17th Aug 2008, 11:14
I didn't realise this was such a big problem! My 1997 Clio RT has had water in the footwell for a while, and today a load of water poured out of the IR sensor and sunroof switch housing. Maybe it explains why the central locking doesn't work properly.
18th Aug 2008, 03:24
After the heavy rain in NI over the weekend, I noticed that my drivers side was soaking. And also under the drivers seat. Where my sun visor is also wet.
I dried it out last night and got into the car this morning; there is a puddle under drivers seat!! It's a total nightmare, plus it just passed MOT at the weekend.
Drive 04 1.5 DCI Clio!! HELP!!
20th Aug 2008, 13:51
My clio is a 1998 R plate, I hate it sooo much!! Roof just won't stop leaking, Tried the old sealant trick but only worked for a short while, My IR is permanently pulled out of the housing as previously it stopped working and 4 days of hair dryer action was required to get it working again.
Does any one know how to remove the roof so that I can fill it properly with sealant before sticking it back on?
22nd Aug 2008, 07:37
Just DO NOT BUY a French car, I lost a lot of money with my Clio. If they can't sort out this problem they shouldn't be selling Clio's at all. Model after model have leaked, what is wrong with them?!! I will NEVER buy a french car again and DEFINITELY not a Renault.
24th Aug 2008, 14:23
I also have a leaking sunroof on a 51 plate Renault clio, and the immobilizer is starting to play up when we start the car. Does anyone have a definite solution to the leak? Is it worth contacting a Renault dealership or manufacturer. Surely if so many of these cars have this fault there must be something we can do to get Renault to help?
Alison.
30th Aug 2008, 15:25
Incredible -- so many of us? Mine's a 1997 P reg.
I've resealed around the frame of the sunroof -- onto the roof -- wondering if I need to do in between the glass and the seal as well?! I've sealed the aerial -- so now I'll be dehumidifying the car every night --...
Have cleaned up the white corrosion on the circuit board --- remote appears to be sending a signal as I looked at the blipper through my mobile camera... shines blue -- might replace the batteries all the same!
What an altogether useless design.
Fingers crossed it'll work now -- thanks to all for the comments -- might just steer clear of these in the future.
All the best...
13th Sep 2008, 06:21
Just joined the leaky roof club with a 98 Clio I bought for my daughter. Also have a leaking fuel tank which is much more serious.
Some really good suggestions to follow up, thanks.
15th Sep 2008, 13:25
Hi all you leaky Clio owners.
Are you getting rained on inside your car?
Renault couldn't find the leak after 2 hours, but they did say it wasn't the sunroof!!!
Stressed out, I pulled down the roof lining and there was the leak... drip drip drip S U N R O O F.
After the pouring rain stopped, I opened the sunroof, drains were dry, seal was dry.
Local garage mentioned to me about it's a common problem with Clios where the sunroof attaches to the car roof.
I got out the black electrical tape and taped up around where the sunroof meets the car roof.
I could have cried with relief in the morning when the car looked dry, even after more heavy rain.
It's been 2 weeks now and the car has dried out completely.
Give it a try and you could be dry.
26th Sep 2008, 07:38
I have an S Reg 98 Clio.
Found dripping near the internal roof light. Checked the sunroof, no leaks there. The leak was coming from where the aerial is attached. I took the aerial off, cleaned the muck from the seal and attached it. Never had a problem since.
After seeing the leak, I decided to take off and clean the rubber seal from the sunroof, couldn’t believe the amount of mildew and muck that gets stuck in there. Worth cleaning it. Only takes 5 minutes
3rd Oct 2008, 09:25
A postscript:
After fruitless work on sealing where the sunroof frame fits to the roof, I used 2 tubes of the most expensive Loctite silicon adhesive in completely sealing the whole roof from the outside. The sunroof is a silly design with only 2" of opening so I thought who cares, seal the wretched thing.
Result: when the next heavy rain came... it leaked! The usual area at the front side of the headlining.
Carefully reading all these comments, I then took out the aerial, cleaned it all up (roof as well) and cut a rubber grommet from an old cycle inner tube, and then coated all surfaces liberally with aforementioned Loctite silicon. Then refitted tightening up well.
In the old days all components had rubber washers or grommets. Everything these days is junk designed to last just a few years.
So far, and after a few bouts of rain, so good.
So the moral is: don't overlook the aerial. As well as the hole for the cable, there is also another hole in the roof to take a locating peg. So there are 2 holes there to leak.
Having said all this, I still believe the sunroof to be a highly suspicious design so there are definitely 2 areas to investigate.
And it would still be a good idea to check every year the tightness of the junky aerial fitting.
6th Oct 2008, 14:07
Hi there I have had in the past a Renault 5, Renault 25, and Renault 19 with no sunroof leaks or leaks.
So Renault can make cars in the past with no leaks, so why are Renault so bad now.
Anyway, I had no trouble with the cars I said, but I will not buy a new Renault now.
Maybe Honda.
7th Oct 2008, 14:20
My wife's 51 Clio 1.5 Dynamique has a wet floor on the driver's side, but for the life of me I've not been able to identify the source. Not seen any drips around the window seals or sunroof. The wet patch is directly under the steering wheel. Any ideas?
8th Oct 2008, 08:49
Hi All.
I last wrote on 3rd. October reporting my solution to the aerial leak.
Sad to report I'm getting a nasty leak again and it's definitely the sunroof frame. I partially stripped out the headlining and checked the tightness of the bolts securing the frame to the roof, and they're all OK.
So it must be seals that have degraded over a few years.
I'm now covering the car with a half cover (the sort that covers the roof and windows) whenever rain is forecast. When there's a dry spell (some hope!) I'm going to loosen all those bolts and force silicon into the gaps.
What a horrendous nightmare.
Agree with the comments about old designs that didn't leak. I had a Rover for years and it never leaked; the frame was metal. That, I feel, is the crux of the problem-the plastic frame flexes with the heat (a roof will get very hot even in our climate) and then the seals degrade.
I'm nearly 60 and I want to cry! I don't need this at my age. The worst car ever! Why did I buy it? What have I done to deserve this?
11th Aug 2008, 04:50
My clio leaked into the offside rear foot well.
My solution:
Carefully! check under car to avoid brake hoses etc, then drill hole through floor! job done.
Oh yeah, wear hat when it rains.
Don't you just love french cars!