Wednesday 28th March 2007

Bee in their bonnets

Ex-Renault man lifts the lid on Clio bonnet row

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Renault Clio II

We’ve just heard that an ex-Renault UK employee will go on TV tonight as a whistleblower in the latest instalment of the Clio bonnet saga. The program airs at 7.30pm on BBC1.

The row is centred on the bonnet catch sticking open in the unlocked position due to corrosion and grime getting into the mechanism over time. Without the lock, the bonnet is free to flap open at speed with predictable results. It affects the Clio II model built since 1998.

This will be the fourth time the BBC’s Watchdog program has featured the issue, and it reckons it’s heard of over 1,000 incidents, some of them serious. It first brought the issue to light last April.

[bunglist]

Simple solution to this, DONT BUY FRENCH!!!!!!!!!!11

[GPSS]

If you went everywhere in reverse, I dont think youll have any problems.
Anybody know how to use these smiley things, im not very computer literate.

[hazzaboy69]

People could also check their cars and maintain them. Most people dont check anything on their car but they will happily go down the motorway at 80mph

[GPSS]

If you went everywhere in reverse, I dont think youll have any problems.
Anybody know how to use these smiley things, im not very computer literate.

[droptheclutch]

Indeed...maintain your car properly & you will not have any issues.

Still, don't buy French tho!

[deadline21]

it happened in my wifes car on the motorway - we damn near keeched ourselves as we were doing 80mph then all of a sudden all we can see is clio bonnet blocking the windscreen - in fairness to the wife she didn't panic but safely brought the car to a halt. I sold the clio and bought her a honda. Renault really do have a problem here. (it did £2k's worth of damage churning up both wings, the bonnet, the windscreen and even smashed the roof!!)

[deadline21]

ohh and to the gentleman who said 'maintain the car you wont have any problems'...the clio wasn't even due its first service when this happened. I wouldnt trust Renault again unless I knew the problem had been fully sorted

[loose cannon]

if the catches dont get greased up they seize as with any bonnet catch more over hyped twoddle to be honest

[groomi]

Everybody knows teh best cars have front hinged bonnets...

[llionellis]

loose cannon said:

if the catches dont get greased up they seize as with any bonnet catch more over hyped twoddle to be honest

[smhmotorsport]

As has been already said in other posts, the catch is NOT the locking assembly but the (secondary) safety catch. Therefore the bonnet must have been open for it to need to be retained by it. Watchdog are blaming the catch for the accidents, but the bonnet shouldnt open unless the cable is pulled. A simple case of "Oh I'll just top up the washer bottle", not check to see the bonnet is closed and the safety catch sitting off its stop. I dont see 1000's of ols Mini drivers queing up for compensation....

[garydvo]

Well that explains it,

I saw a poor chap with a Blue Clio with the bonnet wrapped around the windscreen on the A327 outside Arbofield this week.

[nickfrog]

bunglist said:

Simple solution to this, DONT BUY FRENCH!!!!!!!!!!11

As a Frenchman I could not agree more. Renaults are sooooo badly put together. It's not gonna change because the French are so used to low reliability that they assume all brands are the same so they carry on buying cheap pug or Renaults and the manufacturers have no reason to improve either. At least they are cheap there but to buy a new Renault at UK main dealer prices (even discounted) is simply mad. You can buy a proper car for less money. I hate Renault with a passion in case you haven't noticed.

[Rum Runner]

French on all accounts , the car and the attitude to rectify the problem.
Sorry Nickfrog no offence to you .
Old Peugeot's were quite good and solid like the 504 ( needed 5 gears thought)and 604 very smooth it was the first car i did over a ton in. But from the end of the 70's the qaulity bomded there to.

Edited by Rum Runner on Wednesday 28th March 23:43

[school boy]

VOSA proably says its safe as Renault is part owned by the French goverment and so politics have got in the way.

[grey_1980]

i had my bonnet of my V6 Clio lift up whilst accelerating ( first V6 clio i heard it happen to!!!) anyway, phoned renault and it seemed more hassle than its worth going through all the processes, so i got a bonnet of ebay and got a local firm to spray it.... Renault accused me of not shutting it propely, i tried to explain i never use the front bonnet because
A. there is no engine there,
and B. you coud fit maybe one bag of shopping from tesco and thats it!!!!!
the war goes on!!!

[Polarbert]

bunglist said:

Simple solution to this, DONT BUY FRENCH!!!!!!!!!!11

I completely agree. Shite cars.

[tycho]

Polarbert said:

bunglist said:

Simple solution to this, DONT BUY FRENCH!!!!!!!!!!11

I completely agree. Shite cars.

Definately.....

[arif110]

www.crushmy307.co.uk/

[andyinpembs]

bunglist said:

Simple solution to this, DONT BUY FRENCH!!!!!!!!!!

The ying..
Well, have to agree with not buying a renault. The wife had one, and
a) the brakes locked while driving on a motorway, and also
b) the drivers door fell off
All this and the car was about 3 years old. never again...

The yang..
Owned a 205 GTi years back, and it was an absolute hoot though, great little car... so long as you didn't mind being deaf when you exited from a motorway! God the engine noise was loud