Advice for first time 182

[Browny]

Alright me lovelies,

Im getting my first Clio 182, and as much as id like to start on appearance and cosmetic straight away i want to make sure its mechanically up to par, as it were.

So when i get it, what do i want to be looking for/doing ect..

Ive heard alot about Cam belts and making sure they're in time...

Im going to give it an oil change when i get it but is there anything else you recommend i do... just so i have a list and can get it done, out of the way and on top of...

 

[Browny]

Also, what would be the best air filter/induction and is a strut brace really needed?

 

[Beef-Mc]

Cambelt and auxbelt done on time would be ideal, preferably not by Bob's backstreet garage though, as it's likely to rob you of a few ponies. As for airbox standard with a paper filter is probs best but you'll get loads of differing answers dependent on individual preference. Strut brace, is a big no from most people, I've never tried so cant comment.

 

[Goodj]

Hey Sarge,

aftermarket induction (and for that matter, normal tuning) is pretty much wasted on a 182, you'll not get any performance gains anyway.
Sure it can be made louder with drainpipe exhausts and massive intake cones, but it's not a 'nice' loud... well, not to my ears anyway. Personal preferences really.

Strut braces? For the front? I don't recall the forum making much of a fuss about those, however a rear anti-roll bar is a popular addition.

 

[Browny]

Hey Sarge,

aftermarket induction (and for that matter, normal tuning) is pretty much wasted on a 182, you'll not get any performance gains anyway.
Sure it can be made louder with drainpipe exhausts and massive intake cones, but it's not a 'nice' loud... well, not to my ears anyway. Personal preferences really.

Strut braces? For the front? I don't recall the forum making much of a fuss about those, however a rear anti-roll bar is a popular addition.

Yeha, im not to fussed about getting one, just wanted to see what peoples view was..

So far i have;

Oil Change
Cambelt and Auxbelt done

 

[Goodj]

That's, pretty much, all you need to do.

Although the forum will brow-beat you constantly about "lowz"

 

[djjonnibgood]

A good service like the belts and oil that you've mentioned. You're money will be best spent on petrol and enjoying the car Other than that, get some decent tyres if it hasn't got any on

 

[Browny]

Yeah, thats great, cheers..

Also what about detailing, i fancy getting some basic stuff cause im sick of the sponge and car washes leaving swirls and little scratches.. Any idea what to get..

 

[UKBraderz]

Get your self an ITG performance filter, I had one on my valver & I now run one on my 182, good filters IMO! Detailing wise just get your self a lambs wool mitt & a woolly mammoth drying towel for starters then have a look at what products take your fancy! I tend to use Autoglym & Megs mainly but it's all personal preference!

 

[Danith]

Decent exhaust (scorpions tend to be quite quiet - yozza if you're a macdonalds hero) as the stds tend to be hanging off and rotten. RS tuning 98 RON map (Not the overrun 100% chav add on). Eibach springs, new bushes/shocks if needed to get it feeling tight again.

 

[bozothenutter]

Get tje car in good nick first.
Check the suspension and or refurb it, same for the brakes.....

Then start modding......

 

[Browny]

Oil Change
Cambelt and Auxbelt done
Eibach Springs
New brushes/Shocks

So far so good.. Cheers for this guys, any more advice is very welcome.

 

[Kyle 86]

Also, what would be the best air filter/induction and is a strut brace really needed?

Ive just fitted the new KTR 2 RS kit its bloody amazing and the noise gets me giggling like a schoolboy lol

 

[Kyle 86]

Oil Change
Cambelt and Auxbelt done
Eibach Springs
New brushes/Shocks

So far so good.. Cheers for this guys, any more advice is very welcome.

Check for noisy dephaser pulley aswell bud

 

[Browny]

Check for noisy dephaser pulley aswell bud

Will do, cheers matey

 

[Kyle 86]

Dont bother with springs the car will roll all over the place within 2 months and ull get knocks and bangs if money aint to much of an option and ur planning to throw a few quid at her defo invest in a highly rated coilover kit

 

[Browny]

Dont bother with springs the car will roll all over the place within 2 months and ull get knocks and bangs if money aint to much of an option and ur planning to throw a few quid at her defo invest in a highly rated coilover kit

That would be instead of the Eibach Springs??

 

[Kyle 86]

That would be instead of the Eibach Springs??

Yes bud avoid the eibachs for sure coilovers all the way

 

[Browny]

Tip tosh, its added to the 'things to do list' Cheeeeeers

 

[Kyle 86]

Theres always a to do list mine is never ending haha its a bug pal

 

[Browny]

I think its going to be a bug i enjoy

 

[Darren S]

Oil Change
Cambelt and Auxbelt done
Eibach Springs
New brushes/Shocks

So far so good.. Cheers for this guys, any more advice is very welcome.

If there's no record of the gearbox oil being changed - get that done too. I've had mine since new and got the oil dropped and swapped at 12k. The 'box went from feeling like a spoon handle sticking out from a tub of wet concrete - to something that was actually quite precise and rewarding to use. I've had the oil changed 4 times now in it's life.

Also, I 'think' the spark plugs are recommended to be changed at circa 50k. Might be worth looking for receipts on those. It's not a difficult job to change - more time consuming than anything as the plugs are buried deep within the engine itself.

edit - if your 182 has the headlamp washers fitted - they normally weep and empty the washer bottle quite quickly - especially from the drivers side. Just inside the nearside front wheel-arch liner (attached to the bumper with a couple of small Torx bolts) you can reach in an pull the two plastic tubes out that feed the front washers. Snip them and insert a pair of non-return valves (literally a couple of quid from Halfords) - and bingo, no more weeping washer jets.

D.

 

[Russ_16v]

Dont bother with springs the car will roll all over the place within 2 months and ull get knocks and bangs if money aint to much of an option and ur planning to throw a few quid at her defo invest in a highly rated coilover kit

That would be instead of the Eibach Springs??

Yes bud avoid the eibachs for sure coilovers all the way

Disagree.

For road use, a decent set of shocks with Eibach springs is better than all but the really expensive coilovers. I am running Gaz coilovers (£500) and poly bushed front end, and my old ph1 which I fitted Eibach springs and brand new Renaultsport shocks was twice as good on the road than my car is now - the main advantage of the Clio is the playfull handling and ability of tackling all roads - mine 'feels' quicker due to it being lower and stiffer, but due to road conditions, a better damped Clio would be quicker, and more comfortable. (I am talking road use by the way, yes mine is set up for track use)

The only Coilovers iv found to be better were my kw's, but with a £1100 price tag you would expect that, (there are other coilover kits which are good too) but saying avoid the eibach springs is nonsense, they are the best choice for wanting a spring upgrade due to them being progressively wound, so they remain soft enough during normal driving but become stiff when you press on.

I think you're confusing Eibach with something like gmax or apex, which just are shorter coils, which if fitted on old shocks, top mounts may cause banging due to those parts being old and now being under more pressure - I ran Eibachs with new genuine shocks for over 25.000 miles with no issues

 

[Browny]

If there's no record of the gearbox oil being changed - get that done too. I've had mine since new and got the oil dropped and swapped at 12k. The 'box went from feeling like a spoon handle sticking out from a tub of wet concrete - to something that was actually quite precise and rewarding to use. I've had the oil changed 4 times now in it's life.

Also, I 'think' the spark plugs are recommended to be changed at circa 50k. Might be worth looking for receipts on those. It's not a difficult job to change - more time consuming than anything as the plugs are buried deep within the engine itself.

edit - if your 182 has the headlamp washers fitted - they normally weep and empty the washer bottle quite quickly - especially from the drivers side. Just inside the nearside front wheel-arch liner (attached to the bumper with a couple of small Torx bolts) you can reach in an pull the two plastic tubes out that feed the front washers. Snip them and insert a pair of non-return valves (literally a couple of quid from Halfords) - and bingo, no more weeping washer jets.

D.

Cheers mate, ill get that sorted if it has the washers

If there's no record of the gearbox oil being changed - get that done too. I've had mine since new and got the oil dropped and swapped at 12k. The 'box went from feeling like a spoon handle sticking out from a tub of wet concrete - to something that was actually quite precise and rewarding to use. I've had the oil changed 4 times now in it's life.

Also, I 'think' the spark plugs are recommended to be changed at circa 50k. Might be worth looking for receipts on those. It's not a difficult job to change - more time consuming than anything as the plugs are buried deep within the engine itself.

edit - if your 182 has the headlamp washers fitted - they normally weep and empty the washer bottle quite quickly - especially from the drivers side. Just inside the nearside front wheel-arch liner (attached to the bumper with a couple of small Torx bolts) you can reach in an pull the two plastic tubes out that feed the front washers. Snip them and insert a pair of non-return valves (literally a couple of quid from Halfords) - and bingo, no more weeping washer jets.

D.

Ill see what it has, i dont think ill ever be taking it on a track if im honest.. i might just have to go with the cheaper option at the minute. But cheers anyway guys.. its all helping

 

[Don]

I agree with Russ on the springs. I found the Eibachs are a decent spring and much more progressive than the standards (and cheaper to replace too!) Especially for road use.

