Extended servicing / refurb of Clio 197/200

[jvakon]

Hi everyone,

I got myself a 2010 Clio 200 last year with about 100k miles on the clock, just as a fun car for weekend spins up mountain roads (not a track car). The vehicle was well maintained by the previous owner with servicing done as in the book. This is actually my second such Clio, as I previously had a 197 from new which I sold at about 50k miles, and I'm surprised at how well the 100k miles car still feels! :-D

Plan is to keep this Clio for long-term, which brings me to extended servicing. What would you recommend as timeframes for changing / replacing / refurbishing items which are not in the standard service list? Does anyone here have experience with maintenance of very long mileage 197/200 Clios? I'm thinking of items such as:
- Gearbox oil
- Differential oil
- Dampers
- Steering and suspension bushings
- And probably, eventually, an engine rebuild

Thanks a lot everyone!

John

 

[R20BTG]

The differential sits within the gearbox as it is a FWD car, therefore there is no separate differential oil to change. If you don’t have a receipt for when this was done then it’s an easy job to do and I’d do it right away.

If it’s not a track car and is just getting road use I’d stick to the regular service intervals for oil changes. If you want to be extra vigilant then maybe do an interim oil change between services.

Personally for a road car I’d change the rest of the stuff listed based on condition. Have a look at the state of the bushes and dampers and see if there’s any sign of deterioration. If it feels fine then just leave it. You could start to amass parts for a suspension refresh over the coming months so it doesn’t hurt your wallet too much, then when something shows signs of deterioration use that as your excuse to get it all done at the same time.

Some people prefer to fix just what needs doing at the time, but you could see that as a bit of a false economy if you’re paying for someone to take it apart anyway and then redo the suspension geometry afterwards. Depends if you plan to do the work yourself or not.

A good starting point might be to take it somewhere that can give you a baseline geometry reading, advise on whether it sits in spec, tweak anything that needs doing, and give a condition report on the rubber bushings and bearings. Even better if they’d let you poke around yourself.

 

[DS197]

I’d agree with the above as in changing parts based on condition. I hate paying for labour twice so I will always change parts that make sense to change at the same time e.g. changing top mounts and/or shocks (if needed) if you’re changing a broken spring, which you will do at some point if they’re standard springs.

Gearbox oil I tend to change every year which will only do good in a high mileage car.

 

[jvakon]

Thank you both. It sounds like the gearbox oil should be the first job on the list. Funny that it is not listed in the standard Renault service guide for this car!

How long do you guys think the F4R engine lasts before rebuild (assuming good maintenance)?

 

[R20BTG]

I don’t think I’ve noticed a pattern regarding engine life, some die early and some just keep on going. Drive it until it breaks then worry about it would be my advice!

 

[jvakon]

Great, thanks again!

 

[Wozzer]

I suppose it all depends on your annual mileage - I typically do no more than 2K p.a. So the car is serviced every year and I have the gearbox oil changed every 2 years. I replaced the springs, dampers and bushes (went for poly bushes) at 54k miles primary because of a broken. front spring i usually use that as an opportunity to upgrade the car so it sits on Eibach Pro springs and Koni Sport dampers. I also had the engine refurbed this year at 64kmiles that was done to get some extra torque and mild uplift in power but when the engine was stripped down I did have a damaged bearing so that was a stroke of luck - all engine work completed by AW Motorworks.