Ashers' BG 182

[Ash J]

On Tuesday evening, I went and picked up a decat pipe for a very reasonable price of £25. Thought I would give one a go, and if I don't like it then I can always swap the original cat back in.

A set of bullets came up for sale from Simon at Spray Shack, Anthracite with '2.0 16v' in black. Very similar to the ones I already had on, just the '2.0 16v' was in blue. In my eyes they just look better on a BG and am much happier with the look. Suffice to say, the other smoothed pair are currently in the classifieds!

Car was booked in with Mike at Rentech yesterday, and had the following work done:

Front discs and pads fitted (Brembo High Carbon and Ferodo DS2500)
Rear discs, pads, hub nuts, spacers fitted (Genuine Renault)
KTR braided hoses fitted
Brake fluid flush with ATE fluid
Ph1 Shifter with Yanoo Adjustable Stiff Shift fitted
Gearbox oil changed
New gear gaiter
Decat pipe fitted
Annoying rattle from heat shield sorted

Was pretty excited when I got the call from Mike to say the car was all done and ready to pick up!

Love how my Ph1 shifter looks, especially with the gear knob which I had sprayed in Black Gold. Only problem so far is it is a bit squeaky when moving the shifter. I think it is because the Yanoo stiff shift kit is too tight, you can adjust it via 4 allen screws so you can choose how stiff you want it to be when selecting gear. So a job for today is to slacken it off slightly to see if this reduces the squeaking, which I hope it does.

Pic of the brakes...

As for the decat being fitted, happy with it so far. I was worried it would be much louder on idle which would be a pain for the neighbours. But, I have to say, whilst I can detect it is slightly louder, it's not really noticeable so I am pleased with that. However, when you are giving it some, it is quite noticeable and makes a lovely raspy sounds at the top of the rev range. Really liking it actually, but as I say if I get tired of it then I'll just put the cat back on.

Had a call from Mark Fish on Wednesday to say rear Koni's and his springs were ready, so I am hoping they might arrive today. If not early next week, and that will be all my suspension parts bought ready to be fitted.

Jobs for today on this fine weekend:

Adjust tightness of shifter
Swap over the mechanism from my original indicator stalk to the Ph1 stalk, so I get auto-cancel indicators again
Refit the resistors behind the wheel for airbag, so the warning lights don't come and go intermittently
Give her a well deserved clean, inside and out! Looking a state at the moment!

 

[Paul172sport]

Cars looking great mate. So clean in the flesh. Turning into an ultimate spec 182.

Glad Mike sorted all your jobs out. Mine was down there Thursday.

Bet you can't wait for the Sachs

 

[Ash J]

Cars looking great mate. So clean in the flesh. Turning into an ultimate spec 182.

Glad Mike sorted all your jobs out. Mine was down there Thursday.

Bet you can't wait for the Sachs

Thanks mate, ought to be for the money I've spent!

What was yours down the for? The wheel bearing?

Yeah can't wait to get it all fitted and try out the Sachs. Shouldn't be too long now.

 

[Ash J]

So I swapped over the mechanism from my Ph2 stalk into the Ph1 stalk, and auto-cancel indicators are now working again. Sorted!

Also refitted the airbag resistors and taped up all the plugs sitting inside the hub just to ensure none touch each other. Airbag warning light has been off all weekend since doing this so think that is sorted also now.

Gave her a clean on the inside today, took me a couple of hours, and is the first time I have touched the interior since having her! I also found out from meeting a knowledgable Clio guy, that my car has Trophy door sills, as opposed to the normal 182 ones. I have read before that some of the last 182s produced had the Recaro's fitted as standard and were fully specced up, almost as like a run out edition. Mine are factory fit Recaro's (not donated from Trophy) so maybe the sills were also fitted to very late 182s? Anyway, interior is now looking mint, a lot better than it shows in the pics.

