Alternator belt change - '96 Clio

I hate everything french, and don't work on them unless I have to, so I can't say from experience, but ......... Mostly on small modern fwd cars it would be done from underneath. usually easiest to remove the wheel and any shields that are below/beside the area. most modern things have sprung loaded belt tensioners.

Thanks, I don't know why people hate French cars so much. I guess I must have been lucky with them so far.... :-) 4 so far in the last 8 years (private and company cars).

Unfortunately it doesn't look like it has a spring loaded tensioner it appears to be a length of thread with a locknut :-(. The Laguna that I used to have did though.. it took me about a minute to change the belt on that with the correct sized spanner!

I haven't had a recent look inside the wheel arch but my dim memory from last year and changing the front brake pads was that I couldn't even see the Alt from underneath and there wasn't a plastic wheel-arch liner on the inside of the wheel arch, just lining the top, front and rear of the arch. I'll have a good look tomorrow during the day and try to get a better idea of the access, damn squeaky belts!