Austin's OEM+ BG 182

[Austin-182]

Is replacing these sensors a good idea to possibly improve economy if no warning lights or codes are present?

Im not 100% on that, sorry.

I believe there are a number of different things that could cause bad economy. I would imagine if it was the lambda causing it, there would have been an eml light on the dash to reflect the issue.

Best off putting a thread up in engine section and ask mate.

 

[joytodrive25]

Im not 100% on that, sorry.

I believe there are a number of different things that could cause bad economy. I would imagine if it was the lambda causing it, there would have been an eml light on the dash to reflect the issue.

Best off putting a thread up in engine section and ask mate.

Hmm, my thoughts too but cheers anyway think it's just the city driving more than anything at the moment.

 

[Austin-182]

On Wednesday last week I drove 150 miles down to Nottingham to leave the car with Mick at Diamond Renault Specialists Ltd for the major service.

The last major service was done at 49k in March 2011.

I left the car to have the following completed;
- Cambelt full kit
- Aux belt full kit
- Dephaser pulley with oil and oil filter
- Waterpump and full coolant flush
- Gearbox oil replaced

Mick was also replacing both lambda sensors with brand new units which I supplied. ( following my above post the used sensors I had replaced had been cut and repaired and the post cat was causing a missfire. I thought the best thing to do was replace both with brand new sensors. Lesson learnt, I will never use second hand sensors ever again.)

My brother and I jumped on a train into Nottingham and left the car with Mick.

We arrived back around 4pm and Mick was putting everything back together.

I was told the timing had been slightly out and I should notice a difference at top end speeds. I was also told that the last garage who did the service in 2011 had put some things on the wrong way round and that nothing appeared to have been torqued correctly. I wasnt surprised to hear this as I had always been suspicious about the previous garage not doing a proper job. Not to worry, It had gone 5 years without any issues and at least I am now assured a proper job has been done.

The mileage was on 81799 so I had only covered 32k miles sine the last major service in 2011. Mick ahowed me the old parts, the cambelt itself looked to be in decent condition still, however, the aux belt was cracked and didnt look like it would of lasted much longer. I had never replaced this in between which is an error on my part. I will make sure I have this done inbetween the next major service.

We then made the payment for the work and set off back home for the 150 mile drive. We stopped off at the service station to get some food where I took a quick picture.

The rest of the drive home was great. The car feels smoother and is pulling throughout the gears at all speeds like it should. It is also a great feeling knowing everything has been done as it should and is now good for the next 5 years. (Im currently only doing 3-4k a year so theres no chance of reaching another 72k before the next 5 years are up)

The clio has just ticked over to 82k today.

Massive thanks to @MicKPM . A very knowledgeable and profesional specialist who I will be going back to in the future for other work.

Austin

 

[Stefan.]

Really nice 182

 

[Chris205]

Nice update, how come you didn't go to ClioTurbo for the belt change mate?

 

[Austin-182]

Following on from the major service update above, Mick has kindly sent over some pictures he took from before and after the belt change.

Before;

After;

 

[Austin-182]

Following on from the above post and having the major service done, I noticed my service book now has 10 stamps, leaving just 2 left for future services.
I spoke with Renault who have confirmed the original service books are no longer available. Although, luckily I have managed to find a brand new unused blank service book on Ebay. I am in the process of having a sticker made up for the inside of it which will be an exact copy of the original, with the additional title reflecting this is a continuation 2nd service book. I paid £20 which to some may seem a little crazy but in my opinion it is well worth it as I now have space for another 15 service stamps.

I have always been a strong believer in having the clio serviced at a garage so the service book can be stamped and up to date. And have kept a huge file full of invoices from new. I have kept every single invoice from a numberplate lamp bulb all the way to the major services.

However.....

After recently teaching myself how to do an oil and filter change on the other halfs 1.2 clio and realising just how easy it is, combined with how much money can be saved by doing it myself it has got me thinking about self servicing the 182 from now on. (Minor services only)

I now realise that doing the minor services myself has way more advantages than paying someone else to do it. The main factors being a huge saving in cost, along with knowing 100% care will be taken by myself as the clio is my "pride and joy".

The only downside is this means I wont be able to get the service book stamped. To overcome this, I have had my own "Self Service" stamp made up.

I believe completing the service book myself, and using the stamp combined with keeping the invoice of the parts used it will appear as profesional as it possible can from being a self service.

Although, as I have always said, I will never sell this clio anyway. So this is all for myself and not a potential future buyer.

If anyone is interested in the blank service book or stamp details I will happily let you know where I got them from.

