JPJ89's Racing Blue Clio 182 Thread

[JPJ89]

Hello all, decided to get round to making a thread to keep all the images and progress of my 1st Renaultsport since I've had it, nearly a year now. The car had one previous owner before I bought it back in June 14 from DTM down in Newcastle...I had looked at a couple of 182's more local before driving 3 hours to see this one after getting in touch with DTM. The history and condition was very good for a 9 year old car, the racing blue paintwork was stunning and both cup packs were present so the purchase was made. The car was given a timing belt kit, aux belt kit, dephaser and oil & filter service by DTM, and came with a full service history including the original bill of sale, a stamped service book with all paper invoices to back up services, receipts for parts, every MOT certificate and even all previous tax discs! Only one key but that hasn't been an issue for me. Also it came completely standard apart from a set of Eibach Pro-kit springs, it sits good and the handling is spot-on. No pics from when I first got it home, but there's a few pics below for now, taken only a few weeks or so after, by this point the plates had been changed, Bosch aero-blade wipers fitted and it had been cleaned up properly.

Been a few changes and bits done since then, will update it with the rest when I get a moment, thanks for looking!

 

[JPJ89]

I don't have any pics from then til about January this year, but a few things were done to the car. The original standard exhaust was rotted away and on it's last legs, so this was replaced with a new Milltek cat-back system in September, sounds perfect and looks brilliant! I also gave the headlights a restore using the 3m kit off of eBay to try and freshen them up as they looked terrible.
An RS Tuner & leads etc. was then purchased off a member on here in October for only £100, not a bad price and was local as well so just collected it...bought the unlock code and 98 RON map from Fastchip, but still haven't got round to uploading the map, really need to get this done.
Around December time it was clear the battery was dying so I replaced it with a new Bosch s4 unit, this sorted out the slow starting issues the cold weather had brought. Then a couple of days before Christmas, driving along through town I was hit with a full blown misfire out of nowhere, EML light flashing, car down on power all over the revs, sounding like a tank, barely driveable. Managed to limp it home and plugged in the RS Tuner, this showed up a faulty injector on cylinder 3 so the next day the injector rail was removed using the guide on here, and the resistance on injector 3 tested to prove that it was dead. Great bit of kit the RS Tuner was proving already, without even uploading the maps yet. So a replacement OEM injector was bought from euro car parts and the car was back on the road within a couple of hours.

After the new year, the first thing done was to get a repair on the worn steering wheel, so it was sent off to Snappy on here for a refurb, what a difference this made to the interior, the work is absolute quality! At the same time a MAD aluminium footrest was also bought off eBay, this was another small touch that makes all the difference.
Worn wheel coming off:

Spare wheel on right to do in meantime:

The finished article:

And fitted back together :grin:

 

[JPJ89]

Forgot to mention at the start that I bought the car on 77,000 miles, well the mileage had now gone up to 82,000 by February and the last full service on 72,000 including all the filters etc, had been nearly a year and a half ago, not counting the minor oil & filter replacement carried out by DTM on 77k, so I figured it was time for another full service before it went in for its MOT on the 16th. Got all the service parts off here from Renault Wolverhampton and the brake bits from G172, great service from both guys and both really helpful and quick with getting the deliverys out :up:
Service bits included 5ltrs Elf engine oil, 3ltrs Elf gearbox oil, oil filter, air and pollen filters, sump and box washers, NGK spark plugs and type D coolant. I also took the chance to fit a fresh coolant expansion tank since the coolant would be getting drained.

Nice fresh filters for the breathing!

When changing the spark plugs I came across these, can only be a good thing swapping these out from what iv read on here! The one on the left looks in a much worse way than the other three, the one from nearest the oil filler end, and there was quite a bit of oil and grime on the rocker cover in the pic below so could possibly be oil leaking out from somewhere and making it into the plug hole, is this common??

The good NGK plugs going in

Gearbox oil getting swapped

And the brake goodies below, went for Brembo HC discs and Mintex M1144 pads for the fronts, 1ltr flush of ATE superfluid, and Goodridge phantom braided lines all round, this meant the brakes were now spot on as Trev at DTM had already sorted the rears out with genuine discs, bearings and pads for me picking it up.

The plan was for me to change and fit all the parts over the weekend before I dropped the car into SWR on the Monday for them to put it through the MOT, but things didn't quite go to plan with time lol. They ended up doing the coolant flush and brakes in the morning before the MOT, which it passed with a couple of advisories which will need sorting... o/s/rear tyre worn close to the limit, slight play in a o/s/f ball joint, and a deteriorated steering rack gaiter. The next step will be for a full set of tyres asap as the previous owner has fitted a set of budgets on the rear with Nangkang's on the front, haven't read good things about either so will be looking to sort theses out as a whole set with probably some Michelin Pilot Sports now that the servicing, mot and brakes are all ticked off. After tyres I can start getting a look at getting some suspension parts freshened up.
Found a pic of it after all this looking a bit sorry under the winter weather

 

[imprezaworks]

Enjoyed the read mate, good progress. Have love for the rb's, they look fab. Keep up the good work.

 

[JPJ89]

Thanks mate, still got another update to bring me upto where it is now but im exhausted after writing all that out, should have done it as I went lol. Nice Monaco you have there, only ever seen one in person, is yours the one with the splitter?

 

[imprezaworks]

Yeah mate that's the one. Stuck oz's on it now which has improved the handling with the rsrs on it.

 

[JPJ89]

F1's? Would like to try a set of lighter wheels and eyed up a few sets in the ad's now and again but tbh mine isn't likely to see a track anytime soon so probably better off putting the money to other things at the moment.

 

[imprezaworks]

Any excuse to pic Whore, lol

What else you doing to yours?

 

[JPJ89]

Suits the f1's really well. I need to get tyres sorted, then would like to fit some fresh suspension bits if I get a chance, already got eibach pro springs on it so would prob just look to replace other bits with genuine parts, seem to have a creaking issue over rougher ground on full lock. Hopefully then tidy the engine bay up and give the car a proper detail for the summer, other than just keep it clean and fresh! Have toyed with a few other ideas like fitting a milltek decat, getting the wheels refurbed maybe gloss black or something, bits of trim sprayed etc. but tbh these are things that don't really need to be done lol. Will yours be hitting the track this year?

 

[imprezaworks]

Gloss black would be nice but please use tyre shine lol. I've seen a couple and for some reason it looks crap without it. I've been twice this year, both times at Oulton. Weren't the best days weather wise tbh, hoping for nice weather for next time. Warner would be nice :smile:. I had a scorpion with a decat on an old 182, sounded really nice. Miltek would be a nice mod. This your first Clio?

Just noticed, it is your first.

 

[JPJ89]

Yes mate first 182, but did come to this from a mk3 clio GT, that was a good car, looked great and was very comfortable but didn't feel as special as the 182 does, love it! I did look at scorpions before settling on the milltek, will probably stick with the catback at the moment as it sounds decent as it its. Would love to try a track day in the clio, maybe one day!

 

[imprezaworks]

If you get chance to do a teack day, do one mate

 

[JPJ89]

Last update to bring it up to where it is just now. Gave it a good clean once the first good weekend appeared since the winter. Came out quite well, going to give it a proper go in a few weeks, but for now it got washed, polished and sealed using Autoglym stuff.

I then decided that the exhaust tips needed centred, they were sitting too far right and rattling off the bumper now and again, while I done this I also gave them their first proper polish with some Autosol, much shinier!

