1988 Renault 11 Turbo 1.4 turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Extremely unreliable, but I love it

Faults:

Blown head gasket!!! (these are the amount of times it has happened).

Turbo failure.

Distributor drive worm gear cracked and damaged a cam.

Exhaust manifold gasket leak.

Heat shield catching on fire.

Cylinder liner o-ring.

Cracked cylinder liner.

Clutch slip.

Clutch cables!!!

Clutch pedal. This self adjusting mechanism had stop adjusting.

Accelerator linkage on the back of carb.

Accelerator pump diaphragm leak.

Engine mounts (all three of them).

Sub frame crack. Where it mounts to the rear gearbox mount.

Rear brake pad keeps flicking out. This is due to the slow wear over the years on the retaining surface. It was rectified later on as the Clio which uses the same caliper also has retaining bolts.

Cooling system problems such as a heater matrix leak, various water pipes, radiator leak and water pump leak.

Wheel bearing.

Driveshaft constant velocity failure.

Various electrical faults, including relay failures. Harness connection corrosion was the most common.

Door locks refusing to let me in (turned out to be the electrical connections on the rear of the lock).

Fuel tank leak. There is a water trap above the tank and it rusts over time.

Many other little things, have forgotten them over time.

General Comments:

This Renault is seriously underrated! In good working order it is a very capable car. In many people's eyes the 5 Turbo is better. Apart from its appearance, which I would argue against, it will out perform the 5. It only weighs 70kg or so more, does not suffer as much from overheating problems, due to its larger engine bay. The 11 will also handle better as it has a much wider track and wheelbase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th May, 2001

1988 Renault 11 GTL 1.4 from Venezuela

Faults:

Clutch cable went at 2 years.

Accelerator cable (3 years).

Gas tank leaked (5 years).

Wiper motor (5 years).

Tailpipe went at 6 years.

Clutch and clutch pedal (6 years).

Timing chain made all kinds of noises at the end. Sold it - the new owner changed a chain puller or straightener or something for $50 and is still running. It now has 200.000 kms.

General Comments:

Excellent little car. Wish they still sold them here. I'd buy one again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th August, 2000

1988 Renault 11 GTX 1.7 petrol from Yugoslavia

Faults:

Nothing big. I replaced the left looking-glass (old was broken), put 2 new small handles for lifting the back windows, replaced one gut from cooler system when it broke. Only big problem in my country for owners of RENAULT's is (sometimes) the high price for reserve parts for that car.

General Comments:

The car is in very good condition. Interior is in grey/black combination with seat-belts on the back seats too. The motor have a lot of power and activity, particularly in second & third gear. It's easy for driving & governing and it has excellent clearness from the cabin. Also, the stereo is O.K. and the car-alarm works with no problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th January, 2000

1988 Renault 11 TXE 1.7 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Blown head gasket.

General Comments:

Unfortunately blown head gasket proved to be terminal... otherwise car was still going great; even the remote c/locking still worked! Likes its front tyres though. Surprisingly refined on the motorway, with plenty of go in it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th December, 1999

1988 Renault 11 Turbo 1.4 turbo petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

I was the owner of this car for two and a half years, during this time I didn't have many problems with it until the last few months before I sold it with the burnt out clutch, and bent front wishbone.

Previous to this it had a blown head gasket which only cost £80 plus oil etc and a weekend to replace. Two clutch cables, burst water pipe and an air leak from a turbo tube. I also had to replace two drive shafts due to it being to low.

General Comments:

Description:

Shiny red paint work,

Standard wheels but polished,

Lowered on bore springs and shocks,

Hybrid T2.5 turbo running a high boost output through actuator mods,

Ported cylinder head,

K&N induction air filter,

I loved the boost from 3000rpm, it used to hold me back in the seat.

It was a shame that the car couldn't cope after two years of high boosting.

My best memory is of this smarmy Porsche 944 owner who didn't stand a chance off the lights.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th February, 1999

6th Feb 2001, 18:47

I love my 11 Turbo (from Portugal). It has been modified, red paint, 190 hp full burst at 4000rpm.

My friends call it "The car from Hell".

Top speed - 235km/h, turbo at 2.1 bar, Group N suspension, brakes and... sequential gearbox!!!

From Armando Belo,

Lisbon, Portugal

1988 Renault 11 Turbo 1.4 turbo petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Wheel bearings and clutch cables kept going and the electic window motor broke. The only major thing was a new clutch. Except for that very little went wrong in 3 years.

General Comments:

Very underrated car, ugly but is as quick as any hot hatch from its time. Cheap to insure as it is only group 11 and cheap to buy.

Also the myth about Renaults not being safe in an accident is false. I came out of a 50mph head on accident with a few bruises.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th November, 1998