Self servicing

Hehe, I might need to look into the Glowplugs because my Car has trouble starting below 7 degrees centigrade. Fingers crossed!!

Regarding the timing belt...I have no idea when it was replaced..I've had the Car since November, so I need to look at it and replace it if it is frayed or damaged, else the engine damage that will result will almost certainly write it off and cost a lot of money just in parts to fix!
 
See, i don't understand how people pay £150 for a basic oil/plugs service on a 1.2 Clio. On my car from a specialist it cost £90 for 6.5litres of fully synth. oil, labour and an OE oil filter. If i needed plugs and airfilter done, it would have been around £160.

What did you pay £150 for at your last service, OP? Just an oil and filter change? Spark plugs + air filter too? Coolant? Brake fluid?

I find a lot of the time, people don't have a clue what they've had done to their cars. The number of cars i've seen with a "Full Service History" that haven't had coolant, brake fluid or spark plugs changed in years is amazing.
 
shifty_uk said:
This is the service kit I was on about but obviously I wouldn't need the oil filter. Would it be cheaper to source the parts separately?

oops, here it is: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RENAULT-CLIO-..._CarParts_SM&hash=item1e5b7ca024#ht_770wt_907
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Why wouldn't you need an oil filter? Not planning on changing the oil? I would just go check out the prices in somewhere like GSF or euro car parts first and ask for the bits you want and give them your car reg number. An air filter would be about £7, plugs £1.50/£2 each and an oil filter about £5.

It will all be branded stuff as well and if they give you the wrong filter type etc you can just pop back down there and swap it. I have a good rapport with the guys in my local GSF now from servicing my cars. Once you are a regular face they are keen to help out where they can.

shifty_uk said:
All I really need is air filter and spark plugs at present. I'll nip up to the local parts supplier tomorrow for pricing.

Just noticed in the opening post I wrote '11 year old'...No idea where I plucked that from when I was writing it :confused: the cars 9 years old.

Maccapacca, is it possible to have the car checked over mechanically in the usual service manner, without any work carried out? I imagine so.
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All they will be doing is a quick scan of the car, looking a brakes etc. Do it all yourself, its actually really easy. Just keep track of dates for changing the cam belt or aux belt (important on some cars) and fluid changes as well as checking the fluid levels. The MOT station will be telling you if you have worn/cracked bushes, rust , tired brakes etc. You can act on it then.
 
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milgo said:
An air filter would be about £7, plugs £1.50/£2 each and an oil filter about £5.

It will all be branded stuff as well and if they give you the wrong filter type etc you can just pop back down there and swap it. I have a good rapport with the guys in my local GSF now from servicing my cars. Once you are a regular face they are keen to help out where they can.
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Just checked for him:

£11.64 - Purflux air filter
£1.56 x 4 - Bosch spark plugs
£6.36 - Bosch oil filter
£47 - Valveline/Castrol Fully Syn Oil

= ~£70 for parts for a large-ish service
 
fully syn on a 1.2 clio? :D
on that note, I would look at kwick fit for the oil change. Monkeys they are BUT they charge a ridiculously low price for oil+filter. 30quid gets a regular oil +filter change, and 40-50 for fully synthetic, provided you don't have a monster engine.
 
milgo said:
Why wouldn't you need an oil filter? Not planning on changing the oil? I would just go check out the prices in somewhere like GSF or euro car parts first and ask for the bits you want and give them your car reg number. An air filter would be about £7, plugs £1.50/£2 each and an oil filter about £5.

It will all be branded stuff as well and if they give you the wrong filter type etc you can just pop back down there and swap it. I have a good rapport with the guys in my local GSF now from servicing my cars. Once you are a regular face they are keen to help out where they can.
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My mechanic changes my oil/filter. With it being so quick and cheap to get done, I really don't see the need to be messing around with it. Garage has the correct oil grade in bulk and a ramp for a quick, easy changeover.

The cars due an MOT in June so as you said, that will be checked then. The track rods were changed last year.

Spark plugs and air filter will be on my shopping list. However, I read that spark plugs generally last 70,000 miles? :confused: Is it the norm to get them done annually? The service history has had them changed every year, as far as I can see and they were done this time last year.

