hand doesn't know what the other does/is doing. Service Agents claiming they almost wash their hands of the workshop. Please.


Over 30 days to gain an approval for something I was immediately informed verbally would be 'approved without question'. Mildly concerning levels of customer service I'd have thought.

 

[_Ben_]

Very concerning. I didn't have that kind of experience but was equally disappointed due to the very fact I even had to make a warranty claim and was without the car forums long periods.

I'll probably try a different brand when it's time to replace mine, this was my first Renault and generally was disappointed with the customer service compared to my previous cars.

Hope you have a formal case open with Renault UK customer services. They can sometimes get things moving.

 

[ShantiT]

So, the standard Renault experience continues to descend to the usual darker depths. I call the service department of the main dealer yet again today, as they'd yet again not bothered to follow up or call me back. I'm kept on hold in silence for a while as the agent checks the warranty department. It turns out the dealers workshop manager has walked out several weeks ago and the photos taken of the issue to be presented for the warranty claim were in his possession, on whatever device he used to take the photos. Of course he's kept that and they now have no photos. I have photos, have done since day one, before I even drove to the dealer.

A positive point was when the agent asked if I could take some photos, so I didn't have to schlep to them again. Already got them. So I email them to them immediately.

Renault have managed to waste my time, money, added unnecessary mileage to the car, removed trim they didn't need to when taking photos they've lost, potentially resulting in the A/C fan now making grumbling noises it never did before they touched it, and the generally pawed and poked my car for no reason. Not to mention moved my driving seat position (sacrilege) : )

This entire episode could have been avoided if they'd asked me two questions. Can you take good photos of the problem? Can you email them to us? Job done.

Well over a month later and I'm just laughing at their complete muppetry. The next stage of discussing what they propose to do to rectify the perishing sealant is going to be a right barrel of laughs. All this before they've even laid hands on the car, bar messing around unnecessarily pulling at trim under the bonnet to take photos I already had.