When the owner of this 1.2L 2007 Renault Clio III began to have starting trouble, the first thing she did was to go out and buy a new battery. She had owned the Clio for over six years, and knew that the battery was at least that old. Not a record, but a decent time for a battery to last.

The new battery did not make any difference to the starting ability of the little Renault. Even with the new battery, the engine would turn over ok, but then stuttered and the starter cut out. After a few attempts the engine did start, but she now knew it probably wasn’t the battery at fault.

When she came along to see me, I first checked over the earth cable fittings and battery terminals before arriving at the conclusion it was in fact, the starter which was at fault. The book time on replacing the starter on this one is 0.9 hours and once the engine has cooled down that is an achievable time.

With the new starter fitted, the Clio spun into life at the first turn of the key.

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