[Flying Gherkin]

Hello all,

First time posting in the forums!

I need some advice regarding what mpg I should be getting from my Clio.

Having owned a 52 plate Clio 1.5 65 dci for just shy of 4 years, I opted again for another Clio - this time a 2006 1.5 dci 86, with 30K on the clock.

Previously I got around 56 mpg (according to the onboard computer) doing my regular work commute from Leeds to Hull. However, my new(er) Clio, which is supposed to be more efficient, could only get 50 mpg doing the same trip.

I tend to drive at 70 or just over and drive somewhat conservatively in the city centre.

Is 50 mpg typical for this engine? What do you guys driving the same car/engine get on motorway runs? Could there be something wrong with the engine and is there anything I can do about it, or should I just go back to the garage and complain, having only bought the car a couple of days ago?


Any help would be appreciated!


Cheers,
FG

 

[Eeeps]

I have a 56 plate 86bhp.

My drive to work is a combination of about 10 miles rural and 20 miles motorway. Driving at 70 I get 65+.
Driving very carefully at 55 I can get 80+.

I guess it's a little hilly around your area. Do you keep the speed up the hills.

Even when driven very hard the mpg doesn't go much below 50.

Are all the brakes OK. What's the tyre pressure like?

Ian

 

[Mozza1976]

Hi,

I have a 1.5dCi Grand Scenic, which is obviously a lot bigger, but pretty much the same engine tuned up (130 bhp I think)
I get 41 on the computer round town, and 59 ish on good motorway runs.

It sound stupid, and I'm sure you have, but have you definately reset the mpg computer so it reflects your driving, and not everyone else who's owned it?

 

[Rentech]

you clio may be euro 4 emission compatible and may have a particulate filter in the exhaust, whilst cleaner to run, the regeneration process will reduce fuel consumption figures. It may also have thermo plungers in the cooling system to help warm up the engine quicker. all this puts more load on the alternator hence more fuel

 

[AlFixit]

The newer shape is much heavier than the old shape I think so it's not as good on fuel. 50mpg isn't too bad but could be slightly down. When was the last service and did they use the right oil?

 

[Flying Gherkin]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. Really appreciated!

A quick update:
I tested the tyre pressures and they were 26 psi in the back wheels, 39 (!) in the front right and 32 in the front left - a bit worrying to say the garage I bough it from had supposedly just serviced it! After correcting them to 35 in the front and 32 in the back wheels I did notice a slight improvement on the way in today - a whopping 51mpg average over a 63 mile journey along the m62, which is pretty flat - no major hills or traffic to deal with.


Eeeps,

Those figures are what I was hoping for! It's a really flat commute for me, and I'm really being cautious with my right food at the moment!

As mentioned, I've looked at the tyre pressures. A bit worrying, but a small improvement.


Mozza1976,

Yes, I reset the computer completely - however I did note that the last reading (over 3000 miles since prior reset) was 49 mpg - so the previous user must have had the same problems.


Rentech,

Is there an easy way to find out if the car is fitted with a particulate filter as you described? If this is the case is it possible to trade the emmisions filter for a 'standard' one which will give me the mpg I was hoping for?


AlFixit,

Given the tyre pressures, I doubt that it was serviced a few weeks ago and that the correct oil is in the car. I'm going to change it later this week when I've got a day off. Hopefully that should help!



My thoughts are that I'll try change the oil and calculate the mpg manually by working out how much fuel I've put in and the distance driven. I'm also going to have a word with a few renault garages to see if they know of any common problems leading to fuel efficiency.


Thanks for the comments!
FG

 

[Mozza1976]

Hi All,




Given the tyre pressures, I doubt that it was serviced a few weeks ago and that the correct oil is in the car. I'm going to change it later this week when I've got a day off. Hopefully that should help!




FG

I wouldn't use that as a marker as to whether it was service properly - I bought mine from Renault Retail in Manchester, and they said they'd serviced it, but when I checked the tyre pressures a day later, they were awful, and I'm sure they'd have done the service.