Only other thing I wanted to do this weekend was sort out my squeaky gear shifter. Had a go at loosening the Yanoo adjustable housing, but made no difference. It is a bit quieter when cold, and I don't always notice it now as I have my music at a loudish volume, but it can be annoying. Took a video to show what it is like. Sounds worse in the video than it actually is, but anybody else experienced this from fitting the adjustable Yanoo Stiff Shift kit? Can only think it needs greasing a bit more? Bought it second hand and didn't grease it anymore before fitting it.

That's all for now!

 

[Stefan.]

Saw your car on friday at rentech mine was in for an mot

Wondered what you were getting done lol

 

[Ash J]

Saw your car on friday at rentech mine was in for an mot

Wondered what you were getting done lol

Yeah I was talking to Mike about spacers as he has just fitted some. And I mentioned that you had some which he fitted. Then he said you had been down there same day to have MOT lol.

Did she pass with flying colours?

 

[Stefan.]

Yeah I was talking to Mike about spacers as he has just fitted some. And I mentioned that you had some which he fitted. Then he said you had been down there same day to have MOT lol.

Did she pass with flying colours?

Haha, yeah flying colours mate! :grinning:

Should do woth the amount i spent on it

I keep looking at other cars though...

 

[Ash J]

Haha, yeah flying colours mate! :grinning:

Should do woth the amount i spent on it

I keep looking at other cars though...

Yeah I know the feeling mate, can't help but spend money on these motors.

What you been eyeing up? Mk1 Focus RS again still? They've become fairly common on the roads of Portsmouth now lol, know of a few!

 

[Stefan.]

Yeah I know the feeling mate, can't help but spend money on these motors.

What you been eyeing up? Mk1 Focus RS again still? They've become fairly common on the roads of Portsmouth now lol, know of a few!

Haha oh really, yeah them or an e46 m3...

 

[Ash J]

Haha oh really, yeah them or an e46 m3...

Both nice cars mate, wouldn't mind either. Just make sure you get a good'un if you get an E46, they do have their issues, but nice cars!

 

[Ash J]

So I had a delivery from Mark Fish today... can not bloody wait to get all this fitted along with the Trophy dampers and all the rest of my suspension parts!

 

[Ash J]

Not a great deal to update with in this last week.

The last parts I needed for my suspension refresh were a pair of wishbones. Cheapest I have seen a pair of genuine ones for is from a Renault Parts supplier on eBay at £100 posted for the pair which is a very reasonable price.

I was going to purchase a pair until I saw a member on here breaking his race car, and he had a pair of wishbones already fitted with Powerflex bushes which have apparently only seen a couple of events. Considering I have all the other Powerflex bushes ready to fit apart from the wishbone ones (which are about £100 for the whole set for both wishbones), I thought I might as well go this route instead as everything will then be Powerflex. So I went and picked these up today.

After doing some research, it appears that you can not buy the ball joints separate from Renault. K-Tec list them separate, but they are £70 for a pair including postage! After even more research, I managed to discover that Renault Scenic Mk1 (up to 2003) ball joints (which Renault do sell separate) appear to be the same as the 172/182 ones. I did a search on Euro Car Parts on my reg, and made a note of the part number for the Lemforder ball joints they sell, making sure they were the correct 12mm ones. I then did a search on a 2002 Scenic, and checked the part number of the ball joints, and it was exactly the same. To double check, I then went onto the 'Meyle' catalogue and did the same thing, and sure enough the ball joints listed for my car and the Scenic shared the same part number again.

I know Lemforder are said to be good, but Febi Bilstein are the preferred choice for me (OE Quality) if available. After doing a search, Febi do list a ball joint for the Scenic, but strangely do not list anything for a Clio 182. However, based on the cross referencing I did above via ECP and Meyle, I managed to deduce that the Febi ones for the Scenic should fit just fine.

So I then set about searching for a pair of Febi ball joints for a Scenic, which brought me here... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301393001669?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

So that is £19.84 delivered for a pair of Febi ball joints, which I have just ordered. Add that to what I paid for the second hand wishbones with Powerflex bushes fitted, and it comes to a fair bit cheaper than the £100 I would have spent on a pair of new genuine wishbones, so I'm happy with that!

