New member, looking for help with repairs/upgrades to '16 FW18 Kangoo

[rentalkang]

Hey guys, am new to this forum, and especially car repair in general.
I've always had a vested interest in cars and I reckon "theoretically" I've got sufficient knowledge to do things, but being based in Singapore we don't have the space and/or means to.
For example, most of us common folk here live in flatted, common, government-subsidised housing apartments, and as such we don't have our personal garages or driveways to work on.
It's also illegal to carry out car repair, or even wash your car in a lot here in Singapore.

I'm trying my best to skirt these laws as I have a private drive at my place of work where I'm allowed to carry out work and repairs on the weekends and it's completely out of sight from any members of the public.

First and foremost, I apologise for the incoming wall of text because I've searched long and hard for a support community for Renault, and it is definitely not easy to come by.
It's not even a popular brand in most countries, and sure as hell isn't popular here in Singapore either.
Compounding the problem is the fact that there isn't even proper support documentation (in the form of videos, or manuals or tips that people share online) for the X61 Kangoo II.
If not for this forum, specifically @Brigsy 's thread about his compact Kangoo, I would not have known that the Kangoo II shares so many things in common with some older model Renaults.
We do not have Autodoc here, so I have been using Fitinpart instead to check for replacement bits for my vehicle - just that it's a right pain in the arse because when you look up the cross-compatibility of the parts you need, the results all point back to just the Kangoo.

Now, about the vehicle.
It's a 2016 Kangoo 2 Phase 2 in Maxi form, K9K608 90hp Euro 5 dCi, JR5 manual.
Engine swaps and most mods in Singapore are also illegal and punishable by confiscation and destruction of the vehicle so I'll not be touching those.
I also have limited resources (car parts here are expensive, this is not my own vehicle - it's a company vehicle, and Kangoos are rare) so I will have to be very strict with budgeting with regards to any mods.

So far all I've done are really fairly basic things that do not even begin to skim the surface of what this forum has to offer:
- Upgraded audio system; reusing the original head unit with Bluetooth functionality, I have added a Hertz EP4 amplifier hooked up to two spare 20A circuits on the interior fusebox as well as a physical switch to prevent battery drain. Front speakers replaced with Focal Flax Evo PS165FE and two 10" BMB Karaoke speakers in the rear of the van acting as cabineted subs.
- Better interior lighting; the sad single W5W front dome light has been replaced with a 3-bulb, individually selectable dome light that is right out the RNA parts bin. This is a part from the Nissan Qashqai/NV200 van.
- K&N drop-in panel filter; because I like turbo noises.
I also do all my oil changes every 10,000km but that's about the extent of my knowledge and experience. More complicated stuff such as the 60,000km timing belt interval, or brakes, has been settled by the dealership. Luckily, the company has paid for those because they are deemed strongly necessary repairs.

What I'd like to do:
- Chase an annoying knocking/dull thudding noise that comes from underfloor. I have started with checking if the ARB bushings are shot - which they are not. I had them replaced anyway. This was a pain in the ass and no one told me that the subframe was going to swing out and hit me in the face. All I had for reference with regards to ARB bushing replacement procedure is a video from Youtube that's in Russian - if I recall correctly the guy's David Peknuy and he seems to have a wealth of information with regards to modern Renaults but I understand none of it because it's in Russian. I have also found that my outer tie rod ends are beginning to exhibit some play but it's not a massive amount and definitely is not causing the knocking I hear when I hit certain bumps. Again, @Brigsy 's thread saved me because I realise that it could be the two large bushings at the rear end of the subframe that are causing this.
Now, I could buy the bushings (company pays for the parts because it's cheap) but I'll be doing it with my arse on the floor accompanied by a 2 ton jack and a pair of jack stands. Sending it in to a shop is out of the question because the company won't pay exorbitant work fees and I'm not paying them either because I don't own this vehicle. It's not titled to me. I am lost as to how I'm supposed to press out the old bushing and press in the new ones.
- Changing the outer tie rod ends without having to perform an alignment - again, this is not up to me. Alignments cost money and the company doesn't care if the vehicle is aligned or not as long as it drives and stops, and passes annual inspections. I for one, find it very annoying to drive a vehicle that's out of alignment so I need to know if there's a way to do this without having to realign. Fortunately the procedure of changing the rod ends has been documented on Autodoc and I think I'm confident to carry it out.
- Clutch master cylinder - I have a clutch pedal that occasionally sticks halfway down and leaves me with a biting point 1mm off the floor. It also leaks yellowish/brown fluid out onto my footwell which I strongly suspect is the clutch master seals at fault. However, the reservoir (which I think it shares with brakes?) retains its fluid level flawlessly. How much of a pain in the ass is it to change out this master cylinder on a right-hand drive Kangoo?
- Lowering of the vehicle - This is more of a "want" than a need; I think it'd look stunning if I were to lower it slightly but again I cannot cross reference any other Renault based OEM parts, and even third party manufacturers like Bilstein only provide B4 replacements which are OE grade and not what I'm looking for. Again with @Brigsy 's thread I have found that I can use other springs and coilovers on the Kangoo but I might be a bit over my head with this one.
- Increasing boost via wastegate - This is also a want. There is nothing wrong mechanically with the engine and it has done 190,000km with no issues. However a little more speed is nice and seeing as I can't shell out for maps, tunes, piggybacks and whatnot, is it safe to adjust the wastegate nuts to give me 1-2 more pounds at best?
- Better brakes - I'm due for a pad and disc change soon, so before I order the Kangoo-only set of brakes, are there any fancier options out there that look stock both on paper and in real life? We use a parts stockist for company vehicles, so as long as it says RENAULT XXXXXXXXXXX on the bill the company would comp it. Additionally, I'm still on 15 inch steelies all round - would like to upgrade to cheap 17's one day when I have some money to toss around but right now is there anything I could use, from another Renault, that's a boost performance wise? Any small 4 piston setups for the front that require minimum conversion? I'm happy to leave the rears alone but if anyone's got ideas with 2 piston setups I'd like to hear.