That's it for now, a few things are needing done still, the heater resistor pack has failed so the blowers are stuck on full which is annoying, I also need to upload the RON 98 map, get a fresh set of tyres bought, and I have a heel toe throttle plate still to fit from the group boy. I got one of these cos my pedal plate is battered and the price for a new one from Renault is meant to be ridiculous, hope to pick up brake and clutch plates soon to fit at the same time, should freshen things up! Oh and the headlights need done properly as they have hazed over again. List is endless really lol

 

[JPJ89]

Not updated this since I started it, so here goes, nothing too exciting, just general maintenance really, plus finally got round to uploading the RON98 map onto the car, what a difference! So much smoother low down the revs and pulls better right the way up, such a great mod for how easy it is to do/cost.

Map uploading

I also treated the car to a full detail trying some new products and steps for the first time and stupidly forgot to take any photos whatsoever. Normal wash method followed up with IronX and Autoglym tar remover, was amazed at what that IronX managed to pull off of the wheels, the stuff absolutely reeks though. I then used Bilt Hamber soft clay, the surface was lovely and smooth by this point so used a coat of Poorboys Black Hole followed by Nattys blue paste wax, as recommended to me by @Bear Head in the detailing section. The finish was lovely with the Poorboys stuff, great products at a fantastic price, will post up some pics when I next top up the Nattys.

Next up was to try and get to the bottom of a few electrical problems iv had. At random times iv had intermittent faults that have came and disappeared very quickly with no apparent reason. Things such as one headlight not working to working perfect again next day, coolant temp gauge needle bouncing one day and fine ever since, really poor mpg/hesitant power one day suggesting possible lambda fault then absolutely perfect next day etc etc...
Also when I plug in the RSTuner it sometimes comes up with Shift Light Fault.
Thinking it could be an earth fault somewhere so started with the rear lights as these seem to be a common problem area but was surprised to see both sides were near enough perfect!

Battery terminals all ok as well, one connection behind the passenger headlight looks badly corroded however so will be sanding that down and cleaning it up then checking the gearbox earth after that as I see on here that can cause issues as well.

Also got round to getting 4 x Michelin Pilot Sport 3's fitted to the car y'day, went for 87w as people seem to rate it better than the 83v, should make a massive difference to the handling. Previously had nangkangs on front and budgets on rear, don't think the previous owner liked tyres lol.

 

[JPJ89]

Spent a few hours today doing a few bits and that to the car, first of all gave the interior a quick going over as it hadn't been touched this year I don't think! Used Meguairs APC on surfaces and carpets then hoovered, pretty happy with the results for a quick half-hour job. Also got some mats ordered up, Renaultsport ones off eBay with old-school logos that tie in with the ones on the car, should be here Wednesday. Need to get round to cleaning the seatbelts at some point as they are letting the interior down at the moment along with the pedals, got a heel-toe accelerator plate ready to fit and just need to order up the brake and clutch plates to tidy that area up.
Few pics of clean interior

And the mats that have been ordered, should look good I reckon

 

[JPJ89]

After the interior was cleaned I then removed the tdc sensor and gave it a clean up before re-fitting. Have been having a slight issue where it takes a second or so longer for the engine to fire when re-starting it hot after a lengthy drive, e.g. at petrol stations, nipping into a shop etc. Not really a problem as such, more annoying than anything but thought I would investigate anyway, cleaning the sensor seems to have had not much effect, dunno if this is a common problem or not!

Whilst under the bonnet I also removed and cleaned up both sides of the throttle body, it was fairly gunked up with crap and sometimes the revs would stick slightly when slowing down at junctions etc. Cleaning it up has solved this issue so happy days as far as that's concerned

Everything cleaned up and put back together before taking it for a spin, also got my new slam panel seal fitted recently from group buy :smile: (think its sitting up slightly at the right from catching the airbox on it today)

 

[JPJ89]

Next job is to fit the Milltek de-cat pipe that was recently purchased, just currently in the process of collecting parts and advice on here so I can sort the whole system at once and hopefully do it right first time and not have to mess around with it afterwards or bodge anything with cable ties etc.. So far got de-cat, new genuine Bosch pre-cat lambda, manifold to cat gasket kit and centre section hanger, just need to get 2x rear hangers and some high-temp silicone and should be good to go! Love the Milltek cat-back sound so the de-cat should sound even nicer I would imagine, got a resonated system so hoping its not gonna be too loud, cos if it is it might come back off lol.

