Strange 'puff/pop/shake'

Some engines don't appreciate being idled for long, and behave oddly. The 'shake and pop' you're talking about is a misfire. If the problem is definitely away when driving normally, I wouldn't worry about it.

She says she sometimes thinks it will stall when she's at a junction, though it never has. Do you know if this car has accessible spark plugs? It's done about 26,000 miles and I'm wondering if they've been changed, some manufacturers have such ridiculous service intervals these days. Thanks for your help. Jerry

Should be easy enough to get at. You'll have to remove various plasticy bits to get to it. This being a Renault, it's highly possible it's suffering from the notorious coil failure that blesses many Clio's, Megane's and various other Renaults. You may be looking at a trip to the dealer for a diagnostic check first, though.

Thanks Sandy, she'll love that! Nice to have some idea what may be going on though. Jerry