The mileage of this Twingo with diesel engine is not extremely high. Owner William has doubts.
Bought new for tax benefits
The mileage of this Twingo with diesel engine is not extremely high. It is the second car in William Schouten’s family, all serious trips go with the Dacia Duster with space for three child seats. The fact that William has been the owner since day one and is now in doubt whether he should take the twelve-year-old Renault with him when he moves to Belgium convinced us.
Let’s go back to 2011, when you were a big buyer if you opted for a small diesel with low emissions: no bpm and even road tax free for a few years. There was plenty of choice. “My girlfriend then had a Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI and we were very pleased with it,” says William Schouten. “She drove it until 2019, a total of just over three tons. Then we were able to take over the Dacia Duster from my parents-in-law and that worked out well, given the expansion of the family. Anyway, I went to the Skoda dealer for a test drive with the Fabia 1.2 TDI and that was a huge disappointment, so I went to the Renault dealer anyway.”
Twingo has a four-cylinder and that makes a difference
William says he has always liked the Twingo. “He has a high cuddly content and offers great value for money. The four-cylinder diesel is also a world of difference with the three-cylinder of the Fabia. I chose the beautiful blue-grey color, but it soon turned out that I would have to wait a long time. Then a white one, but with a panoramic roof that can be opened, because I’d rather spend my money on that than on a set of alloy wheels. Just a few months after purchase, a stone flew through the air conditioning condenser. In my opinion a construction error and the dealer has installed a new one free of charge. After that, I applied fine-mesh gauze myself to prevent recurrence.”
1,000 kilometers on a tank
We can well imagine that William is quite pleased with his diesel. Just think: 200 Nm of torque and 85 hp. To put it in perspective: the Renault 25 Turbo D also had 85 hp and even less torque. The Twingo is also nice and economical, as it turns out. “My absolute record on a full tank is 1,012 kilometers. Usually I’m around 1 in 23 to 24. I have an extra consumption meter mounted at the rear view mirror. It is linked to the OBD and I calibrated it myself over time. I have already managed to register a journey consumption of 3.1 l/100 km, but then everything really has to go well.”
Lots of gadgets in the Twingo
We see more gadgets in the interior, such as a dashcam, other tweeters for the stereo and a large batch of plugs in the center console to power everything. “The sound system is mediocre, so I quickly had something done about it. There are small subwoofers under the seats, it has an extra amplifier and all speakers have been replaced. Unfortunately, the tweeters sink a bit into the dashboard, but the sound is still great,” says William. Apparently judge Joep Schuurman had the volume set to zero during his test drive, because the ride didn’t sound like music to his ears. Cause: old winter tires, which make an awful lot of noise.
Known ailment Twingo: moisture in the headlights
A known ailment of this Twingo is moisture in the headlights and this copy cannot escape it either. With a hair dryer and a little patience it can be dried again, but sooner or later things will be wet again. “I do know that the front bumper has to come off to replace a headlight, so that still holds me back. And there’s more to come. At the last tire change, the summer tires were gone, so I now need a new set. And this fall, the next major service will come, including replacement of the timing belt. Not by mileage, but purely because of the age. And last summer the air conditioning stopped cooling. The specialist refilled the system and a month later it was already empty.”
If Twingo leaves then perhaps Dacia with factory LPG
We are now starting to understand why William has doubts, even apart from the strict diesel inspection of our southern neighbors. Joep’s findings don’t make things any better. In particular, repairing the leaking drive shaft seal and a set of new brake discs with pads add to the bill. “It seems that our paths are going to separate, although in my opinion the car is far from finished. In any case, I am glad that Joep has looked at my car with a more than critical eye and thus removes the last doubt. I’m going to orient myself on a Dacia with factory LPG. It is also available with an open roof!”
Maintenance history: short and clear
The Twingo has never needed much special maintenance. Every year it received a standard maintenance. Fairly shortly after delivery, the air conditioning was leaking due to stone chips through the grille. It was replaced under leniency and at the same time the owner had a mesh installed to prevent damage in the future. The car was serviced by Renault for the first few years, but after the expiration of the manufacturer’s warranty, it was serviced by a universal garage. Besides the standard tire, filter and oil changes, not much has ever broken down. Last year the turbo pressure suddenly fell away, due to a defective sensor. A defective wheel bearing was the biggest problem with the last MOT.
What’s wrong with it?
• Front wiper blades are bad
• Car hums/vibrates with brakes, discs seem warped
• Rear wiper blade is even worse than front
• Rear windscreen washer is incorrectly adjusted
• A lot of tire noise can be heard in the car
• Right headlight is full of water
• Intake system and turbo are sweating/leaking some oil
• The left drive shaft oil seal is leaking heavily
• The front stabilizer link links are going bad
• The front right and rear left tires are more than 10 years old
The opinion of Carrec Technocenter
“The Twingo is a great car, but it needs some love. My now doubtful look could then become a big thumb.”
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl