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9 Posts
This will be just a little general ranting about a few car things.
I currently live in Italy and have just bought a 1997 1.2 clio. second hand from a very large flashy audi / VW garage over here. Normally I would never toucha second hand car from any garage but here in Italy the second hand market is very different from back home.
Anyway, bought the car on condition / promise that it had full service and check over, they sent it to the affiliated official Renault garage next door and I have seen the copy of the invoice for "work" they have done.
Please keep in mind that this is big flashy modern garage set up, so the paperwork says they checked brakes !!!.
Lucky I am pretty handy with cars and spanners, last car back in UK last year was 1964 Triumph Herald which I wish I still had as sooooo easy to work on, only one fuse for whole car. So I checked the clio over after buying it hoping as flashy garage etc. to find no probs.
BOTH front brake hoses both sides have large splits all the way to the centre core !!!!!!. Pretty basic check stuff to miss I think. Any way the garage now say nothing to do with them and Renault here want 125 Euros, about £85 to change them both. 60 euros for the hoses plus labour.
Now the good news, from a local auto factors I have just bought new hoses for 10 euros for both !!!!, ( about £6.50)I think that beats UK prices, should only take an hour this weekend to change.
Apart from the above, to many electrical things in a small car and no work space around the engine to do anything without 1 hour taking ancilliary this and that out of the way I think she's a good one. Oh, I almost forgot about the driving position and the need to be the shape of a baboon to be comfy in these older french cars, lucky I am a bit of a monkey shape already from working in the engine bay ( also wrong word for it should really be engine shoe box.)
Sorry for length of this but it is good to be able to speak English once in a while.
In summary, never put your life in their hands, only if it's your doctor but I would still get a second opinion.
Stay safe
Steve.
I currently live in Italy and have just bought a 1997 1.2 clio. second hand from a very large flashy audi / VW garage over here. Normally I would never toucha second hand car from any garage but here in Italy the second hand market is very different from back home.
Anyway, bought the car on condition / promise that it had full service and check over, they sent it to the affiliated official Renault garage next door and I have seen the copy of the invoice for "work" they have done.
Please keep in mind that this is big flashy modern garage set up, so the paperwork says they checked brakes !!!.
Lucky I am pretty handy with cars and spanners, last car back in UK last year was 1964 Triumph Herald which I wish I still had as sooooo easy to work on, only one fuse for whole car. So I checked the clio over after buying it hoping as flashy garage etc. to find no probs.
BOTH front brake hoses both sides have large splits all the way to the centre core !!!!!!. Pretty basic check stuff to miss I think. Any way the garage now say nothing to do with them and Renault here want 125 Euros, about £85 to change them both. 60 euros for the hoses plus labour.
Now the good news, from a local auto factors I have just bought new hoses for 10 euros for both !!!!, ( about £6.50)I think that beats UK prices, should only take an hour this weekend to change.
Apart from the above, to many electrical things in a small car and no work space around the engine to do anything without 1 hour taking ancilliary this and that out of the way I think she's a good one. Oh, I almost forgot about the driving position and the need to be the shape of a baboon to be comfy in these older french cars, lucky I am a bit of a monkey shape already from working in the engine bay ( also wrong word for it should really be engine shoe box.)
Sorry for length of this but it is good to be able to speak English once in a while.
In summary, never put your life in their hands, only if it's your doctor but I would still get a second opinion.
Stay safe
Steve.