Unplanned Arctic Blue 182!

[Mini 360]

Well this wasn’t really planned….! Just been made redundant (f**k you oil industry) so the logical step was obviously to buy another car

Yes, this is ex ClioSport.net member Lukes old Clio 182.

Always admired the car during his ownership but when he came to sell, I didn’t jump quick enough before it sold and regretted it.

A friend that bought it from Luke had to replace the timing belt and dephaser the day he got home with it, lost the love for it and sold it to my best mate who loved it and put on a new O2 sensor to remedy a slight misfire. I had a shot a few weeks ago going over Glenshee and fell in love with the car and had actually started looking around for a 182 of my own to modify over time. I asked for first refusal when my mate came to sell it and this occurred after a month of ownership (his new car to be revealed soon...) so I stepped in to take it off his hands.

Its got a few mods but nothing too drastic and all of decent quality/well informed choice.

• Brembo high carbon front brake discs and pads.
• New mintex rear disc and pads including abs rings and bearings (also replaced a slightly sticky caliper on the rear)
• Braided brake lines
• Front spacers
• Rear hub spacers
• Vmaxx coilovers
• Geometry setup
• T1r Toyo proxes tyres (to be changed…)
• Genuine Speedline Turini wheels in gunmetal grey
• Piper Cross filter with alloy bend and fat boy pipe locating filter behind the headlight.
• Custom battery/air filter cover
• Recently painted inlet and rocker cover to tidy up the bay.
• Matched upper inlet manifold
• RS stamped lower inlet
• RS tuner remap
• Piper stainless exhaust system (comes with decat but not currently fitted)
• PMS short shifter (f**king awesome!!!)
• Poly bushed dogbone mount
• Sabelt Renault sport wheel with adaptive plate for cruise control to still be used.
• Ph1 indicator stock with Horn
• Blue speedo surround
• Carbon Fibre washer blanks
• Carbon Fibre fog light surrounds
• Carbon Fibre mirror covers
• Fake carbon wrap interior trim and hydro dipped speaker covers. (either going to swap for real carbon or paint these as I detest fake carbon)
• Fusion upgraded speakers in all for corners
• 6 disc cd changer
• Climate control and AC
• Alcantara A pillars (going to try and expand the alcantara theme in my ownership)
• Renault Sport carpet floor mats
• Full Led interior lights, number plate bulbs, reverse lights and side lights
• Xenon headlights with black surrounds
• Chrome indicator bulbs front, side and rear
• Trophy/V6 rear spoiler with shortened struts
• S2000 short aerial
• Fabia front Splitter
• Whiteline rear anti-roll bar

Got it for the price of a well maintained standard car so I think I’ve got good value for money and it will save thousands by not having to add mods myself. I have missed having a focused drivers car since selling the DC2 and this is just what I needed and was well within budget.

Short term plans are to daily it, fit some decent tyres (Michelin PS3s I think given their performance on the DC2 and relatively low price, maybe PS4s) get rid of the BLUE SAMCO in the engine bay, lower the front seats to give me some more headroom (6’7”) and drive it as much as possible. Longer term plan is to maybe hit up a few Scottish hillclimb Championship rounds but we shall see what happens, as that seems to be a very slippery slope….

Few pics from Lukes time with it and our Glenshee hoon a few weeks back. Will swing the SLR out and take some more I get a chance though.

Anyone want to buy the EP3 Type R in the background of the final pic?

 

[Mr Plums]

Details on the ep3?

 

[imprezaworks]

Love that

 

[Mini 360]

Details on the ep3?

Send me a PM so we can discuss further

 

[BGEarles]

Looks great! [emoji16]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[msremmert]

That's lovely.
Perfect example of how to modify a Clio properly.

 

[Stay Puft]

Looks really good!

 

[182_steve]

That's such a great looking car this, always been one of my fav's on here and nice one for getting it for what sounds like a bargain price!! :grinning: On a comical note, I bought my Arctic in May 2016 and for most of the time since I've had a side on photo of this car saved on my desktop as inspiration for modifications as it had the Turini's etc etc on it that I wanted at the time........... skip forward to now, I now have the Turini's and even copied *cough* borrowed the Honda S2000 aerial idea from this car 😂

In regards to tyres, I have PS3's all round on mine and they are a great choice, i'd recommend them for your car!

 

[Mini 360]

Looks great! [emoji16]

Thanks!

That's lovely.
Perfect example of how to modify a Clio properly.

Thanks! Yeh this is why i jumped at the opportunity to buy it. Literally has wanted for nothing in its life and fresh belts and dephaser fitted a month ago made it a winner.

