Renault Clio I Petrol - fuel economy

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Mon 13 Sep 2010 14:56
Renault Clio I Petrol - fuel economy - amphibianalf

hi all ...

i posted a couple of years ago about this problem with my clio auto 1.4 RT...the car has not been used much and its been off the road i was using another car ...now i'm using it again i still have the same problem, high fuel consumption around town but very good fuel consumption on a motor way ... constantly around 23 mpg around town..

I've checked all sensors, their all good, no leaky exhaust, no binding brakes, tyres good and right pressure, recent service , plugs, oil and filters and an mot pass..

a new thermostat and i've used injector cleaner twice, and i put a new sealing rubber around the top of the throttle body where the air filter fits...

i've got no smell of fuel and i'm thinking if i had a petrol leak i wouldn't get the same fuel consumption all of the time ..

i measured it by putting 10L of petrol in when the light went on within a mile or so, and when it went back on there was 47 miles on the trip meter and this is consistent...

driving around town if i get stuck in traffic for a while i can watch the fuel needle move..

while i'm on a motor way it uses very little and can travel 40-45 miles at 55mph and the fuel gauge needle moves only from one side of a line to the other, when i come off of the motor way i can see it move again ..

I've run out of things to check anybody got any ideas as i'm thinking of putting it into Renault to see if they can find anything or calling the xfiles to find the mysteriously missing petrol as its costing me a small fortune in petrol its only just better than my 4x4 ...

any suggestions would be much appreciated ....

....MANY THANKS....AL...

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 13 Sep 2010 17:59
Renault Clio I Petrol - fuel economy - Peter.N.

I don't know what the quoted figure urban figures are but you can't do much worse than an auto in traffic, if you live in an urban area then the engine will be cold when you start out which will make matters even worse, the fact that the consumption is good on the motorway leads me to conclude that there is nothing wrong with the car, just the conditions its being driven under.

I recently bought a BMW 5 series diesel manual from a seller in Birmingham, his average fuel consumption was about 24 mpg, using it here in rural Dorset I'm getting around 40 mpg. Driving style also makes a lot of difference but I suppose you can't drive it hard in traffic.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 14 Sep 2010 04:30
Renault Clio I Petrol - fuel economy - amphibianalf
Hi peter.n. Thanks for the reply ...
I was getting about 35 mpg then it just got worse over about
a week or so ...I accept it will be bad in traffic but I'm not
always sitting in jams ...on a clear run at low speed 20-30mph
it still gives the same figures ...I spoke to someone at a local Renault
garage yesterday about putting the car in for fault diagnosis
he thinks i should be doing better ...I just don't want to put it in
if there is something I have over looked...
...MANY THANKS ...AL...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 14 Sep 2010 09:28
Renault Clio I Petrol - fuel economy - madf

All you need is a temperature sensor faulty and you will take ages for mixture to go from rich for cold running to normal when warmed up..

Or it may have a waxstat .. controllled by narrow water tube blocked by corrosion...

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....