Austin

 

[Austin-182]

When I had the major service done Mick mentioned the exhaust had a really bad blow at the rear. On further investigation this was only due to a gasket at the flanges so not a major issue.

I had the full exhaust cust made 5-6 years ago at AAS in Newcastle so I rang to ask about a spare gasket as I wasnt sure if it was a specific size/type.

They told me to take the car up so I had booked it in for this morning at 9am. When I got there they cracked straight on and had it all sorted in 30 minutes.

When I went to go back inside to pay they told me I was good to go and didnt have to pay as this was all part of their business and aftercare service.

I think this reflects the quality of the work they do and the professionalism they have for proving a 100% quality service. To think it was 5-6 years ago since the system was made and they have done this without charging is amazing.

 

[MicKPM]

Good customer service goes a long way... I prefer to just swear at mine though

 

[Austin-182]

Good customer service goes a long way... I prefer to just swear at mine though :wink:

F**K OFF and dont talk to me.

Haha

 

[Matt e]

where did you get the service book from @Austin-182 ?
good idea stamping a spare book when you change the oil and that

 

[Austin-182]

where did you get the service book from @Austin-182 ?
good idea stamping a spare book when you change the oil and that

Hi Matt,

Service book was on ebay, and still is under item number 331795040773

Surprised there is only space for 12 stamps in a service book. Renault must of thought they would all brake before someone managed to service them 12 times, ha.

 

[MicKPM]

F**K OFF and dont talk to me.
Haha

Perfect quote! It's never personal, i'm just an engineer.

 

[Austin-182]

Perfect quote! It's never personal, i'm just an engineer.

Im worried about what you will be saying when Zack's 133 is in hahaha! We will stay well out the way for that.

 

[Jekyll]

Car looks great as always Austin. Mick certainly knows he's stuff and is a diamond (see what I did there) bloke.

Great customer service from AAS too.

 

[Austin-182]

Massive thanks to @LeeRS who made an exact copy of the sticker inside the original service book for me which has all of the car details on it.

I only needed the one for the new blank service book I had bought but have a page full of them which are great to have for any other service books I may need in the future.

 

[LeeRS]

Anytime mate

 

[Stefan.]

He used diamonds instead of squares im out...

Nah only kidding a lovely looked after 182, good work

 

[Jekyll]

Excellent work @LeeRS

 

[Smiffyboy1990]

Just awesome, one of my fave 1*2's on this forum. Credit to you

 

[Austin-182]

Further update - I have had my Renaultsport mats in for years and they have started to wear beyond a point that I am happy to keep them in the car.

After discovering you can get non sport mats which are an exact same mat as the Renaultsport version apart from the "Renaultsport" logo is replaced with "Clio" for a third of the price I called my local Renault and ordered a set straight away.

If im honest, I was never a huge fan of the Renaultsport version as I have always felt the silver trim looks quite "tacky". That, combined with the fact my dash trims and other interior parts are re sprayed in anthracite made the non sport mats perfect. The "Clio" text is actually a grey / anthracite colour.

For anyone interested, the part number is 7711219921 and they costs £18.84

 

[LeeRS]

Wtf have you cleaned that carpet with? Looks mega fluffy!!

 

[Austin-182]

Wtf have you cleaned that carpet with? Looks mega fluffy!!

I have had one of those hand held dyson hoovers for about 5 years now and it makes hoovering the inside of your car 1 million times easier than if you had to use a norml hoover.

So the honest answer as sad as it may sound, is that I simply do and have hoovered the inside of the car almost every other day as it genuinly takes a few minutes ato do. As i do it so often, there is never any real dirt to remove as nothing ever has time to get deep into the carpet.

 

[LeeRS]

Looks great. Ive got one of those too. The ones you clip on the wall yo charge you mean?
Im going to give mine a seats out jobbie when the weather is better.

 

[Austin-182]

Looks great. Ive got one of those too. The ones you clip on the wall yo charge you mean?
Im going to give mine a seats out jobbie when the weather is better.

Yes, its one of the older models now, I think its a DC10 and yes I have the proper wall mount for it which charges it. I have it on the wall in the garage so it is easy to just grab and hoover.

 

[Austin-182]

Almost making daily updates at the minute....

Nothing major, but it I have noticed the screws on the OMP wheel looked like they had started to have slight surface rust making them look and orange / brown colour.

I have been meaning to replace them for some time now so finally ordered some a few days ago and swapped them over today.

For £2.49 it really does make a massive difference to the interior.

Before;

After;

 

[andy_coops]

Enjoyed reading this one mate. Very tidy motor!
Where did you find the mats at that price chap? I can't find them below £20 a set anywhere. Cheers.

 

[Austin-182]

Enjoyed reading this one mate. Very tidy motor!
Where did you find the mats at that price chap? I can't find them below £20 a set anywhere. Cheers.

Thanks mate, appreciate theat comment. 8 years of ownership and I still love it.

Direct from Renault, I just called my local dealership. They are on ebay for around £26 posted also.

 

[Jekyll]

Loving the regular updates mate.

Always was one of the better cars on here, and certainly one of the best BG's for sure.

 

[Austin-182]

Loving the regular updates mate.

Always was one of the better cars on here, and certainly one of the best BG's for sure.

Cheers mate. A few people do say that and I have to admit, it is nice to hear.

I dont drive it a lot as I have mentioned previously we car share for work commutes so use the 1.2. I have drove it more recently since having the belts done and really loving it, its a great feeling knowing everything is timed up correctly and the belt isnt at risk of failing.

I honestly cant think of any other car in the same price range that you could enjoy driving as much as the 182.

 

[Westyfield2]

Enjoyed reading this one mate. Very tidy motor!
Where did you find the mats at that price chap? I can't find them below £20 a set anywhere. Cheers.

£23.64 from Renault Parts Direct

 

[Stefan.]

Love this

The after market steering wheel looks pants though, def not oem + lol

Snappy retrim however

 

[Austin-182]

Love this

The after market steering wheel looks pants though, def not oem + lol

Snappy retrim however

It feels so good to drive with it though.

I have a brand new genuine wheel but it has been stored away for the future.

I also quite fancy a sabelt wheel. I had considered putting my original 182 wheel back on and getting some of those cheap thumb grips as the right one had the common wear problem many years ago.

 

[Stefan.]

It feels so good to drive with it though.

I have a brand new genuine wheel but it has been stored away for the future.

I also quite fancy a sabelt wheel. I had considered putting my original 182 wheel back on and getting some of those cheap thumb grips as the right one had the common wear problem many years ago.

For me a snappy retrim would fit so well

Omp cheapens the look

Really are not any good oem ones left...

 

[LeeRS]

Thats the best aftermarket wheel to suit the car imo.
Feels like your driving a bus otherwise.

 

[Austin-182]

The clio failed its MOT last week for a weakened front strut.

I have wanted to change the coilovers back to standard set up for a while now so this gave me the motivation to do it.

I mentioned a while back how I wanted to start learning to do work on the car myself and not waste money paying someone else to do something I could do myself.

So I made a start on the car following guides on here and a thread of my own with help from fellow members.

I heard the rears were the easiest so decided to so them first. Half an hour job i had read...
They took me 2 evenings after work to do because the bolt holding the rear adjusters on had completely siezed. My neighbour ended up helping me by heating them up with his blow torch so we could finally crack it free. After this, it was very easy.

I had took the standard suspension off in 2009 when the car was on around 30k miles so it is still in great condition.

After removing And replacing the rears i made a start on the front.

I was finding the front a lot easier than the rears.
Until everything was temoved and I could not get the nut from the coilovers off! I drove over to a local garage and they used the gun on them and had them off in minutes.

 

[Austin-182]

I then put together the standard strut. I then scratched my head wondering how on earth i was going to fit this back in place and get the bolt spaces to allign !?!?

Following advice I used a bar to pry down the hub and finally after lots of wriggling around and swearing, I saw that open hole and slid that bolt straight through!

I was that excited i had managed to get things fitting I didnt take any pictures.

And a final picture of the old GAZ coilovers that have done so well for many years. I remember the controversiol comments at the time on here when I first got them as GAZ were hated back then for some reason.

And here it is now back on standard suspension. I actually really like how it looks and it feels great not having to worry about driving certain places and risking scraping the bumper.

 

[Jekyll]

More pics!!

So are you keeping the standard springs or going down a lowering spring route? It'll sit and look like a 4x4 coming from the Gaz's.

However, those Gaz's did look like they came from the titanic!

 

[Mr R.]

However, those Gaz's did look like they came from the titanic!

Yours will look like that very soon.....😂

 

[Austin-182]

More pics!!

So are you keeping the standard springs or going down a lowering spring route? It'll sit and look like a 4x4 coming from the Gaz's.

However, those Gaz's did look like they came from the titanic!

Im keeping it standard mate.

Only plans are to put 4x pilot sport 3's in 205 45 fitment.