Anyways, thanks for hearing me out and if anyone needs pictures I'll be happy to provide.
May take a little time though, as I usually only have the weekends to work on the car.

 

[DaveL485]

Engine swaps and most mods in Singapore are also illegal and punishable by confiscation and destruction of the vehicle so I'll not be touching those.

sounds like a nightmare!

- Better brakes - I'm due for a pad and disc change soon, so before I order the Kangoo-only set of brakes, are there any fancier options out there that look stock both on paper and in real life? We use a parts stockist for company vehicles, so as long as it says RENAULT XXXXXXXXXXX on the bill the company would comp it. Additionally, I'm still on 15 inch steelies all round - would like to upgrade to cheap 17's one day when I have some money to toss around but right now is there anything I could use, from another Renault, that's a boost performance wise? Any small 4 piston setups for the front that require minimum conversion? I'm happy to leave the rears alone but if anyone's got ideas with 2 piston setups I'd like to hear.

You'd only get away with changing the pads if it needs to look standard really. You'd need to find out where the pads cross to other models to find if any upgrades are available - however they will be aftermarket items not from Renault. Wheels, you should be able to fit anything from another similar-age Renault with the same stud fitting, and check the offsets are right.

Probably be eaiser to buy Brigsy's van and import it LOL

 

[rentalkang]

View attachment 215323 sounds like a nightmare!


You'd only get away with changing the pads if it needs to look standard really. You'd need to find out where the pads cross to other models to find if any upgrades are available - however they will be aftermarket items not from Renault. Wheels, you should be able to fit anything from another similar-age Renault with the same stud fitting, and check the offsets are right.

Probably be eaiser to buy Brigsy's van and import it LOL

Thanks for the help.
Yes, Singapore is a nightmare for car enthusiasts.
Plenty of archaic laws and downright nonsensical laws exist for no reason.

First and foremost we don't really own the cars. Each vehicle can only be registered when you have a Certificate of Entitlement, which at present costs around 100k SGD. That does not even include the price of the car itself and all other fees and taxes. To put into perspective, just this past weekend there was a local "car expo" where brand new GLB180's were sold at a "discounted rate" of 248k SGD each with COE. Imagine paying a quarter million for a GLB180 and then only being able to own it for 10 years.
Once this 10 years is up you may choose to scrap or export the car, but if you want to drive it for another 10 years you'll have to bid for another COE at that point in time.

Secondly are the laws governing mods and such; you can have intake mods but you cannot have exhaust mods. So, slapping a TD04 for example on the Kangoo is not allowed.
There are caveats to this, but they are all extremely troublesome and involve large sums of money.

Firstly if you wish to perform said modification - for example installing a Borla catback exhaust, you have to purchase the system with a certificate from either the exhaust or car manufacturer stating that this exhaust is compatible with this car. On top of that, our local Land Transport Authority will then have to again certify this exhaust and "pair" it with your car. This costs money and if you sell the exhaust the certificate is non transferable.