Looks really good!

Cheers!!

That's such a great looking car this, always been one of my fav's on here and nice one for getting it for what sounds like a bargain price!! :grinning: On a comical note, I bought my Arctic in May 2016 and for most of the time since I've had a side on photo of this car saved on my desktop as inspiration for modifications as it had the Turini's etc etc on it that I wanted at the time........... skip forward to now, I now have the Turini's and even copied *cough* borrowed the Honda S2000 aerial idea from this car 😂

In regards to tyres, I have PS3's all round on mine and they are a great choice, i'd recommend them for your car!

Yeh total bargain and with the EP3 sale I will be quids in Haha thats mad! Previous owners know their stuff which helps.

Im gutted though. I have never herbed an alloy in my 8ys of driving but today I did it to my lovely mint Turinis!!! Going to contact previous owner Luke to see where he got them refurbished so I can get the single wheel redone in the same colour. Cant believe it!

 

[182_steve]

That's another co-incidence, I sold my own cosmic grey type-r on an 05 plate and replaced it with an arctic 😂

Gutted about the wheel!! Hopefully it'll be an easy fix if you can get the colour match

 

[Mini 360]

Nothing changed but took a couple of snaps so why not share em.

had an interview today. Very appropriate car to attend in don't you think? When business meets pleasure? :lol:

and a quick one of the badge on the dash

Jumped back into the Civic for a quick test before it hopefully sells later this week and i genuinely thought it was broken it was that unresponsive in comparison to the Clio. Such a good idea to change to the Clio! I am accompanying my friend who sold me my 182 to buy a Clio 200 in Birmingham on Friday so we plan to get a few pics of the cars together. Should be fun!

 

[20vKarlos]

Lovely looking car.

look forward to the updates :up:

 

[182_steve]

Yeah I get that with the Type-R, it's quick but only at it's best in v-tec and must be quite a bit heavier than the Clio! I certainly didn't regret the change

 

[Mini 360]

Lovely looking car.

look forward to the updates :up:

Many thanks! Still trying to think what I can do to it to put my own stamp on it...

Yeah I get that with the Type-R, it's quick but only at it's best in v-tec and must be quite a bit heavier than the Clio! I certainly didn't regret the change

I loved the VTEC engine (B18) in my old 98 Spec DC2 but its a bit more civilised in the EP3 and comes in a full 1000rpm later too. Just not for me really.

 

[Aydon182]

What do the v maxx coilovers handle like?

 

[Mini 360]

What do the v maxx coilovers handle like?

To be honest I'm unsure as yet due to the terrible Toyos that it currently has. It's only been wet roads I've driven t on so don't have the confidence in the tyre to push on with it.

 

[Mini 360]

Well I threw caution to the wind and had a good blast in the car today as I was running late for a lunch meet up and I can say that the suspension is pretty good and the car handles well with the rear arb from whiteline. What I will say is that the car needs raised as the slightest change in road surface sees the wheel tugging this way and that, making overtaking interesting....

Love this little thing

 

[Mini 360]

Don't love this little thing quiiiiite so much at the moment. The auxiliary belt is screeching when I apply lock to the wheel. Had a little investigation today and as soon as the wheel is turned, you can see the pulley on the power steering pump stop briefly and can then hear the belt screaming over the top of it.

I presume this means that it is the power steering pump that has gone wrong and I will need a replacement. Just bought one from eBay to be on the safe side which should hopefully arrive either Thursday or Friday. Don't want to risk driving it as if that belt snaps I do not want the cam belt to be snapping due to the aux belt getting caught up in it!

 

[STEVE.M]

Don't love this little thing quiiiiite so much at the moment. The auxiliary belt is screeching when I apply lock to the wheel. Had a little investigation today and as soon as the wheel is turned, you can see the pulley on the power steering pump stop briefly and can then hear the belt screaming over the top of it.

I presume this means that it is the power steering pump that has gone wrong and I will need a replacement. Just bought one from eBay to be on the safe side which should hopefully arrive either Thursday or Friday. Don't want to risk driving it as if that belt snaps I do not want the cam belt to be snapping due to the aux belt getting caught up in it!

Very wise.
The auxiliary belt tensioner could be seized.

 

[Mini 360]

Very wise.
The auxiliary belt tensioner could be seized.

This is true but with it being replaced in December I would like to think that wasn't the case. Pump ordered anyway and it will be a good time to replace the power steering fluid anyway. Just as well Im out of work at the moment so I don't desperately need the car every day!

