Shed money Clio 172
Discussion
gweaver said:
If you've used that much to do two cars, you must be really over applying it. There's probably enough in the tin to do 30 cars!
Application demo video here: https://youtu.be/tS927xnHekg?t=85
The key part is "extremely sparingly" - the damp applicator helps with this.
If you're referring to Finishkare Hi Temp Paste Wax, that's one of the easiest waxes I've ever used, so I expect you were over applying that too..
Having watched the video, I am definitely applying too much! I'll be a bit more frugal next time....Application demo video here: https://youtu.be/tS927xnHekg?t=85
The key part is "extremely sparingly" - the damp applicator helps with this.
If you're referring to Finishkare Hi Temp Paste Wax, that's one of the easiest waxes I've ever used, so I expect you were over applying that too..
I'm booked onto the PH track evening at brands on Tuesday, so the clio has had a check over and the blue wheels fitted.
The oil is fresh, and all the fluids where they should be. Plenty of life in the brakes and tread on the tyres.
Having had a good look at the sump gasket I decided I didn't fancy trying to do it at home, so handed the clio over to Bar Hill motors.
I had a peek through the wheel arch and it's a lot cleaner:
I've been recommending the PFC pads to everyone. Their longevity and performance is fantastic. The only downside is that they're not great at normal speeds and the produce a lot of dust. This residue is after 4 treatments of redline wheel cleaner.
So if anyone knows a stronger/better cleaner then let me know.
The oil is fresh, and all the fluids where they should be. Plenty of life in the brakes and tread on the tyres.
Having had a good look at the sump gasket I decided I didn't fancy trying to do it at home, so handed the clio over to Bar Hill motors.
I had a peek through the wheel arch and it's a lot cleaner:
I've been recommending the PFC pads to everyone. Their longevity and performance is fantastic. The only downside is that they're not great at normal speeds and the produce a lot of dust. This residue is after 4 treatments of redline wheel cleaner.
So if anyone knows a stronger/better cleaner then let me know.
It was the PH track evening at brands hatch last night.
On the way down, I was regretting not getting the air con re-gassed as the M25 was not moving, and it was 28 degrees and very sunny.
But the time on track was great. No red flags, only two yellow (and those were lifted fairly soon). Brands was much more tightly marshaled than other tracks I've been to, lots of blue flags to tell people to move over and a few black/white ones for the race cars who were getting a bit aggressive.
The standard of driving was really good and the circuit just fantastic. Paddock hill is as close as I've been to a rollercoaster in the car. That bend alone is worth the trip.
And the clio ran as fantastically as ever.
But the wheels now really, really need a clean:
On the way down, I was regretting not getting the air con re-gassed as the M25 was not moving, and it was 28 degrees and very sunny.
But the time on track was great. No red flags, only two yellow (and those were lifted fairly soon). Brands was much more tightly marshaled than other tracks I've been to, lots of blue flags to tell people to move over and a few black/white ones for the race cars who were getting a bit aggressive.
The standard of driving was really good and the circuit just fantastic. Paddock hill is as close as I've been to a rollercoaster in the car. That bend alone is worth the trip.
And the clio ran as fantastically as ever.
But the wheels now really, really need a clean:
The clio uses a lot less fuel than my legacy so it's been in fairly regular use, so the lack of air conditioning in the really hot weather recently has been an issue. I dread to think how many liters of sweat the drivers seat has soaked up recently.
So, it's been re-gassed.
With UV dye added, so if there are any leaks it'll be easy to trace.
So, it's been re-gassed.
With UV dye added, so if there are any leaks it'll be easy to trace.
Minor update on the clio.
The rear N/S caliper was binding slightly. I stripped it down and while all the sliders and pistons move nicely, there is a small split in one boot.
I've stripped and covered all the moving parts with bigh temp ceramic grease and that seems to have fixed it.
Since the track day at brands there was an occasional knock from the back. I thought it was something loose in the boot, but i think I've melted the 3d printed exhaust mount. This has caused it to bow and brought the exhaust hanger into contact with the mount frame, which caused the knocking sound.
I tried to flip it around but it's too hard after the heat cycles, so the powerflex bush is back in for now.
And it's leaking oil, again, from the sump, again. Fortunately the garage gave me a year's warranty on the repair. This will be the third sump gasket it's had in my ownership...
And this is now the second longest I've ever owned a car, beating a mk1 focus 3 door 2.0 Zetec in red. I bought the focus back when i was utterly broke and it did a fantastic job. Needing only tyres, shocks and a thermostat housing in 40,000 miles. W554 LBD. RIP.
The rear N/S caliper was binding slightly. I stripped it down and while all the sliders and pistons move nicely, there is a small split in one boot.
I've stripped and covered all the moving parts with bigh temp ceramic grease and that seems to have fixed it.
