Opie or Miller Oil websites and put your reg number in, will give you all information and you can shop about then.

I despair on newer owner's manuals, there always used to be a Technical Spec bit in them that gave all the fluids, tyre pressures etc

 

My service booklet says
For Petrol engines:
Standard: ACEA/A3/B4 or ACEA A5/B5
Grade: 10W30 10W40 10W50 for down to -20 degrees C.
or 5W30 5W40 5W50 for down to -25 degrees C
or 0W30 0W40 for down to -30 degrees C
except for the "Sport" model, which needs 5W40 or 0W30 or 0W40, or 5W30 for A5/B5 standard.
It also says Renault recommends "Elf".
It also says you can refer to the driver's handbook for information that is specific to your vehicle! (No you can't, it refers you back to the maintenance service booklet!). It also says Renault Network technicians will be happy to assist you with this operation ....

I don't think you can find the maintenance service booklet on line.
Our car is a 2007 Clio Mk3 1600 Phase 1.

 

In the title

But it says "refer to the Maintenance Service Booklet for your vehicle". And I didn't find it in my car.

(Is there a way to find this service booklet online?)

... you can't find it on line but you can buy it from ebay:

Stamped or Blank Renault Clio Service History Book for All Models 2006-2013 | eBay

 

thanks everyone! before I saw your answer I called the parts place and they told me "ohh it's 5W-30"..but.. maybe they're wrong? isn't 10W-40 better? I live in a mostly hot climate btw

 

"ohh it's 5W-30"..but.. maybe they're wrong? isn't 10W-40 better? I live in a mostly hot climate btw

NO !!!!!!!

The rating shows two things.
First is the viscosity when cold (5w) second is the viscosity when hot.(30)
The lower the number the thinner the oil is.

When you first start the engine, the oil has to get back to all the bits that need oil and that have no oil until the pump gets it to them.
If the cold viscosity is too high, it takes longer for the oil to get there, parts wear out or are not cooled by the oil.... remember that most engine wear and tear happens in the first 5 minutes of driving, when oil is still getting to where it should be.
When the engine is at running temperature and the oil is nice and hot, the 40 grade is still too thick for the design clearances, it may not be getting to the places where it should or not enough of it.
Even in a hot climate, your engine cooling system should still be keeping the engine at around 85-90C, which is ideal for the oil grade that is recommended.

 

The 5w is the thickness when cold...critical or you will not get oil into the engine fast enough from a cold start.

You are better off not changing the oil then using the wrong grade !!!

 

So what would you suggest from this list above, if Opie and Miller websites did not have oil information for my specific model?

Grade: 10W30 10W40 10W50 for down to -20 degrees C.
or 5W30 5W40 5W50 for down to -25 degrees C
or 0W30 0W40 for down to -30 degrees C

someone told me "10w-40 RN700"

 

The service booklet lists the options, without recommending.
Ddad has given some useful advice, and I'd use 5w30 (personal opinion only). But that oil is usually more expensive than 10w40.

 

Now this is my opinion so take it as such. Car makers have been lowering the higher viscosity of engine oil for some years now and my opinion this has bu55er all to do with engine longevity it is in an attempt to lower the emission's. So if the recommended is 5w30 or 5w40 I will always go with the higher one.

 

Car makers have been lowering the higher viscosity of engine oil for some years now and my opinion this has bu55er all to do with engine longevity it is in an attempt to lower the emission's.

Years back, you could often tell whether a Ford had an OHC engine or traditional push rod by the sound it made.
A machine gun rattle on acceleration was the telltale.
Notorious for cam failure they was, largely due to poor oil feed to the cams.
The feed was via a pipe that ran along the cams.
This pipe would clog.
Back then, no such thing as synthetic oils (for cars) and traditional oil would thicken as it got older.
Be a bit slack on oil changes, low quality oil or didn't clean or replace the pipe when changing oil and whoops, cam rattle.

I've also had cars that would tell me when oil was due, hydraulic tppets would start to rattle.

There is a thread in here somewhere where a guy was having turbo issues. He'd measured the oil flow through his turbo and it was well low. A concern with Renault units that rely on oil flow to cool as well as lubricate the turbo bearings.
He had 10w40 in instead of the 5w30 recommended. Changed oil and flow back to where it should be.

I think of all the little oil ways in an engine and getting oil to them and through them, cams and valves at the top end, gudgeon pins, big ends and journals and think why risk it?
It's not as though you can pop into your local scrap yard and pick up an engine to swap on Sunday any more

 

Just bear in mind human nature and car makers will pull any trick to sell a car with lower emissions as we all know. If that is at the expense of engine longevity so be it as they can sell the car in a lower tax bracket. Also I think that ClioAutomatic pointed at the direction by pointing out that a 5w30 can be more expensive than a 5w40 which leads me to believe that the manufacturers of engine oil are having to bung so many additives in it to counteract the shearing effect. As I said I do not recommend using a non approved oil but the recommended higher viscosity oil. Put it this way if the higher viscosity is recommended for hot climates what defines hot climate and why bother putting a higher viscosity in if it made no difference?

 

If this is the Clio III 1.6 16V petrol >120 hp, my service booklet says 5W40, RN0710. The RN0700 10W40 is for the 1.5 DCI.
I did the Opie oils search for my reg., it's a Clio III 1.2 16V, 75 hp, and all matches are 5W40.

 

10W40 are mostly mineral oils with additives making them so-called part synthetic which is a big BS marketing term. Basically blends from hell still being nothing more than an ordinary mineral oil. And engine killers if the car is driven only short distances. Clogged if not rock solid piston rings, serious carbon build-up in oil channels and on camshaft and valve arms are all result of this c...p.
5W30 are no better being mostly blends, but the base and the further additives tend to be of a higher grades.
Fully synthetic oils are different league with different chemistry and cost much more.
That's the basics in a very short way.

The problem with low viscosity oils working in aged VVT systems is that the VVT sprockets tend to loose the oil when parked for some hours. This results in a bit louder engine start when compared with a new car as the machinery is running dry until the oil pump will pump up the oil. To help with this issue, some car mechanics suggest using thicker oils, i.e. 10W40 which are nothing more than minerals.

5W30 of a high and correct grade. Change filter, do some miles and compare fuel consumption. You will never use 10W40 again.