Time for a New Car or Take The Risk?

isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 12:03
Last edited 18/01/2024 - 12:17 by 1 other user

Hello… Looking for advice to make my decision as i keep going back and forth in my head on this topic.

I currently have a Renault Clio 2015 (First car) with approx. 75Km mileage. Overall, the car is in good condition with no major faults outside of an issue that recently happened with the transmission. My mechanic has checked everything and has come to the conclusion that basically all seems to be ok, but the 'issue' may come back and if it does, he can't fix it and can cost between $5-$15k dependent.

Notes from mechanic: 'Check for engine light on/trans issue. Carried out short test and found current fault with gear 1 & 2 Position sensor. Deleted faults and carried out re-learn of trans clutches, road test and all driving OK'

I have added roadside assist to my current comprehensive insurance as a backup. But wanted to reach out on this platform to see if anyone has had this issue before/chances of it coming back and if you did would you look at selling and buying a new car before this fault is happens again and i have no chance of getting any money back from this car?

TIA - Sorry if boring post :)

Automotive Renault Clio

Comments

  • Dollar General on 18/01/2024 - 12:08
    +17

    My cars are older than that and I plan to run them to the ground. Rather spend my money on holidays

    • No on 18/01/2024 - 12:19
      +45

      Are your cars French though ?

      • Dollar General on 18/01/2024 - 13:16
        +40

        God no

      • EightImmortals on 18/01/2024 - 14:42
        +9

        Sacre blue!

      • RockyRaccoon on 19/01/2024 - 08:16
        +3

        Considering the Euro car impact.

        In effect the OP has a choice based on how much they feel on a gamble here is a first cut on looking at that.

        The repair costs you $5-15K
        Its current worth av $10K

        If car doesn't need repair it costs you nothing
        If needs repair you have lost $5-10K (You dont repair at $15K and write it off)

        Now it comes to when would you have sold the car. 1-2-3 years. Assume drops a few thousand each year.

        Eg say 2 years, then keeping it (without the repair) its cost you $4K

        You buy a new car say $35K (Korean/Japan model) then depreciation will be min of 10% each year (More in first year, but assuming you do like to keep it 10 year like you planned with Clio) thats $7K after 2 years

        So gamble is difference of $3K loss if no repair vs $1-6K loss if needs repair ($3k loss = $7K depreciation less $4K depreciation) ($1-6K Loss = Repair $5-10K less $4K depreciation)

        Others might have another financial viewpoint to put that might help.

        • Noblejoker on 19/01/2024 - 09:49
          +2

          Reasonable assumptions
          Don't forget new car $35K has interest on the loan or loss of interest on funds in bank
          5% on $30K p.a. at least

        • Euphemistic on 19/01/2024 - 13:24
          +3

          Better still, but a replacement car that only costs $20k

    • HeWhoKnows on 19/01/2024 - 07:47
      +1

      Mine is a reliable Japanese 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer and going great.
      Nearly everything is cheap to fix by comparison.

      But then again its not a French Renault with a potentional costly transmission problem.
      In fact all servicing and repairs on a Renault are COSTLY!

      OP its up to you
      if you love your car then keep it.
      If you dont then get rid of it whilst its going good (for now)

      • drprox on 19/01/2024 - 17:56

        It's actually a Nissan

        • HeWhoKnows on 20/01/2024 - 17:42

          According to OP

          "I currently have a Renault Clio 2015"

    • Cyphar on 20/01/2024 - 12:17

      Yep this is me, and then I just donate them to the CFA afterwards. My 2003 Toyota Camry is still going strong @ 300k

    • Ultimate Gattai on 23/01/2024 - 16:45

      I had a 2003 model Ford Focus that I ran into the ground, only replaced it during the pandemic (2022), I had it for 15 years and the only hint that the engine was packing it in was the lack of engine power. Replaced it with a Huyndai Accent 2016 model.

  • JimB on 18/01/2024 - 12:25
    +1

    What was the actual issue of the car? wouldn't let you drive or was it only a warning light?

    Is it a Dual Clutch?

    What would you get if you trade it in?

    • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 13:14
      +2

      Hey Jim, Thanks for the reply. Mechanic believes it could have been an issue with dual clutch, but nothing reported other than 'G1 & 2 Position sensor'. I was basically driving on the highway when a notification came up saying 'check auto transmission' pulled over and then put into reverse and couldn't reverse. Turned the car off for 15 mins and restarted all was working but 'check anti-pollution' was showing. The next day no signs/warnings were showing. Took to mechanic (due for yearly service anyway) who basically said as per above 'rechecked and cleared faults' but basically said he wouldn't be able to fix if this came up again. Carsales has given an instant offer of $6-7k

      • MS Paint on 18/01/2024 - 13:28

        Sounds like a software glitch to me but only time will tell.

        • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 13:30

          i was using cruise control at the time.. so could have had something to do with this.

      • randomusername2017 on 18/01/2024 - 13:41
        +1

        check anti-pollution

        Similar issues on a Mégane..that and a few other random messages. Turned out it was a battery issue, no more error messages after new battery fitted
        Look out for any variation on the display when you first start up..

        • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 14:21

          I've read a couple forums on this… Battery was only recently replaced and has been checked

          • randomusername2017 on 18/01/2024 - 14:26

            @isabellai1825: Display messages cycle through like normal on startup?

            My battery was only just over 12 months old and passed all checks.

      • JimB on 18/01/2024 - 14:44
        +2

        Hmmm tough one.

        If you're like me, I'll probably keep it to save some $$$. Got to risk it for the biscuit.

        If my sister owned it and she knows nothing about cars, I'd tell her to trade it in for a new car, which may be a 3-12 month wait these days.

  • geekcohen on 18/01/2024 - 12:26
    +5

    Anything European, get rid of it early. We had my wife's 2009 BMW X3 up until 220,000kms and it developed a bit of an oil leak. We had already spent $3k on glow plugins and other fixes about 12 months before that.

    So we got rid of it. 75,000kms isn't too bad. I would hold onto it for a bit longer. Or, place an order for a new car now and then by the time it comes in, you'll be alright. Just depends what new car you want.

    • boomramada on 18/01/2024 - 14:45
      -4

      I would replace any brand at 220k, its time to upgrade.

      • geekcohen on 18/01/2024 - 14:47

        Yes, we did. Brand new Hyundai Tucson N-Line 2.0L Diesel.

        • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 14:59

          How do you rate the Tucson? At top of the list if to buy new

          • geekcohen on 18/01/2024 - 15:39

            @isabellai1825: Love it. Zippy and good size. Has nice tech in the N-Line. Not a fan of the headlights for night time driving (my Ford Ranger is better), but we do live in a regional area. For City Driving they would be fine.

            Overall, a great car and would highly recommend it. Get the N-Line, because the extra stuff in that pack is worth the extra cost.

  • Gdsamp on 18/01/2024 - 12:27
    +7

    Not a boring post, european car ozb forum threads are always amusing

    Sell it and then buy something Japanese or Korean

    • coffeeinmyveins on 18/01/2024 - 13:53
      +3

      A camry, right?

      • Gdsamp on 18/01/2024 - 15:05
        +2

        ideally, yeah
        or corolla or yaris. OP probably wants a smaller car so maybe a swift

  • 7ekn00 on 18/01/2024 - 12:29
    +8

    It's a Euro, either get rid of it quickly, or prepare to pay the Euro repair tax :/

    • lancesta on 20/01/2024 - 10:51

      Biggest service cost I've ever had was going to the dealer to get my car serviced. $1.5k later (yes I was nieve) and they didn't even do any repairs in that cost.
      Would've been better off going to an independent euro place. Or if you love working on cars yourself then mine woulda kept me busy lol.

      Now I own something simple af and I don't wanna go back.

  • Yummy on 18/01/2024 - 12:51
    +5

    Sell now get new.

  • MS Paint on 18/01/2024 - 12:53
    +2

    Waiting for the Renault/Citreon guy to chime in.

    • Drakesy on 18/01/2024 - 13:33

      *& Peugeot

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 18/01/2024 - 13:35
      +1

      J'attends aussi l'intervention du gars Renault/Citreon.

      • MS Paint on 18/01/2024 - 13:44
        +1

        That sounds French. Cheers

      • bbinc on 19/01/2024 - 10:43

        voir ci-dessous

    • bbinc on 19/01/2024 - 10:35

      Muzeeb: Waiting for the Renault/Citreon guy to chime in.

      I have, below. 100 to one it’s the battery - which can cause software glitches as you describe.
      Love my replacement Mazda.

  • Drakesy on 18/01/2024 - 13:34
    +8

    Welcome to the life of a euro owner, outisde of warranty these are a minefield.
    Trade it in
    Get a Korean/Japanese.

    Enjoy driving something without a flashy badge but at least you'll know that you'll get home, i had my Audi phase, felt good for 6 months then wasn't worth the stress, now drive a chinesemobile and don't mind it one bit.

    • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 14:24
      +2

      Not worried about the 'flashy badge'. This car was an 18 year old first car purchase haha back then was 'no interest' and was around $19k brand new.. i was determined to get a European car haha i will be moving to a Korean/Japanese car next.. thanks for the advice

    • lancesta on 20/01/2024 - 10:53

      My first car was an Audi. Too expensive to fix so I tried fixing it myself (was already too far gone by then). Great experience, learnt a lot about using tools. Never got it working lol.

      Now I like the peace of mind of owning a simple & reliable car.

      • Drakesy on 20/01/2024 - 11:32
        +1

        Haha that was my experience.

        Had an injector seal fail which was quoted at $800 to replace, looked online and it was a 20 minute job.

        Thought i can do that, bought the tools and repaired the injector. 6 months later a completely unrelated problem grenaded the engine.

        $8000 in repairs later and i was happy to see the back of it.

  • GordonD on 18/01/2024 - 13:36
    +15

    Its a Renault. Its 8-9 years old. Its got a dual clutch transmission that has shown a fault serious enough to disable the car.

    You've had your warning. Run a mile. Trade it in or sell it immediately. Do not take the risk. Do not delay.

    Once its done that to you once you will never trust it again. It'll worry you every time you get in the car and start the engine. Will this be the day it'll do it again, and not reset itself.

    • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 14:27
      +1

      Thanks for the advice… yes deep down I know this is the case… Just crappy with not having much mileage on it and having a 'run it to the ground mindset' but you're right on the reliability aspect.

      • foolsgold on 19/01/2024 - 16:26
        +7

        You don't run a French car into the ground, it runs you in to the ground.

        Agree you saw the early warning signs. Buy something more reliable to run into the ground.

      • lancesta on 20/01/2024 - 15:23

        Your bank account will be drained before it runs into the ground. It sucks so much as they're typically great cars to drive.

    • Ade99 on 19/01/2024 - 07:49

      French and Italian cars always look good but build quality and reliability is not something they worry about after you drive off their forecourt and the $ are in their bank account

  • dtc on 18/01/2024 - 13:38

    You are much better off keeping the car from a financial sense; as soon as you buy a new car you will either lose the value of the current car due to depreciation within a very short period anyway (so even if your current car carks it and is worth $0, it hasnt actually cost you any more since you have lost the same amount on your new car anyway); or you buy a second hand car and you take the various risks associated with doing that.

    That said, a 2-4 year old second hand car is probably the least risky option, albeit with car prices still high you might only be paying slightly less than new and could be hit with significant depreciation as prices continue to drop.

    The downside is that you have a car you cant entirely trust. Whether that creates a major issue for you will depend on where you drive. Around the city it isnt a huge issue - very annoying and stressful if it blows up, but you will be able to get back home etc. If you drive a lot in the country, then reliability is far more of a risk / issue

    I have been through this, I kept my car until it was totally kaput. However, male driver in the city so no big deal if I break down, other than the annoyance factor.

    • Drakesy on 18/01/2024 - 14:20
      +4

      But if the transmission costs $5-$15k then that's a sunk cost that the OP will never see a return on. That'll be the equivalent to say 3-6 years depreciation on a new $30k car which will be covered 100% by warranty.

      • dtc on 18/01/2024 - 17:25
        +3

        But there is no and will not be a sunk cost.

        Either OP drives the car and nothing happens, or OP drives the car and it craps itself and then its dumped. The car at the moment is worth $6-7k. At worst OP loses $6-7k but the car might last for several more years in which case OP doesnt lose that. But OP will definitively lose that by buying a new car

        No one is suggesting repair the car for $15k

        • Drakesy on 19/01/2024 - 19:08

          I think the pragmatic approach would be to set aside another $5k over the next few years for general repairs and electrical issues though.

  • LanceVance on 18/01/2024 - 14:02
    +4

    Get rid of it. When that fault comes back (and it will) the amount you spend will likely be the same as the price of an upgrade to something more reliable. Additionally, you'll skip a lot of the stress and 'i f**ked up* that will come with a giant repair bill and doing the tough decision of doing a repair that matches/exceeds the whole value of the car or just scrapping it.

  • theHMASfriendship on 18/01/2024 - 14:12
    +5

    Most of OzBargain will only allow you to have a Camry or Corolla.

    If you like the car keep it.

    • Gdsamp on 18/01/2024 - 15:26

      Agree I look forward to another euro car thread in 12-18 months time

    • Nillionaire on 18/01/2024 - 15:40

      Tesla deals are more popular than Camry and Corolla here.