Since the track day at brands there was an occasional knock from the back. I thought it was something loose in the boot, but i think I've melted the 3d printed exhaust mount. This has caused it to bow and brought the exhaust hanger into contact with the mount frame, which caused the knocking sound.
I tried to flip it around but it's too hard after the heat cycles, so the powerflex bush is back in for now.
And it's leaking oil, again, from the sump, again. Fortunately the garage gave me a year's warranty on the repair. This will be the third sump gasket it's had in my ownership...
And this is now the second longest I've ever owned a car, beating a mk1 focus 3 door 2.0 Zetec in red. I bought the focus back when i was utterly broke and it did a fantastic job. Needing only tyres, shocks and a thermostat housing in 40,000 miles. W554 LBD. RIP.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 11th September 14:20
PhillipM said:
Jesus you got that hot!
I think I have some spares I'll check when I'm home, away atm.
Thank you!I think I have some spares I'll check when I'm home, away atm.
It did get hot at brands. I was having so much fun I was out for long periods without much of a cool down. I just wanted to have as much time on track as possible.
I also slightly melted the brake reservoir cap...
So it's not all been trouble free in the clio world. It's got another oil weep, from somewhere above the sump. The rear brake continues to bind and using it around town has just been rattly, loud and generally uncomfortable.
But i had a great drive in the autumn sunshine his morning. All of the cabin rattles suddenly stopped and it reminded me of why i got it. It's just fun.
Anyway. I've stripped, greased and slightly filed the brake pads to let them move a bit better in the sliders.
I've also put some fresh oil in it. The first time I've not used the castrol from Renault parts direct. But this is RN710 rated so should work.
But i had a great drive in the autumn sunshine his morning. All of the cabin rattles suddenly stopped and it reminded me of why i got it. It's just fun.
Anyway. I've stripped, greased and slightly filed the brake pads to let them move a bit better in the sliders.
I've also put some fresh oil in it. The first time I've not used the castrol from Renault parts direct. But this is RN710 rated so should work.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Monday 7th November 18:57
Having recently put a new gear knob on my legacy i was keen to do the same to the clio.
The old one had withstood nearly two decades of sweaty palmed abuse and was just starting to look tatty. It also didn't feel that "special" compared to the new alacantra one in the legacy.
Changing these is not that simple as the knobs are bonded to a knurled section of the shaft. Googling "how to" guides suggested swearing, blood and tears would be involved.
My first idea was to use an oil filter wrench to get more grip. This didn't work, even with some padding i couldn't get it tight enough.
Then i tried some very large molegrips. These also didn't work, and tore the leather.
With a damaged knob i was past the point of no return, so i brought out a hacksaw.
I managed to cut down to the shaft, then use a screwdriver to pry the plastic away.
The new knob took a bit of careful positioning, to get it low enough to cover the lift up reverse, without stopping the lift up from working.
But it's in, and after a quick hoover, I'm really please with how this looks.
It's a richbrook "speed top"
The old one had withstood nearly two decades of sweaty palmed abuse and was just starting to look tatty. It also didn't feel that "special" compared to the new alacantra one in the legacy.
Changing these is not that simple as the knobs are bonded to a knurled section of the shaft. Googling "how to" guides suggested swearing, blood and tears would be involved.
My first idea was to use an oil filter wrench to get more grip. This didn't work, even with some padding i couldn't get it tight enough.
Then i tried some very large molegrips. These also didn't work, and tore the leather.
With a damaged knob i was past the point of no return, so i brought out a hacksaw.
I managed to cut down to the shaft, then use a screwdriver to pry the plastic away.
The new knob took a bit of careful positioning, to get it low enough to cover the lift up reverse, without stopping the lift up from working.
But it's in, and after a quick hoover, I'm really please with how this looks.
It's a richbrook "speed top"
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 23 October 17:23
Another Snetterton track day in the clio.
It was very, very wet. The sun almost came out just as everyone was packing up but it was extremely damp all day.
The forecast wasn't too bad, so i picked the AD08s tyres over the PS3s, which i regretted when i saw how damp and slippery the track was. Thankfully when i got them up to temperature and picked my line carefully they actually worked ok, even with plenty of standing water. Lots of wheelspin out of the corners, locked brakes on the way into the corners and a fair few worrying moments when i lost all traction mid corner.
Some of the driving was shocking. Really aggressive overtakes, people not letting anyone past, drifting, and a lot of red flags. Genuinely suprised there wasn't any serious accidents.
But the clio was faultless, again. Only 170 miles on track due to the appalling weather and number of red flags.
It was very, very wet. The sun almost came out just as everyone was packing up but it was extremely damp all day.
The forecast wasn't too bad, so i picked the AD08s tyres over the PS3s, which i regretted when i saw how damp and slippery the track was. Thankfully when i got them up to temperature and picked my line carefully they actually worked ok, even with plenty of standing water. Lots of wheelspin out of the corners, locked brakes on the way into the corners and a fair few worrying moments when i lost all traction mid corner.