I will report back once the ball joints arrive to confirm they fit ok, but I am very confident they will be just fine! Pic of wishbones I picked up today...

Only other thing I have done is change the bonnet/slam panel rubber seal. Mine was split virtually all the way along like so....

So I bought a new one from @davo172 via the Group Buy on here. Very reasonable price, top quality product, and an awesome bloke to deal with, highly recommend his services! It arrived this morning, and so I got it fitted straight away. Very happy, and looks so much better!

That's all for now!

 

[just-that-ek]

The man with the cash never stops spending lol.

That was you I saw earlier right?

 

[Ash J]

The man with the cash never stops spending lol.

That was you I saw earlier right?

Oh that was you then, just past Loomies? I remember flashing to a Blue Megane but wasn't sure if it was you or not, just being friendly to another Renault Sport owner! But I did think after it might have been you. So yes it was me, was heading to Aldershot to pick up those wishbones.

 

[Luke...]

this just gets better and better everytime is view this thread. Need to message you about those bullets actually now i have just remembered haha

 

[Ash J]

this just gets better and better everytime is view this thread. Need to message you about those bullets actually now i have just remembered haha

Cheers mate. Haha yeah they are still here.

 

[just-that-ek]

Oh that was you then, just past Loomies? I remember flashing to a Blue Megane but wasn't sure if it was you or not, just being friendly to another Renault Sport owner! But I did think after it might have been you. So yes it was me, was heading to Aldershot to pick up those wishbones.

Yeah I was going for a 'sprinted' drive but it was a total waste of fuel as every oap was put!

 

[Richyy182]

Lovely BG -
My BG has the same door sills -
Must be on the 05's

 

[SimpleJoee]

Loving the updates on this, can't wait to get the ball rolling on mine shortly.

 

[joytodrive25]

Cant believe I just found this thread, looks great so far. I must look into the alcantara re-trim as that is a great way to get rid of the light grey parts without spraying.

 

[Ash J]

Cheers for the kind comments chaps.

Not much of an update, but I ordered a few decals from a guy on here @Ady182 (n2grafix) and they arrived Friday, so I got them fitted today.

Firstly, I ordered one of the new style 'Elf' decals to replace the original OEM one in the back window. It just ties in with my newer style RS rear badge hence why I went with it, very happy with the result!

Also ordered a pair of 'Recaro' decals to fit to the side mounts on the seats, again just a small touch but so nice when I open the door and that sticker is now there.

Finally, I ordered a few 'Renault F1 Team' decals in various different colour combos. I fitted one to the front edge of the bonnet, and one to the bottom right of the rear window. Very happy with these, especially the front bonnet one, so subtle but looks so good in my eyes and ties in with the colour combo of my bullets.

I also ordered a new pair of 'ClioSport' decals in Anthracite which I fitted to the rear side windows to tie in with bullets and front decal, no picture of these!

So here are the pics of all the decals fitted, as I say only a small update! And yes I know the car needs a clean!

 

[Ash J]

Not a great deal has happened since last update.

Car is now booked in for all the suspension to be fitted on 17th August, very excited. Have that week off work, so will be nice to go for a few drives that week with all the new suspension and not having to worry about work.

I ordered some new door pulls as mine had seen better days. Most people either go for standard replacements, or have them painted (gloss black for example). I chose to have mine flocked, in Anthracite Grey. Very happy with the result, finish is lovely. I have a few pics of when they arrived, see below. They are now fitted, and I have taken photos of them fitted, but the camera makes the door pulls look purple instead of grey so I have not posted them up. I have also ordered a steering cowling in the same Anthracite Grey so waiting for that to arrive now. Anyway, here are the door pulls...

Next up, the heater developed a problem last weekend. The blower was on maximum speed, regardless of what speed I set it to on the heater control panel. I could change the temperature, but the speed just remained at maximum power, and some of the other buttons (where to direct air) were not working correctly. I put a post up on here, but nobody replied with any suggestions as to what it could be. After a bit of research, it appears that a fairly common issue is the heater resistor motor which fails, located under the scuttle next to where the pollen filter is. I sourced a genuine second hand one which had been tested and was working, and decided to buy it and give it a try to see if it would cure my problem (I wasn't hopeful). Swapped the old for the new last night and... bingo! It worked! Best £20 I've spent on the car as the sound of the heater being on full blast was damn annoying! A picture of the offending item for anyone who might have a similar problem...

