Thats not how it was in August 02.
Mine is a Dutch import, bought from a car supermarket. It came with a 2 year warranty.
I was told by my local Renault dealer that I should send the sales invoice, the registration document and a copy of the dealer stamp from the service booklet. My service booklet did not have a dealer stamp, but it did have a sticker on the back with the VIN number on it, so I photocopied the front/back cover and sent that.
Within a couple of days I got a letter back from Ren UK, confirming receipt, confirming that I now had 3 years warranty and also confirming that the warranty DID NOT include breakdown cover.
A few weeks later (maybe 6) the official confirmation came through, complete with warranty booklet.
The car has since had some warranty work done, with no problems.