Wind 1.2 Blue colour. One year owner report

Have not posted for a while so here goes. Almost 1 year in since I purchased my late 2011 model and done almost 3000 miles, so how has it been. Reliability has been good with no breakdowns and now showing 28000 on the clock. When the weather has been good I have used it quite frequently, many times with the lid down. The car show I entered at Kirkliston a few months ago went well and surprize surprize mine was the only Wind on show. I took lots of pictures and with more computer knowledge would post them here. My car was on display between a lovely 1969 Daimler Sovereign and a not so well preserved 1964 Rover P4 coupe. Both owner drivers were good company on the day and we exchanged notes. I also made friends with the owner of a 1936 Morris 8 which was in fine fettle. I was surprised when he took a shine to my car. He even gave me a wee shot of the Morris which was the oldest car on display and also for sale (offers around £10000) There was barely anough room for me at 6' 00" to get behind the wheel, still it was a kind gesture by the owner.
About 2 weeks ago heading south on the M9, 5th gear at 3800 rpm (you work it out), I decided that to risk many more miles without benefit of a timing belt change was just plain daft. So new belt, water pump and coolant and one tyre rebeaded (it kept losing air) total bill £330 which I thought was great.
The car is due an MOT in mid November, I dont anticipate any big bills but you never know, I will update when the time comes.
So as I said one year in and still enjoying every minute. Long live the Wind.    Renton Beersworth.

Glad to know you are doing well. Hopefully next year we can have a gathering of Winds

Glad you are enjoying your Wind.

3800 rpm in a 1.2 is about 80mph (20.8 mph per 1000 rpm) faster than in the lower geared 1.6 where 3800 rpm is only about 70mph (18.6 mph per 1000 rpm) so I see your point re cam belts etc when one is using that many revs on a regular basis. When we go abroad cruising revs up to 4300 (80mph) are the norm. No mystery as to why the 1.6 is not the most economical car for it's size. I get about 34mpg.

1936 Morris 8: Some of my learner driving was done in one of those. It was nearly 30 yrs old when I drove it in the mid 60s. I too am fairly tall at 5ft 11ins & it was a tight fit! Very advanced for their day having a 4 speed gearbox & hydraulic brakes when others such as the Austin 7 relied on cables!!

Hi Renton Beersworth!
Glad to hear you are enjoying ownership of your rare Renault Wind!
Please check out the Renault Wind Owners Club UK Facebook page where lots of people also share your interest in these cars.
It’s a lot easier to upload your pictures onto it too so we can all have a look at the classics!

First of all thanks to Barbs, Pitstop et al for their comments. Wind passed its MOT test today with an advisory on the rear discs. Next time the pads wear out I will have both discs and pads renewed. Also had an oil change with new filter, all for £73, I thought that was ok.
Just for all your info, I tried running the car on the high octane fuel for a couple of tank fulls during the summer, to tell the truth I noticed no difference whatsoever. So back to basic unleaded. As for MPG well the car computer has consistently been displaying around the 42 mark all year. So thats the story so far, look forward to getting out and about even with the top down for a little while longer before winter closes in.  RB.

All great news Renton. Not sure my Blue Boy can go anywhere at the moment it has been raining for days and I think we might need a boat..... or an Ark if it continues.