Air filter shouldn't be that difficult for a DIY job but I can't find a guide for the Clio online.
 
Yeah thats expensive oil for a clio. What oil does it take?

Ah I see shifty. Could get yourself a haynes manual to help you out. Its normally just a number of clips or screws holding a lid on.

The plug lifetimes do vary from engine to engine. My volvo had 100k mile plug intervals and the lowest I have heard of is about 30k miles. It does seem a bit OTT to do it every year.
 
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Gaygle said:
It's all they had in 4 litre bottles on ECP. Forget kwik fit, take it to National.
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National quoted me 32 quid for a change with Castrol. When it's that cheap I don't see the point doing it myself, tbh. Trouble was, this time I had a leak and opted for my usual mechanic who sorted things out at no additional charge. Didn't want some tinker creating more issues.
 
I service my 10 year old micra myself. It is quite easy to do and the only time I got into a mess was when the Haynes manual was quite wrong (the tensioner for one of the belts wasn't where it said it would be) and I didn't have a knuckle joint so I just couldn't get in there.

My advice would be look through the Haynes manual step by step and run through each job in your head, just to check you have the right tools.
Oil, oil filter, air filter, sparks is every easy, as long as you have the tools to do it.

I just reluctant to pay £50+ an hour for some cabbage to work on my car. I think if someone with an F in GCSE history can do it, so can I.
 
Service the DC2 myself, but I'm only about 3k after the last service by the last owner and Honda.

But I don't do many miles a year so it'l be about 3 years before it needs a service and stamp again, which might be a little long for my driving habits :D
 
I'm also looking into to starting to do this as my ibiza diesel is now 10 years old. Does anyone know how often you should replace diesel glow plugs? I have looked around online but no one seems to agree on an answer???

Thanks
 
Glow Plugs supposedly last a lot longer than Spark Plugs.

I've had reports of them being replaced 100k sometimes as much as 300k.

If cold starts are a problem, then it is probably the Battery or the Glow Plugs; also draining the fuel filter is a good idea as this can accumulate water as well.

My Oil-burner won't start in temperatures below 9 degrees C, so I'm trying to find out what it can be, but my glow plugs are probably due a change anyway because my car has done over 100,000 miles.
 
nasher32 said:
I'm also looking into to starting to do this as my ibiza diesel is now 10 years old. Does anyone know how often you should replace diesel glow plugs? I have looked around online but no one seems to agree on an answer???

Thanks
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Theres no set time for glow plugs to be replaced. They get used different amounts depending on driving style i.e. motorway not a lot and town driving all the time. If the car starts to get lazy starting give the plugs two warm ups before cranking the engine if this helps the plugs are on the way out although they can still last along time like that. You can also check the resistance of the plugs to check for failed ones.

I always service my cars myself if they aren't worth a that much money(under 10k). It makes no difference on resale really for vehicles in that price range.
 
Is pretty simple on that sort of car mate, As for the resale, just keep all the recipts for parts you spent on the car and keep then in a folder.
If your close enough ill come give you a hand the first time? ;):p
 
Haynes manual is a must, good for browsing through jobs you've yet to tackle & inspires confidence in undertaking them, you can also see which ones you'd be better off leaving to a garage.

I had my 03 plate focus serviced by ford for the first 3 yrs & have done all servicing myself since then, except the cambelt which a local garage did.

On 83k now & you can feel the wear in the clutch, still a fair few thousand miles left in it (i hope), wanted to change it myself & consulted Haynes, however separating the engine & transmission is beyond my capability so that will be done by the garage too.
 
Been scouring ebay for days, trying to pick up a used manual with no luck. Looks like it'll be 18-19 quid! Not too fussed about the initial outlay but if there's online options available, I'll take them.

Would owners websites been a good bet? The main Clio one is Clio Sport but it's a paid subscription, is that aimed more towards the sports models? :)

Kennysevenfold said:
Is pretty simple on that sort of car mate, As for the resale, just keep all the recipts for parts you spent on the car and keep then in a folder.
If your close enough ill come give you a hand the first time? ;):p
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I'll take you up on that if I get stuck ;) I'm sure my neighbour or father 'inlaw' might wade in first :p
 
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