MatraSport Forum

Each model => Espace => Topic started by: renaultsan on April 07, 2016, 05:39:40 pm



Title: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 07, 2016, 05:39:40 pm
Does anybody know where Renault put the colour code for the 1990 Espace. Haynes book has nothing .


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 09:40:08 am
Does anybody know where Renault put the colour code for the 1990 Espace. Haynes book has nothing .

Do you mean where on the car the info is noted? Sounds like the sort of thing the regulars at Passion Espace would know... Parlez-vous?


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 10:30:26 am
Here's an illustration and explanation of the Espace 1's plaques: For the 'reference pienture' it says "reference collée sous le capot moteur a l'avant de celui-ci."   Which means that the paint code is located under the bonnet, towards the front of it...





Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 11, 2016, 01:22:47 pm
The information on the oval plate does not contain the colour code. In the case of the 2990 Espace the oval plate is located on the front bulkhead and next to is the Matra Data plate (which I am having remanufactured by a French company as it is badly corroded) Renault colour codes are normally a sticker located in various places depending on the model. For instance, the Renault 25 code is on the metal under the air cleaner on the left side of the car, we have 4 Renault 35 models, 3 four cylinder and one six cylinder. On the Renault 15 of which we have two, it is locasted on the left front wheel well under the bonnet. I have Renault Customer Services working on the problem and hopefully they will get back to me later this week.
Thanks for your interest


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 01:36:21 pm
I saw several posts and photos on 'Passion Espace' showing that there was a sticker on the Espace I's located under the front left side of the bonnet (seen from front), which is apparently how they then marked the car with its paint code. Your car is apparently an Espace I phase 2. Look under the bonnet!

The color code stickers had the name VERILAC on them, and the Matra color codes then were comprised of four numbers (whereas Renault uses 3 numbers).  See if you still have that sticker under the bonnet

(Later, with the Espace II, the plaques (and color code info) were combined and moved to the passenger door)


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 01:39:47 pm
Here's one of those stickers: (log in if you don't see the attachment)

(http://www.passion-espace-club.com/download/file.php?id=15782&t=1)


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 11, 2016, 03:17:28 pm
The only sticker on our 1990 Espace is that of ELF on the bonnet closing panelm there are no thers .


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 03:49:56 pm
The only sticker on our 1990 Espace is that of ELF on the bonnet closing panelm there are no thers .

If there's no sticker anywhere, you could perhaps do it thru elimination; there are only so many reds, blues. etc in a given model year.  When I looked for this info I saw that the french were able to find good color swatches for 84 and 85 models, for example.

Is there any paint looking especially unworn, anywhere on the car?


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 11, 2016, 04:38:57 pm
I have the only Renault Espace in USA. Renault stopped exporting cars to Anerica many years ago and colour swatches are just not available. This particular car was a special order direct from the factory by the original owner who had a lot of extras fitted at the factory. One of thoses was an nj3 automatic gearbox, a little known option for the car that could only be ordered direct at time of building as it entailed the manufacture of steel (not cast aluminium) mounting brackets using Renault 35 gearbox mountings. He also had the twin sunroofs, an alarm and immobiliser, the rather nice alloy 14 inch wheels and the phillips radio 4 speaker system.
For all I know, even the colour could have been a special order as well.
I have contacted Renault Customer services and spoken with them on the phone and they are looking into it hving been given the Oval plate numbers and the Matra ID plate details, The problem these days with Renault is a lack of experienced people running departments who know nothing about th old Renaults.
Even taking a sample to a local paint specialist who scanned the ample, they cannot come up with a colour or a mix to get it right.

I will wait and see what Renault can come up with. I normally do not haave problems like this despite having 9 Renaults in the family most of them rare even in England and here in USA almost not heard of or seen on the road.


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 04:57:16 pm
^^

Twin sunroofs are a must!  My '96 has 'em too.


Here's the kind of color swatch info I referred to. Clearly the Frenchies have books of this stuff, and probably for the 1990 model year as well.  If you describe the paint job (metallic? two tone? closest to which pantone color?) or send a good photo then I could see if the French know which one it is.  

