Cup Dampers on a Trophy?

[JonC]

Does anyone know whether 182 Cup dampers will fit a Trophy? Reason I ask is that my nearside front damper has a loose remote reservoir and has leaked oil and is therefore shot. My car has done only 31000 miles. I've only a few days left of my warranty (end of Aug, great timing!!) and will try to see if they can replace it under warranty. Heres hoping, otherwise I will try and fit a pair of Cup dampers while I get the Sachs refurbished.

Also has any one fitted or considering fitting quality aftermarket shocks/springs or coilover kits to their Trophy?

 

[benmore]

hmm I always thought as well as colour and it being an icon in general because of the name, the MAIN point of a trophy was the excellent suspension setup. surely to sling coil overs on, you may aswell just have a normal 182 and do the same? you'd get them free too if you sold the trophy bought a 182 amd added coil overs with the change..

 

[ForceIndia]

182 cup suspension will fit, same hubs. Don't get different coilovers, will cost more than the sachs will cost to rebuild, and just as likely to fail in 50k miles. The refurb will be under £500, you won't get even half decent coilovers at that price.

 

[Christopher]

Yeah, they'll fit.

Please let it me temporary though

 

[JonC]

Cheers guys. The aftermarket idea was just an after thought and agree that what makes the Trophy special are indeed the Sachs dampers. The Cup items would only be on the car temporarily while the Sachs get referb'd. Any ideas how much the Cup dampers are?

 

[benmore]

are the cup dampers different to the standard 172 ones? I thought it was just the springs. my 172 is at nearly 50k, and it doesn't feel like it has a problem, but I have been warned they are a weak point on the car, so when they do go, is it worth asking for cup ones instead at renault?

 

[ForceIndia]

Would need to be 182cup pack dampers, standard 172/182 won't fit. Not sure on prices, I'd check yozzasport or ebay. Might be worth seeing on cliotrophy if a few people fancy clubbing together, as over the next few years there will be several people in the same boat.

 

[RexinaTrophy]

£4,000 for Renault to replace the Sachs set up (inc parts, labour and VAT). £500 to refurbish them. However, they ought to be under warranty so you ought not pay a penny.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Englebert]

I'm afraid they are consumables, perhaps if it was a lower mileage he'd have a case of premature wear.

Must handle very dodgy with one different damper!

 

[stu-172]

£4,000 for Renault to replace the Sachs set up (inc parts, labour and VAT). £500 to refurbish them. However, they ought to be under warranty so you ought not pay a penny.

Let us know how you get on.

And that is if you can get them new! Sachs didn't make a huge lot of these dampers and they're very hard to get ur hands on!

 

[RexinaTrophy]

I'm afraid they are consumables, perhaps if it was a lower mileage he'd have a case of premature wear.

Must handle very dodgy with one different damper!

I have been told by REA that the dampers are covered for three years under manufacturer's warranty.

 

[JonC]

Thats good, I hope the dealership will uphold the warranty!! Yes the handling is decidedly dodgy to say the least. It's slow driving and smooth roads only where I can until I get them replaced.

 

[ForceIndia]

Rsport guy said that they should last 50k miles, so 31 seems low to me.

 

[Christopher]

Agreed. They should replace that

 

[bradharding24]

If the dampers are so good, why is the trophy so crashy on a normal British B road?

The idea of a good damper to 'damp' the bump and rebound of the spring, no?

Personally i think the 172 and 182 full fats are better road cars than the trophy by a mile. I dont care how fast they are relative to one another as they are all pretty much the same, im talking about usuing the car every day to get to work and drive around.

The trophy feels like a 172 with lowering springs to me.

 

[benmore]

I disagree actually. I saw 4 trophys at a meet, and 1 in particular looked VERY composed around corners in front of me.

my 172 is on sportlines and is no slouch.

in a straight line obviously you'd be hard pushed to tell any difference at all. but they look (look bare in mind I can't say for sure - never been in one let alone drove one) really well handling cars. a step up from 172 definately.

why is the sach suspension so expensive, and why didn't they make it work a little better?

you'd think 4 grand of suspension would last more than 50k, I'd want it to last more than 150k for that sort of money. with 4k, you could buy 4x decent coil over kits and have them fitted, and go on beyond 150k on them.

for a little extra you could buy a decent 182 or even a trophy itself. 4k is excessive.