So in the case of my brakes, they don't have to be visibly stock - in fact i was looking at an upgraded floating caliper setup because brakes are one of the areas in which they are pretty lax about.
Wheel swaps are fine too as long as they do not foul on any chassis components and do not stick out past the fenders. I have sussed out some specs as to what I require my "future 17 wheels" to be like but that's a bit of a pipe dream because those are pricey and finding something in 5x108 and 60.1CB is tough enough already without factoring in what offset I need.

Oh and while we're at it - no I can't buy his van even if we were to come to an amicable end. Singapore's vehicle import laws are such that you can only import and register vehicles that are less than 3 years old in their original country of registration. Otherwise, any vehicle imported must be 35 years of age and above and imported under the classic car scheme where it is only allowed to be driven 28 days (up to 40 odd days with the purchase of additional day coupons) a year.

 

[rentalkang]

Okay so here it is in my "office space" - the one place I'm allowed to carry out repairs. Every once a year I spend 10 hours washing, polishing, re-coating the damn thing. For something based off a compact car it has WAY too much bodywork.


Here's the triple dome light thing I did - dropping in the dome light was pretty straightforward but swapping the sad 5 watt halogens for LED spotlights was a bit more work. I used a bunch of miniscule DC-DC converters shoved into T10 bulb adapters to step the voltage down. The middle port leads to a large and extremely bright lamp which I rarely use unless I need to find a dropped coin or card.


Here's what it looks like in the back - it's actually quite nicely upholstered from factory. This is a departure from most overseas Kangoos I've seen - because in Japan they're all in MPV form and in the UK they're all fully paneled with bare wood inside. The sofa is also illegal according to Singapore laws - this is a commercial vehicle so while it is legally allowed to carry five in the rear cabin, that means five men on the floor and not on chairs or sofas. The vehicle is also subject to a 70km/h speed limit - the only saving grace is that it's not a hard limiter but your foot is the limiter.

Current dash situation. I may have forgotten to mention in my original post that I want a nicer cluster and wheel as well. I was originally thinking of going for one of the various different Kangoo clusters but it seems @Brigsy has caught my eye with his Clio 3 cluster. Of course I'll need one from a dCi Clio to match my actual rev limit.
The gearknob has carked it some years back so in its place sits this gigantic epoxy orb with a Japanese fortune cat inside it.


Almost impossible to get an exhaust certified for the Kangoo, so this set of large twin tips is just for show. But yes, the stock Maxi muffler does have two functional tips as opposed to just one on the shorter variants.


One last strange issue I'd like to chase - rear left tyre exhibits cupping only on the outermost block/shoulder bit. What could this be?
Cupping has been present through three sets of tyres already and I don't buy shit tyres. They first appeared on Michelin XM2's, and then a Turanza T005 (which later on went completely out of shape) and finally on to these really expensive Conti Premium 6's. I have rotated the offending tyre to the other side of the vehicle for now to see if I can try to even it out.

 

[Brigsy]

Welcome to the club! Nice updates too.

I can possibly help out with the x61 workshop manual as i have it saved on my laptop. I think its for the earlier model same as mine but will give you a general idea, torque settings etc.

Regarding rear tyre wear, is the rear beam anlignment ok? If it is within spec i would check the shock absorber is ok.

Also power wise, i think your best option would be a remap. The engines respond nice to a map, and should be able to keep emissions right if its checked. You could get it done remotely if you cant get it done in Singapore.

 

[rentalkang]

Welcome to the club! Nice updates too.

I can possibly help out with the x61 workshop manual as i have it saved on my laptop. I think its for the earlier model same as mine but will give you a general idea, torque settings etc.

Regarding rear tyre wear, is the rear beam anlignment ok? If it is within spec i would check the shock absorber is ok.

Also power wise, i think your best option would be a remap. The engines respond nice to a map, and should be able to keep emissions right if its checked. You could get it done remotely if you cant get it done in Singapore.

Hey mate, thanks for the inputs.
Yes a workshop manual would greatly help here, especially with the clutch master job.

For the rear beam, I've had thrust line alignments done a couple years back on my own dime, shop told me that nothing is adjustable on the rear axle and I understand. But it could also be a case of the torsion beam end bushing wearing out and causing the axle to have some shimmy?

Yeah, I have considered the shock itself may be at fault too.
I can probably look into these matters in this order:
1. Subframe bushing
2. Torsion beam bushing + rear shocks
3. Tie rod ends
4. New tyres
And then finally getting it aligned cause I don't think I can do a proper one with used tyres.

I also have an issue with coinicity?
My rear CPC6's are 20k's old and front CPC6's 13k when I had them rotated from left to right. Vehicle went from driving straight like and arrow to veering slightly right after I did the swap.

 

[rentalkang]

Also power wise, i think your best option would be a remap. The engines respond nice to a map, and should be able to keep emissions right if its checked. You could get it done remotely if you cant get it done in Singapore.

Oop, my bad I skipped this part.

My friends had suggested a piggyback like GAN GT or similar, what would the drawbacks be and how does it affect engine longevity?

I'm not looking for stonking performance cause as it is this diesel already has plenty for what this country requires. We have speed limits so low a moped doesn't even feel out of place on the highway.

But I'd be chuffed if getting another 10-15hp and 50Nm or so is within reach; especially if a couple twists of the wastegate arm is all it takes.

That also seems less sketchy than a piggyback? From what I've read its fooling the ECU about fuel and MAP/MAF data in order to get more boost but it could lead to a more dangerous condition where the ECU's protections won't kick in if the piggyback is overdoing it.

 

[rentalkang]

So the week was spent researching part numbers and figuring out what frivolous stuff I should be installing next.

Found a nice Clio 3 dCi dial with white rings and will most likely take the plunge if @Brigsy can confirm its a 1-1 fit for a Kangoo.

What I am concerned with, is if there is any programming to be done or can I drop the replacement cluster in and expect the car to start and run and display its correct mileage? I don't have any diagnostic software on hand so if that's a necessary step I will delay it.

Aside from faffing around with parts catalogues I have finally gotten around to grinding down the plastic tab in the battery tray for a small but important upgrade.

These Kangoos come with DIN60L sized batteries which is insufficient for me to run three Blackvue dashcams overnight on parking recording, so at the beginning of the month I have ordered a DIN72L noticing that newer K9K647 based Kangoos have a DIN72L sized battery from the factory.

And here it sits, now I have a battery as big as my engine.

 

[Brigsy]

Clio3 clocks are largely plug and play in the kangoo but you might need to reprogram if off keyless clio, cruise control etc. Mileage will also need adjusting. All possible with Renolink software.

I think boost pressure is controlled by a solenoid valve (n75 or similar) on kangoo. A remap to the ecu will adjust this if more boost pressure is needed. Shortening actuator rod without remap will probably flag up an error code for overboost.

Ill fire up the laptop and find workshop manuals this weekend.

 

[rentalkang]

Clio3 clocks are largely plug and play in the kangoo but you might need to reprogram if off keyless clio, cruise control etc. Mileage will also need adjusting. All possible with Renolink software.

I think boost pressure is controlled by a solenoid valve (n75 or similar) on kangoo. A remap to the ecu will adjust this if more boost pressure is needed. Shortening actuator rod without remap will probably flag up an error code for overboost.

Ill fire up the laptop and find workshop manuals this weekend.

Thanks for the help.
I'll start looking into Renolink and see how I can get this show on the road.

Is it a huge issue if I do not already have cruise control on this vehicle? I have the most basic of basic bitch steering wheels and no cruise control at all. In fact the panel by my right knee is made up entirely of blanks except for the headlamp leveler (which is also being wonky so I'll have a look at that).

 

[rentalkang]

Got some minor work dialed in today. Nothing major compared to what everyone here is doing but it's the little increments that count.

I've always wanted to sort out this apologetic sounding excuse of a horn the Kangoo comes with, so off the internets I have purchased a set of Stebel Magnum twin tone horns as well as a nice Flösser 40A relay to run them.

Hooked up with the original disc horn bracket that comes with the car - I'm surprised that through the years there have been other Kangoo 2 Ph2's that do not have a crash bar mounted horn - those have horns mounted within the plastic cowling behind the Renault badge so they sound even more apologetic.


Anyhow, horns mounted. Hella loud and hella stealth, exactly how I want them to be.



Sway bar links absolutely facked since 30k's ago, finally got some right-sized spanners and went to work right away.



Replacements from SIDEM, because original parts cost way too much.
Additionally they do make a big deal about their advanced ball joint or whatnot so I might as well give it a shot.
They're massive and feel a lot sturdier than stock. Still haven't solved the knocking noises though, so lower ball joints are on order and will come next week. Subframe rear bushes are still nigh on impossible to buy and probably impossible to press out without any kit so I'll do the ball joints first.



Passed the annual roadworthiness with flying colours even though the suspension knocks - Singapore's testing regime isn't the best really. They mostly care that your halogen lamps remain halogens, and that your tailpipes don't throw smoke screens.



