Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Wed 1 Dec 2021 14:36

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

I have a question about the air that comes into the cabin of a Modus. I'm wanting to know: Where exactly does this air first enter? What is its route? Does the air come in through the big grill at the top of the engine cover (I'm meaning the bit that's visible when bonnet is closed) and make its way through heater and filter via a sealed route? Or is the air just drawn in directly from the engine area?

I'm asking this because I suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity and can react very badly to the tiniest amount of 'engine fumes' that make their way into the cabin. I'm looking to buy a car that doesn't affect me. I experience no hint of a reaction in a Smart car btw. I assume this is because the engine is in the back and the incoming air goes nowhere near the engine. So I could (and may yet) buy a Smart... but I can't think of a car I dislike more!! So to find a car other than a Smart in which the cabin air enters via a route that's truly isolated from the engine would be amazing!

I gather that in most cars the air enters through the grills near windscreen, and is supposedly kept separate from the engine bay by rubber seals. But it's clear to 'sensitive me' that these seals are not effective at stopping all fumes from the engine making their way into the cabin. (By fumes I'm meaning the ever so slightly oily smell you might notice with an older engine if you stick your head under the bonnet with engine running - the tiniest bit of such stuff destroys me!)

The symptoms I experience are not immediate but will build up over a few days of exposure. So I can't ascertain from a test drive whether or not a car will suit me. (I'm also massively sensitive to interior valeting chemicals, so the whole business of buying a car has become 'almost impossible'... sigh...)

Looking at the Modus (or Grand Modus) it appears that the route of the air coming into the cabin may perhaps be better isolated from the engine than in other cars. I'm hoping that someone here who knows this car well can tell me for sure whether or not this is the case.

Thanks in advance.

Edited by Starman999 on 01/12/2021 at 14:44

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 14:51

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Andrew-T

I believe most external air enters via the grille below the screen (the 'scuttle'). If you think about it, that grille can't have much other purpose, could it ? (it's not intended to collect leaves and other stuff, tho it may) :-)

You need to study the aerodynamics and air flow over the bonnet to see what actually happens when the car is in motion. Eddies may form in that angle which could well vary between different models. But as car shapes have been endlessly optimised in wind tunnels, I don't imagine any differences will be great.

Edited by Andrew-T on 01/12/2021 at 14:56

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 15:22

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - elekie&a/c doctor

The op has been asking similar questions for the last 3 years . I’ll pass on any reply.

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 15:28

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

The op has been asking similar questions for the last 3 years . I’ll pass on any reply.

I'm not sure I understand your logic. If I've been posting for this length of time on a subject then that underlines the fact that I've not yet found a solution and am, presumably, all the more in need of a reply.

Yes I've suffered from multiple chemical sensitivity for twenty something years and I have to work around it as best I can. It affects my life in all sorts of ways that you're hopefully fortunate enough to not have to consider.

I've not owned a car since I first posted on this subject but have not given up on finding a solution, hence this latest post.

I have NEVER asked specifically about a Renault Modus which, superficially at least, looks like it may not rely on the rubber seals found in other cars to separate the incoming air from the engine. However from a Modus engine repair video I viewed it wasn't so cut and dried that the air did indeed come in through the grills at the top as one would assume. Hence my post.

Edited by Starman999 on 01/12/2021 at 15:54

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 16:49

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Andrew-T

The OP has been asking similar questions for the last 3 years . I’ll pass on any reply.

I'm not sure I understand your logic. If I've been posting for this length of time on a subject then that underlines the fact that I've not yet found a solution and am, presumably, all the more in need of a reply.

I would assume the 'logic' may be that anyone who has anything to suggest might already have posted ? Of course there may just be a recent arrival who hasn't seen your question before, so worth a try .....

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 17:10

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

The OP has been asking similar questions for the last 3 years . I’ll pass on any reply.

I'm not sure I understand your logic. If I've been posting for this length of time on a subject then that underlines the fact that I've not yet found a solution and am, presumably, all the more in need of a reply.

I would assume the 'logic' may be that anyone who has anything to suggest might already have posted ? Of course there may just be a recent arrival who hasn't seen your question before, so worth a try .....

My question is specifically about the Renault Modus, which I've NEVER asked about! (And there is nothing in my post that suggests i haven't taken on board everything communicated on the general subject matter previously!) My speculation (given the way things look in the Modus) is that the Modus may perhaps offer a path of air that is more segregated from the engine than is the norm (ie. the air goes through a truly separated route). I'm hoping someone very familiar with the Modus can confirm or refute that.

