Shed money Clio 172
Discussion
DickP said:
If you can take the rear passenger side panels out as this gives access to the inside of the wings, wheel arch and you can also see inside the sill from there. You can then spray wax or other corrosion inhibitor into the cavity and lower wheel arch areas that can sometimes rust from the inside.
That's basically how I found out I needed the repair. I took the rear card off and found this. 
And then made the mistake of giving it a poke:
tallpaul26 said:
Can you share the details of the mobile welder?
No worries. He's called Adam and he's based out of stevenage. This is his business: Weldcome Classics - Mobile Welding Repairs & Fabrications
07912 495222
https://g.co/kgs/kQ1ZGR
That looks like a tidy repair, you must be happy with that! Nice to know it's been done with a decent thickness of steel and then properly treated too.
I think that with this age of car, it will generally be the rust that gets them rather than any major mechanical failure
I hope this means a good few more years for you yet!
I think that with this age of car, it will generally be the rust that gets them rather than any major mechanical failure
I hope this means a good few more years for you yet!
darkyoung1000 said:
That looks like a tidy repair, you must be happy with that! Nice to know it's been done with a decent thickness of steel and then properly treated too.
I think that with this age of car, it will generally be the rust that gets them rather than any major mechanical failure
I hope this means a good few more years for you yet!
I'm really happy with the work. I think that with this age of car, it will generally be the rust that gets them rather than any major mechanical failure
I hope this means a good few more years for you yet!
I think rust will kill most cars of this era off. The clio is pretty good underneath, and as long as spares are available I think it should keep running for a long while yet.
The top mounts had been on my to do list for about 10 months, so I thought it was probably time to tackle them.
The issues was that the half nut holding the top mount on. These were hard to get at, especially as a torx bit was needed to stop the shaft from spinning.
So I hammered a 16mm spanner onto it, stuck a big pole on the ratchet and used some brute force.
Bingo
And then the strut went back together no problem. These are a later design from Renault, the nut is much bigger and part of the collar that goes through the rubber.
The second side didn't go so well. The torx just shredded the inside of the strut. So, I thought I'd be really clever, put a double nut on the top of the strut, then use an impact to spin the shaft while I hold the spanner that had been hammered in place as per the previous one.
This was a mistake, the top of the shaft just sheared off. No pictures of this as I was having a full Basil Fawlty meltdown.
So, the clio stayed on jackstands while I thought about what to do
Fortunately a chap on the clio forum was selling a front pair of B14s, with poly top mounts, socks camber bolts and a few other spares. Aaron, if you're reading this, thank you!
All assembled, height set and ready to go:
And on! Everything had a good smear of anti seize to help me avoid future meltdowns.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/bDXxFwGH.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/w7XAuC52" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/w7XAuC52.jpg)
Time for a drive! Try out the new mounts and see if they make any difference.
Or not. 9 PSI.
FFS.
The issues was that the half nut holding the top mount on. These were hard to get at, especially as a torx bit was needed to stop the shaft from spinning.
So I hammered a 16mm spanner onto it, stuck a big pole on the ratchet and used some brute force.
Bingo
And then the strut went back together no problem. These are a later design from Renault, the nut is much bigger and part of the collar that goes through the rubber.
The second side didn't go so well. The torx just shredded the inside of the strut. So, I thought I'd be really clever, put a double nut on the top of the strut, then use an impact to spin the shaft while I hold the spanner that had been hammered in place as per the previous one.
This was a mistake, the top of the shaft just sheared off. No pictures of this as I was having a full Basil Fawlty meltdown.
So, the clio stayed on jackstands while I thought about what to do
Fortunately a chap on the clio forum was selling a front pair of B14s, with poly top mounts, socks camber bolts and a few other spares. Aaron, if you're reading this, thank you!
All assembled, height set and ready to go:
And on! Everything had a good smear of anti seize to help me avoid future meltdowns.
Time for a drive! Try out the new mounts and see if they make any difference.
Or not. 9 PSI.
FFS.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 21st January 17:18
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Friday 9th February 20:15
Where are you getting OE parts from ?
The RS182 / 2001 - 2007 Clio has now been “ expunged “ to use the parts guys word, in my local Renault main stealers, from the Renault parts system. Type in a part number and nothing comes up anymore.
I just knew I should have bought the new front screen & rubber seal kit @ just £128 quid
I discovered that Renault had done the same with the R5 GT Turbo years ago.
The RS182 / 2001 - 2007 Clio has now been “ expunged “ to use the parts guys word, in my local Renault main stealers, from the Renault parts system. Type in a part number and nothing comes up anymore.
I just knew I should have bought the new front screen & rubber seal kit @ just £128 quid
I discovered that Renault had done the same with the R5 GT Turbo years ago.
While the car was up in the air waiting for a solution to the suspension I also changed the oil. Checking the levels the oil seemed very dark and smelly, which is disappointing given I changed it November. I suspect the Fuchs is not up to track day heat.
On a plus point I topped up the tyres and went for a little drive. The poly top mounts are fantastic. Really sharpened the steering and feedback with no noticeable increase in noise and vibration.
On a plus point I topped up the tyres and went for a little drive. The poly top mounts are fantastic. Really sharpened the steering and feedback with no noticeable increase in noise and vibration.
Yes! I was full of joy when I read you'd defeated the first top mount nut after all this time, but then felt your pain on the second one. What a nightmare - albeit with a good end result. Nice to (accidentally) improve the front suspension in the end.
Was the tyre a slow puncture/leaking rim, or have you picked up a nail or something? I confess I've used tyre weld to 'temporarily' seal a leaking alloy before, but that wasn't on something that went on track.
