Going to inspect a Clio 3 RS 197 for purchase, have some questions

[Razmann4k]

Hi all, I'm going to see a Clio 3 RS 197 in a couple of days, and I had a few questions that I'm sure the forum would be able to answer:

1. I want to make sure the car is legit and matches the registration document, so is there any way I can see the engine number simply by looking in the engine bay anywhere?
2. The car is on 64 000 miles, is there anything in particular I should ask the seller?
3. The car has a regular key and no start button, does not have the recaros, and has silver brembos and is nimbus silver with silver wheels, would exact spec would that be classified as?

Thank you.

 

[link]

Have a look here https://clio197.net/threads/clio-197-buyers-guide.19788/

When was cambelt last done, can cost almost £1k these days... should be done every 5/6 years.

 

[Razmann4k]

Have a look here https://clio197.net/threads/clio-197-buyers-guide.19788/

When was cambelt last done, can cost almost £1k these days... should be done every 5/6 years.

Thank you for the guide, a good read! The owner said that they had just had the cambelt done, but if I end up purchasing it, I will definitely inspect it myself to be sure. As for the engine number, is it buried away in an inaccessible place?

 

[Phenom]

1. I think what you're looking for is between the oil filter and the gearbox on the engine. quite low down not sure you'll be able to get a look on it to check the numbers.

2. Same as above regarding belts being done, I'd go lock to lock on the steering wheel while stationary and listen for any knocks or creaks coming from the from suspension as top mount and ball joints are a common to need replacing. Top mounts aren't too bad to replace but ball joints can be a proper pain

3. To get a better idea of the spec the important question is does it have aircon and steering wheel adjustment? I'm guessing that is might just be a base 197 but I don't know if they all had keyless entry/start by default and only the cups came with an actual key or if the keyless was an option and a not cup standard 197s would also actual key

 

[Razmann4k]

1. I think what you're looking for is between the oil filter and the gearbox on the engine. quite low down not sure you'll be able to get a look on it to check the numbers.

2. Same as above regarding belts being done, I'd go lock to lock on the steering wheel while stationary and listen for any knocks or creaks coming from the from suspension as top mount and ball joints are a common to need replacing. Top mounts aren't too bad to replace but ball joints can be a proper pain

3. To get a better idea of the spec the important question is does it have aircon and steering wheel adjustment? I'm guessing that is might just be a base 197 but I don't know if they all had keyless entry/start by default and only the cups came with an actual key or if the keyless was an option and a not cup standard 197s would also actual key

Thanks for the tips Phenom! In the pictures, the car has automatic climate control (the middle circle isn't a knob but looks like a screen), and as for steering wheel adjustment, I'm not sure what to look for in the pictures, there does seem to be a cavity under the steering column section where a lever would go, and if it's anything like my old Mk2 1.4's steering wheel adjustment, I'd say it does have steering wheel adjustment. Additionally, the pedals all look aluminium, and the door cards have full sized grab handles that have the window switch on the passenger side on them. Also, the rev counter is yellow, but I thought that was only on the 200s, am I wrong?

 

[Phenom]

Thanks for the tips Phenom! In the pictures, the car has automatic climate control (the middle circle isn't a knob but looks like a screen), and as for steering wheel adjustment, I'm not sure what to look for in the pictures, there does seem to be a cavity under the steering column section where a lever would go, and if it's anything like my old Mk2 1.4's steering wheel adjustment, I'd say it does have steering wheel adjustment. Additionally, the pedals all look aluminium, and the door cards have full sized grab handles that have the window switch on the passenger side on them. Also, the rev counter is yellow, but I thought that was only on the 200s, am I wrong?

Have the climate control and the grey callipers makes me think it’s a standard model 197, as you can get a cup but that has no A/c, no steering adjustment I think, and red callipers. But it's not uncommon to replace callipers and the grey ones are a more available than the red ones when it comes to getting replacements. If you can get the VIN I think the "My Renault App" can tell you the exact model and options it came from the factory with.

As far as I know the yellow clocks only came on the 200 but they are just a plug and play swap only issue is if clocks with a lower milage were put in but hopefully you could see the discrepancy pretty easily on a mot or car check

 

[Razmann4k]

Have the climate control and the grey callipers makes me think it’s a standard model 197, as you can get a cup but that has no A/c, no steering adjustment I think, and red callipers. But it's not uncommon to replace callipers and the grey ones are a more available than the red ones when it comes to getting replacements. If you can get the VIN I think the "My Renault App" can tell you the exact model and options it came from the factory with.

As far as I know the yellow clocks only came on the 200 but they are just a plug and play swap only issue is if clocks with a lower milage were put in but hopefully you could see the discrepancy pretty easily on a mot or car check

Alright, I'll check the app out.
As for the clocks, that's actually very concerning, does the gauge cluster itself really store the mileage of the car? If so, are you saying there's nothing stopping someone from putting a 64k mile clock on a 200k mile car? I assumed it was just a screen that displayed whatever the ECU kept as the mileage. Unfortunately, I'm not in the UK, and I don't think our version of the MOT is anywhere near as thorough as yours, they don't even care about catalytic converters!