 

[bradharding24]

And as for fitting other dampers, the shell is the same so pretty much anything from a clio can be made to fit, all the mk2 stuff should be interchangable, although camber and other geometry might be effected, youll certainly be able to drive it around.

If i owned a trophy id be tempted to buy some 182 dampers for daily use to increase the comfort and use the sach just when i went on track. I would definately do this if the warrenty was up to save expensive rebuilds.

 

[ForceIndia]

If the dampers are so good, why is the trophy so crashy on a normal British B road?

The idea of a good damper to 'damp' the bump and rebound of the spring, no?

Personally i think the 172 and 182 full fats are better road cars than the trophy by a mile. I dont care how fast they are relative to one another as they are all pretty much the same, im talking about usuing the car every day to get to work and drive around.

The trophy feels like a 172 with lowering springs to me.

Says someone who's obviously not spent serious time with one.
From the article below
Lowered and stiffened are not words you would normally associate with improved handling on UK roads, but the Clio Trophy is a car with so much damping sophistication that it achieves the impossible. It rolls less than the Cup, has less suspension travel at the front, and yet it rides fully 30 per cent better than that car.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Renault-Clio-2.0-Renaultsport-182-Trophy/216093/

The ride is different, but not worse. Small high freq bumps are worse at low speed, but that's the only area it's worse.

 

[ForceIndia]

And as for fitting other dampers, the shell is the same so pretty much anything from a clio can be made to fit, all the mk2 stuff should be interchangable, although camber and other geometry might be effected, youll certainly be able to drive it around.

Again, incorrect. The trophy and 182cup set-up have different hubs to the rest of the range. 3rd time lucky fella?

 

[bradharding24]

And as for fitting other dampers, the shell is the same so pretty much anything from a clio can be made to fit, all the mk2 stuff should be interchangable, although camber and other geometry might be effected, youll certainly be able to drive it around.

Again, incorrect. The trophy and 182cup set-up have different hubs to the rest of the range. 3rd time lucky fella?

Mate, no offence, but ive probably pulled more clios apart in the last week than youve had trips tp the toilet. If you cant swap a hub over in a few mins, you have no business messing with dampers from a different car.

Ill restate it, You can fit pretty much anything from the mk1 and mk2s to any other model, if you have the will and some basic knowledge.

 

[Josh@Renparts]

Again, incorrect. The trophy and 182cup set-up have different hubs to the rest of the range. 3rd time lucky fella?

Mate, no offence, but ive probably pulled more clios apart in the last week than youve had trips tp the toilet. If you cant swap a hub over in a few mins, you have no business messing with dampers from a different car.

Ill restate it, You can fit pretty much anything from the mk1 and mk2s to any other model, if you have the will and some basic knowledge.

yes but he WOULD need another set of hubs...

 

[JonC]

So, OK back on topic. Went to the dealership and they agree that there is a problem with damper, however, they have said that since I only have a weeks warranty left on the car and the fact its done 31000 miles, they will not replace it under warranty and have quoted me £1152 inc VAT for the part. They've advised I contact Renault Customer Services to see if is possible to come to some sort of arrangement that they cover part if not all the cost. The dealership advised that if the damper was replaced fully under warranty, then it would only be covered until the end of the cars warranty period. If I contributed to some of the cost, even if it's a £1, the damper would be cover for a further 12 months. Renault Customer Services will be contacting the dealership to see what can be done. I'll keep you posted on the outcome......

 

[RexinaTrophy]

That, frankly, annoys me. So what if the warranty is 155 weeks old? The car is under warranty and the mileage suggests the parts are not fit for purpose.

I had an exhaust fully replaced under warranty at zero cost to me. The exhaust is covered for 24 months and I had replaced in month 26. But since the car's mileage was low, both REA and I agreed that I should not contribute to the cost of replacement.

