17th Oct 2011, 11:23

I have a 2002 (02 plate) Renault Clio 1.2 16v that I bought secondhand in 2009. It has run fine for 2.5 years with only a few problems with it between combined MOTs + services. During its first combined MOT + service, the front shock absorbers had worn, they were replaced for about £60 total.

Next, the suspension coil on the front driver's side suspension rod snapped in half and dropped inside the front wheel, so every time I went over a bump in the road, I'd get a clunking noise from the driver's side; especially noticeable when the driver's window was down and I noticed a small change in the handling.

After that, specifically when the weather got warmer, an intermittent clunking noise developed at the front of the car whenever the car came to a stop or started along again, mainly felt through the steering column and in the front passenger foot well. So far, no mechanic has been able to find the cause for this.

Also, like many other Clio owners, I have the annoying rattling sunroof, nothing has fixed that problem.

Next, the most recent problems, and as I've found to be the most common, sluggish running, juddering on start-up with lots of white smoke coming out of the exhaust and low rev idling, shooting forward in 1st gear and then a loss of acceleration, and also the occasional reluctance to turn over.

All four tyres have been replaced at least once, with a couple replaced twice due to bulges forming, slow punctures and general damage. This is not a Clio problem, this is just some of Britain's worst pothole infested roads.

In the passed couple of months, I have found it loses acceleration at random intervals, either when going up a hill or across a flat road. I've noticed this never happens on the dual-carriage way or on other higher speed roads.

Just this passed two weeks, the fog light indicator on the dashboard shows for a split second whenever the brake pedal is pressed, and there is now an orange Engine Management Warning light that has come on, and has not turned off. This is usually associated with reduced revs and speed, which is a characteristic of LHM (Limp Home Mode). I have not noticed a reduction in revs or speed.

The car is in the garage as I type this. Depending on what they say, I am strongly considering getting another car (not a Clio!). I've luckily only spent a total of £60 for fault code reading, different parts to be cleaned, taken apart and tested. The fault code reader showed something wrong with the O2 sensor initially, this then disappeared and started working fine again afterwards. The throttle body was also cleaned out.

Funnily enough, the dealer that I bought the car from has since changed their trading name about 3 times in the time I have owned the car; seems very fishy to me.