  • Benoffie on 18/01/2024 - 14:41
    +2

    We had a Fiat Punto back in the day that was great - until the transmission started playing up. First fix was a PITA but we got the same warning. 12 months later it effectively went and with a minimum price to replace of $4k (10 years ago)

    My advice - heed the warning and offload it now for something easier to repair. Grab a Suzuki or a Toyota or something.

  • StonedWizard on 18/01/2024 - 14:44
    -1

    OP if you’ve been servicing it with Renault try and have them fix it under goodwill.

    I had a 2015 Renault with a transmission and engine issue and they fixed both issues under goodwill last year.

    • isabellai1825 on 18/01/2024 - 14:51

      Unfortunately, stopped servicing with Renault directly. Out of curiosity. Do you know what the bill was going to be?

      • StonedWizard on 24/01/2024 - 18:58

        I think $1-2k for the transmission, which ended up being a faulty computer and probably around $3k for the engine as it needed a short block or something.

  • Euphemistic on 18/01/2024 - 15:16
    +2

    Either sell it now as working, potentially replace the transmission or sell it for scrap value with a busted transmission.

    I’d be selling it now. It light do another 3years without a fault, but it could do the same thing tomorrow. IMO it’s not worth the risk to hang onto it.

  • Nillionaire on 18/01/2024 - 15:39

    safety first

    • Euphemistic on 18/01/2024 - 16:42
      +3

      Install 5 point harness and roll cage?

  • Brick Tamland on 18/01/2024 - 17:00
    +1

    Trade/sell.

    Me neighbour has one of these and they had a transmission fault too and it cost them a fortune to fix it.

  • pharkurnell on 18/01/2024 - 17:06
    +1

    Do you have 5-15k laying round doing nothing that you feel like throwing at a $3000 car?

  • cdaddy on 18/01/2024 - 22:24

    sell it and get a camry

  • SteveB00 on 19/01/2024 - 09:01

    If you bought a car privately and discovered that it had this problem and that the seller knew about it, what would you think of the seller? Do you want to be that person? Trade it in on a Camry.

    • isabellai1825 on 19/01/2024 - 09:22
      +1

      Hey Steve, i do believe in karma and would only look at trade in/selling it to a dealership able to repair if faulty.

  • bbinc on 19/01/2024 - 10:28

    Your mechanic has described a minor electrical fault, not a mechanical transmission fault.
    You have described other random warning lights.
    Renaults (and other hi tech cars), often do this when the battery is on the way out. Lots of batteries suffered permanent detirioration during covid restrictions. Do you do regular long runs or mostly short runs? Short running compounds the problems of an old battery.
    The errors are often random because of the system which sends signals to destinations across shared wiring. The computer needs glitchless free voltage.
    Most battery retailers will check your battery under load for free. If you need a new one I’d suggest a good quality one. Don’t go for the cheapest specified, go for the heavy duty, it’ll perform better under difficult conditions.

    • isabellai1825 on 19/01/2024 - 11:05

      Thanks for the reply. I went to battery world probably 7months ago and got a brand new battery (got mid range $) I took my car in for a service and all checks were done on the battery… will look into getting it checked again

    • isabellai1825 on 19/01/2024 - 11:05

      And to add.. mostly short runs.

      • bbinc on 19/01/2024 - 12:44

        It would be interesting to know the state of charge (you can DIY that with a cheap voltmeter/multimeter), the short runs might not be enough. I have a dash cam that drains heaps overnight - I unplug it now. If you google some of the Renault forums, like AussieFrogs for warning lights you’ll see the battery thing come up a lot. I’ve had numerous Renaults and loved them, but found good servicing hard to get.
        I see my last Renault still driving around, and miss it very much.
        Happy motoring.
        Here’s a Whirlpool link - note the comments about mechanics -
        https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/348jk6v3

  • baaatender on 19/01/2024 - 13:36
    +3

    It's a scam that most car dealers these days don't service their transmissions. A fluid change every 30k to 60k should be the standard but instead, they claim it's good for "life", which means after about 100k the transmission can fail at any moment from metal contamination.
    But then again, clutches aren't expected to last much longer if driven hard.

    • lancesta on 20/01/2024 - 10:59
      +1

      Totally agree. It's a huge scam. .

      good for "life"

      The damage is progressive, it's barely good for the warranty period lol. I guess technically it is good for the life of the vehicle when its the reason the vehicle breaks.

  • kokita on 19/01/2024 - 15:59

    I would sell and buy another one.