Yesterday my new warning stickers arrived for the top of the grille under the bonnet. Mine have curled up and look very unsightly, so will get these fitted tomorrow and post up some before and after pics, should tidy it up a treat.

Also, I ordered new LED bulbs for the interior delay light, interior map reading light, glove box light and boot light. Will get all these fitted tomorrow too and again post up before and after pics if possible, hoping they will just smarten up the interior a little bit.

Finally, this happened..

Orbisoud!! It is a full system (haven't taken a picture of the centre section and sports cat, or the custom rear mounting plates and mounts they come with) and it needs a clean up as you can tell from the pic, which I will do within the next week or so, but I can see that it should come up very well. Can't wait to get this fitted. Suffice to say, my BTB cat-back system will probably be up for sale once the Orb is fitted (hopefully within the next month) so keep an eye out in the classifieds!

That's it for now.

 

[Craig]

Coming on nicely mate. I'm just about to refresh my suspension so might grab some of them ball joints and save £££

 

[Craig]

I've just seen qh do them aswell might pick some up for free.

 

[Luke...]

did you get the flocked bits from the company on ebay ash? have been keeping an eye on a few flocked interior bits myself.

 

[Ash J]

did you get the flocked bits from the company on ebay ash? have been keeping an eye on a few flocked interior bits myself.

Yes Luke from the guys on eBay, 'Black Sheep Flocking'. Nice guys to deal with actually so wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

 

[Ash J]

Edit. Double post.

 

[Ash J]

Just a general tidy up done under the bonnet today.

Here are a couple of pictures of all my old stickers on the top of the grille which weren't looking their best. Also you will notice I was missing one of the trim fastener clips at the far top right corner of the grille.

So I got to removing all the stickers, and fitting the new ones. The right hand one was an exact match so no dramas there. The left hand one originally fitted to the 182 is now discontinued, the one I bought is slightly longer than the original. However, the far left part of the new sticker is a 'battery warning notice' which is the same warning as the right hand sticker, so you simply trim this off and voila, the sticker is then exactly the same as the original.

You will also notice I binned the white 'Renault Inspection Record' sticker in the centre, and fitted a new smaller item in its place which I got from eBay, nice little touch. Also ordered a pack of trim fasteners, so the top right of the grille is no longer missing a fastener. Lastly, you will see the addition of an 'ITG' sticker on my Maxogen intake. I got in touch with ITG asking if they would send me a couple of stickers, as I bought my unit second hand and all kits when new come with some ITG stickers. They were more than helpful and sent a few in the post foc. All very OCD I know, but it's all the little touches!

So the result. Might seem mega sad, but makes me much happier when opening the bonnet now!

Got all my LED interior bulbs fitted and they look much better and crisper, would definitely recommend as a freshen up.

That's it. Now to get onto cleaning up my new exhaust system in the next week or so!

 

[Gus]

I did the same with contacting ITG for my maxogen sticker. They sent me a different one though

Really nice car mate.

 

[Ash J]

I did the same with contacting ITG for my maxogen sticker. They sent me a different one though.

Really nice car mate.

Thanks mate.

Yes they sent me that exact sticker as well, they sent me both. But I decided to fit my version since it stands out a bit more than the grey one, personal preference. Yours still looks very good though!

 

[Ash J]

Time for a little update then, not a great deal has been done!

Firstly, after some inspiration from a thread by 'MarcR' on here, I decided to buy some protective tape and film for my Sachs shocks.

So, bought some of this 3M clear film to protect the stickers. Seems very OCD but doesn't do any harm.