Dropped a ton of dosh on LED lights as well and yes, I know everyone's very divided over whether LEDs should be fitted or not but they really do bring the look of the car up to date. LED turn signals coming soon but so far this looks good. Lamps aligned and pointing where they should, only issue left is to troubleshoot a twitchy RHS leveling motor.
Twitches on its own accord but I hardly ever have to use the leveler so I may just unplug it and call it a day.



Washed, waxed, sundried.
The keen eyed may notice sequential side indicators. Don't know how those passed roadworthiness, they were six bucks for the pair on Aliexpress.

If anyone's interested to know I use exclusively Soft99 (Japanese) products for detailing. The fancy stuff is very expensive here and Soft99 works about as well as I expect it to given the very reasonable price.

I use Soft99's creamy wash and wax for the weekly washes.
Monthly upkeep comes in the form of the addition of a coat of "Fusso speed and barrier" which is more of an incremental coating of their fluorine polymer based Fusso coat.
Yearly upkeep includes buffing with a random orbital using Soft99 Meta Clean - a medium to soft compound, followed by a re coating using Fusso Coat 12 month hard paste, and the glass and mirrors get a coat of Ultra Glaco.

 

[Brigsy]

Fusso products are decent.

Cruise control on the dials prob wont cause an issue. I would just plug the dials in and see how it goes and reprogram as necessary.

 

[rentalkang]

Fusso products are decent.

Cruise control on the dials prob wont cause an issue. I would just plug the dials in and see how it goes and reprogram as necessary.

Right, worth a shot for as long as I can get my hands on dials.
Just curious, if, for some reason, I run into immobilizer troubles or anything I can just put my old clocks in and fire up the car?
I don't have any software or hardware (literally JUST realised that Ren0link is an OBD to USB cable) and it wouldn't be wise to be stranded over swapping clocks lol

 

[rentalkang]

Sunday update.
Just can't leave anything alone for five fooking minutes.


Kangoo owners would be familiar by now with the infamous pinched sill issue.
Seems like no one knows how to jack the vehicles up and this damage was caused by our company's in-house garage back when I still brought the vehicle to them for oil changes.
It's a good thing this bolt sheared instead of cracking the quarter panel because that would be a bigger issue.


I got bolts that'll line up, will soon find some M6 washers so I don't pinch the plastic too much.
Where these bolts came from, is not my proudest bit of work but it was free so I may as well take advantage of it.


Had some old server racks lying around waiting for transportation to scrap so naturally I took advantage of this.


Removed the unnecessary springy bit of rack nut.


Bolts secured on the inside using square rack nuts. Again, not my best work but that's about as much of the sill I could uncrumple with just pliers, and the studs and screws seem to be fairly rust-resistant so I'll go with this.
If they start rusting then it's wirebrush and Rustoleum time.


Renault also uses the absolute WORST trim clips when it comes to fender liners. This popped off as I was adjusting...


Recalling that a couple days back I tore out all the under-bonnet noise insulating wool because it looked like it was collapsing on the turbo. The clip on the left is supposed to hold in the insulation, and the original, stripped to hell clip on the right is for the fender liner.
A bit of mods to the left side clip and now those are doing a far better job of keeping the fender liner in place.

Thanks for watching this episode of my janky ass garage work.

 

[Brigsy]

Right, worth a shot for as long as I can get my hands on dials.
Just curious, if, for some reason, I run into immobilizer troubles or anything I can just put my old clocks in and fire up the car?
I don't have any software or hardware (literally JUST realised that Ren0link is an OBD to USB cable) and it wouldn't be wise to be stranded over swapping clocks lol

Can swap the dials about no issues. Dial swap wont affect immobiliser.

 

[rentalkang]

Can swap the dials about no issues. Dial swap wont affect immobiliser.

Alright, guess the next major headache would be reprogramming of the dials to reflect the correct mileage.
I just realised there's tons of Clio 3 dashes out there in terms of different variants so I'm gonna slowly choose which one I want.
The biggest issue about all these analog era Renault clocks is that the font is horrendous for the most part.

Also I'd probably be better off getting an Eco2 dash since my existing Kangoo dash has the shift up/down reminders so I'd want that to continue to be available on the replacement clocks.
Heard ddt4all and ELM327 is a more wallet friendly option instead of Ren0link? Is this true if my main aim is just to get mileage on the clocks adjusted to match what I already have?
Might also look into a friend in the UK helping me buy a dash and then passing it to me when he returns to Singapore to save on exorbitant shipping costs.
This is, after all, a frivolity.
And while I'm at it, maybe an RS wheel with matching airbag cover... If the price is right.