Edited by Starman999 on 01/12/2021 at 17:14

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 17:27

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - bathtub tom

Has the OP considered a rear engined car, like the Twingo?

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 19:31

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

Has the OP considered a rear engined car, like the Twingo?

Thanks. A Twingo or Smart car are options but I really don't like them (!) so I'm hoping my speculation about the Modus is correct!

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 18:05

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Andrew-T

<< My question is specifically about the Renault Modus, which I've NEVER asked about! >>

I think some of the responses may imply that the ventilation systems of FWD cars are rather generically similar - so maybe a rear-engine car might be an idea. That must rather limit your choices, and probably have implications for your driving style.

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 19:26

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - paul 1963

Think we've been here before? surely if the "smell" of a engine effects you so much ( not sure I believe it but whatever) then maybe a car isn't for you? Without wanting to be nosey how do you manage to walk down a busy road?

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 19:38

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

Think we've been here before? surely if the "smell" of a engine effects you so much ( not sure I believe it but whatever) then maybe a car isn't for you? Without wanting to be nosey how do you manage to walk down a busy road?

No. I've never asked about the path of air in a Modus, so we haven't been here before. But thanks anyway for the warm vibes.

Sigh. Thanks for the cliche (ie. the disbelief and uninformed judgement).

I'm affected by many airborne chemicals, not smells. Often there is no smell.

In my perception the air outside a car is always much purer than the air inside. but yes it is true I can barely function in some outside locations that are highly polluted (eg New York).

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 19:47

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - sammy1

If you need to prevent engine fumes would an EV be more suitable? Hard to see how any car can prevent fumes in a traffic jam unless you put the air con on recirculate. A lot of cars these days have separate pollen filters which may help?

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 19:53

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

Thanks for reply. An electric vehicle might be an option, though it must be said I'm a little electrically sensitive as well as being chemically sensitive so... I would prefer another option.

I AM fine in some cars btw., no matter what the traffic conditions outside. But older cars (which is what I can afford) are usually a problem for me. I will be putting in a carbon activated pollen filter and using the best in-car air purifier I know too.

Edited by Starman999 on 01/12/2021 at 19:54

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 23:10

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - sammy1

consider an electric car?

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 19:49

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

I'm just asking a mechanical question about the Renault Modus here. Anything else I wrote was to provide some context for this question.

I hope someone who knows the Modus well will 'get' why I'm speculating that this car may be different from others: It looks as if the air could be entering via the engine cover and then travel a route that is completely segregated from the engine as opposed to the normal arrangement, where the only separation is provided by rubber seals that are not air tight. Please help if you can.

Edited by Starman999 on 01/12/2021 at 20:01

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 20:04

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Xileno

I don't recall anyone ever running a Modus on this forum, it was never a very popular car in the UK, infact I can't remember the last time I saw one on the roads. If you don't get any bite in a few days then maybe RenaultForums might be worth looking at, when I used to be a member when I had a Renault there were some Renault techs who posted.

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Wed 1 Dec 2021 20:28

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

I know relatively little about the mechanics of cars, but looking at the Modus it seems to me that the path that air takes from outside the car into the cabin may be more completely separated from the engine than in other cars (in which the separation between engine and what becomes cabin air is provided by rubber seals). Could someone who knows this car well confirm if my speculation about the path of air is correct?

This may seem a strange question! I'm asking because I suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity and react badly to the tiniest hint of fumes from engine (as well as much else), so to find a car in which absolutely no fumes from engine find their way to the cabin would be amazing. I'm talking truly miniscule amounts here, but to me it's massive! More details of the way I react etc. may be found in older posts by me.

Based on some replies to my previous post I feel I have to add: If you're skeptical of such reactions please educate yourself by reading up on TILT (Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance) MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), mast cells etc. PLEASE... only reply if you're genuinely interested in helping and know the Modus well enough to know for sure where the air enters and the route it takes.

Don't know what happened to make your post readonly Mr Starman, but have added it to this from your second thread and made the other hidden

ORB, Moderator

Edited by _ORB_ on 03/12/2021 at 06:42

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Thu 2 Dec 2021 21:08

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Bolt

I'm just asking a mechanical question about the Renault Modus here. Anything else I wrote was to provide some context for this question.

