Shed money Clio 172

[Cambs_Stuart]

Big Tomm said:

Awesome progress on this little 172. I went out to the ring back in 2012/13 a few times. There was a huge presence of the 172 and 182 out there and they really were holding their own which surprised me a bit, foolishly Id under rated them for some reason.

I looked at a few, I specifically wanted a 172 Cup But never bought one for numerous reasons. Mostly the ones in my budget were dogs and potential money pits.

It’s nice to see A DIY approach with this. I will continue to follow with interest!

I'm also suprised at how quick something can be with only 169 ish hp. The speed they can carry is great. And they are just engaging little effervescent things to chuck about.
I went for a drive this lunchtime to bed in the PFC 097 pads and came back with a huge smile on my face.

[Cambs_Stuart]

So, another lesson in buy cheap, buy twice. I wanted a second set of track wheels, so hunted through facebook, gumtree and cliosport for a set. I found a set of 15" OZ F1's from a Ph1 172, in the correct 60.1mm centre bore size for a bargain price of £175. Chucked them on and they didn't feel right, so took them to be balanced (£40). One turned out to be buckled and needed straightening (£50). I then got a used set of NS2Rs (£120) which needed fitting and the wheels re-balancing (£70). The wheels still didn't feel right so took then back to my local friendly centre. They were condemned, out of shape and cracking inbetween the treads. So I ended up buying a new set of AD08's (£300).

So 175+40+50+120+70+300= £755. Or about 3/4 of the purchase price of the car.

Which seems like a lot for some heavy, ugly wheels. The AD08's are great though.
I need to stop being so tight and just cough up for "good" parts.

Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Thursday 17th December 13:44

[Cambs_Stuart]

Just a quick update.
The headlights were starting to get cloudy again, so it was time to break out the masking tape, wool pad and meguires gunk.



While i was waiting for the anti hazing/uv protector stuff to dry i had a go with some simoniz back to black bumper and trim. It was really satisfying, and did the job on the wing mirror plastics, fog light surrounds and scuttle panel.



About 30 minutes well spent. Hopefully it'll be warm enough soon to start doing some more involved stuff.



On the immediate to do list: I need to have a look at the rear pads and possibly discs. I really need to get on with some rust prevention on the rear beam.
More expensively, I've got a trip to AW motorworks at the end if the month for a new set of belts and a dephaser. Looking at the history in more detail, back in 2018 only the aux belt was done so it's 5 years (but only 20,000 miles) since it was all changed.

[Cambs_Stuart]

I've done almost nothing with the clio apart from an almost blemish free fresh MOT (there's a chip in the windscreen) and an occasional blast to the shops.
I gave it a good wash before it's date with AW motorworks and noticed the number plate light was a bit manky. I had one in my box of spares and swapped it over.



Looking forward to the drive to see Alex tomorrow!

Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 28th March 17:48

[Cambs_Stuart]

The problem with the headlights is they all go yellow, so a set from a breaker won't be any better than mine. There are a few pattern parts out there, so perhaps next spring I'll treat it to some fresh lights. Now the gear box and belts are being done I'm getting low on jobs to do on this without starting on the cosmetics...

[Cambs_Stuart]

Picked up the clio from AW motorworks.



It was an expensive visit. On top of the timing belt/dephaser i had planned, the crank pulley was on it's last legs, plus the sump gasket and rocker gasket were leaking.
In the last two visits to AW, I've now spent £600 more with Alex than i paid for the car...



However, on the plus side Alex found the timing was slightly out and put it right. I don't know if the placebo effect of a big bill, the cold dense air, the comparative effect of driving a dim witted VW automatic all week, or Alex's magic work with the timing but the clio felt amazing on the way home. At least another 50 HP.

Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Tuesday 6th April 14:27

[Cambs_Stuart]

frayz said:

What other car would you buy that would give you this much enjoyment though?

Absolutely. Despite the pain in my wallet, i grinned like a lunatic all the way home.
As I've said a lot; I've had faster cars (my other car is a lot quicker in a straight line) and I've had better built, more comfortable and better equipped cars, but none are so much fun to drive at legal (ish)speeds on a back road. It's a cliche, but it drives like an eager puppy, always scampering for the horizon.
And now, hopefully, all the big expensive stuff that breaks or needs doing is done, so i can enjoy tinkering and driving.
Alex also mentioned that I'm missing a load of sound deadening, so i might be copying you again and installing some sound insulation.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Limpet said:

If the valve timing was out, the power loss (and subsequent gain when corrected) is likely to have been a pretty significant number. I know someone who cocked up the VVT setting doing a Puma cambelt change. It was a new (to him) car that he'd picked up for virtually nothing, needing a load of work. He'd never driven further than around the yard where he bought it from, so had no idea what it should run like. Even with the timing out, it started and ran smoothly, and in isolation felt perfectly OK. Only when he took it to a dyno session did he know something was up. The dyno operator flagged that something was seriously wrong, and suspected valve timing. After fitting another cambelt and setting the VVT properly, they did another pull, and you wouldn't have believed the two graphs came from the same engine.

Alex said the timing was only fractionally out, but the difference it had made is huge. This is why people recommend specialists for these engines.

[Cambs_Stuart]

pincher said:

Probably one for CS or frayz - I need to send mine for some TLC - can't decide between Ren-O-Tec, Engine Dynamics or AW, so looking for some opinion.

