Clio 182 advice

[john harle]

Hey guys
Been to look at a tidy 182 today and thinking about buying it as a nice toy to use at the weekends. However a couple of things bothered me.
1. The clutch was really hard and quite high. Is this right. Owner said it hadn't been replaced in the time he owned the car and that would be approx 50k. Generally how long do they last?
2. When the steering was on full lock there was a straining sound from the aux belt. Is this common?
3. The steering wheel is in poor condition. Are these easy to replace?

Seems to run nicely but are there any common things to look out for if I have another look over it?
Thanks for your help guys! Much appreciated

 

[Sesqui89]

I believe it's common for the clutches to be very hard, mine certainly is. As far as how long they last goes, mine is on the original at 103k. I've heard of people on their original clutch at 150k+. As far as I understand it, the release bearings tend to fail rather than the clutch itself.

Not sure about the aux belt noise but I'm sure someone will be able to help.

The steering wheel surface appearing all melted is also very common. It's quite simple to replace with either a standard or aftermarket wheel (disconnect battery and wait, airbag out and T50 torx bolt to remove the wheel). With an aftermarket wheel you'd need a boss and possibly a ph1 indicator stalk with push button horn depending on whether the aftermarket wheel has a push button for the horn or not. You'd also have the airbag warning light to contend with but this can be avoided with resistors or by getting somebody with the clip software to program it out.

For common things to look out for, try having a search for a buyers guide thread on here, there should be a few. The most important thing to look out for is that the cambelt and aux belt have been changed at the correct interval and by a specialist. It's quite common for 'normal' garages that don't know these cars to set the cam timing incorrectly. The most common symptoms from that tend to be a very lumpy idle (especially from cold) and being down on power.

 

[Inequality Street]

1 and 3 completely normal. Clutch is generally very heavy and quite high, you get used to it.

Steering wheels melt and fall apart over time, normal.

Full lock noise, pass, someone will be able to tell you though!

 

[VR46-G@Z]

Hi John, Im not sure how much you currently know but the most desirable 182's are known as full fat, which gives you a cup spoiler on the boot lid and cup suspension setup with anthracite alloys not silver ones. I'd bear this in mind for resale value personally... As already mentioned belts are very important to be done correctly, depending on mileage I'd be looking for a car that's had, cambelt, aux belt, dephaser pulley, waterpump all done by a specialist or someone you absolutely know has done it right... Obviously depending on the value of the car you can buy a cheaper one and budget circa 700quid for all that work to be done by a master on this forum. As for clutches, as said they last a long time, my 182 is on 95k and Im booking it in for a clutch and refurb gearbox soon, the gear box's are made of butter so at some point need a refurb. Clutches are stiff, stiffer than most cars, other than everything mentioned any other issues can be resolved pretty cheaply.. Oh and they're a great little car!:smile::up:

 

[bloke]

a new clutch is quite light, they get heavier the higher mileage they do. seem to start to get heavy around 70-80,000 miles but will last longer.
just changed the wife's at 170,000 miles, bearing had collapsed but was still life left in the plate.

 

[john harle]

Thanks for your help guys. Seems like a good car although the only other thing that didn't seem to work was the AC as it still blew out warm air on the test drive when I tested it. Is this common?

 

[JakeyCUK]

Thanks for your help guys. Seems like a good car although the only other thing that didn't seem to work was the AC as it still blew out warm air on the test drive when I tested it. Is this common?

Probably just needs a regas pal! I believe if they are out of gas they won't "click on", it's an audible noise you'll hear with the door or window open. FYI I'm at 83k original clutch, they seem to last for ages if treated well!

 

[mattyeatsmatts]

They can develop little niggles over time. I bought mine with a bonked dephaser and engine light on as well as needing new discs all around. At 72k I was happy and ive fixed a lot of the stuff myself with the belts planned for march.

Deffo listen to others here and check belts. They are costly if left to break.

 

[MartinR]

Gearbox failure / repair / replacement is just as costly as belts..

If i was to buy one again id be looking for belts done , clutch and gearbox refurbed.

 

[SWL16]

My Clio is at 108k original clutch. No problems.

As others have said, the clutches are very heavy but I quite like it, until I'm stuck in endless traffic going up a hill that is! Pretty sure my calf has doubled in size.

I managed to find a 182 with a good condition original steering wheel (looked at 8, it was the only one not melted in some way or another). To try and save it I've bought a full steering wheel cover for when parked up. May be worth considering once a refurbished/replacement one is bought?