Interesting about the Fuchs as well - anecdotally it's extremely well regarded oil but I would expect it to be less degraded after such a short time. Is there an oil temperature gauge in the car or other way of monitoring how hot it gets? The G60 used to see 120 degree oil temps just on the motorway until I fitted an oil cooler and bought it down to much more acceptable levels.
Was the tyre a slow puncture/leaking rim, or have you picked up a nail or something? I confess I've used tyre weld to 'temporarily' seal a leaking alloy before, but that wasn't on something that went on track.
Interesting about the Fuchs as well - anecdotally it's extremely well regarded oil but I would expect it to be less degraded after such a short time. Is there an oil temperature gauge in the car or other way of monitoring how hot it gets? The G60 used to see 120 degree oil temps just on the motorway until I fitted an oil cooler and bought it down to much more acceptable levels.
There's no oil temp gauge, I might see if I can use torque pro and a bluetooth code reader to see what temperatures I'm achieving next time out (Snetterton in Feb). I've previously melted the brake reservoir cap and a 3d printed exhaust mount, so I suspect there is a lot of heat.
While it's nice to have an improvement, it would have been better if it had been cheaper and quicker!
As for the wheels, I cant see anything obvious in the tread, so I suspect either a seating or valve issue. Two are really low, so I'll drop them off at a tyre place and see what they find.
While it's nice to have an improvement, it would have been better if it had been cheaper and quicker!
As for the wheels, I cant see anything obvious in the tread, so I suspect either a seating or valve issue. Two are really low, so I'll drop them off at a tyre place and see what they find.
The legacy has blotted it's record again so the clio is doing some daily duties, which meant getting the slow punctures sorted. Checking the rest of the tyres 3 were in single figure psi.
Fortunately I've got spare wheels for the spare car.
And the clio can easily for four wheels in the back:
I'd been getting a vibration at motorway speeds. It mght have been due to the fact 3 tyres were low, but it may also be that the aluminium spigot rings were fractionally too tall. The center bores have marks where the rings had pressed into them:
So for now I've got some plastic rings, taken a mm off the top and added a chamfer to try to get the wheels flat against the hub.
Now, just need to open my wallet and sort out the legacy...
Fortunately I've got spare wheels for the spare car.
And the clio can easily for four wheels in the back:
I'd been getting a vibration at motorway speeds. It mght have been due to the fact 3 tyres were low, but it may also be that the aluminium spigot rings were fractionally too tall. The center bores have marks where the rings had pressed into them:
So for now I've got some plastic rings, taken a mm off the top and added a chamfer to try to get the wheels flat against the hub.
Now, just need to open my wallet and sort out the legacy...
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Monday 29th January 09:35
The clio has been dping a lot of commuting and family transport this week. And I've rrally enjoyed driving it around, it's small, nippy and really responsive. Although my 6 ft+ teenage son isn't impressed with the rear leg room.
Plus, with the seats down you can get a bike in the boot:
Which is handy as it's going to AW motorworks next week to look the oil leaks.
Plus, with the seats down you can get a bike in the boot:
Which is handy as it's going to AW motorworks next week to look the oil leaks.
Thanks PhillipM, I'll try to work out how to message you through here, if not it'll be via cliosport.
I've had an enjoyable morning. A blast out to AW motorworks to have a look at the oil leaks.
It's always a pleasure to see Alex, he's a specialist with very tangible enthusiasm for the cars. And really seems to love his job! His diagnosis was the breather plate (which he's re-sealed) then the crank seals, which are a much more involved job, and probably one to do when the cambelt is next changed.
The drive there and back was an absolute blast. I don't seem to spend enough time just enjoying this car out on the roads. It's so much fun at (relatively) sensible speeds.
I've had an enjoyable morning. A blast out to AW motorworks to have a look at the oil leaks.
It's always a pleasure to see Alex, he's a specialist with very tangible enthusiasm for the cars. And really seems to love his job! His diagnosis was the breather plate (which he's re-sealed) then the crank seals, which are a much more involved job, and probably one to do when the cambelt is next changed.
The drive there and back was an absolute blast. I don't seem to spend enough time just enjoying this car out on the roads. It's so much fun at (relatively) sensible speeds.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Friday 9th February 20:16
Apologes for Stuart for slightly hijacking his thread but I thought this might be the best place to ask - I got my exhaust replaced (by Alex at AW) for a Pure Motorsport cat back last year but I just find it a bit too boomy for me - Alex did say it would be louder than stock but not as loud as a KTR, so no blame apportioned there but I just don't really get on with it.
Are there any alternatives that are closer to stock in terms of sound? Can you even get OEM any more rather that patent?
Are there any alternatives that are closer to stock in terms of sound? Can you even get OEM any more rather that patent?
Fifty said:
Apologes for Stuart for slightly hijacking his thread but I thought this might be the best place to ask - I got my exhaust replaced (by Alex at AW) for a Pure Motorsport cat back last year but I just find it a bit too boomy for me - Alex did say it would be louder than stock but not as loud as a KTR, so no blame apportioned there but I just don't really get on with it.
Are there any alternatives that are closer to stock in terms of sound? Can you even get OEM any more rather that patent?
No worries, always happy to discuss Clio stuff. What kind of bushes have you got in the rear mounts? Philip M has a theory that too stiff bushes in the exhaust mounts turns the boot floor into an amplifier, and has developed some 3d printed versions that give the stiffness without transmitting as much noise. Some sound deadening in this area is also a good investment of £25 and an hour of your time. Are there any alternatives that are closer to stock in terms of sound? Can you even get OEM any more rather that patent?
Have you seen Frayz's thread? His cars are usually built to perfection. If anyone has found the best exhaust, it'll be him...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
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