Renault Clio coil springs | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

Wed 17 Sep 2003 15:46

Renault Clio coil springs - Primera_p

My sister's 1996 Clio has failed its MOT for having two broken front coil springs.

The tester also informed her that a "piece of metal is sticking out and that's what probably caused a break"

Is it me, or does that sound like a load of PFD?

I would have thought it unlikely that the springs on both sides would have broken.

She was advised that the tester has ordered the parts should she want them fitting. £135!

What do people reckon??

Thanks

Paul

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 16:16

Renault Clio coil springs - BobbyG

Paul, I am in no way a mechanic but I assume that there is a coil spring either side of the car? If thats the case, it must be a hell of a bit of metal to break both of them!

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 16:38

Renault Clio coil springs - Baskerville

Funnily enough this happened to my sister's Clio but only on one side. It was put down to the car having been in an accident (it was recovered/repaired) a year or two earlier, but there was also a suspicion that it had been driven hard on some rather poor rural roads in the Irish Republic (it was imported from there)--what a nightmare that car was. I thought it was odd then, but now I'm not so sure.

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Sun 19 Jun 2011 17:46

Renault Clio coil springs - vmturbo

I suspect that Renault springs are made from poor quality steel as they seem to be always breaking. Years ago a colleague told me that he once worked in a spring factory that made engine valve springs. The company was extremely pernickety about the quality of the steel; in particular they didn't like "inclusions" (particles of dross trapped in the metal) Inclusions were thought to propagate cracks and this is why the company didn't like them. The steel was assayed by looking at it with a Nikon binocular microscope and counting the inclusions in the field of view. Good quality steel would typically have FOUR HUNDRED inclusions but the best Swedish electrically smelted steel would frequently only have THREE! Anyhow valve springs made from Swedish Electric steel were virtually everlasting. I wonder how many inclusions the Renault springs have?

Allegedly "spring guards" or "spring catchers" can be retrofitted to Renaults to stop broken springs ripping the tyres. With spring catchers fitted one can at least get home.

Probably the trouble is caused by under-engineering and cut throat competion. When I consider that my first car an Austin A30 had done 250,000 miles and was still reliable I think that the car makers have lost their way. OK the Austins floor was joined to the sills with Dexion angle iron but it was still a good car that never let me down. It never needed head gaskets or timing belts like this modern rubbish but OK it wasn't very fast.

Good luck but perhaps you should try some NONE OEM springs (OEM doesn't meean best quality!!!!!) Learn it up yourself and get some spring catchers if you can.

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 16:54

Renault Clio coil springs - Andrew-T

The Clio, like most modern small cars, has front Macpherson struts containing a large-diameter coil spring. I find it hard to imagine driving the car with both of them broken, and not realising something is wrong. Though I have heard of one fracturing (the steel is about 1cm thick!). Maybe one broke at one end? But both?

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 17:24

Renault Clio coil springs - M.M

I change several broken front coil springs each year. Anything over perhaps 60,000mls or 6yrs old and it's not unusual.

Mostly they break just as the first coil rises from the strut seat, often there are signs that the break takes some time to go as part of the fracture face will be quite rusty. I assume they break in this way due to the boundary between the part that is held fixed in the seat...and the start of the section that flexes.

Bit like breaking an old nail by working to and fro??

Ideally both should be replaced anyway so to have two required isn't such a disaster.

How much to replace...£135 a pair all in??

M.M

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 17:30

Renault Clio coil springs - M.M

Oh and folks rarely know they are broken..."it was fine when I drove it over" being the usual comment.

Last one I had with both front springs broken together was a hard driven 2.8, guy never noticed that either.

If they ever break mid-coil you will usually notice the sag plus some clunks when parking.

M.M

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 19:04

Renault Clio coil springs - greaser pv

Was it definately the front ?
I've recently done two at the rear on an s-reg for MOT.
The tester said it was common, even my local renault dealer had stock- £85/side plus fitting. approx 20mins to 1/2 hr a side

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 19:29

Renault Clio coil springs - PhilW

My son and daughter have Clios - L reg and K reg both needed a new front spring at last MOT. Seem to remember it cost about £100 to replace each. By the way, the MOTer noticed them, not the garage that replaced them. We were shown the springs and they were broken as MM describes - neither son nor daughter noticed any difference in their cars' handling before or after!

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 22:21

Renault Clio coil springs - Andrew-T

MM - do you think this coil failure can be postponed by cleaning out the road crud that collects in the lower coil mount?

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Wed 17 Sep 2003 23:35

Renault Clio coil springs - M.M

Not sure Andrew. There is usually more rust on this bottom part of the spring than the middle so it can do no harm.

It really does seem to be the stress fracture element that gets them.

Lowest mileage I've seen it at was smallish car, heavy driver, bumpy Fen commuter run daily, high speeds!

M.M

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Thu 18 Sep 2003 00:10

Renault Clio coil springs - Baskerville

Just as a matter of interest M.M how do you do this? Presumably the springs offer quite a bit of resistance to being put in place. I'm genuinely interested (still miss the hydropneumatics and worry about springs being unreliable...).

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Thu 18 Sep 2003 07:27

Renault Clio coil springs - M.M

Chris,

Do you mean how do I fit springs? Most common is to remove the whole strut from the car and fit clamps that draw together the coils to reduce the springs length. This is just enough to take pressure from the main top seat retaining nut so it can be safely
removed and the spring changed.

The force needed to compress a spring is substantial and there is the potential for injury if care isn't taken.

Yes gas springs are so much easier!

M.M

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Thu 18 Sep 2003 08:16

Renault Clio coil springs - Baskerville

Thanks for that M.M. I was wondering just how you managed to compress a spring made to take those kinds of loads: it's bad enough trying to compress some of the tiny springs in bicycle components. It must be a scary prospect the first few times.

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Thu 18 Sep 2003 09:22

Renault Clio coil springs - RichardW

"It must be a scary prospect the first few times."

It sure is - I changed the damper on a front strut for a Citroen Visa. Stand on the spring (I'm 15 stone) and it goes down about 1/4". Need to compress it about 3" to get the damper nut back on. Hmmm. Had a thought whilst winding the tension up that if it does slip, the spring is going to go through the roof of the garage, probably via mine and my Dad's heads.... Put it to the back of your head and keep winding the tension on!

Rear ones are easier - changed a spring on one of those just using a couple of ropes wound up as spanish windlasses (although I probably wouldn't do it again!)

RichardW

Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....

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Thu 18 Sep 2003 09:23

Renault Clio coil springs - Primera_p

Thanks for the responses.

She's spoken to the guy who serviced the car and he claims he would have spotted broken springs during the service.

However, the car has been standing for about 6 months and taken out yesterday for the first time (to the MOT station). He suggests they may have broken on route ?

Either way, someone else is going to look at the car this am so hopefully I'll find out the situation later today.

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Thu 18 Sep 2003 19:41

Renault Clio coil springs - Mondaywoe

You certainly need good strong spring compressors (clamps) I once had a broken spring on a Renault 18. Uncompressed, it was a huge thing! I fitted it myself (eventually!) but was terrfied all the time that the clamps would slip and the whole lot would launch into outer space with me attached!

My mum has an L reg Clio, which is not used much. It's one of the rustiest cars underneath that I've seen in ages - not quite to the extent of failing an MOT but very extensive - everything is going! I even had to get her 4 new wheeels because the old ones had rusted so badly the tyres wouldn't hold air!

Before the last MOT I covered everything I could underneath with either oil or a mixture of oil / grease. I gave the ends of the springs a good soaking. That might help prevent fractures.

Graeme

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