 

[STEVE.M]

This is true but with it being replaced in December I would like to think that wasn't the case. Pump ordered anyway and it will be a good time to replace the power steering fluid anyway. Just as well Im out of work at the moment so I don't desperately need the car every day!

Check the water pump while belt is off.

 

[Rojer]

Don't love this little thing quiiiiite so much at the moment. The auxiliary belt is screeching when I apply lock to the wheel. Had a little investigation today and as soon as the wheel is turned, you can see the pulley on the power steering pump stop briefly and can then hear the belt screaming over the top of it.

I presume this means that it is the power steering pump that has gone wrong and I will need a replacement. Just bought one from eBay to be on the safe side which should hopefully arrive either Thursday or Friday. Don't want to risk driving it as if that belt snaps I do not want the cam belt to be snapping due to the aux belt getting caught up in it!

Let me know how you get on with the pump from eBay, did you buy a second hand one or a new refurb one? I am looking for one myself.

 

[Mini 360]

This thing really is tiny.

Nothing major happening to this apart from I've not driven it in three weeks....since I picked it up it has always had a slight squeal under full lock coming from the auxiliary belt. Belts were done a couple months before I bought it so I began to worry. Turns out it was a non-gen auxiliary belt used rather than OE Renault, so I picked up a new genuine belt (only £18...) and with the squeal getting even worse and squealing with even slight lock applied, I set about fitting it.

Big engine, small engine bay means bumper off, headlight out and then develop Donald Trump tiny hands to get in about to do the job.

As I was fitting a new belt I chopped the old one off to save time and set about fitting the new one. 5mins job I thought, however upon refitting, I noticed the auxiliary belt tensioner wasn't replaced when 'the belts were done'. Rather than glory on, I wanted to do the job right, unlike a previous owner so I waited to source a tensioner.

Since I couldn't get any further until I got a new tensioner, I cleaned up the bay and front panel etc.

Ordered up a new tensioner from 5 suppliers in the end after each one in turn cancelled my order as they didn't have one in stock. So three weeks later after chasing around suppliers, I buckled today and bought a more expensive one from ECP. Hour later it was at my door and it looks like its a genuine tensioner with the Renault casting marks removed to me.

So fitting that is tomorrows job and hopefully that will eliminate the squealing once and for all and I can get back to driving it rather than the Mrs baby blue 500......

Since it was sitting and a couple of my mates were free, they popped round for a car cleaning session. I do like my mates MK7 GTI but he really should have got a PP version. The Panda 100hp is comical in the bends but sloooow on the straights but my mate loves it.

Jizz

With the high carbon discs, brake dust is pretty high so iron out did its job admirably!

And the final outcome, if I do say so myself, looks ace! The colour really pops in the sun with the metallic flake showing through but it is in desperate need of a full paint correction and deep clean detail once the weather improves a bit.

So even though its been a royal pain in the ass recently, I still love the thing.

As suspected the new tensioner is the same as a Renault one but with the markings ground off (see above and compare to below)

Got the new tensioner on today but f**k me the belt isn't easy to get on. Failed to do so before college tonight so that's a job for tomorrow. Will have to think up some random contraption to fit in the tiny space available. Small cars with big engines are a bad idea!

 

[Louis]

Makes you wonder if the belts were actually changed at all mate.

 

[Mini 360]

Makes you wonder if the belts were actually changed at all mate.

They were as I have receipts from KTec for genuine cam belt kit and water pump but just an invoice for a non gen belt. Why go to that much bother to miss out a crucial part in the form of the aux tensioner?!

 

[JonC219]

Little tip for the tensioner: use a big jubilee clip

 

[182_steve]

That looks sooo smart in those 'after cleaning' photos, comes up well!

Least you know the belts have been done and by someone who knows what they are doing but I know what you mean, seems odd to fail at the final thing!!

 

[Mini 360]

Little tip for the tensioner: use a big jubilee clip

Thats what i used in the end. Took forever to get the belt over the final pulley but its done now. What a pain of a job!

That looks sooo smart in those 'after cleaning' photos, comes up well!

Least you know the belts have been done and by someone who knows what they are doing but I know what you mean, seems odd to fail at the final thing!!

Cheers! Pretty happy with it I must admit. Yeh the guy just said to me that he didn't see much point as 'it looked fine'.....*sighs*. All good now though and back to loving the thing!!!

 

[Mini 360]

Not a major update but a few pics taken.

Got the genuine belt on in the end after putting it in hot water for 10mins. Worked a treat and zero squeaks now so happy days

That was until Saturday when driving 5mins down the road the car died and wouldn't restart. Quick check under the bonnet and this sight welcomed me...

The cable to the alternator had corroded over time and with me moving about at stuff near the auxiliary belt, it must have snapped. I never noticed as it came to rest on the mounting nut but must have been failing to charge the battery. Got a charge on the battery from my future father in law and with the spare set of keys, it started and was enough to get me home again.

Quick trip to Hellfrauds for some battery ring connectors and 5mins stripping back the cable and back to running with no issues again. Simple fix to a simple problem thankfully. The connectors were even the perfect ID for the mounting bolt too. Ideal!

In other news, the Sabelt Clio Cup racing car wheel was showing signs of wear and tear and was thick with grime. So with the Minis 90mm dished OMP Corsica sitting on the Mini doing nothing in the garage, I swapped them out to allow some cleaning of the Sabelt. Actually feels a lot nicer to drive with the wheel closer to me as with me being 6'7" my legs put me a fair bit away from the non-reach adjustable steering column and the flat Sabelt wheel meant I leant forward without really realising.

I think the yellow details compliment the blue of the car so Im happy to keep the wheel on for a while.

Heres the state of the Sabelt one.....

Wee comparison between the two

 

[Rojer]

Nice work, that Sabelt wheel should come up nice with a clean and a brush. I take it its alcantara?

 

[leeds2592]

Did you know you can an adjuster spacer that goes behind the wheel to bring it closer to you? Might be worth looking into if you still want the Sabelt wheel.

 

[Mini 360]

Nice work, that Sabelt wheel should come up nice with a clean and a brush. I take it its alcantara?

Yeh it is. Cleaning up nicely, just leaving to dry for a few days so it doesn't go mouldy with the moisture.

Did you know you can an adjuster spacer that goes behind the wheel to bring it closer to you? Might be worth looking into if you still want the Sabelt wheel.

Yeh I have looked into them but didn't want to buy one to find I didn't really like it. Having the wheel from my classic Mini show car thats currently in storage meant i could test my theory out hassle free!

 

[Mini 360]

Just being a pic whore My 182 next to my best mates RS 200 Cup. Both could actually do with a clean but the pic says otherwise.

 

[Mini 360]

Few photos from Thursday night. Nothing fancy but Ive not picked up my camera and edited photos in over a year so skills are highly rusty. Loving my mates 200 Cup but he really needs to get his arse in gear and buy Recaros for it but I think he's wanting to do a rear seat delete first then taking it from there.

Hoping to get out and about with the camera and cars again when summer hits.

 

[182_steve]

Very smart

 

[dann2707]

Holy s**t your car sits so so well. Especially in that last post, it just looks perfect.

The title makes it sound like you gave birth to it though.

 

[Mini 360]

Holy s**t your car sits so so well. Especially in that last post, it just looks perfect.

The title makes it sound like you gave birth to it though.

Thanks! It looks awesome but is so low it rubs far too easily when leaning on it in the corners. Going to be raising it a touch to see if it sorts it out as it doesn't inspire confidence.

Haha well losing my job and then this costing me some money to repair certainly was painful but maybe time to alter the title now the car is staying put.

 

[Mini 360]

This thing is still great fun and still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Happy days.

Took it on a road trip to Aviemore via Ballater/The Lecht and it didn't miss a beat. Driving on The Lecht in rainy, snowy, slippery conditions was not fun with the terrible Toyo Proxes tyres however so once I get my first pay from the new job, i think I will be changing them for something a bit more all weather suitable. Didn't get any pics from this trip as it was pouring and I didn't want to soak my camera or myself.

I did however get a chance for some photos yesterday. Mrs to be was at a wedding exhibition with her bridesmaids so I went for a hoon alongside Tav in his new 'Tatty Trophy' purchase. So here are some excessive photos of old French hot hatches.

It was interesting to compare the two cars both in looks and performance. Even without the fancy remote reservoir Sachs, Tavs Trophy was more planted in the corners than my 182. I'm putting this down to a combination of crap tyres and the daft ride height of mine meaning I can't lean on the tyres for fear of bottoming out the outside tyre on the inner arch and a touch of understeer. Borrowed some c spanners so I'm hoping to get the thing raised a bit this week and see what its like after that.

 

[Mini 360]

Tav getting his lean on

View attachment 185828

Tav fair chuffed with his purchase

View attachment 185829

Was a bit slippy underfoot.....

Steam Train McTavish

 

[182_steve]

Great photos, both cars look awesome!