 

[ForceIndia]

f**king ridiculous. Get that in writing, then go CAB, they'll have a riot with that. Warranty is valid until it expires, don't give a funk if it's in 10 mins.

 

[Englebert]

I agree with that... if there is a weeks left, theres a week left! I would of gone mental personally.

 

[bradharding24]

If there is warrenty left there is warrenty left. End of story.

In form them in writting you expect the work doing, or you will take the matter to the small claims court.

 

[rory182]

thats BS, it has warranty its been identified during the warranty period therefore even if the part arrives 2 weeks / months after the warranty has expired they should fit it under warranty.

Simple as that

 

[JonC]

Thats correct, as long as the problem is identified/diagnosed within the warranty then its still covered, whether there's 6 months left or 1 day left. However, while I am being politely firm with them, I want to keep things sweet, the last thing they want is someone ranting off at them, especially if I need them to carry out the work. Anyways, I have a feeling that I will be footing part of the bill, how much of it I still don't know, I'll find out tomorrow.

 

[Fletcher]

^^^^good luck mate.

 

[Gaz_]

Always thought a Trophy would look awesome with a nice drop. I once had a thought to H&R/KW one and save the dampers when re-selling the car, or to sell on........

 

[rory182]

Thats correct, as long as the problem is identified/diagnosed within the warranty then its still covered, whether there's 6 months left or 1 day left. However, while I am being politely firm with them, I want to keep things sweet, the last thing they want is someone ranting off at them, especially if I need them to carry out the work. Anyways, I have a feeling that I will be footing part of the bill, how much of it I still don't know, I'll find out tomorrow.

I was always polite yet firm with them with my 182 and always got what I wanted, never fell out with them. 3.5 years of warranty claims lol

 

[ForceIndia]

Always thought a Trophy would look awesome with a nice drop. I once had a thought to H&R/KW one and save the dampers when re-selling the car, or to sell on........

Mark Fish does custom springs for them

 

[bradharding24]

I tend to find that the person who shouts loudest tends to get served first.

 

[RexinaTrophy]

I tend to find that the person who shouts loudest tends to get served first.

That works in France, especially when the locals are rude enough not to know English.

 

[JonC]

Oh, just another thought, would Trophy springs fit the 182 Cup dampers or would I also have to get the Cup spings to go with the Cup dampers?

I'm still waiting to hear back from Renault Customer services...........hopefully will get a decision tomorrow!

 

[JonC]

UPDATE:

Got a call from a manager in Renault Customer Services. He's basically took into account the mileage of the car, the warranty thats left, ie the dealership warranty, which isn't as comprehensive at the first 2 year unlimited mileage manufacturer warranty, length of ownership of current car, whether I'd buy another Renault in the future and my past history of Renault ownership. Threw all that info into his system and has come up that they will cover 70% of the cost of replacement as a goodwill gesture as its still classed as a wear and tear item. Not the greatest news, but better than a smack in the chops of £1152 if I had to pay for myself. He would have only offered 50% had my previous history of Renault ownership had been less favourable. Just goes to show that some negotiation is possible if you are able to "expand" on the truth!!

Also because I'm paying 30%, it'll mean that the damper will be covered for a futher 12 months. The car will be going in tomorrow to have the new one fitted.

 

[Gaz_]

Excellent

 

[JonC]

Finally got my car back and it now feels tight as a drum, no slack just taut handling, just how it should be. Glad to hand back the 1.2 Twingo loan car which has got to be the slowest car I've ever driven, it took forever to get up to speed, there is no acceleration in that car whatever gear you're in. On that note I'm off to enjoy my Trophy and go for a quick thrash...

 

[Steve]

Jon why didn't you contact the guy that refurbs the dampers, which i posted on CT??

If you leave your car with them they will strip refurb & refit 2 dampers for less than you contributed for 1?

Should of hired a car for a week

 

[JonC]

The damper was broken, the remote reservoir was loose and the top mounts were smashed so not sure that a refurb would have sorted the problem, plus how much is it to rent a car for a week. I now have brand new damper and top mounts, but your suggestion is something to think about for next time, especially now that warranty period is over. I will get myself a set of 182 Cup dampers for when the time comes for a refurb.