I hope someone who knows the Modus well will 'get' why I'm speculating that this car may be different from others: It looks as if the air could be entering via the engine cover and then travel a route that is completely segregated from the engine as opposed to the normal arrangement, where the only separation is provided by rubber seals that are not air tight. Please help if you can.

From what I have seen of the exterior air vent/inlet, I suspect you are getting fumes from the motor in front, which everyone will get unless they set it to recirculate, which even then there is a possibility of getting a certain amount of leakage from the outside.

and it often happens some motors have extreme exhaust smoke that the driver doesn`t see and carries on smoking, not good for anyone behind depending on wind...

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Fri 3 Dec 2021 19:08

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - paul 1963

Suspect this is some sort of wind up but has the op ever thought about getting a test drive in one....providing he can find one!

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Wed 22 Dec 2021 22:16

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

No, it's not a wind up.

The issue builds up slowly over a few hours or days so I cannot usually determine in a test drive whether I will be affected.

I wish someone would answer my question about the Modus!

Edited by Starman999 on 22/12/2021 at 22:23

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Wed 22 Dec 2021 22:19

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

Thanks for the reply but, no, the issue is not prompted by the car in front. It will occur in the 'wrong car' even when I'm driving with no other cars around.

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Thu 23 Dec 2021 07:28

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Xileno

As I mentioned above, the Modus was not a popular car in the UK, I can't remember the last time I saw one and can't remember any member here running one. The Renaultforums website or a specific Modus owners club if one exists might be able to help more.

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Thu 23 Dec 2021 16:10

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - thunderbird

Just a thought. Back in the 80's a boss of mine was affected by various allergies and regularly attended clinics locally and nationally. One of the allergies that affected him was car interiors. Turned out that plastics give off fumes constantly which most of us never notice. But in the case of my boss it was very bad news.

He went through many cars over the years but there was one issue common to all brands, the sprays used by garages in car interiors were certain to put him off work for several days if he came into contact with them. He had to insist that none were used prior to delivery or in any subsequent valet. There were several cases where a sale was cancelled on collection because sprays had been used.

Now I think its fair to say 80's plastics contained far more nasty compounds that the plastics of today but its possible that you are having a similar reaction that is nothing to do with exhaust fumes.

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Thu 23 Dec 2021 16:23

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - John F

We have indeed been here before.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12455937/

Prob best to close thread before it gets as confrontational as the last time.

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Tue 25 Jan 2022 07:16

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

We have indeed been here before.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12455937/

Prob best to close thread before it gets as confrontational as the last time.

We have not been here before. In this thread I am specifically asking about the Renault (Grand) Modus, which I've never mentioned before. By the looks of it, the route of air into cabin may be better isolated from engine than in other cars. That's what I'm asking about.

If a reply is confrontational it should be removed by the mods, rather than shut the whole thread down. I badly need this info. If other people don't know about the condition I experience that is no reason to shut down the thread! And of course I will correct them if they make (cliched!) assumptions about it that are factually incorrect.

Trying to paint Multiple Chemical Sensitivty as a psychiatric disorder is deeply offensive, as well as intellectually lazy and not something anyone with experience of the condition would do. I could provide many, many studies etc. that say something quite different. And the devil is in the detail. On occasion, things have changed in my environment WITHOUT MY KNOWING, and I have experienced the effects I experience, only to much later find out the cause etc. etc, ad nauseum. I could go into the minutiae but why on earth should I? I asked a mechanical question about a specific model of car, anything else i wrote was just to provide some context for my question.

Edited by Starman999 on 25/01/2022 at 07:31

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Thu 23 Dec 2021 16:51

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Metropolis.

If the car is smelly, shall we call it the Grand Odus

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Thu 23 Dec 2021 17:42

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Maxime.

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112210707439

Nice one for the Op to go and test drive.

active carbon cabin filter available on e-bay £15.99

Edited by maxime on 23/12/2021 at 17:43

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Tue 25 Jan 2022 07:24

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Starman999

www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112210707439

Nice one for the Op to go and test drive.

active carbon cabin filter available on e-bay £15.99

Looks like i missed it but thanks. :)

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Thu 23 Dec 2021 20:25

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Xileno

"If the car is smelly, shall we call it the Grand Odus"

Particularly dreadful!

Edited by Xileno on 23/12/2021 at 20:25

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Fri 24 Dec 2021 13:12

Renault (Grand) Modus - Cabin air... - Metropolis.

:-)

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