 

[JPJ89]

Oh and also must give a mention to Brentacre Insurance, renewed my insurance at the start of the month, they came in with a cracking price of £550 for my 2 years NCB and all mods, with freedom to add as many mods as I like as long as they don't increase engine power, so big thumbs up to these guys, great to deal with and would recommend them :up:

 

[JPJ89]

Mats fitted, fairly happy with how they look

Will look much better once the pedal plates are refreshed, and also plan to clean the seatbelts at same time, will be happy enough with interior once those jobs are done. There is a bit of wear on the drivers side bolster from the previous owner but cant see that being fixed any time soon, would love a set of Recaro's but the cost does put me off a bit at the moment, maybe try source a mint drivers seat from a car being broke if I get round to doing something about it!

 

[TimmoUK]

Looks good. Where did you get the mats from?

 

[JPJ89]

Looks good. Where did you get the mats from?

Cheers mate! Got them on eBay, seller is called pimp.your.interior ...sell all sorts and let you colour code the trim etc. before you buy!

 

[JPJ89]

Well it's been a while since I'v added anything to this...not a great deal has happened since the last update. I fitted and ran the Milltek de-cat pipe for around 3000 miles but have just taken it off for the standard cat as the noise was a bit too much for my liking inside the cabin. Did sound epic on the outside, however the pipe will be up for sale as I prefer the quieter sound of just the cat-back system for cruising around. The Bosch lambda sensor in the manifold was also replaced at the same time as fitting the de-cat, along with all 3 exhaust mounts. Cat has just been re-fitted using a new genuine gasket kit as well so all good on the exhaust for now. The car has now ticked over onto 90,000 miles as of yesterday and goes in for its yearly service & MOT at SWR in Stirling on Wednesday...at the same time a full suspension re-fit is being carried out! A pic below of all the parts that will be getting fitted:

Genuine Renault parts -

Cup wishbones
Cup shocks
Dust covers
Top mounts with new spacers
Inner tie rods
Track rod ends
Upper gearbox mount
Upper engine mount
5ltrs elf 5w40
Oil filter and sump washer
Air filter
Cabin filter

Aftermarket parts -

Eibach sportline springs
Powerflex inner and outer ARB bushes
Powerflex steering rack bushes
Powerflex rear beam bushes
Powerflex dog-bone mount bushes

Once all that is on it will be given a 4-wheel alignment as well, really can't wait to get the car back with that lot fitted, get it detailed and enjoy driving it over the summer! The only thing I would like to have added is some Eibach spacers but funds wouldn't allow it at the moment, maybe in the future!

 

[JPJ89]

Oh and maybe a set of Cup turinis in silver, if anyone is thinking of selling :wink:

 

[theburns1]

Set of turinis will set that off a treat, looks stunning mate.

 

[JPJ89]

Set of turinis will set that off a treat, looks stunning mate.

Thanks mate, hopefully source a set if they come up at the right price! Just not sure whether I would prefer them in Cup silver or Trophy anthracite...do think the Cup silver would look clean against the RB's paint though.

 

[theburns1]

Anthracite will work best, as I've seen silver on rb's and not a fan, and I'm a big fan of silver wheels. Just don't seem to suit rb's. Maybe try shadow chrome, its a dark silver, pretty sure it's an Audi wheel colour, my mate did his wheels in it and looked really good

 

[JPJ89]

There is one thing mind you that would sway me to anthracite, the fact that Iv got a set of Sprayshack anthracite bullets with RB text from the group buy waiting to go on once it's detailed. If I went for silver I don't think the anthracite bullets would have the same effect!

 

[theburns1]

I'm having my 15" turinis done silver, then I want my bullets doing the same colour, they need to match lol