[TW]Fox;18643528 said:
Not yet, I'm waiting on a drawn up estimate to give to them.
Probably not. Your (incorrect) use of 'quotes' around immaculate is amusing, though.
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Not yet, I'm waiting on a drawn up estimate to give to them.
Probably not. Your (incorrect) use of 'quotes' around immaculate is amusing, though.
Like I've already said, I budgeted on covering the entire cost when weighing up the car in the first place, it's only £140 and takes no extra time when doing the cambelt properly anyway.
That said, the warranty explicitly includes camshaft pulleys, which this is and will be listed on the invoice as such, whether they'll use the fact that it isn't your bog standard cam pulley or not, I do not know.
Cam pulley for the variable valve timing.
That said, the warranty explicitly includes camshaft pulleys, which this is and will be listed on the invoice as such, whether they'll use the fact that it isn't your bog standard cam pulley or not, I do not know.
Cam pulley for the variable valve timing.
Yes, belts are due in the next few thousand miles.
[TW]Fox;18643923 said:I think you are, as per usual, being woefully optimistic. I suspect the 'entire cost' is rather more than you think.
Not that we'll ever know, because if the bill does come in high you will simply lie to save face
There isn't really much scope in getting the price wrong. I found £380 inc. VAT for Gates/SKF Cambelt kit, Genuine Auxbelt kit and Genuine de-phaser pulley. Someone has since posted a link here to a cambelt a bit cheaper, and there is scope to get the auxbelt kit cheaper by using a pattern part.
Let who near it? The warranty company only pays, they have nothing to do with the job it's self.
Yes, I know what is involved after spending a fair bit of time talking to a couple of these "specialists" on CS.net and my friendly mechanic that has done a few successfully.
People **** them up without having the proper tools, it's when they try and do it without the tools that things go wrong.
People **** them up without having the proper tools, it's when they try and do it without the tools that things go wrong.
I mentioned very early on what needed doing, this isn't a recent development. I know exactly why it was cheap but would not have bought it if I wasn't fully aware of the implications.
There will be no need for sympathy.
This is the second time you've mentioned tyre tread, why? Ok, it has one odd tyre, but that's an £80 fix?
Sorry, I was mistaken with Disco Boy's post.
[TW]Fox;18644310 said:
It is an £80 fix because I have already sourced the replacement tyre locally for just that sum of money. Just because they are not made any more, does not mean no one stocks them - Loads of places still list them.
And why would I need another friendly mechanic? One is enough
I'm free to use his tyre machine / balancer whenever I like....1. No idea, and I don't really care - the warranty is a bonus and nothing more.
2. I doubt they'd be happy to DIY the work, but as far as they are concerned the work is going to be done at a VAT registered garage as per their requirements, but seeing as they only pay the first £300 of any claim, I'll still sleep at night.
3. Probably, see the first paragraph though.
2. I doubt they'd be happy to DIY the work, but as far as they are concerned the work is going to be done at a VAT registered garage as per their requirements, but seeing as they only pay the first £300 of any claim, I'll still sleep at night.
3. Probably, see the first paragraph though.
You need to understand why people tell you that you should have a specialist do it. These specialists all had to do it for the first time at some point, don't forget.
Like I've told you, the issue comes when garages do cambelts in the usual 'tipex fashion' and do not bother using the specialist tools to lock the camshafts and pulleys.
Once you understand what is involved, this is not rocket science....
No, like I've said, the parts come to £380 without any warranty involvement.
Look, I'm not that fussed about the warranty, if they accept the claim then it's a bonus, if not then it's not that expensive anyway.
Those who wish to quote expensive dealer prices because they need to justify themselves spending lots of money on having the job done can laugh at me if it doesn't work, but until then I've explained why it is a specialist tool job and not a specialist garage job several times - it does require going in to the job educated rather than blind, mind.
Not quite, that statement was an answer rather than an update[TW]Fox said:
Look, I'm not that fussed about the warranty, if they accept the claim then it's a bonus, if not then it's not that expensive anyway.