Next up, I ordered some 'X-Treme Tape' which is supposedly air tight, waterproof and moisture-proof. Applied this to the top and bottom of the reservoirs, to protect the parts from the elements. Seems like very good stuff and I would definitely recommend this if you ever have Sachs off the car for a refurb, particularly if like mine, your car is a daily. I know they don't look aesthetically as nice with the tape on, but they won't be seen when on the car.

I got in touch with Austin on here (Austin-182) to see if he would make me a gear gaiter in alcantara, seeing as I have a lot of other interior parts in alcantara which were done by Austin when he used to offer this as a service on here. Unfortunately, he no longer offers his services, but luckily he managed to find some left over material in his garage. So I bought this from him and it arrived this week. The gear gaiter will therefore be trimmed in alcantara, and there is enough material to hopefully trim my two dash strips in alcantara too!

I then ordered some new BMW X5 rear exhaust mounts from a local dealership. These are the mounts used with an Orbisoud system (along with custom mounting plates). So I picked these up during the week.

These are the mounting plates that come with an Orbisoud, in a very sorry looking state...

So I took these to a local powdercoater to have tidied up. I went for satin black, and wasn't looking for a 100% perfect finish seeing as they will be under the car, and to save on costs. So a photo of when I picked them up today. Not perfect, but look a lot better and am more than happy with the finish given how much the service cost.

Next, I bought new bolts/washers for the Orbisoud exhaust system from a local fastenings store. I needed 8 nuts and washers to hold the exhaust mounting plates to the car. And then 4 nyloc nuts to hold the BMW rubber mounts to the mounting plates.

So I bolted the rubber mounts to the mounting plates meaning they are all ready for when the exhaust is fitted.

Next up, it was time to clean up the Orbisoud system. Again, wasn't looking for it to be perfect as it is a used system, but wanted it looking better than it was before fitting it.

Some before shots...

I bought some stainless steel exhaust cleaner called 'Optiglanz' after reading some good reviews...

These were the results after cleaning...

And then the results after a quick polish with some Autoglym, just to give a bit more of a shine. As I say, not perfect, but a lot better than what it was. The main thing being that the backbox came up very well indeed and should look nice from the back of the car once fitted.

I also took the centre section to a fabricator this week, as there was a slight crack on the join between the silencer and the pipe between the silencer and sports cat. Was very happy with the job they did, good price too.

Tried out my new snow foam that I bought (Chemical Guys Honey Dew). It was a lot more foamy before I took this picture!

Then gave her a wash, a full clay bar session, and now plan on detailing her over this weekend and during the evenings next week. I will be doing the following:

Polishing session with G3 Professional Scratch Remover (one from Halfords in black bottle)
Follow up with a coat of Meguiars Ultimate Polish
Two coats of Chemical Guys BlackLight
Two coats of Chemical Guys Jetseal 109
Two coats of Dodo Juice Wax
Clean wheels with IronX, protect with coating of Jetseal 109
Protect windows with a coating of Jetseal 109
Full interior clean (Poorboys Natural Look)

This should see her looking good for the upcoming Origine RS show. Paint still won't be perfect and some fine scratches will still show in sunlight, as the G3 is only being used by hand and not a DA polisher, but should be looking pretty damn shiny, and the paint should almost feel like glass after the clay bar session. Will look at doing a machine polish (or paying for a professional paint correction) at some point in the future.

Car is also booked in on 17th August to have all the suspension parts fitted. It will also be getting a full chassis setup and alignment immediately after. The guy doing the alignment/setup is going to take all the measurements beforehand, order the necessary rear shims from Pure Motorsport (only parts I don't have), then once they have arrived, complete the setup/alignment and dial in my front camber/toe settings that I am going for (using Eibach bolts and the adjustable AST top mounts).

That is it for now!

 

[Stefan.]

Great update mate

Would love to hear this in person!

Should get this and the r32 together :wink:

 

[Jekyll]

Holy smokes, that orbisound looks great now!

 

[Ash J]

Great update mate

Would love to hear this in person!

Should get this and the r32 together :wink:

Thanks mate.

Didn't know you had bought an R32! Just seen your project thread now, and posted a comment up on there. Glad you got one of these, I love them and wanted one myself!