Ren-O-Tec is easiest to get to, ED did the belts/pulley etc a while back but have heard good things about AW but it's the furthest away.

Over to you to guide me!

I've not used the others, but I'm hugely impressed by AW. Really knowledgeable, very freindly and great support. They are an hour away for me, and if the car is going to be with them a while it's a pain to get home as the new workshop isn't just round the corner from Stansted. But it's always worth it.
Give Alex a call and chat through what you need doing and see what you think.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Not much to update on the clio. It carries on rattling around, bringing a smile to my face every time i drive it.
The "occasional track day if I'm brave enough" statement from when i first bought this is now "track day as often as i can".
I had my first trip to cadwell, which is a fantastic track. Tight, narrow, winding and slightly terrifying. Absolutely loved it and I'll try to get back there as soon as i can. Although, having been up since 4:30, the 2hr drive home wasn't nice.



Swapping wheels around i noticed the rear brake pads looked low, but once I'd pulled them out i realised they aren't that thick to start with! OEM pads are only £12 from RPD so no harm in replacing them at 50% worn.

[Cambs_Stuart]

pincher said:

I somehow managed to completely miss your reply to my post! Apologies - I wasn’t ignoring you

I’ll give AW a call and see what he says. I’m quite happy to leave it there for a week or two, if it means he fits diagnosing and fixing/replacing bits around other work.

No worries! last time I spoke to AW they were well booked into the future, so you may have to be a bit patient.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Here I am, back at cadwell, doing my best impression of a mobile chicane.
And for the first time I've had an issue with the clio. Checking the fluids I noticed I was missing the bolt holding in the dephaser solenoid.



If the solenoid had come out I'd have lost a lot of oil and potentially done some damage. However, thanks to some advice from Alex at AW I found a spare M6 bolt elsewhere in the engine bay and by spacing it with a nut and a washer managed to sort it.
It was flipping fiddly to access with the inlet in place, so another thanks to the guys who loaned me a swan necked 10mm spanner so I could do it up.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Another issue with the clio. This time the battery in the key suddenly went flat. One day it worked across the car park, next day, nothing.
At least it was easy to fix at home.



I need to change the oil, and I keep saying I need to catch some potential rust on the sills before it turns ugly and expensive. But the truth is that nothing seems to go wrong. Despite the arrival of a new wagon the clio is still my favourite car to drive. Makes me smile every journey.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Yes again I've not done anything on the clio's to do list. I was going to change the engine and gearbox oil this afternoon, but despite the knowledge and experience from 20 years+ of managing warehouses and logistics functions I've put my box of dowty washers somewhere and can't find them.
So instead i gave the clio a damn good wash. I normally use finishkare high temp wax, but it's hard work to apply, especially when it's sunny, so i used this:



It's a revelation. Really quick amd easy to apply, and gives lovely shine. I'll have to see how long it lasts. As much as the finishkare (or old fashioned simoniz gold tin) was a workout to apply they did last for months.

Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 12th September 14:33

[Cambs_Stuart]

Back when i was a student i worked in a few pubs and restaurants to pay my way. A wise chef once told me the difference between a professional and an amateur is the speed they work at and the mess the leave behind.
I give you the aftermath of the messiest gearbox and engine oil change I've ever done.



The engine oil is the standard stuff from RPD, but for the gearbox I've upgraded from ELF GL4 to redline MTL. No particular reason other than it's well recommended.
I also changed the engine sump plug for a goldline magnetic version. Just because bad obsession did the same on their bargain racement series.



Now, has anyone got any tips on getting a lot of oil out of block paving...

[Cambs_Stuart]

I am genuinely surprised at the difference I can feel with the redline MTL gearbox oil. The old oil was only 6 months, 2500 miles (and three trackdays) old, and looked in really good condition when it came out.
But the Gearbox is quieter, smoother, and the action is nicer too. It's a shame the gearbox in the legacy is full of new Motul. If I could go back in time I'd definitely pay the extra and put redline in that too.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Another oily update. At the last couple of track days the power steering fluid has boiled over slightly. The reservoir was fractionally over full and the fluid pretty dark.
So it's been flushed with motul dextron III so hopefully that'll sort it out.
The pump seems quieter already.



If anyone is interested, this a good guide on how to do it:

https://www.cliosport.net/threads/the-easy-way-to-...

Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 26th September 17:15

[Cambs_Stuart]

Spinakerr said:

Power steering fluid never really gets changed unless some part of the system is coming off the car for repair - but as with 'sealed for life' gearboxes, a fluid change is always going to be appreciated by the moving bits!

Good stuff, and hope the track days are continuing to be enjoyable - could this actually be a case of cost-conscious trackday practical ownership? On PH?

Unfortunately I wasted all the money I saved in lockdown on a new kitchen, so it's going to continue to be a budget conscious thread!

I've not managed a trackday for a while, I need to book one, preferably with some MX5s and clios for company.

[Cambs_Stuart]

Two weeks after i applied the meguiars it's still beading nicely:

[Cambs_Stuart]

geraintthomas said:

Just come back from a track day at Llandow. I drive an MX-5 NC and you'd expect to see lots (there's normally 2-3), but the majority of cars are normally Clio's. I can certainly see why. Yours is lovely!

Thank you very much. It's rattly, loud and rough around the edges, but i really like it.
Some of my favourite on track experiences in the clio have been with MX5s, i normally try to seek them out in the paddock on a track day.