Here's colors exterior/interior on 1984 Espaces, a PDF, put the address in your browser:

http://www.passion-espace-club.com/download/file.php?id=9225


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 11, 2016, 05:32:13 pm
Gris E47 which I assume is grey is close but it needs looking at because all the colours indicated are for 2000 plus cars, mine is 1990


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 05:49:26 pm
Gris E47 which I assume is grey is close but it needs looking at because all the colours indicated are for 2000 plus cars, mine is 1990

2000 GTS & 2000 TSE were designations in the 1984 model year (see bottom of that page)

But I gather that your 1990 diesel then has a lighter grey metallic color?

I'll post a question to the French, and I'll tell them it's for the only Espace I (or maybe I, II, III or IV) in the USA.  I think that will intrigue them.

 ;)


And here by the way is another explanation page for the Espace I plaques, in case you find it useful.



Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 06:46:19 pm

So I posted that little inquiry just now, you can see it here:

In my Excellent French (http://www.passion-espace-club.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=31642)

Lol.  Isn't the anonymity of the internet wonderful, not really having to worry about making a fool of oneself in a foreign language...

I find that Google translate can help me a lot, if I follow some procedures: Keep the sentences short, keep the grammar unambiguous, use only common words.  Unless you adhere to those rules, it gets mangled by Google translate, even though that service has improved some, since I began to fiddle with it some 10 years ago. If you want to be more sure that your translation is accurate, you can enter your foreign language version and see how it translates back into English.  


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 11, 2016, 08:19:41 pm
The car is not a diesel its a 2.0 petrol


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 09:10:35 pm
The car is not a diesel its a 2.0 petrol

Well excuuuuse me!  So then you're not quite as at odds with the rest of the US motoring public as you could be?    :D

Don't know where that snuck in or how I got the impression - anyway I wrote nothing about that in my missive to our cousins, with their old stone barns full of immaculate Espaces in their charming countryside.

 ;)


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 11, 2016, 09:28:22 pm
You are excused. as for not being at odds with rest of the US , if you look at the cars we have that are Renaults you will find two diesel Extra vans in there. We also run two Land Rover Discoverys, one a 1995 which we fitted with a 300TDI engine and a manual gearbox and the other a 1997 that has the Rover V8 (and that will get the diesel treatment as soon as we are able and import another diesel engine from England. Generally, the Yanks are motoring morons and obcessed with pick trucks (yuk)
Not only are the Renaults more reliable and fun to drive, with petrol at $2.0 a gallon, its cheap motoring given that mpg the Renaults and the diesel Land Rover get, the V8 Rover is more thirsty at 17mpg locally and 24 on a run, but is not used everyday.
As for American cars, would not touch them, horrible things and even the Jap stuff nade here or imported from Japan are way down on power and economy of their UK/Europe counterparts
As we do ALL our own work, we do not suffer the rip off yank prices for useless mechanics


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 11, 2016, 09:56:24 pm
You are excused. as for not being at odds with rest of the US , if you look at the cars we have that are Renaults you will find two diesel Extra vans in there. We also run two Land Rover Discoverys, one a 1995 which we fitted with a 300TDI engine and a manual gearbox and the other a 1997 that has the Rover V8 (and that will get the diesel treatment as soon as we are able and import another diesel engine from England. Generally, the Yanks are motoring morons and obcessed with pick trucks (yuk)
Not only are the Renaults more reliable and fun to drive, with petrol at $2.0 a gallon, its cheap motoring given that mpg the Renaults and the diesel Land Rover get, the V8 Rover is more thirsty at 17mpg locally and 24 on a run, but is not used everyday.
As for American cars, would not touch them, horrible things and even the Jap stuff nade here or imported from Japan are way down on power and economy of their UK/Europe counterparts
As we do ALL our own work, we do not suffer the rip off yank prices for useless mechanics

Yes, I say I envy your trips to the gas station. And I can't stand pickups or most American cars either.  With those Land Rovers in addition to all the Renaults, I hope you're situated far from the salty ocean air...?

