What should I do next? Repair, break or sell as is?

[James-EP400]

Some of you will have seen the thread and comments here about my outing at the April Castle Combe action day where my car decided to loose a lot of oil from somewhere!

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?695825-Castle-Combe-Action-Day-Pics-of-my-Clio-on-track

At the time we thought it was coming from the engine, possibly either the oil breather or crank seal. On driving home there was a quiet whine from 5th gear which I didn't like the sound of. When I drive it to the garage there was a loud bang and then no drive!!

Now it has been put up on the ramp there is a hole in the gearbox and the planet gear is in several pieces!!

So the gearbox is shot but i'm not sure what I should do next, as far as I can see there are 3 options:

*Get a second hand or a reconditioned gearbox and put a new clutch and slave cylinder in
*Sell the car as it is
*Break the car for spares

I know that it will probably cost £500-£600+ for labour, the box, clutch etc plus I also know that I need 1 rear shock so I might as well replace the rear pair, with the costs mounting up and the fact the belts will need doing next year on the engine i'm after some advice about what I should do and what people think the car is worth as it is etc etc.

Is it better the devil you know or you don't as I will most likely replace it with another 172 anyway. The other thing to ask is have other people have 172/182 boxes fail on track, is it that common?

For reference the car is a 2002 registered 172 with 83/84k on the clock, project thread is below:

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/show...ack-172-Phase-2-Road-Track-car-(on-a-budget!)

Any help/advice will be much appreciated

 

[Daniel]

I was stood just before Avon rise when I saw you come out of camp, and you left a LOAD of blue/white smoke behind. To the point other drivers started steering around it!

What was the cause of that? If that came from your engine, is it really worth spending money on the gearbox/belts?

​Personally, i'd be inclined to sell it/break it.

 

[ColinG]

As Daniel says, if you lump that amount into it and something else goes too, you are committed and are best to keep spending.

​Shame to let a car just die though

 

[James-EP400]

I was stood just before Avon rise when I saw you come out of camp, and you left a LOAD of blue/white smoke behind. To the point other drivers started steering around it!

What was the cause of that? If that came from your engine, is it really worth spending money on the gearbox/belts?

​Personally, i'd be inclined to sell it/break it.

Yeah I know the smoke was pretty bad and must have left a bit of oil! Think the oil was from the hole in the gearbox which got onto the manifold. The engine appears to be fine and the oil level is fine so just seems to be gearbox.

As Daniel says, if you lump that amount into it and something else goes too, you are committed and are best to keep spending.

​Shame to let a car just die though

That is my problem as I have only just done the rear discs and bearings and ABS pump before the track day! Just difficult to know when to stop really and whether it is better to know your car & fix or buy another!

 

[Jamie86]

Gearbox's aren't the strongest if not looked after to be honest..

If you can do it yourself I would get a 2nd hand one send it to Agency to get it checked over and throw it in...

 

[MG cup]

Shocks a gearbox and timing belt isn't exactly a huge deal but could understand breaking if you were paying garage prices for the work. They could easily need done on your next one too tbh, those faults are 3 of the most common things on a Clio sport to need replacing.

 

[Daniel]

Yeah I know the smoke was pretty bad and must have left a bit of oil! Think the oil was from the hole in the gearbox which got onto the manifold. The engine appears to be fine and the oil level is fine so just seems to be gearbox. That is my problem as I have only just done the rear discs and bearings and ABS pump before the track day! Just difficult to know when to stop really and whether it is better to know your car & fix or buy another!

Ahh, ok. I didn't realise that.

​In that case then, i'd get your engine compression tested, make sure it's a good'un and do the box/belts. Like you say, better the devil you know!

 

[James-EP400]

Gearbox's aren't the strongest if not looked after to be honest..

If you can do it yourself I would get a 2nd hand one send it to Agency to get it checked over and throw it in...

Yeah I have heard they are not the strongest boxes in the world and a pig to remove. Unfortunately I'm not a mechanic so won't be able to do it myself but do have some friends who are in the trade who would help me out a bit but will still cost! Who are agency? We have a gearbox specialist in Somerset not sure how much they would charge to look over a gearbox?

Shocks a gearbox and timing belt isn't exactly a huge deal but could understand breaking if you were paying garage prices for the work. They could easily need done on your next one too tbh, those faults are 3 of the most common things on a Clio sport to need replacing.

As above I will be doing it through a garage but will get some discount. I was going to leave the belts but I don't know if it is any easier to do if the box is coming out anyway? If I keep the car will put cup shocks on as they are the same price.

