Hi folks

My son has an M plate Renault Clio in great condition. He is a poor student (haha) and has a problem with the car. When you have a full left hand lock on the car there is a clicking and you can feel a knock through the steering wheel whenever you hear the click. Suspected the cv joint although the clicking noise isn't one I would normally associate with the cv joint, neither is the knock through the steering wheel. Checked everything and the only thing I can see is that at the gearbox end of the left hand driveshaft there is an oil leak at the end of the boot on the driveshaft. The boot itself looks okay but there is no other leak I can find so the oil is coming out of the boot onto the driveshaft.

2 questions a) could anything else be causing the noise and the knocking through the steering wheel. b) if the fault is at the gearbox end of the driveshaft is it a job for a good DIY'r

drew c, January 2009

the drive shaft is the problem

phil, July 2009

Hi! I just purchased a clio sport and the same thing happens to me, and I assume everyone else too. I have done some research prior to my purchase and the problem is apparently caused by the front top strut mounts that catch part of the steering assembly. I have been told that the problem is to do with part of the strut top mounts and not the steering itself. K-tec racing in Dorset UK supplys a "performance" pair of strut top mounts to enhance the car and remove this particular knocking noise. I live in Australia but nobody supplies a similar piece of kit so I will be importing a kit soon. Check out http://www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=2554
Good luck!

Apexmonkey, February 2009