Useless mechanics? Where in the States is this?  I have a Florida house and the mechanic just down the road is excellent and quick and reasonable - costs actually around 1/4 or 1/5 of getting similar work done here in Norway.  There I have an E300D 1996 Mercedes sedan (owned since new) with only 24,000 miles on it, and a 1998 Jeep Wrangler (no rust) - both cars white of course. The Wrangler, top and doors off, is fun to drive in summer and a most excellent vehicle for my 4 young sons since it seems to be going terrifically fast when it is only doing about 50 mph.


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 12, 2016, 08:31:05 am


Our honored high priest cousins of the Espace fraternity, taking a moment away from their immaculate Espaces in old stone barns, have made a couple of replies to my humble inquiry: go to the link previous page in reply #12.

 :)


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 12, 2016, 11:37:06 pm
!!

OOOHH ..... AHHHH, really!

Our French wizards have conjured up the colours and materials offered on their 1990 Espace sales to the UK!

I am amazed. You should be too!  See the French thread (reply#12 above)

 8)    8)     8)


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 13, 2016, 03:14:40 am
There were 14 different colours for the 1990 Espace and Renault Customer services state that from the information I supplied together with a picture of an unfaded section of the car, the colour is Bleu Mandchourie.

However to put a stop to any further speculation, I am now going to respray the car in  Tungston Mettalic, a 2016 Chevrolet colour.


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: Espace Atlantic on April 13, 2016, 10:30:46 am
The veterans on the French site had never heard of an Espace in the US either. One of them suggested they might put up an english-language section, if owners such a yourself wished to more easily post. The technical information they have there about all the Espace models is of course encyclopedic, including innumerable descriptions of repairs and renovations of Espace 1's, a favorite subject for them.
I searched a little to see if I could find any other mention of Espace models in the US or Canada, and found zero. The Renault Owners Club or North America has no mention of any Espace - and that includes Canada. They have some 300+ members and their cars are the convertibles, old subcompacts, and the racier sports models.

The one time the French build a large car that was innovative and could have been of interest in the US and Canada, absolutely nothing crossed the ocean except for some copy-catting by the US automakers.

I have an odd idea in relation to this: I think Renault should have tried a Surfer model of the Espace, just to get a little promotion. A Woody-version might have looked pretty good, and given a little competition to all those VW campers.
But there's never been a Woodyfied Espace either, although Renault in France has done several ad campaigns around the surfing theme.
Not that I myself have ever had anything to do with surfing, I just think it could have been an interesting niche for the brand.  French sailors of my acquaintance were extremely fond of the Espace when going on road trips with their boats in tow.


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: renaultsan on April 13, 2016, 01:52:49 pm
As I said, ours is the only Espace in the USA and no there are none in Canada. I know about the ROC of North America and the vehicles they cater for and generally they are not much help to us. We have two Renault 15's, a 1974 NK1 with 1300cc engine and a 1978 MK 2 also with the 1300cc motor. Here in USA, Renault only imported the Renault 17 models but all with the bigger engines, You can find Fuegos, 18's and the Renault Le Car (a USA version of the Renault 5) and various variants of the Renault 25 produced by the association with AMC. In the case of the Renault 25 versions, they had different names and the body styleshad significant changes that spoilt the whole look of the car. You will aslo find variations of the 9 and 11 and some earlier models like the little 4CV and Dauphine.

Most of the parts we use are sourced from England but we also use Rockauto for some things. Although you will not find the Espace listed in the Rockauto catalog, thanks to the interchangeable nature of Renault parts, we recently bought a new brake master cylinder for our Espace by ordering one for a 1985 2,2 Renault Fuego, identical to the 1990 Espace and $43 delivered,


Title: Re: 1990 Espace colour code
Post by: roy4matra on April 30, 2016, 12:45:10 pm
Does anybody know where Renault put the colour code for the 1990 Espace. Haynes book has nothing .

The normal Renault oval plates of that era have the three digit paint code contained in the oval plate, but unfortunately the Espace did not.  The only place I know it was attached was a sticker on the front bonnet latching panel or underside of bonnet, but these stickers are usually gone by now.

The Espace paint codes are listed in the sales brochures and these are also in the FAQ section of my website.

(For the information of others on the forum I have emailed Terry the paint code of his Espace)

Roy