Those who wish to quote expensive dealer prices because they need to justify themselves spending lots of money on having the job done can laugh at me if it doesn't work, but until then I've explained why it is a specialist tool job and not a specialist garage job several times - it does require going in to the job educated rather than blind, mind.
Just lol.
Fred@BTM and in more detail with sideways danny. Their explanation ties up perfectly with aforementioned friend who has done several and is who I will be borrowing the tools from (and who I'll be calling if I have any problems
)I also have someone who works at the local Renault dealer obtaining me the relevant parts of Renault's workshop manual for clarification.
Rest assured, I'm not jumping into this thinking "ah, it's just a cambelt" - I've done my research when I originally looked at the local 172 with a snapped cambelt.
I often wonder if some of these stories are manufactured by one of these specialists, I mean a lot of them seem to be "had a customer come in today for me to sort the timing out after xxxxx hashed the job".
My friend has done three de-phaser pulleys now and a few more cambelts, not one has had an issue.
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I may well, depends when he has time as I want it done asap and he is booked solid at work and privately. He is always there as a fallback option, regardless.
So a little update on how I'm getting on with the Clio.
I've had a few opportunities to really put it through it's paces now, and it continues to impress, although this isn't without it's downsides, either.
When it is really pushed on anything but a near perfect road surface you can certainly feel everything it is doing, but I've found it quite "snatchy" and almost crashy on bumpy roads - this leads to a fun, adrenaline filled experience but can make a full on blast tiresome after a while. That said, I suspect the dampers aren't as good as they once were, so these will be replaced with some OEM items or something of equal quality at some point. I'm also going to get some camber bolts, new top mounts and some camber shims for the rear pending a readout on a hunter machine, so I can get the geometry spot on, as I doubt that is perfect after 6 years and 135k on the road.
When you get on to a reasonable well kept road though, it all makes sense. The car turns in with ridiculous accuracy and feels like it corners very flat which inspires confidence to take it to the limit all the way. The car does push wide if you overcook turn in, as you'd expect with a FWD car, but it does come about quite quickly. I need to experiment with tyre pressures first before looking at a RARB and possibly an LSD in the future - if you could address this balance issue and allow yourself to get on the power faster with the aid of an LSD, I'd be over the moon with the car, although I'd be a little concerned that the LSD could amplify my concerns with the car being snatchy on bumpy roads.
In terms of performance, I always knew these cars were pretty quick but I've continued to be surprised in this department here, too. The car doesn't feel slow when it is "on cam", and the noise it makes is quite addictive now
Beyond that, the brakes are certainly capable of stopping you but lack initial bite and feel - the discs are ready to be changed, so some OEM (or Brembo HC) discs - whichever I find cheaper, pads and braided lines will be ordered in due course, I'm still researching pad choices though.
In town, the low down torque makes things more than acceptable but there isn't anything more exciting to report here. On a more relaxed run, the cruise control makes things very relaxed and since lowering the seat and finding the right position, the car is a lot more comfortable than my initial reports, although it is still a small hatchback with hard suspension, so not ideal but more than acceptable for running around. One annoyance here is the lack of reach adjustment on the steering wheel - given it's upwards angle and my short arms, I have to sit too close to the pedals to be even close to comfortable on the steering wheel - I've found the happy medium, but it's far from perfect. I think for track days and autotests, I'll need to invest in some thin soled shoes so I can get one notch closer, either that or invest in a new wheel with a bit more "dish" to it, but I'm not keen to lose the cruise control just yet.
I was a doubter and originally dismissed the 182, but it is now easy to see why they are so popular, and most of my concerns are a mixture of our particularly crap roads and me being picky. I'd definitely recommend trying one if you're looking for this kind of thing, but you need more than a 10 minute test drive and you need to push it.
I've had a few opportunities to really put it through it's paces now, and it continues to impress, although this isn't without it's downsides, either.
When it is really pushed on anything but a near perfect road surface you can certainly feel everything it is doing, but I've found it quite "snatchy" and almost crashy on bumpy roads - this leads to a fun, adrenaline filled experience but can make a full on blast tiresome after a while. That said, I suspect the dampers aren't as good as they once were, so these will be replaced with some OEM items or something of equal quality at some point. I'm also going to get some camber bolts, new top mounts and some camber shims for the rear pending a readout on a hunter machine, so I can get the geometry spot on, as I doubt that is perfect after 6 years and 135k on the road.