 

[Flying Gherkin]

I wouldn't use that as a marker as to whether it was service properly - I bought mine from Renault Retail in Manchester, and they said they'd serviced it, but when I checked the tyre pressures a day later, they were awful, and I'm sure they'd have done the service.

Fair point Mozza,

But given tyre pressures are probably the most fundamental part of a service I'm not filled with much confidence as to what has been done to the service.

When I initially went to look at the car and put a deposit down it was agreed that the bald spare tyre would be made legal and the tracking would be sorted, but neither of these seem to have been corrected.

 

[Flying Gherkin]

I also meant to add that I plan to look at the pressures again, after the same timespan to check I don't have some slow punctures or leaky valves in the tyres that were at only 26 psi.


Cheers for your quick comments thought!

 

[ogh1234]

Hi there,

Sorry to bring up an old post but I was just wondering if you found out the reason for getting the low MPG?

I recently bought a 2006 clio dci 86 and I seem to be having the exact same problem, I cant get much over 49MPG. I recently did a 500 mile motorway trip sticking to around 70mph and only got 46MPG?

I have checked the tyre pressures and they are all fine, the only thing I can really think is that it could need an oil and filter change or put some engine flush through it? Or a problem with the trip computer?

If you have any info it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, O

 

[Flying Gherkin]

Hi there,

Sorry to bring up an old post but I was just wondering if you found out the reason for getting the low MPG?

I recently bought a 2006 clio dci 86 and I seem to be having the exact same problem, I cant get much over 49MPG. I recently did a 500 mile motorway trip sticking to around 70mph and only got 46MPG?

I have checked the tyre pressures and they are all fine, the only thing I can really think is that it could need an oil and filter change or put some engine flush through it? Or a problem with the trip computer?

If you have any info it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, O

Hi O,

Sadly not I'm afraid. I'm doing the same 126 mile round trip commute each day and I'm still getting 51 mpg driving at ~70 mph. 49 mpg if I don't mind my right foot!

I had a few othe issues with the car (tracking, leaking water in to passenger footwell, lack of tread on spare tyre) and the garage, Evans Halshaw Peugeot, in Wakefield, were absolutely useless. I'll not be going back there any time soon.

I got my car serviced at a different garage and other than noticing the subframe was bent (thanks again, EH) they couldn't pick up anything specific with the engine, althought they did comment that the mpg seemed quite low and it might just be a bad/inefficient engine.

I was also advised by a mechanic there not to try an engine treatment, as it can make it 'knock' quite a bit. For about a month I tried the fuel treatments you add when you fill up, but that didn't help either. I also tried doing the sums manually, but they tallied with the inboard computer.

All said, I think the commonly reported figures are for people who drive at 55mph.

My mate just bought a brand new fuel efficient diesel Fiesta and he only gets 50 mpg too!

Checking the air filter is a doddle, it's the black box up top right under the bonnet. You might be lucky and find that is full of gunk. Let us know how you get on!

All the best,
FG

 

[ogh1234]

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, sorry to hear about all the problems you had with yours! Did you do one of those txt checks on the car to see if it had been in an accident? Mine had a problem with the tracking too which was annoying and still doesn't seem to be fully fixed despite spending a vast amount of money getting it fixed!

It's a shame that you haven't found a solution to the fuel economy problem although it's nice to know you are getting similar figures to me. Although I am a bit concerned as one of the previous posts on this thread said that someone in the same car was getting 60 - 80mpg? I don't know about you but I have never got over 55.

I was thinking about asking a mechanic round the corner from me to plug it in for some engine diagnostics to see if everything is running correctly but I am not sure if this would just be a waste of money.

The only other thing I thought was putting some engine flush through the oil next time I have a service. I have also heard bad stuff about the petrol additives but I have used one that you put in the oil before changing it and it did a really good job on my last car.

I will let you know if I have any success with anything but I guess until then I will just need to be a bit lighter on the right foot!!

O