I can't wait to hear the Orb once it is on either. Quite glad that I have the quieter version, as they did a version without the centre silencer, and have heard they are very loud! But I have seen a vid of someone with a silenced Orb like mine and it sounded very nice indeed and not overly loud at all.

Definitely need to get the two cars together, would be up for that

 

[Gus]

Very impressive how you managed to clean up that exhaust, the backbox looks brand new.

Whats next after fitting the suspension and exhaust?

 

[GavC]

Obisoud exhaust looks lethal :hearteyes: Cleaned up exceptionally well!!

 

[Tomo_Rep.97]

This one of the best BG's I've seen on here! Fantastic work!

You seem very handy at cleaning too, paintwork is exceptional! I tried the clay bar today on a few parts and it kept dragging despite plenty if lubrication! I'd pay you to clean mine

Hope to have one similar to yours one day, brilliant

 

[Ash J]

So after waiting ages for it to turn up, my flocked steering cowling turned up. To be fair, due to the massive delay in getting this to me, they sent me out a free pair of flocked dash strips so I am quite happy with that. No pictures of either of these yet, will try and get some!

On Sunday, I took the front bumper off (not as bad a job as I thought it might have been) and fitted my painted washer blanks from Spray Shack. Very happy with the result, no more leaking washer jet!

Monday, I took the drive up to Littlehampton to NADUK and dropped the car off to have all the following fitted:

Trophy Sachs Dampers
Koni Adjustable Rear Dampers
Mark Fish Springs
Powerflex Inner & Outer ARB Bushes
Powerflex'd Wishbones with new Ball Joints
New Track Rod Ends
Powerflex Steering Rack Bushes
Powerflex Rear Beam Bushes
AST Solid Adjustable Front Top Mounts
Eibach Camber Bolts

I also had the Orbisoud exhaust system fitted, and another brake fluid flush with Motul RBF600 fluid. The eagle eyed will also notice my TPI polarised wheel bolts have also now been fitted.

This was then followed up by a chassis alignment, to get the tracking correct, and adjust the front camber, caster and toe settings. The rear is very slightly out of alignment (well within tolerances but not equal each side, which I believe is standard on the rear beams) and had planned on purchasing some shims from Pure Motorsport to have this corrected, but typically Pure Motorsport are closed this week! So I will be sourcing the rear shims soon and going back to have the rear aligned.

Went to pick up the car today. Was pretty excited when I got the call!

Best picture of the Sachs at the moment! Will get a head on when I next take the wheel off!

Powerflex bushes were fitted all round, just a picture of the wishbones for now...

Rear end (love this picture)...

During alignment...

And a few after stopping off at Tesco on the way back for some shopping (not great pictures)! Pictures don't really show how menacing she looks compared to before! Happy with the drop and she still needs to settle yet so may even drop a tad more. And please excuse that the car is actually filthy in these pictures (might not look it, but it is!).

Orbisoud sits nicely...

As for the suspension... wow! Roads have been very wet today, so haven't been able to go for much of a spirited drive to put them to the test. And no doubt I will want to play with the rear Koni's to get them performing how I want. But what I am most impressed with just from driving fairly normally, is the compliance from the Sachs! Considering they are a racing inspired damper, they perform very well on bumpy roads! There is so much feedback from them and I feel as though I can feel exactly what each wheel is doing, so much control. I am very impressed anyway! Can't wait to start using them a bit more in the coming weeks when the roads are hopefully not so damp, to get a real feel for them. And adjust the Koni's to suit too. But early impressions of the setup as a whole (Sachs, Koni's, ASTs, Powerflex, MF Springs) is very good, feels awesome. I will of course report more once I've actually done some decent mileage in the car.

All in all, very happy! And I couldn't recommend the services of NADUK (who did all the work) enough! Top bloke.

All for now.

 

[Stefan.]

Such a good example

Have to see this in the flesh soon ;-)

 

[Tim.]

Such a good example

This x1,000,000

It's hard to think of another car on the forum that has been mechanically modified to such a high standard with top quality parts, while retaining a near standard look. The perfect BG?