When you get on to a reasonable well kept road though, it all makes sense. The car turns in with ridiculous accuracy and feels like it corners very flat which inspires confidence to take it to the limit all the way. The car does push wide if you overcook turn in, as you'd expect with a FWD car, but it does come about quite quickly. I need to experiment with tyre pressures first before looking at a RARB and possibly an LSD in the future - if you could address this balance issue and allow yourself to get on the power faster with the aid of an LSD, I'd be over the moon with the car, although I'd be a little concerned that the LSD could amplify my concerns with the car being snatchy on bumpy roads.
In terms of performance, I always knew these cars were pretty quick but I've continued to be surprised in this department here, too. The car doesn't feel slow when it is "on cam", and the noise it makes is quite addictive now
Beyond that, the brakes are certainly capable of stopping you but lack initial bite and feel - the discs are ready to be changed, so some OEM (or Brembo HC) discs - whichever I find cheaper, pads and braided lines will be ordered in due course, I'm still researching pad choices though.
In town, the low down torque makes things more than acceptable but there isn't anything more exciting to report here. On a more relaxed run, the cruise control makes things very relaxed and since lowering the seat and finding the right position, the car is a lot more comfortable than my initial reports, although it is still a small hatchback with hard suspension, so not ideal but more than acceptable for running around. One annoyance here is the lack of reach adjustment on the steering wheel - given it's upwards angle and my short arms, I have to sit too close to the pedals to be even close to comfortable on the steering wheel - I've found the happy medium, but it's far from perfect. I think for track days and autotests, I'll need to invest in some thin soled shoes so I can get one notch closer, either that or invest in a new wheel with a bit more "dish" to it, but I'm not keen to lose the cruise control just yet.
I was a doubter and originally dismissed the 182, but it is now easy to see why they are so popular, and most of my concerns are a mixture of our particularly crap roads and me being picky. I'd definitely recommend trying one if you're looking for this kind of thing, but you need more than a 10 minute test drive and you need to push it.
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So I tackled the lower gearbox mount this afternoon, it wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be owing to a very stiff bolt (even though it was soaked in Rostex the day before, and before starting the job).
This is what was required to get the bolt in the end, and even then it snapped a cheap ratchet first (no way was I risking my Halfords Advanced one! Solid bar seems to have gone missing)
New bushes in place
Fitted
There isn't much to report in terms of fitting otherwise, it is ridiculously simple.
I'm very pleased with the results though, gear change feels rock solid all the time, even when booting it. Feels more solid when coming on power harshly, too. I've noticed none of the vibration issues that others have reported, so it's definitely a worthwhile "upgrade".
This is what was required to get the bolt in the end, and even then it snapped a cheap ratchet first (no way was I risking my Halfords Advanced one! Solid bar seems to have gone missing)
New bushes in place
Fitted
There isn't much to report in terms of fitting otherwise, it is ridiculously simple.
I'm very pleased with the results though, gear change feels rock solid all the time, even when booting it. Feels more solid when coming on power harshly, too. I've noticed none of the vibration issues that others have reported, so it's definitely a worthwhile "upgrade".
I'm not selling it because it's expensive (bar the de-phaser, belts etc. it's actually been really quite cheap), but rather because they are **** at just about everything other than b-road blasts, and I have a larger budget to play with now. In fact, it'll probably be replaced with something that'll cost more to run :/
I could knock £500 off my asking price and still make a small profit on it.
You mean the "FRSH, bar the last (de-phaser etc.)"?
Edit: to save people the hassle: http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?574940-Silver-182FF-%A33500-nr.-mint.
I could knock £500 off my asking price and still make a small profit on it.
Skeeter said:
You mean the "FRSH, bar the last (de-phaser etc.)"?
Edit: to save people the hassle: http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?574940-Silver-182FF-%A33500-nr.-mint.
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