You lovely STW forumites, do you think you might be able to help us?

We have a problem with our 2010 Twingo, and I wonder if it’s something that has been seen before.

The car’s just had a service, and seems to be nearly immaculate. We bought secondhand from dealer 6 months ago.

Here’s the story:

Yesterday we took it out for a 30 minute drive. On the way we noticed in 5th gear, at low revs there was a slight chattering sound, quietly, not in another gear.

When we arrive at the destination we drove somewhat over a log dictating the edge of the parking bay, only about 15 cm on to it, no sign of damage, pulled back off it. It was about 2cm higher that the air dam.

Get to destination, lock car. Come back 30 mins later, use keyfob unlock car.

Go play in the sun, come back an hour later.

Remote dead – no remote lock.
Key in ignition – all lights come on, then off leaving varible power assist steering light and spanner only.
Car will not crank, internal central locking button doesn’t work.
Got lift to fetch spare key, no difference.
Car cannot be bump started [we had a hill to hand].

Is there a known fault? Is there a known electrical connection just above the nose of the car that can come loose with a scuff and render the car un-drivable? If one keyfob is flat does another work straight away, or is the immobiliser still on?

How long is the electronics warranty on a 2010 Twingo?

Lastly does anyone know where there is a fuse layout diagram???! In the handbook they’re named, but there’s no bloody diagram showing which fuse is which?!

If you have any idea or simple things I can try, please reply.

Thanks so much.

Quick thought…
I’m assuming that you have push button start where you have to hold down the clutch.

If yes, engage neutral and press the foot brake instead – press the start button.

(Similar to my wife’s Megane)

…if its not that the ‘log incident’ may have triggered an accident immobiliser (but sounds too sensitive as it didn’t come across in the op that you had crashed as such.
May be a job for the AA? Or give the dealer a call.

grtdkad – the bump was tiny, but you could be right. There’s no start button, just a key. Will keep this updated.

Suggestions from Twingo133.net are to pull a fuse related to the immobiliser, so worth a try here I think. Plan b is to disconnect the battery [but I’d better find the radio code first]

Definitely give the dealer a call. Their workshop guys will be packing up to go home at 12:30 but may know solution straight away.

Good call grtdkad – didn’t realise they only did a 1/2/ day Sat

Phoned them, it’s got a year’s warranty from them still covering it. They suggested to d/c the earth lead for 10 mins 1st.

Problem fixed by taking out a fuse for 10-15 minutes.

The problem was referenced in this thread on twingo133.net

http://www.twingo133.net/post138819.html

For reference, if you can’t see the picture of the fuse box, the fuse is a 5 Amp and it’s location is: From the top RIGHT corner of the fuses, you look LEFT one and DOWN one to find the 5A. We left ours out for 10-15 Minutes.

We’ll paint the fuse with a white spot to see can see it in the future.

Fuse is much easier than the battery at the side of the road!

Thanks for the help though!

Good old renault designs 🙂

Question for me would be why did it need this ? Anti log mounting device ?

Sounds like French car entropy…they always try to return to the most stable phase of not moving.

Good stuff. Welcome to the world of French electrics

Had a renault clio hire car, parked it on a slight hill in the rain, it wouldnt resatrt, phoned rac , chap came out, said youve parked on a slope and its raining, i agreed, told him i had just got car, his eyes rolled.

He then expalined the imobiliser was built in a plast pod above the rear view mirror, and that there was a drian from the sun roof that came undone and usually flooded the imobilizer, which then need drying out which he did in the exhaust of his van.

A customer had a new laguna, windscreen wipers packed up in scotland, rac relayed his car back home as they couldnt fix it, dealer only problem .

Welcome to Renaults,

teethgrinder – Member

Sounds like French car entropy…they always try to return to the most stable phase of not moving.

That particular joke is probably quite old, but it’s the funniest thing I’ve read all week. 😆

It is pretty funny (entropy, lol)

Twingos of several types are known to have this issue, if you want to buy one (and I do really like it) you’d better find that fuse and paint it white.

Back on track, today I will be upgrading the Centrum to 8-speed.

Laters, taters.

It is an observation based on fact.

My dad has had 2 Renault 11 1.7 GTX’s – 1984 and 1988 – I learned to drive in the second. Endless problems from dropping valves, sticking throttle cables, overheating issues, carb jets unexplicably undoing themselves and getting into the barrel. All sorts.

A 1992 Citroen ZX 1.9TD – actually really nice to drive and quite nippy. I know this has a lot of issues but I was at uni for most of them.

A 1995 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD – OK until the suspension went tits up. And the clutch cable clip. 3 times. Managed to get a Rover T-series engine and gearbox in the boot OK though.

I have had:
1998 Renault Megane 1.6e – immobiliser problems that kept occurring and fixing randomly, overheating and HGF. Apart from that, not too bad. Wife killed it in a crash.

1995 Pug 106 1.5D – slow, tinny and generally nasty. Clutch went so sold on Gumtree for £150.

1995 (I think) 405 1.9TD estate – worst car ever to replace a radiator, stupid press/twist hoses, no access without removing slam panel. Also couldn’t refil AC as it used old refrigerant and could’t find the valves.

I’d rather have another K-series Rover (and I’ve had a few) than another French car.

Got a Pug 206 and it does weird self fixing electrical faults from time to time.

One very wet day it went on to two cylinders and the STOP sign illuminated. Was only a mile from my local garage so limped there.

Guy in the garage suggests cycling the ignition on and off three times, with key removed each time. Key in the forth time and it starts and runs perfectly.

Some weird french electronics reset thing apparently.

I’m not having another french car.