Newbie just put a deposit down on a 172

[LaurenB]

Hi,

Despite joining in 2009 this is actually my first post. I think the Clio RS is a car I've liked for a while but it's taken me this long to get round to trying one. My other car is an AE86 of 1985 vintage, but you'll have to be up on your Japanese cars to know what that is!

So, I've taken the plunge, I needed to buy a car to drive daily now I've retired my 27 year old AE86, so I thought I'd take a punt and see if the RS lives up to the hype. I'm really hoping so!

Some pics stolen from the ad:

Half leather/alcantara:

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Because you are a female, we need pictures of you. Its in the rules and guidelines incase you havent read them.

Welcome back, and good buy!

 

[jesus]

Looks tidy

Guess who I am...

 

[Revels]

Welcome to the forum, LaurenB!

 

[Mark-387]

Hello! Any plans for her? Looks mint good choice in colour may I add

 

[LaurenB]

LOL! Well here's a pic of me (quite a few years ago now!) of what I did to one of my previous cars. I tend to try and drive around lamposts these days.

LOL, Jamie, my stalker!

 

[Pauleds]

Wouldnt mind an AE86 myself, rare as rocking horse poo but have had some great times on road rallies in them!

 

[LaurenB]

Hello! Any plans for her? Looks mint good choice in colour may I add

Cheers. Well, I will be changing the cambelt, fitting new front tyres fairly quickly. If the exhaust looks like it's not going to last I'll go to JP and get a custom one. I'll be putting another head unit and likely a sub and amp and probably speakers, just because I do a fair bit of driving and I like my music. Looking forward to it. Since I broke my AE86, I've been driving around in the other half's Yaris for the last two months (hateful thing!).

 

[jesus]

What happened to the AE86? Are you getting rid too?

 

[LaurenB]

I blew the engine I think on the way back from a 2000 mile trip round Europe in July. I'm rebuilding it, then it'll go into storage over the winter. I will likely sell it eventually. I'm aiming to save up for a GT86, so fancied trying one of these in the interim.

 

[jesus]

Awesome, shame to hear about the AE though. I've seen quite a few GT's knocking around

 

[Pauleds]

AE86 will still fetch a good price when you do decide to sell it. Out of my price range im sure!

 

[LaurenB]

Thanks, Paul. The AE86 is a very clean one, I've spent a fair bit on it, getting it up to scratch since I've had it. It is great fun, but I don't normally drive it through the winter anyway. Hopefully it'll be back up and running reasonably soon. Just the small matter of an engine rebuild to do!

 

[Pauleds]

Im sure they can be done alrite, but I think the s wales lads started using 2.0 bottom ends in theirs and they used to make them scream!!

 

[Ad Mayo]

Hi and welcome. I remember you from www.imoc.co.uk

 

[st3rling]

Hi, lovely looking clio... very similar to the one I just bought and I love it, so hopefully you will too! when you come round to changing your head unit, you may find its a bit of a squeeze, took me bloomin' ages to get mine in with the steering wheel remote adaptor.

 

[LaurenB]

Cheers. I picked the car up last night, about to have my first proper drive (I have a nice commute to work) in about 15 minutes time. I've just been reading the manual and all that stuff. Have booked the car in for a pair of Cont-sport contacts on Thursday as the front tyres are shot.

 

[jkyb]

Welcome.. go easy on each other!

 

[flat-eric]

Hello and welcome!

 

[skyinsurance]

Hello stranger

Cocked a wheel yet? :clap:

 

[The Fatty]

just out of interest, why is there fairy liquid on top that old car of yours?

 

[LaurenB]

Hello Ollie and Ad!

@The Fatty, there was a 5 litre can of oil in the front boot that got crushed in the accident. The Fairy liquid was used to disperse the oil that leaked out everywhere!

Well, I've driven it to to work this morning in a mixture of wet and dry weather. I have to say, it's quick, really comfortable (love the seats) and from the glimpse of handling I've had so far, it's a classy chassis. Also can hardly believe that the trip computer is saying an average of 38.3mpg, which I'll be very happy with.


There's a French side to it though, found out the windscreen washer doesn't seem to work, so popped the bonnet and found the reservoir under the scuttle which took me a little to find. Apparently replacement motors are cheap and you can buy them from Halfords, but you'll need to remove the wipers and no doubt mechanism to get to them!


That aside, it's been a very nice play to be. If I get mid 30s on the economy side of things it'll be close to the Yaris, but it anhiliates it in every other way. Sort of wondering why I haven't bought one of these before.

 

[The Fatty]

If the motor makes a sound when trying, then i seem to remember theres a fix (somehting like a bit of plastic needs to be cut down inside the pump), someone on here will know for sure!

 

[Lorenzoeurope]

Hello, Nice looking 172 looks really clean.

I used to own a MK1 MR2 and it looks like a nice wet day, there a nightmare in the wet use that as an excuse haha. My friend span his on the motorway in the rain changing lane he did a 360 and somehow caught it with his old man in the car.

 

[olihodgson]

Hello Ollie and Ad!

@The Fatty, there was a 5 litre can of oil in the front boot that got crushed in the accident. The Fairy liquid was used to disperse the oil that leaked out everywhere!

Well, I've driven it to to work this morning in a mixture of wet and dry weather. I have to say, it's quick, really comfortable (love the seats) and from the glimpse of handling I've had so far, it's a classy chassis. Also can hardly believe that the trip computer is saying an average of 38.3mpg, which I'll be very happy with.


There's a French side to it though, found out the windscreen washer doesn't seem to work, so popped the bonnet and found the reservoir under the scuttle which took me a little to find. Apparently replacement motors are cheap and you can buy them from Halfords, but you'll need to remove the wipers and no doubt mechanism to get to them!


