Hi all. I am a new Renault owner. I live in Saudi Arabia :-/ and I have just gotten my hands on a 2003 1.4 16v clio hatchback. Manual box. It runs nice, and is extremely clean inside and out. Just needed a touch of paint on a faded bonnet. Mileage is quite low as well @ 82k KM. I do have a few issues I would appreciate some help with:
1. When I am driving with the windows up, as the rev counter climbs to 2.5-4k RPM, I can hear a 'knocking' sound. It sounds almost like it's coming right out of the instrument cluster. It's not audible if the windows are down. If I just touch the clutch pedal (not depressing it) with my foot while the RPMs are climbing, it doesn't make that sound anymore. Any idea what it could be?
2. when the car is rolling off-power (neutral) I can hear/feel this grinding/grunting sound coming from somewhere in the moving bits of the car. Either the wheels or the shafts. The shaft itself also has an issue where i've been told there is a toothed cog on it which regulates the ABS. On the front passenger side, this ring is broken and spinning free. Could it be related? I have been told that the only solution is to replace the entire shaft :-/ Brakes work fine, unless I stand on them pretty hard and the ABS goes nuts. Then i can feel the shudders.
3. The speedo on my car is crazy. I am on the freeway I KNOW I am doing around 100-110 kph (60-65mph) but my speedo shows 180kph. How do i fix this issue?
4. If I push the car to the top-end on the freeway, it makes this sort of incremental shuddering. as in, it will shudder, then it is smooth.. then it will shudder, then it is smooth again. What could be causing this? Is it normal? What should I check? The top-end is alright @ 180-190kph (I'm guessing cuz the speedo is off)
5. As I said I live in Saudi Arabia and unfortunately, there aren't many Clio's here. Because of that, there aren't many tuning/modding places I could visit. However, I'm not one to be put off by a challenge and I still want to invest a bit of money into squeezing out an extra 20-30 hp out of the little beast. I do not want to do anything drastic like bolting on a turbo. I'm just looking for a slight performance upgrade. Could you guys please advise on good exhaust/intake/suspension systems that would help with this? In terms of what I want: I am looking for around 120-150bhp.
Exhaust: I do not want any kind of exhaust that is loud or attention catching. Not that I'm against it, just that the police over here are very strict about modifying cars and a loud exhaust system is a sure-fire way to get a weekly ticket. So I want performance, and yes, I want a bit of rumble, but something very subtle.
Suspension: I am not looking for anything that will make my car feel like i welded the wheels to the chassis. I want something that will help with a bit of the body-roll, and will maybe give the car a slightly stiffer feel than the standard shocks. 90% of roads here are arrow straight, but then there are a few coastal roads here and there that can offer a little bit of fun
Intake: Well, I just want to know what has proven to be a good option for previous Clio owners.
So to sum it up, I need help in a few issues with the car, and with finding some good parts for a performance gain. If there are any people who would be willing to ship overseas to Saudi Arabia please contact me. This is going to take a bit of time as I just started working and well, my paychecks are on a monthly basis. So no hurry, but definitely will do everything mentioned above in time. Thanks again for your help.
1. When I am driving with the windows up, as the rev counter climbs to 2.5-4k RPM, I can hear a 'knocking' sound. It sounds almost like it's coming right out of the instrument cluster. It's not audible if the windows are down. If I just touch the clutch pedal (not depressing it) with my foot while the RPMs are climbing, it doesn't make that sound anymore. Any idea what it could be?
2. when the car is rolling off-power (neutral) I can hear/feel this grinding/grunting sound coming from somewhere in the moving bits of the car. Either the wheels or the shafts. The shaft itself also has an issue where i've been told there is a toothed cog on it which regulates the ABS. On the front passenger side, this ring is broken and spinning free. Could it be related? I have been told that the only solution is to replace the entire shaft :-/ Brakes work fine, unless I stand on them pretty hard and the ABS goes nuts. Then i can feel the shudders.
3. The speedo on my car is crazy. I am on the freeway I KNOW I am doing around 100-110 kph (60-65mph) but my speedo shows 180kph. How do i fix this issue?
4. If I push the car to the top-end on the freeway, it makes this sort of incremental shuddering. as in, it will shudder, then it is smooth.. then it will shudder, then it is smooth again. What could be causing this? Is it normal? What should I check? The top-end is alright @ 180-190kph (I'm guessing cuz the speedo is off)
5. As I said I live in Saudi Arabia and unfortunately, there aren't many Clio's here. Because of that, there aren't many tuning/modding places I could visit. However, I'm not one to be put off by a challenge and I still want to invest a bit of money into squeezing out an extra 20-30 hp out of the little beast. I do not want to do anything drastic like bolting on a turbo. I'm just looking for a slight performance upgrade. Could you guys please advise on good exhaust/intake/suspension systems that would help with this? In terms of what I want: I am looking for around 120-150bhp.
Exhaust: I do not want any kind of exhaust that is loud or attention catching. Not that I'm against it, just that the police over here are very strict about modifying cars and a loud exhaust system is a sure-fire way to get a weekly ticket. So I want performance, and yes, I want a bit of rumble, but something very subtle.
Suspension: I am not looking for anything that will make my car feel like i welded the wheels to the chassis. I want something that will help with a bit of the body-roll, and will maybe give the car a slightly stiffer feel than the standard shocks. 90% of roads here are arrow straight, but then there are a few coastal roads here and there that can offer a little bit of fun
Intake: Well, I just want to know what has proven to be a good option for previous Clio owners.
So to sum it up, I need help in a few issues with the car, and with finding some good parts for a performance gain. If there are any people who would be willing to ship overseas to Saudi Arabia please contact me. This is going to take a bit of time as I just started working and well, my paychecks are on a monthly basis. So no hurry, but definitely will do everything mentioned above in time. Thanks again for your help.