Some of the driving was shocking. Really aggressive overtakes, people not letting anyone past, drifting, and a lot of red flags. Genuinely suprised there wasn't any serious accidents.
But the clio was faultless, again. Only 170 miles on track due to the appalling weather and number of red flags.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Tuesday 8th November 07:03
Ha! yes the brake has quieted down. It may have just needed a longer run, or I've just ground the pad to nothing. The rears do tend to get noisy if the car sits around for a while.
And I agree with the comment about Snetterton. It's a long, fast circuit, with plenty of run off so does attract cars that are very fast in a straight line. Like Bedford there's not a lot of sequences of corners, It's very much a straight, corner, straight circuit.
But when there is some plank who won't get over I normally just come in for a couple of minutes and let them go. The main downside of the Clio on track is that it's got no power to go round anyone on the straights, so I'm relying on other users to back off and let me past, as I'm not going to risk going past on the brakes.
Nothing else booked for a while, but I've got some credit that's burning a hole in my pocket. Need to check brakes, find some better weather and deal with some of the more annoying interior rattles before booking anything.
And I agree with the comment about Snetterton. It's a long, fast circuit, with plenty of run off so does attract cars that are very fast in a straight line. Like Bedford there's not a lot of sequences of corners, It's very much a straight, corner, straight circuit.
But when there is some plank who won't get over I normally just come in for a couple of minutes and let them go. The main downside of the Clio on track is that it's got no power to go round anyone on the straights, so I'm relying on other users to back off and let me past, as I'm not going to risk going past on the brakes.
Nothing else booked for a while, but I've got some credit that's burning a hole in my pocket. Need to check brakes, find some better weather and deal with some of the more annoying interior rattles before booking anything.
gweaver said:
If you've used that much to do two cars, you must be really over applying it. There's probably enough in the tin to do 30 cars!
Application demo video here: https://youtu.be/tS927xnHekg?t=85
The key part is "extremely sparingly" - the damp applicator helps with this.
If you're referring to Finishkare Hi Temp Paste Wax, that's one of the easiest waxes I've ever used, so I expect you were over applying that too..
You're 100% right. I gave the clio a quick wash to get rid of the brake dust and using a damp applicator made it a lot easier to use sparingly...Application demo video here: https://youtu.be/tS927xnHekg?t=85
The key part is "extremely sparingly" - the damp applicator helps with this.
If you're referring to Finishkare Hi Temp Paste Wax, that's one of the easiest waxes I've ever used, so I expect you were over applying that too..
gweaver said:
Good stuff. Did you manage to get the wheels clean? I imagine they'd need a wheels off clean with some strong chemicals and a polish to get rid of all of that brake dust. If you did that you might as well go the whole hog and ceramic coat them with something like Gtechniq C5 - ceramic makes cleaning wheels so much easier.
Not quite.
I've tried with redline and simoniz stuff that got a good autoexpress review, but neither is touching the really deep parts. I think i may have to bite the bullet and get them re-coated. They're fairly chipped and flaky anyway.
Winter wheels back on the clio.
Always good to put them back on, the PS3's are much quieter and more forgiving on the road and I'm sure the OZ wheels are lighter.
The wheels themselves are starting to look a bit tatty, there were rattle canned black when i got the car 3 1/2 years ago, and i think they could do with being properly stripped and refurbished. That's a job for the spring when my finances have recovered from Christmas and setting up my wife's new business.
Also in terms of delayed expenditure the front discs still have 1 mm of life left:
The pads have 30% or so to go as well which is remarkable given the number of track days they've done.
Always good to put them back on, the PS3's are much quieter and more forgiving on the road and I'm sure the OZ wheels are lighter.
The wheels themselves are starting to look a bit tatty, there were rattle canned black when i got the car 3 1/2 years ago, and i think they could do with being properly stripped and refurbished. That's a job for the spring when my finances have recovered from Christmas and setting up my wife's new business.
Also in terms of delayed expenditure the front discs still have 1 mm of life left:
The pads have 30% or so to go as well which is remarkable given the number of track days they've done.
With the clio now heading towards it's 20th birthday, I've not got much to report.
It ticked over a pleasing odo reading:
There are some issues with these clios that are so common it's almost a rite of passage. This one was the bungs in the boot. They eventually leak and you find the spare wheel sitting in a puddle (172) or that you've got damp footwheels (182). I'd noticed the rear was getting steamy and having a look behind the trim there was indeed a trickle:
Fortunately it's a 5 minute job to fix. Push the bungs out, add a bead of sealant all the way round and put back.
