Old Faithful

I see that many people have found this blog after searching for information about the Renault Clio. I have now had my Clio for 20 months, so what do I think of it?
I have to be honest, it wasn’t my first choice. Having had several Vauxhall Corsas when I was with BSM I knew that I didn’t want another Corsa. My last BSM car was a Fiat 500, which I personally loved, but it wasn’t too popular with my customers.
Leaving BSM meant that I could choose whatever car I wanted. I read loads of reviews, had some test drives, and plumped for the new Ford Fiesta. But a misunderstanding over the end of my BSM contract meant that I had to cancel the Fiesta I had ordered. Then I ……… oh, it’s a long, boring story, but I ended up choosing my Renault Clio.
Fantastic. I loved it, but more importantly, my customers loved it. It wasn’t as much fun to drive as the Fiat 500, but it is a very easy car to learn to drive in. The clutch is very forgiving, the engine is very flexible, it has good all-round visibility, the brakes are excellent (almost too good) and it has a pleasing, uncluttered driving environment.
But what don’t I like about it? Tough question, my answer is “not a lot”. The seats aren’t the best - you feel a little like you’re sitting on them, rather than ‘in’ them. I don’t feel comfortable with having a ‘tyre inflator’ instead of a spare wheel. The steering isn’t quite as sharp as I would like it to be. Renault extended the wheelbase on the current model and (especially after the Fiat 500, which was as responsive as a Go-Kart) the steering felt a little unresponsive. The only other thing I can fault is reverse gear; there is no button, trigger, push , pull, or other mechanism to prevent accidental selection - it simply won’t let you go from a forward gear straight into reverse. This is fine most of the time, but every now and then it gets stuck and you have to go through the faff of putting it back in neutral, clutch up, clutch down, then it will go into reverse. These extra couple of seconds can add extra pressure in the middle of a parallel park or turn in the road.
But these are very small niggles. The Clio is an excellent tuition car. When a bus rear-ended me last year, the insurance company provided me with a Peugeot 207. Although I liked how it looked, my pupils... (passage removed because it caused offence) ...and we were all pleased when, a few weeks later, we got the Clio back.
But, as Echo & The Bunnymen once sang, nothing lasts forever. My relationship with my Clio seemed to lack the spark it once had.
After 20 months, 76,000 miles and over 100 pupils, we had been through a lot together.  But where I once used to lovingly polish her body, these days I am more likely to call her names when my pupil struggles to get it in reverse gear. Perhaps it was time to move on. She was to be binned, dumped, given the elbow, ditched, tossed aside, drop-kicked and given the big heave-ho.
And so, last Tuesday, I took her for one last spin. I drove down to Glasgow. She was as lively as ever; steady and assured on the winding roads, but responsive when I wanted her to overtake. Each time I saw another Clio heading towards me I would look at the styling, look at the smile on the driver's face and wonder whether I was doing the right thing. Perhaps the Clio and I were made for each other.
We reached Glasgow, where I was to say goodbye to her. It felt less like a relationship break-up, but more like taking a favourite dog to the vets and leaving her there.

If you have come to this site after searching for information on the Renault Clio, then I can only praise it. It's not perfect, and I believe they are bringing out a new model later in the year, but every time I see someone driving one, I think "What an intelligent person."

Va-va-voom

As promised, I got my Clio back this morning. I had begun to get used to the Peugeot, but it did feel nice being back in my car - the clutch is much more forgiving and the steering has more 'feel'.
When Matthew took his test last week the examiner looked at the Peugeot and asked me "Why have you gone and got yourself one of these?!" He obviously wasn't impressed.
It wasn't the first time examiners have turned their nose up at a car. When I was with BSM and had a Fiat 500, the examiners would often make disparaging comments about it. One time, at the start of a test, the examiner asked my pupil to pop the bonnet and tell him how he would check the oil level. As my pupil lifted the bonnet, the examiner looked into the engine and asked "Where's the rubber band?"  The cheek!

Back in the saddle.

What a palava. As previously reported, Saturday afternoon after the prang, I was straight on the phone to my insurers to report the claim and request a replacement car. Having a car is quite important for a driving instructor. I was told that it was now 'out of office hours' so she could record my claim, but no-one would be able to do anything until Tuesday morning (Monday was a bank holiday), despite me assuring her that I could not use my car (it was driveable, but no rear windscreen and the hatch was so buckled that it could not be shut).
Tuesday morning, at 9.00am on the dot, I am on the phone, trying to inject some urgency into my case. Shortly afterwards, a car lease company call me to say that will be providing a replacement car (great!), and that it will delivered Wednesday afternoon (not so great).
"Is that ok for you Mr. Rutter?"
"Well, I was hoping to have a car today. I have a pupil on test later in the week and she was hoping for a lesson tonight. Is it possible to deliver it today?"
"I don't think so; you are 'a long way up'."
Very disappointed, I then had to contact all my pupils who had lessons scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday morning (including a new pupil) to tell them that we would have to rearrange their lessons.
So Wednesday morning I was back on the phone, I needed to know what time the car would be arriving so that I could plan my afternoon. I called the car lease company and spoke to the same woman I spoke to the previous day.
"Your car delivery has been cancelled."
"What? Why?"
"Because you said Wednesday afternoon was not acceptable."
"I said that I was hoping to have it earlier, but NOT CANCELLED!"
(Trying to keep calm) "Well, when can you get the car here?"
"I'll see if I can find a driver. We may be able to get you a car Thursday night."
"But my pupil's test is on Friday and she really wants a lesson before then. Plus, I have already rescheduled other lessons for Wednesday evening and Thursday, because you told me I would have a car by then."
"I will see if I can find a driver, but Thursday night would still be the earliest."
Exasperated, I could only agree, but I got straight onto the GoInstruct, who I lease my Clio from. They were brilliant and told me to forget the other company and they would get a car to me immediately - well, as immediate as it is possible to be when delivering from Manchester to where I live (about 8 hours).
And so, late Wednesday night I was hugely relieved to see my replacement car being delivered to my door. It was a Peugeot 207 1.4 diesel, rather than another Clio, but any car was better than nothing.

It's quite nice. Jane prefers its looks to the Clio and she may have a point. I like the colour - I am considering white for my next car - but, especially this time of year, the splattered bugs are more noticeable. A nice chassis and I prefer the firmer suspension. Only a slightly smaller engine, but it definitely feels less powerful when dealing with hills and overtaking.
Most of my pupils so far have had no trouble adjusting (the biting point is slightly higher), but my pupil taking her test on Friday was reluctant to do so in a car she had not driven before so booked a lesson (and the test) with another instructor who had a diesel Clio. Sadly, she did not pass, and I feel bad that she was deprived of the lessons and the car she wanted. You could argue that, if she is good enough to pass her test she should be able to do so in almost any car, and I would agree with that, but pupils on a test like to have as much reassurance and comfort as possible.
No news yet on when I might be getting my car back, or even if it can be repaired. Meanwhile I am enjoying the Peugeot, I still prefer the Clio, but I think it is easier to learn in than the Fiat 500 and certainly better than the Vauxhall Corsa.
I have since had no less than three letters of apology from the car lease company that decided to cancel my original replacement car. Not much consolation to my test pupil though.