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Giving a 172 Cup some TLC



Your old grill doesn’t look as grey as most then haha!

Would you be able to PM the name of the body shop? I’m off to get a few quotes in the near future for mine.
The issue is that some of the clips are broken so it doesn’t sit properly.

Yes, let me dig out the details and I’ll send them across
 
Update time.



The Cup has been spending some time at its second home getting some more bits and bobs done.


Finally got the Headlight Washer blanks fitted, this is the 3rd pair we tried as the genuine ones and the first pair of Repros were miles out for some reason. Absolutely no way we could get them to sit flush with the bumper.


Fitted a new Grill along with Repro stickers and a new alarm switch. What a difference this makes to the overall look of the car, definitely much better in my opinion.


Lots of other wee things like removing the awful camber shim/spacers from the rear hubs, replacing a front Hub, resolving a leaky PAS pipe, replacing a crusty rear brake pipe.



The eagle eyed may notice the Wind Deflectors. I realise these divide opinion but are really just a test to satisfy my curiosity. First impression is they look ok but don’t actually do very much at all.


I can’t thank @Stu. enough for all his help in turning this car around from what it was when I first picked it up. It was a rough around the edges ex track car that had been neglected big style. After a lot of time and effort from Stu, it’s actually looking pretty good ! He has all the silly little bits that can make a big difference to the overall finish of the car. Little clips that hold the front bumper on are one such example! ha ha.

If you are in Scotland and need any Mk2 parts or a very handy spanner man, definitely reach out to the main man Stu.

Thanks must also go to @Euan Baguette for doing some of the picking up and dropping off duties.


Next steps are to get the tracking done finally and investigate why the EML light won’t go off. Initially we thought it was the dodgy cat that was on the car but even with a new sports Cat fitted, the pesky thing won’t go off.


I’ve heard good things about SWR in Stirling and their Diagnostic service so I may give them a call.


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Picking the car up. The main man himself in Fife’s tidiest Garage. @Stu.
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It now needs a good wash.
 

Colin-S

ClioSport Club Member
  172 Cup
Car looks lovely.

I'd have a quick look at your rear exhaust hanger, backbox looks to be sagging.
 
  Clio 182
I have driven a good few clios over the years and can testify on how good this car now is.

Everything is tight and squeak/rattle free and it drives really, really well. Cup seats are so much better than 182 ones.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Car looks lovely.

I'd have a quick look at your rear exhaust hanger, backbox looks to be sagging.
Cheers Colin,

Yeah, the exhaust is a funny one. It’s definitely not very stealth but it is solid and the mounts aren’t sagging.

When I got the Sports Cat fitted ( at a very well respected Custom Exhaust place near me ) I said to the guy that I wanted the exhaust positioned up behind the bumper as much as is possible, without it rattling against anything. Without starting to relocate hangers etc, this was the best he could manage.

End of the day, I think the fact that the exhaust is secure and not moving around and hitting the axle etc, that is more important to me than the exhaust being completely hidden from view.

Ive studied lots of 172 exhausts and no two seem to be the same. Granted some are almost hidden completely from view but more often than not, they look more like mine does.

Im actually on the fence about the KTEC as its too loud for me at Motorway speeds. I am going to find a used standard exhaust and get it fitted as an experiment. My brother has a 182 with a Scorpion exhaust and its much, much quieter.

A pic from a few weeks back but this is what the back box sits like.
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Colin-S

ClioSport Club Member
  172 Cup
Ahh no worries Dave.

When I could see the tip of my exhaust from back of car it was because the hanger had gone, but if it's all secure thats the main thing (y)

Looking forward to more updates.
 
  172 Cup
Just seen this thread. Cracking car, great job you have done on it.

Your exhaust sits exactly like mine and mine was only done last week.
 
In an effort to finally get the warning lights off on the dash, the car was booked in with the guys at SWR in Stirling. They always get good reviews and I had heard good things about their Diagnostic service.