  • wiipantz on 19/01/2024 - 16:02

    Never ceases to amaze the power of marketing and what that results in people buying. But hey if you like the car then keep it, if not get rid of it. If you like being so perverted and flirting with risk why not go for the model prior in the sportiest offering? It's faster, lighter and hot hatchier? Or you could just do what you want, one bit of advice though… French aren't really renowned for reliability or build quality particulary in the demands of the Southern Hemisphere, take that and do what with you will, I don't care :) G'luck

  • camr00 on 19/01/2024 - 16:03
    +2

    Ditch it now whilst its working and move on.
    My experience is two fold, and yes I've owned a Renault Clio (paid $8k for it, sold it for $8k):
    1) My mechanic had a Clio tucked away in the corner of the garage. When asked about it he said 'dont ask', so I did, and he said 'the owner brought it in with a check engine light on. they checked everything (all ok according to the manual checks), reset the errors and the dude went on his way. he brought the car back in a week or so later with a dead engine'. Replacement engine was worth more than the car, and thats assuming you can get one (which is what my mechanic was trying to do as good will).
    2) I had a not-at-fault accident in mine which involved a motorcycle hitting the rear wheel of my clio. I joked with the insurance company about writing it off (because its French and parts are expensive) and they said 'it looks fine, we will fix it'. After 3 trips to the repairer and a 4th to an exhaust place (because the insurer didnt want to pay a further $1k for a genuine Renault muffler on top of the $13k they had already spent to repair the rear suspension because it was broken in the accident) they said they should have written it off.
    I ditched it soon after.
    Super fun and enjoyable cars to drive, plenty of character (including typical French electrics), but never something to own out of warranty and DEFINITELY not something to own after random warning lights start popping up - time to take heed and ditch it.

  • drprox on 19/01/2024 - 17:45

    Your car is fine..if you're looking for an excuse to buy a new one just do it but it won't make financial sense.
    To add to this it's a Nissan so it'll be fine for ages.

  • pizzapock3t on 19/01/2024 - 18:04

    As an electrician agree with comments saying rule out the battery first, even if relatively new could be a dud. Short of that the feeling of wondering when the next big problem is coming is not a nice feeling. Would think offloading seems logical considering value of car vs cost of potential repairs.

    Side note while on euro cars, wife’s got the q5 2020 and has warranty through to 2027 (extended warranty) can’t decide wether to keep it past warranty or trade it in prior to warranty lapsing. For the record it’s been a great car only has about 35k on the clock so far, so by 2027 would assume would be about 70-80k close to the dreaded 100k mark.

    • camr00 on 19/01/2024 - 18:18

      Factory warranty? Or dealer? You want the factory, they care less.
      I've got a few friends with Q7's in excess of 150,000 kays and they've all been (touch wood) remarkably reliable.

      • pizzapock3t on 19/01/2024 - 18:25
        +1

        Factory and only serviced by Audi, I’ve also heard similarly about the q5 and q7’s

  • Commander Shepard on 20/01/2024 - 00:44

    I have had a few Renault Clios and Meganes. Mostly RS models. I currently own a 2017 Megane GT 205 DCT with 190,000kms on it.

    Honestly. One glitch in your whole ownership period isn't bad. The same thing can happen with Asian cars. I would probably take the risk and keep running the car. Maybe do a transmission fluid change to look for any shiny bits.

    But if your peace of mind is ruined. Sell it.

  • aussieprepper on 20/01/2024 - 00:48

    Jatco CVTs strike again?

  • CocaKoala on 20/01/2024 - 10:00

    You already "took the risk" buying a French car.

  • imurgod on 20/01/2024 - 11:57

    It's a French car that's starting to show issues.

    Get rid of it.

  • Repposh on 23/01/2024 - 09:25

    I had a 2015 Renault Captur where the alternator failed. Cost $1500 to fix. It then developed transmission issues. Would go into limp mode and refuse to change gears. Mechanic couldn't diagnose fault or fix it. Will never buy another Renault.

  • billy72 on 30/01/2024 - 14:06

    sell it before the error comes back

  • branners on 30/01/2024 - 14:11

    Last Euro car I had was coming up to 90K kays and there was a slight glitch with the gearbox. Was noted on the service report that it would need a proper look at the next service.
    Took that as a warning, was kicking tyres at a dealership not long after and my wife was interested in a very low mileage Hyundai. Dealer took the German coupe for a spin and did not pick up on the issue, offered us a very stout trade-in. First time I have shaken hands on a deal without haggling. Never regretted it.

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