Renault Clio 1600 Dynamique Oil Leak???

A question about : Renault Clio 1600 Dynamique Oil Leak???

Hello everyone,

I am hoping somebody on here can help me with this problem. I have a Renault Clio 1600 Dynamique with an 04 plate. Just had it serviced and MOT'd with some major repairs, brakes, discs, front drive shafts, tyres and basically probably spent more on it than the car is actually worth.

But the car is running sweet as a nut and it is in very good condition with low mileage and I like driving it so reluctant to sell it, but don't want to be spending another fortune on any more repairs.

Just one thing nagging me at the moment, and that is a small oil leak. the garage where it was serviced told me it was coming from the rocker cover and quoted Ј370.00 to fix, six hours labour and Ј15.00 for the replacement seal. Apparently the cam shaft has to be removed and lots of other bits to get at the rocker cover.

I took it to another garage for a second opinion, they told me it was coming from the gear box end and would cost Ј200.00 to fix.

Still not happy I took it to another garage who told me it was the two blanks at the side of the engine housing that were leaking.

I have had the underneath and all inside jet washed, there is no oil coming out from the blanks, the top and the back of the engine is bone dry, so it appears that somewhere mid way down although can not be 100% certain that is where the oil is coming from.

It is not a massive leak, just the odd drip and the oil is clean. I am finishing up with little patches of oil in different places on the block paved driveway so it is driving me nuts.

I contacted the Renault Garage in Chester and they told me they would charge Ј50.00 to analyse where the leak is coming from and then recommend how much it would cost to fix at about Ј100.00 an hour labour, so if it is the rocker cover I am looking at nearly another grand to sort it.

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated (apart from 'Get rid mate')

Thanks in anticipation!

Steve.

Best answers:

• If you always park in the same place on the drive, a small tray with grit in to weight it down should do the job for a couple of pounds
  If you are too houseproud for that, then make sure the blocks are sealed so it won't soak in, and invest in a can of oil solvent, brush it on and wash it off.
  Then just keep an eye on it, so it doesn't become a torrent one day and seize the engine.
  If you are not mechanically minded enough to find the leak yourself, then you will have to pay through the nose to get it fixed I'm afraid.
  Or just do what they do around here: park on the road and leave the drive empty