I’m happy to report that all warning lights are now out. EML light was just a corroded connection to the Carbon Canister, a simple fix.

The Airbag light required a new Rotary switch to be fitted as it was discovered that the one that was fitted was not correct for my car at all.

They did the Alignment too so the car now drives spot on.

All in all, I can’t recommend the guys at SWR highly enough. It’s clearly apparent that they are experts in all things Renault Sport.

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Another update today. Just back from my local exhaust place, Stainless Creations (Great bunch of guys) who were fitting an used, standard exhaust.

I was getting tired of the drone of the KTEC so thought I’d experiment with a standard exhaust. Managed to pick this one up for next to nothing so if it lasts me 6 months I will be happy.

The end result is exactly what I wanted really, the car is much much quieter on tickover and normal driving but still has a bit of a noise to it under hard acceleration.

Happy with how it’s sitting for now too but I may take some proactive action on the new rear hanger.

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02teasda

ClioSport Club Member
  Renault Clio 172 Cup
Finally discovered your thread Dave, great read and the car looks superb! A lot of useful info for me when I start tackling all the little jobs on mine. Especially the rust proofing of the rear panels. Good to see people looking to bring these cars back to their former glory
 
Finally discovered your thread Dave, great read and the car looks superb! A lot of useful info for me when I start tackling all the little jobs on mine. Especially the rust proofing of the rear panels. Good to see people looking to bring these cars back to their former glory
Thanks for the kind words.

Ive spent a fair bit of time and money trying to eliminate all the silly little Clio specific niggles that a lot of other cars seem to have. I looked at loads before I bought this one and my brother has two Clios so I have a little bit of experience to call upon now.

I’m looking forward to actually getting out and using the car properly now. It’s a weekend car for me but it will get used most weekends regardless of weather, Unless there is salt on the roads.

Coincidentally, today was its first proper outing as I was meeting a mate for a run on the West Highland Way.

No issues with the car apart from the front brakes seem to have developed a bit of an imbalance. They feel ok but not amazing, the left hand calliper seems to be binding a bit as the wheel is particularly hot when I stop the car.

The car hasn’t been driven much over the past year so I may get the brakes looked at.


Snapped a few pics with my mates Civic Type R.
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Not posted on here in a while as I have been busy actually using the Clio. The car has been back into SWR for a new Caliper on the front and rear Discs, Pads and Wheel Bearings so the brakes feel much better now.

I’m getting into Cycling in a big way and having such a small car isn’t working out well ! Removed the rear seats in an effort to maximise the space in the back but I just feel that sticking a muddy bike in the back of the Clio isnt the best idea.

I reckon the car will be going up for sale soon and I’ll try and find an interesting Estate car to replace it with.


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HaveaCuppa

ClioSport Club Member
It’d be a shame to sell it after all the work you’ve put into it! Have you thought about a bike rack/mount? I run a set of Thule Aerobars for my MTB (admittedly not on the Clio) and they work well. The road bike fits in the back (like yours) but I just chuck a few rags down in the back.

You could always look at the Seasucker bike mount. It’s a bloody great bit of kit and vacuums itself to the roof of the car. A few mates run them on their cars and they are rock solid even at 80…

The car looks lovely by the way!
 
It’d be a shame to sell it after all the work you’ve put into it! Have you thought about a bike rack/mount? I run a set of Thule Aerobars for my MTB (admittedly not on the Clio) and they work well. The road bike fits in the back (like yours) but I just chuck a few rags down in the back.

You could always look at the Seasucker bike mount. It’s a bloody great bit of kit and vacuums itself to the roof of the car. A few mates run them on their cars and they are rock solid even at 80…

The car looks lovely by the way!

Thanks mate. You are making some great progress with yours!

I bought the car as a weekend run about but getting into Biking has scuppered that a bit.
 

HaveaCuppa

ClioSport Club Member
Thanks mate. You are making some great progress with yours!