Check your rear dampers for any leaking as that won't help the driving experience with the car as the back end will move far too much.

Exhaust...get an aftermarket one (if its not already got one)...as the Renault exhausts are made of chocolate!

 

[Browny]

I agree with Russ on the springs. I found the Eibachs are a decent spring and much more progressive than the standards (and cheaper to replace too!) Especially for road use.

Check your rear dampers for any leaking as that won't help the driving experience with the car as the back end will move far too much.

Exhaust...get an aftermarket one (if its not already got one)...as the Renault exhausts are made of chocolate!

Any recommendation on the exhaust??


Oil Change
Cambelt and Auxbelt done
Eibach Springs
New brushes/Shocks
Rear Dampers
Headlight Washer Bleed
Aftermarket Exhaust
Spark Plugs (Maybe)

So far.. its uber appreciated

 

[MartinR]

Dont bother with springs the car will roll all over the place within 2 months and ull get knocks and bangs if money aint to much of an option and ur planning to throw a few quid at her defo invest in a highly rated coilover kit

Yes bud avoid the eibachs for sure coilovers all the way

Lol great advice mate...

 

[not normal dan]

Dont bother with springs the car will roll all over the place within 2 months and ull get knocks and bangs if money aint to much of an option and ur planning to throw a few quid at her defo invest in a highly rated coilover kit

Yes bud avoid the eibachs for sure coilovers all the way

Some sort of idiot?

Eibach springs are some of the best available, renault fit them as standard to the trophy. (plus why to many other manufactures provide eibachs as an extra? i.e ford)

With a good set of dampers they will provide a better ride an tighten the handling a little which is ideal for a road car an in my mind a perfect combination. These will no doubt be better then most budget coilovers which alot of people tend to fit due to the costs of say some h&r's of kw's.

 

[Darren S]

Any recommendation on the exhaust??

So far.. its uber appreciated

What mileage has the 182 got at the minute, Browny? Chances are that it will have an aftermarket exhaust (or certainly backbox) fitted over the original item, already. The OEM piece was heavy, made of very poor metal and hence rusted badly, collected water for many people, had weedy pee-shooter exit pipes and sounded FAR too muted! Many people have their own favourites on here - but I went with the KTR/Janspeed exhaust from K-Tec with the supersports centre section. Definitely louder than the OEM, it's much lighter, a doddle to fit and has larger exit pipes that are slash-cut to follow the lines of the rear bumper - rather than stick out like the OEM pipes.

As for the Eibachs - I've had no issues at all with my springs apart from one that split! Probably down to a one-off manufacturing glitch though as they have been excellent for the last 50k and Eibach swapped the failed spring out under warranty.

D.

 

[Martin_172]

eibachs would be my choice but id also do fresh genuine dampers too, for all it costs!

 

[Darren S]

Any recommendation on the exhaust??

Oil Change
Cambelt and Auxbelt done
Eibach Springs
New brushes/Shocks
Rear Dampers
Headlight Washer Bleed
Aftermarket Exhaust
Spark Plugs (Maybe)

So far.. its uber appreciated

Browny - below are the washer pipes, pulled out from inside the arch liner. The arch liner itself down't have to be removed, just unbolted. The pipes are held in place by a little clip, that you should easily be able to reach with your hand.

The left tube is as standard. The right tube has the non-return valve fitted in place, for comparison.

D.

 

[Browny]

Browny - below are the washer pipes, pulled out from inside the arch liner. The arch liner itself down't have to be removed, just unbolted. The pipes are held in place by a little clip, that you should easily be able to reach with your hand.

The left tube is as standard. The right tube has the non-return valve fitted in place, for comparison.


D.

Thats great mate, thanks a bunch

 

[plymcl172]

Not sure if it has been said but I would do this

Full service- so under rated at times but you need a starting point

then get all your belts done then you can think about mods, try not to jump the gun excited as you are

 

[Browny]

Yeah, i had intended on doing all the mechanical work first, before the springs and exhaust ect... Cheers though

 

[Russ_16v]

Look at renewing all the steering consumables - ball joints, tie roads/ends, steering rack bushes, suspension top mounts - a Clio with fresh suspension and steering is like a different car - unbelivibly good!

 

[Browny]

Look at renewing all the steering consumables - ball joints, tie roads/ends, steering rack bushes, suspension top mounts - a Clio with fresh suspension and steering is like a different car - unbelivibly good!

Yeah ill get that looked into as well, thanks bud

 

[Darren S]

Yeah ill get that looked into as well, thanks bud

I had most of that done on mine at Birchdown about 25k back. It does really sharpen up the feel of the car.

D.