That aside, it's been a very nice play to be. If I get mid 30s on the economy side of things it'll be close to the Yaris, but it anhiliates it in every other way. Sort of wondering why I haven't bought one of these before.

This is really annoying, I did mine without removing mechanism, took about half an hour to get the wipers off though, seriously stuck on!
You can undo the reservoir bolts and get the motors out with the bottle in place, not easy but doable. I swapped my main pump with the one for the lights, had to do a quick fix for MOT the next day. Meant my light wagers didn't work but wasn't bothered at the time and tbh I still haven't bothered changing them back!!
Nice looking 172 btw, and always wanted a S/C mk1 MR2, had a couple of N/A ones, great fun except for the rust!!

 

[Hixle]

Welcome along.

Massive soft spot for AE86's, pics?!

 

[LaurenB]

Here you go:

I've done loads to it. It's currently in bits following the engine blowing for the second time in six months. We'll be putting it back together again over the next couple of months!

@Lorenzo, I had three MK1 MR2's two of them supercharged. I did a bit of racing too in MR2s. I always reckoned they handled better in the wet than the dry. LSD makes it more fun though. Cheers for the tips on the washers, really need to get that sorted!

Am loving the car BTW. I used to have a DC2 Integra Type-R. That was a brilliant handler for a FWD. The Clio has some class to it's chassis, I can tell that I'm going to be enjoying some lift off oversteer soon. New tyres going on the front tomorrow morning.

Here's a quick pic (it's dirty) in the work car park:

 

[...]

Lauren it just really made me chuckle that Ollie at sky insurance knows you so well , funny on so many levels ......

get those belts done and i'll try and make oulton , as i am sure i can chuck you in to the guy who wants some instruction too , that is if you want to lap in the outside and cold !! seeing as your almost more of a pro than me

 

[LaurenB]

Harv, Ollie is one of the mods on IMOC, I've known him many years, but LOL!

Yeah, I just need to secure a new contract which is up on the 19th of the month, so if that transition goes smoothly I can probably get it all sorted by then.

I don't mind giving some tips on technique and all that, yeah why not. If it's wet I might not be so keen.

 

[...]

had it been brands i might have asked someone else

 

[Coops Mk1]

welcome, love the old rolla, proper bit of kit and if it was me i'd be saving for the 86 but keeping the old skool as well

hope you enjoy the clio, I think I have the same washer jet issue incoming on my 182 that's awaiting the road come November, been avoiding it and hoping I can fix it by fitting shiny wheels etc..............doesn't seem to be working!

 

[skyinsurance]

Lauren it just really made me chuckle that Ollie at sky insurance knows you so well , funny on so many levels ......

I let her drive my turbo Mk1 Mr2 once, I very nearly sh*t the bed..

 

[LaurenB]

had it been brands i might have asked someone else

LOL! /I'll never live that down!

@Coops, cheers, I do love the AE86 and arguably there is no better car in the world at drifting wet roundabouts and I'll always have fond memories of it. I'm actually in no rush to sell (there's the small matter of a putting the engine back together yet!) it's just more the practicalities of keeping a car that won't get driven all that often. We'll see, but I guess I'm glad I've had the pleasure of owning an AE86, it's been an experience.

I can't wait to fix the washer jets. It's driving me nuts as we are having the kind of weather where there is intermittent rain and thus lots of spray. I'm hoping I get a chance to look at it over the weekend as it needs fixing.

Still on the upside I've had a pair of Continental Sport Contacts fitted this morning, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform.

LOL@Ollie, was it really that bad?

 

[skyinsurance]

LOL@Ollie, was it really that bad?

It could have been down to the fact I generally don't let anyone else drive my cars and I'm an awful passenger but I distinctly remember by sphincter twitching on one roundabout :clap:

 

[LaurenB]

Oops! Almost forgot I had brand new tyres on and hoofed a roundabout off the M6 to A54. Was just stonking how much speed I could carry. Haven't really got the rear end properly mobile yet, but it won't be long!

 

[LaurenB]

Right, got the car down the workshop today, to have a look at the windscreen washers and headlamp washers as they don't work!


So had already seen how to get the bottle out, but what a pain. Still, it wasn't too bad, just seemed a lot to do, just to get to the bloody reservoir!

Windscreen wipers and mechanism had already been removed at this point.

Turned out the winsdscreen washer motor had burnt out, but the other one was okay. So, Mark went to Halfords and got a new motor for £16. We also repaired the washer bottle where it had been slightly damaged where the windscreen washer pump plugs in. Mark used a hot glue gun to help seal up a slight gap around the seal. It had had silicone on it before.


We got it all back together again and the washers worked. The headlamp one doesn't seem to work, but it was only when I got home I read in the manual that it needs to be held for over a second. Tbh I thought I had done that, but seeing as the headlight washers are rather less crucial, I left it for another day. There is likely a relay I'm guessing that may not be working.


Pic of the engine bay. Big engine/small car!

 

[BeXE]

Hi from another newbie

 

[LaurenB]

Hi!

Forgot to add, that we found that some of the washer hose, where it passes through a hole on the reservoir bottle for the feed for the washer jets, had nearly worn through where it had obviously rubbed over the years. So, we found a bit of vacuum piping off a spare 4AGE inlet manifold I had lying around. Now fitted with Toyota parts!

 

[The Fatty]

wouldnt worry about he headlamp washers, they the tend to leak anyway so probably just best jeft left blocked/non-functioning.

 

[LaurenB]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the headlamp washers. Windscreen washers on the other hand.....