I bought the car as a weekend run about but getting into Biking has scuppered that a bit.
Cheers mate, it’s getting there now.

Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s not the cheapest hobby to have either. I’d certainly look into a decent bike rack/mount and go from there. If you’ve got a daily motor, just use that as the bike wagon and run the Clio as and when you get the time.
 
Really struggling to think of an interesting Estate car around 5-6k to replace the Clio.

I’ve also spent a lot of time and money getting the Clio to a point where is in a really good state which is making me reluctant to move it on.

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Anyone got a set of roof bars ? ;-)
 
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Cheers mate, it’s getting there now.

Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s not the cheapest hobby to have either. I’d certainly look into a decent bike rack/mount and go from there. If you’ve got a daily motor, just use that as the bike wagon and run the Clio as and when you get the time.
Its great to see the time and effort you have put into your car. Definitely worth it in the long run when you have a totally reliable, rust free Clio. They are so much more interesting to drive than most modern cars today.

My other car is an A4 Avant but its pretty much the Family car so my missus needs it when I'm away Running or Cycling.
 

sam55

ClioSport Club Member
  RB 182 FF
I'm also a regular cyclist and have been using a SeaSucker mount. It's expensive to buy but probably cheaper than swapping cars, and it means I don't get any crap in the car. The mount is great - here's a pic from when it was on for a quick UK hol last year in Dorset. I drove with both bikes on the roof from London.

I also have an R50 Mini One that I bomb about town in and it works on that, too. Happy days!

DSCF4721-2.jpeg
 
I'm also a regular cyclist and have been using a SeaSucker mount. It's expensive to buy but probably cheaper than swapping cars, and it means I don't get any crap in the car. The mount is great - here's a pic from when it was on for a quick UK hol last year in Dorset. I drove with both bikes on the roof from London.

I also have an R50 Mini One that I bomb about town in and it works on that, too. Happy days!

View attachment 1555849
Thanks for the information mate. I’ll check it out.
 
Quick update since I decided not to put the Cup up for sale.

It passed its MOT with flying colours which was no surprise really as I’m as proactive as I can be with any little issues etc.

The only thing that needed attention pre MOT was the rear number plate light as it was on the blink and replacing the unit itself didnt make any difference.

The car has also developed a strange cold start issue - https://cliosport.net/threads/172-cup-cutting-out-when-cold.840141/

The car went off to SWR to repin a dodgy wire going to the number plate light and see if they could get to the bottom of the cold starting issue.

Unfortunately CLIP wasn’t showing any faults and they couldn’t replicate the issue so there was not much they could do. I reckon I’ll just have to wait until it resolves itself or gets worse before I do something else about it. It does not really affect normal driving but still slightly frustrating knowing the car isn’t 100%.



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At least it’s got enough wax on it for the detailer “beed shot” [emoji23]

Best of luck getting to the bottom of the starting issue. Can be painful sorting that kind of thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ha ha, not polished it in a wee while so was happy to see it like that !

If the issue happened more frequently then I’m sure SWR could fix it no problem. I’ll just need to wait and see what happens but I’m almost hoping it gets worse so it can be diagnosed.

Cheers man.
 
  R27, Deep Black
Some little details today.

New license plates, Bumper stickers and Cup badges (these were squint from the factory weren’t they!) Still have the Renault Sport badges to fit to the boot.



View attachment 1509034

Loving this thread! I've just bought my second Clio Sport (third Clio in general) although it's tidy it needs a freshen up.

Do you have a part number or eBay link for this plastic part? My one has broken and it's irritating me and i've no idea what it's called.
 
Brilliant! Thank you!
Looks like I won't be buying them at that price at the moment, other priorities for the car first! Haha!
Yes, they arent cheap but if you are going for originality then they are a must in my opinion. Someone who is handier than me would be able to reproduce these at a fraction of the cost I reckon. There probably isnt much demand for them though.
 


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