 

[Razmann4k]

Have the climate control and the grey callipers makes me think it’s a standard model 197, as you can get a cup but that has no A/c, no steering adjustment I think, and red callipers. But it's not uncommon to replace callipers and the grey ones are a more available than the red ones when it comes to getting replacements. If you can get the VIN I think the "My Renault App" can tell you the exact model and options it came from the factory with.

As far as I know the yellow clocks only came on the 200 but they are just a plug and play swap only issue is if clocks with a lower milage were put in but hopefully you could see the discrepancy pretty easily on a mot or car check

I have a Foxwell OBD scanner, I hope that can help spot any mileage discrepancies, would you happen to know if it requires a Renault CLIP tool or if a regular scanner can shed some light on this potential issue?

 

[Phenom]

I have a Foxwell OBD scanner, I hope that can help spot any mileage discrepancies, would you happen to know if it requires a Renault CLIP tool or if a regular scanner can shed some light on this potential issue?

Milage is stored in the clocks when you swap clocks the milage stays with them, I know using the Renault Clip software you make the milage bigger, but you cannot make it smaller.

I don't know if the actual ECU keeps its own record of milage separate to what the clocks display so you can find out the actual milage of the vehicle.

I can’t remember if you can read milage through the OBD or not will get it a go on my Clio when I get home tonight and find out if no one more knowledgeable chimes in

 

[Razmann4k]

Milage is stored in the clocks when you swap clocks the milage stays with them, I know using the Renault Clip software you make the milage bigger, but you cannot make it smaller.

I don't know if the actual ECU keeps its own record of milage separate to what the clocks display so you can find out the actual milage of the vehicle.

I can’t remember if you can read milage through the OBD or not will get it a go on my Clio when I get home tonight and find out if no one more knowledgeable chimes in

Thank you very much, would greatly appreciate it! I actually bounced the idea off ChatGPT and it said even if the OBD can't read the mileage directly, any warnings or ABS codes, etc. should store the mileage that they appeared at, although I'm not sure if that's applicable to the 197. Either way, it sounds plausible, if a ABS code showed up at 100k and the car is on 64k, then I know to run away from that seller as fast as possible!

I must say that this is about the most stupid flaw I've ever heard on these Clios, forget about dephasers, etc. If it's so easy to artificially lower the mileage, that one really takes the cake.

 

[burrellbloke]

If you want to check the mileage then a MOT history check is a good start https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

But it is always difficult trying to make sure an older car has the right mileage unless you are prepared to pay for a vehicle check - but even those are not always correct.

Are you sure that the car has a proper key and not a flat black key card? A proper Cup only came with keys that go in to an ignition barrel. Cars that are described as being "cup packed" had the cup extras but all came with a keycard.

If you download the MyRenault app for your phone and enter the registration it should tell you what options the car came with when it was ordered from the factory.

 

[Razmann4k]

If you want to check the mileage then a MOT history check is a good start https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

But it is always difficult trying to make sure an older car has the right mileage unless you are prepared to pay for a vehicle check - but even those are not always correct.

Are you sure that the car has a proper key and not a flat black key card? A proper Cup only came with keys that go in to an ignition barrel. Cars that are described as being "cup packed" had the cup extras but all came with a keycard.

If you download the MyRenault app for your phone and enter the registration it should tell you what options the car came with when it was ordered from the factory.

Hi @burrelbloke, unfortunately I'm in South Africa, so the car won't have been through a UK MOT. And yes, the car doesn't have a start button and it has a regular key barrel in the steering column.


Thanks, I will definitely check out the app.

 

[Razmann4k]

By the way, I want to know what to listen for in the engine bay, so this is another 197 I went to look at earlier (but ran away from due to accident damage), but still, based on the following video, would you say this is the dephaser noise, or is that regular engine noise?

The car seemed fine engine-wise during the test drive, but we wouldn't have anything to compare it to as it was the first Renaultsport we ever drove.

 

[Razmann4k]

Milage is stored in the clocks when you swap clocks the milage stays with them, I know using the Renault Clip software you make the milage bigger, but you cannot make it smaller.

I don't know if the actual ECU keeps its own record of milage separate to what the clocks display so you can find out the actual milage of the vehicle.

I can’t remember if you can read milage through the OBD or not will get it a go on my Clio when I get home tonight and find out if no one more knowledgeable chimes in

Going to inspect the car in the morning, would you or anyone else happen to know if its possible to find the mileage with a regular OBD?

 

[Sean197]

You can check the mileage at the last mot through the dvla.

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate

www.gov.uk

 

[Razmann4k]

You can check the mileage at the last mot through the dvla.

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate

www.gov.uk

Hi Sean, I should mention that I'm in South Africa

 

[Sean197]

Hi Sean, I should mention that I'm in South Africa

That may be an issue then

 

[Razmann4k]

That may be an issue then

Yeah, I don't think our version of the MOT will be much help, they don't tell us the history of the car. Besides, we don't have to do it every year, only when ownership changes.

 

[Razmann4k]

That may be an issue then

It's not all bad though, we aren't forced to keep a cat installed, our road tax is like £25, and insurance for a 197 (not for a kid of course) is also like £25 per month.

 

[Razmann4k]

Inspected the car today, and it was not as advertised. The car had clearly also been in an accident and wasn't repaired properly. The engine also seemed hesitant and strangely enough, the shift light and beep occurred at around 6500RPM, and the rev limiter kicked in at 7000, and wouldn't go any higher. Obviously didn't take the car!