Danith
ClioSport Club Member
GTi 7.5 pp/Mx5 nd2
After my massive episode with my faulty MAP sensor ruining the day when I bought the wheels, bootlid, steering wheel and painted my upper inlet I've got some pics up of my car before and after. Pretty much got it as I want it now - I know it's VERY 'sheep' but it's a common combo cos it's the cleanest combo I think.
Anyway, I bought the car in Feb for relatively cheap off ebay from a guy who didn't look after it at all really - or didn't give it as much attention as we all know RS's can need! Could've easily been broken up like so many here but I decided to rejuvenate it and it also allowed me to spread the cost of a tidy Cup over a few months rather than go out and buy a £2k+ one! Plus the seats sold it a bit.
Needed:
Dephaser doing DESPERATELY.
Front arch liner
Bonnet and tailgate (both were really dinted along them)
Crack in front bumper/splitter (bodged for now)
exhaust was wrong fitment and completely bodged on - very loose.
Carpets and seats filthy and boot full of junk/old audio wires, crossover boxes
Steering wheel was a mess - thumbgrips missing and bubbling all over/peeling.
Needed a good service (Bosch super 4's fitted & oil was a bit black!)
Damn good clean and polish needed!
Turinis DESPERATELY needed refurbing (were all straight, just lacquer peeling and kerbed all round).
Strut brace fitted was rusty and tatty.
Good things were:
It was relatively cheap!
69k on the clock and all HPI clear etc.
New 12 mth MOT which involved the rear brake (compensator?) being replaced from Renault for MOT
New discs and pads all round
New drop links and front suspension arms.
New (budget) tyres on the front
Electric Recaro trendline seats up front.
5 months tax
Rare Iceberg Cup
So first things I did were to replace the bonnet (off Mickstoke) and get it into Birchdown for a dephaser and belts change (and quick once over).
Then next things were to give it an oil change and clean it - 5w 40 oil and new filter and lots of autoglym.
Good clean and polish and shampoo the interior and new floor mats.
Kenwood mp3/USB/Ipod/Bluetooth head unit bargain £40 off eBay.
New parcel shelf - old one had nice 6x9 cut outs.
New dogbone powerflex mount from NW Performance, while on the ramps he pointed out my exhaust was totally BODGED so I went on here and got a cat back Scorpion exhaust off Budgie and got it fitted the next weekend - at first it was poking from underneath the back bumper which I didn't like.
So following week I got a 182 exhaust surround and cut into the bumper and lifted the exhaust into the recess (as it was also annoyingly knocking on the rear beam!)
Got some Eibach sportline springs off here too and got these fitted easily enough, but one of the suspension top mounts shattered so got another one off Kev 3dr on here (hero) and some top mount strut washers off cotball to get rid of the annoying rubbing.
Next came the bits last week - Iceberg tailgate, steering wheel with complete thumb grips, arch liner, anthracite turinis (4 Yoko S Drives but 2 were shot so I got 2 new ones on).
These all went on, then went to drive it out of my mates unit and it was running rough as a dog!!!!
Seperate thread about this but we changed coil pack, plugs (new NGK's old ones were Bosch super 4's), tried lambdas, tried 2 different diagnostics machines and tried injectors. Nothing. Ended up being a £17.50 MAP sensor!
While all this was off I sanded down and painted the strut brace, upper inlet, top engine mount, bolts, hoist eye and fuel rail guard (stove paint for the black parts). Not the best finish but not bad for an accountant!
So only things left to do now are fix the front crack in splitter (or get a skoda one) and the crack in the bumper.
Here's some before and after shots.
Before:
Anyway, I bought the car in Feb for relatively cheap off ebay from a guy who didn't look after it at all really - or didn't give it as much attention as we all know RS's can need! Could've easily been broken up like so many here but I decided to rejuvenate it and it also allowed me to spread the cost of a tidy Cup over a few months rather than go out and buy a £2k+ one! Plus the seats sold it a bit.
Needed:
Dephaser doing DESPERATELY.
Front arch liner
Bonnet and tailgate (both were really dinted along them)
Crack in front bumper/splitter (bodged for now)
exhaust was wrong fitment and completely bodged on - very loose.
Carpets and seats filthy and boot full of junk/old audio wires, crossover boxes
Steering wheel was a mess - thumbgrips missing and bubbling all over/peeling.
Needed a good service (Bosch super 4's fitted & oil was a bit black!)
Damn good clean and polish needed!
Turinis DESPERATELY needed refurbing (were all straight, just lacquer peeling and kerbed all round).
Strut brace fitted was rusty and tatty.
Good things were:
It was relatively cheap!
69k on the clock and all HPI clear etc.
New 12 mth MOT which involved the rear brake (compensator?) being replaced from Renault for MOT
New discs and pads all round
New drop links and front suspension arms.
New (budget) tyres on the front
Electric Recaro trendline seats up front.
5 months tax
Rare Iceberg Cup
So first things I did were to replace the bonnet (off Mickstoke) and get it into Birchdown for a dephaser and belts change (and quick once over).
Then next things were to give it an oil change and clean it - 5w 40 oil and new filter and lots of autoglym.
Good clean and polish and shampoo the interior and new floor mats.
Kenwood mp3/USB/Ipod/Bluetooth head unit bargain £40 off eBay.
New parcel shelf - old one had nice 6x9 cut outs.
New dogbone powerflex mount from NW Performance, while on the ramps he pointed out my exhaust was totally BODGED so I went on here and got a cat back Scorpion exhaust off Budgie and got it fitted the next weekend - at first it was poking from underneath the back bumper which I didn't like.
So following week I got a 182 exhaust surround and cut into the bumper and lifted the exhaust into the recess (as it was also annoyingly knocking on the rear beam!)
Got some Eibach sportline springs off here too and got these fitted easily enough, but one of the suspension top mounts shattered so got another one off Kev 3dr on here (hero) and some top mount strut washers off cotball to get rid of the annoying rubbing.
Next came the bits last week - Iceberg tailgate, steering wheel with complete thumb grips, arch liner, anthracite turinis (4 Yoko S Drives but 2 were shot so I got 2 new ones on).
These all went on, then went to drive it out of my mates unit and it was running rough as a dog!!!!
Seperate thread about this but we changed coil pack, plugs (new NGK's old ones were Bosch super 4's), tried lambdas, tried 2 different diagnostics machines and tried injectors. Nothing. Ended up being a £17.50 MAP sensor!
While all this was off I sanded down and painted the strut brace, upper inlet, top engine mount, bolts, hoist eye and fuel rail guard (stove paint for the black parts). Not the best finish but not bad for an accountant!
So only things left to do now are fix the front crack in splitter (or get a skoda one) and the crack in the bumper.
Here's some before and after shots.
Before:
