What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - New owner
Hi,

My new Renault Clio hybrid is due for collection soon. Can recent new vehicle owners please share their experience on what to look and check for before I take the delivery? Did you get any pre-delivery inspection certificate from your dealer?
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - Steveieb

From my experience with Renaults I would certainly be checking everything electrical work’s especially the infotainment system which in my experience and close friends have a habit of freezing up .

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - badbusdriver

At collection, just what has been mentioned above along with a careful visual check for any damage.

Bit late for you now, but there was a fairly recent thread about a major mechanical failure in a Clio hybrid:

renault-clio--

:-(

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - New owner
What sort of mechanical failure? Please can you point to it. Good to be aware at least.
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - mcb100
But, as ever, one person having issues does not make it an unreliable car. I’m a fan of the Clio Hybrid and would make it my choice if I was looking for a B segment hatch.
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - badbusdriver

TBH, it would have been a top candidate for our next car had it not been for the low seating position and lack of rear space. Dealer isn't too far away (and not in Aberdeen!) and we could have got one through Motability for no advance payment.

Also, I'm interested in the tech and the video reviews I've watched have been pretty positive.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - Adampr
But, as ever, one person having issues does not make it an unreliable car. I’m a fan of the Clio Hybrid and would make it my choice if I was looking for a B segment hatch.

As I've boringly banged on about before, I thought the gearbox in the Capture PHEV I drove was brilliant.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - Xileno

As mentioned, just check for cosmetic damage. A scratch, curbed alloy that sort of thing.

Otherwise just enjoy it. It's under warranty so you have peace of mind.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - leaseman

Apart from checking electrical components, not much help so far OP. Sorry.

Rule number 1 is: Don't be rushed and allow a good half hour for a full appraisal/inspection. If possible be accompanied by an eagle-eyed friend!

Rule number 2 : Look obliquely down each panel, not forgetting the roof! Open the bonnet, each door and the hatch and check the inside of panels as well as the exterior.

Rule number 3: Check every gap where body panels meet, whether a fixed join or where moving panels meet (door edges, hatch etc. Are gaps absolutely straight and parallel?

Rule no. 4: Take with you a few soft cloths and chamois. The odds are that you will be outside and need to be able to wipe down wet areas or the odd dirty mark

Trust this is of help.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - New owner
Can I test drive it before taking delivery? Just to confirm there are no obvious issues. Do dealers give a PDI certificate with new cars to confirm they have given it a proper check before handing over?
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - Adampr

They will give you a PDI checklist, but they probably won't actually have checked it. Certainly, the sales person will have relied on someone else to do it. Short of any damage that you ought to identify before accepting the car, you are mostly expected to rely on the warranty for any problems.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - New owner
Isn’t there a legal requirement to be met by the dealer to check the car before the handover to ensure it is safe to drive? Am I within my consumer rights to ask for the PDI certificate to be signed and stamped by the dealer before the handover? A consumer is a buying a new car just to prevent the hassles of a used car and if the dealer just want to rely upon warranty for technical issues than what’s the point in spending extra on a new car.
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - mcb100
I’ve driven the Clio and the Austral (same set up) and it’s very impressive.
Arkana hybrid attracts some feedback for being noisy, but it’s the result of the naturally aspirated motor having to work a bit harder in a larger car.
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - elekie&a/c doctor
Review and road test on this car in yesterday’s Telegraph.
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - skidpan

They will give you a PDI checklist, but they probably won't actually have checked it. Certainly, the sales person will have relied on someone else to do it. Short of any damage that you ought to identify before accepting the car, you are mostly expected to rely on the warranty for any problems.

That was my experience with all new cars I bought up to and including 1984, they were 2 Fords and a Triumph. Took the dealers months to sort all the minor issues that should have been done prior to collection.

Then in 1986 I bought a Golf, never saw a garage until it had done 10,000 miles. Same with the next Golf in 1989. Since then with Fords, Skodas, a Seat, a BMW and a couple of Nissans its been exactly the same, we have never had to go back.

Only warranty issue we have had in that time has been a boot release switch in a Micra, well known at the time for water ingress which set the alarm off and made the boot unable to open from the outside. Sorted same afternoon.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - leaseman

OP. The pre-delivery inspection (PDI) is often done at premises away from the showroom. It may be performed by the dealer or by another agency where vehicles are stored for distribution. We don't know what method will be utilised for your new car,

There should be, in the "book-pack" on handover to you,a record of this action and please ask to see it. The "book-pack" nowadays does not include a hand-book as such, but should include all the information you need to find information on service intervals etc.

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - John F

Check you can undo the wheel bolts with the equipment provided in case of puncture or wheel swap. It took an email to the CEO of Stellantis to have a faulty locking bolt removed under warranty on our Peugeot 2008 when I attempted to swap front to rear at 15k miles to equalise tyre wear. (I was initially met with stubborn refusal by the local Pug dealer backed up by their Coventry Customer Care (ha!) Dept.)

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - New owner
@John F
Are the locking wheel nuts pre-fitted on the new cars?
Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - leaseman

They certainly should be, if they are part of the specification for that model!

The wheel-nut key should be present and you should ask for it to be shown to you......and try it on each of the 4 locking nuts (one per wheel).

Renault Clio - Things to look for at new vehicle collection - mcb100
Sometimes you’ll find a bag of standard wheel bolts that have been removed to install locking ones.
Check the contents of the bag they’re in - the locking wheel nut key may also be in there.