It ticked over a pleasing odo reading:
There are some issues with these clios that are so common it's almost a rite of passage. This one was the bungs in the boot. They eventually leak and you find the spare wheel sitting in a puddle (172) or that you've got damp footwheels (182). I'd noticed the rear was getting steamy and having a look behind the trim there was indeed a trickle:
Fortunately it's a 5 minute job to fix. Push the bungs out, add a bead of sealant all the way round and put back.
I'd been getting an occasional clonk from the rear left of the car. Mentally i had convinced myself it was the rear beam bush, but once i got underneath i could see the exhaust was catching on the rear beam, so at least it was an easy fix.
Looking at access to the bush on the driver's side i didn't fancy my chances anyway...
While i had the car in the air i gave the beam a good clean and treatment of bilt hamber.
It's solid, just a bit ugly. Once it's dry I'll paint it.
Insired by spinnaker i gave the car a good going over looking for any corrosion, but apart from the hole under the side skirt, nothing has appeared over the winter.
Looking at access to the bush on the driver's side i didn't fancy my chances anyway...
While i had the car in the air i gave the beam a good clean and treatment of bilt hamber.
It's solid, just a bit ugly. Once it's dry I'll paint it.
Insired by spinnaker i gave the car a good going over looking for any corrosion, but apart from the hole under the side skirt, nothing has appeared over the winter.
The problem with watching how to guides on the internet is that sometimes they make things seem a lot easier than they are in real life.
The rear of the clio had not felt quite "right". A bit vague.
Having a poke around I thought the rear beam bushes looked a bit crusty. So I bought a set of purple powerflex from Ebay, plus a press tool, arranged a playdate for the kids and got to work.
This was the view from the outside:
The major issue with this is that the fuel tank is in the way of the bolt. I lowered the tank, but still struggled to pull it out. General advice from the forums is to not try to lower the beam bracket, as the bolts are notorious for spinning.
After a lot of swearing and head scratching it was out and the trailing arm lowered. The Bush was obviously done. Crusty, cracked and falling apart. So done it was was easy to push out with a cheap tool.
It fell apart on the way out, but just to emphasize how knackered it was:
Naively I'd assumed that the bush shell would be easy to get out. It's not. They are made of thick steel and were rusted in place. The only way I could get it out with the tools I had was to use a power saw to take the flange off the back, then use the bush puller tool to push it out.
Anyway. Once that was done, the new powerflex bushes went in no problem with the tool. And then I had a bright idea. I had some high tensile part threaded M10 bolts that were about 25mm shorter than the Renault ones, which meant they were much easier to get past the fuel tank.
That was the hard side done. With the weather forecast for Tomorrow looking poor, I think the other side will wait for next week. Hopefully it won't take 3 hours...
The rear of the clio had not felt quite "right". A bit vague.
Having a poke around I thought the rear beam bushes looked a bit crusty. So I bought a set of purple powerflex from Ebay, plus a press tool, arranged a playdate for the kids and got to work.
This was the view from the outside:
The major issue with this is that the fuel tank is in the way of the bolt. I lowered the tank, but still struggled to pull it out. General advice from the forums is to not try to lower the beam bracket, as the bolts are notorious for spinning.
After a lot of swearing and head scratching it was out and the trailing arm lowered. The Bush was obviously done. Crusty, cracked and falling apart. So done it was was easy to push out with a cheap tool.
It fell apart on the way out, but just to emphasize how knackered it was:
Naively I'd assumed that the bush shell would be easy to get out. It's not. They are made of thick steel and were rusted in place. The only way I could get it out with the tools I had was to use a power saw to take the flange off the back, then use the bush puller tool to push it out.
Anyway. Once that was done, the new powerflex bushes went in no problem with the tool. And then I had a bright idea. I had some high tensile part threaded M10 bolts that were about 25mm shorter than the Renault ones, which meant they were much easier to get past the fuel tank.
That was the hard side done. With the weather forecast for Tomorrow looking poor, I think the other side will wait for next week. Hopefully it won't take 3 hours...
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 5th March 08:37
darkyoung1000 said:
Oh nice work, that will make a massive difference to the handling I’m sure. Also the satisfaction from completing any car job that has required a reciprocating saw is going to me massive!
I hope the other side goes as planned when the weather picks up!
Thank you. I wish I'd got the saw out earlier, it would have saved a lot of time! I hope the other side goes as planned when the weather picks up!
If I was doing it again I'd cut the trailing arm bolt out so I wouldn't have bother lowering the fuel tank.
SS427 Camaro said:
How are you finding getting OE Renault parts ? When I went into my local Renault main agents, they said that the 182 had now been removed from the Renault part’s system !
There are some bits that are starting to cause issues, wishbones and driveshaft are fairly common for causing headaches in the community. But there are a lot of good OEM manufacturers that cover parts, plus specialists such as KAM racing and BTT motorsports who can help. Renault Parts Direct in Wolverhampton are a very helpful official source of Renault parts. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff