Renault Clio IV 1.2 TCe EDC - Vibration & Jerking Issues After Battery Replacement & Transmission Oil Change

Queries or problems with your car? Issues or a query with your Modern RenaultSport?
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1

Hey everyone,

I’ve recently imported a 2015 Renault Clio IV 1.2 TCe EDC (Intens trim) from Japan. It has 141,000 km on it. I’ve imported several JDM cars in the past, and usually, the ones with good auction grades turn out great — but this one has been a bit of a headache. Here’s the full story:

Background:

  • The car sat parked for about 6 months before shipping.
  • Arrived with a completely dead battery.
  • I jumpstarted it at the port and drove 300 km home, hoping the battery would charge.
  • Battery didn’t recover. Tried charging it – that caused a bunch of random errors to appear.
  • Finally replaced it with a brand-new battery.

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The Problem:

About a week after replacing the battery, I started noticing strange behavior:

  1. Vibrations when taking off from a stop, especially noticeable on inclines.
  2. Jerking at low speeds, particularly:

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  3. When accelerating from a stop
  4. When slowing down to a complete stop
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  5. In traffic, if I press the gas lightly and let go, the car jerks twice — almost like a tug.

I immediately changed the transmission oil, but the symptoms didn’t improve — in fact, they seem to have gotten worse over time.
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What I’ve Been Told:

I took it to a mechanic, and he said it’s likely the clutch on its way out, but he didn’t inspect it thoroughly. He quoted me $1,500 for a clutch replacement, which is quite a lot, and I’m not 100% convinced yet.
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Questions:

  • Has anyone experienced similar issues with their Clio IV EDC?
  • Could this be something else besides the clutch? (Sensors? Gearbox software? Mounts?)
  • Is there a way to confirm clutch wear/failure before spending that much?
  • Any DIY diagnostics or tips before I commit to major repairs?

[HR][/HR]

Thanks in advance for any advice! I really want to bring this Clio back to good shape. Any thoughts or shared experiences would be appreciated :folded_hands:

2

you will need to get a proper diagnostic tool on there and a report, it could be as simple as the clutch and actuators need a position reset.

did you put a proper agm battery on there?

dodgy battery will make the TCU throw a wobbly.

Also why was it lay up for 6 months to start with?

3

Thanks for the answer.

By “reset” do you mean adaptation/calibration or is reset another thing? Mechanic I went to told me that calibration is not needed because car calibrates itself automatically.

It was layed up for 6 month because I imported car from Japan and that took a long time.

4

I do mean calibration/adaptation, they do over time but they need to be given a good base line to start from. You had a dodgy battery and could have lost all the base settings. They need to be able to do this if they fit a new clutch too or you will potentially write that off very quickly.

Is the car in the UK? id suggest speaking to Mick at Diamond Motors for a specialist on the EDCs in mk4s.