Ahh, ok. I didn't realise that.

​In that case then, i'd get your engine compression tested, make sure it's a good'un and do the box/belts. Like you say, better the devil you know!

Yeah that might be an idea to check first. Pulled 175.6bhp at Tipton with decat, V6 airbox, RS tuner map and powerflow decat back so I would say that was alright compared to others on the day

 

[scotty10]

You can't tell how your next car will be although it may have been looked after but things go

I just spent £546 on belts but had two sheets of failures on its mot last week as i hardly use the clio i took it off the road and will buy parts bit by bit

Now I'm too far on with spending on it so I'm happy to repair and keep mine

 

[Jamie86]

Agency recommended by many including Burpspeed race boys!

AgencyTransmissions

Unit 17k Shrub Hill

Worcester

WR4 9EL



Tel: 01905 24896

Martin carries all the parts in stock for these boxes, top bloke

Tell him Burpspeed sent you

 

[ben lee]

take the engine and box out in one replace the gearbox and do the belts whilst the engine is out its so much easier.

 

[gez 172]

It's also a lot cheaper to have the belts done while the engine is out.

 

[realnumber 1]

As Daniel says, if you lump that amount into it and something else goes too, you are committed and are best to keep spending.

​Shame to let a car just die though

Assuming the rest of the cars good then paying £700 to fix it isn't that bad. "Something else" could go just as easily on any other Clio that might replace it.

The only other reason I can think of starting again is if you fancy a upgrading to a 182/fancy a different colour.

 

[plymcl172]

its hard to say what to do but guess this is what price you can pay by doing track days

I would get the gearbox done and new clutch same time. Will cost you £500+ but nothing much else you can do. Either that or sell your car for under a grand!

 

[faker]

Fix it. At least you know what you've got. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[James-EP400]

You can't tell how your next car will be although it may have been looked after but things go

I just spent £546 on belts but had two sheets of failures on its mot last week as i hardly use the clio i took it off the road and will buy parts bit by bit

Now I'm too far on with spending on it so I'm happy to repair and keep mine

Yeah that is the dilemma, other things could be wrong with another Clio I buy! I have got into that situation before being too far on spending money on cars and wanted to try and avoid that again so I'm a bit wary about possibly doing that again!

Agency recommended by many including Burpspeed race boys!

Thanks for that, might give them a ring and see, would need to get the box up and back to them, which is additional costs, I assume they don't keep those boxes on the shelf or anything?

take the engine and box out in one replace the gearbox and do the belts whilst the engine is out its so much easier.

Yeah that sounds like if I keep it best to do the whole lot in one go then at least good for 5 years/75k

It's also a lot cheaper to have the belts done while the engine is out.

Yes, would do that if I keep the car as above

Assuming the rest of the cars good then paying £700 to fix it isn't that bad. "Something else" could go just as easily on any other Clio that might replace it.

The only other reason I can think of starting again is if you fancy a upgrading to a 182/fancy a different colour.

The rest of the car is alright, a few scuffs on the front & rear bumpers and a couple of dents in one of the doors but apart from that the bodywork is clean. I do like the idea of possibly getting a cup or a flamer

its hard to say what to do but guess this is what price you can pay by doing track days

I would get the gearbox done and new clutch same time. Will cost you £500+ but nothing much else you can do. Either that or sell your car for under a grand!

Yeah probably no more track/action days as I can't afford to break my car each time, maybe I was just unlucky, who knows! Depends what it is worth I suppose as it is or whether I would get more breaking it :S. Better the devil you know or not but I would probably end up spending £1k ish to get it all sorted, gearbox, clutch, slave cylinder, belts, shocks, or should I use that money saved to buy another one

Fix it. At least you know what you've got. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Cheers, as above still not sure really, depends how much I would get breaking it / selling it as it is

 

[Ed.200]

Stick at the car , if you can of course money and situation dependent. At least if you put new bits in (a refurb box) then they should last a while, and they do take a hammering on track.
Dan@SJM may have his box for sale out of his cup he is breaking, if they are the same. And depending how detrimental the damage is to yours.

​You coming along friday?

 

[James-EP400]

Stick at the car , if you can of course money and situation dependent. At least if you put new bits in (a refurb box) then they should last a while, and they do take a hammering on track.
Dan@SJM may have his box for sale out of his cup he is breaking, if they are the same. And depending how detrimental the damage is to yours.

​You coming along friday?

I think the car boxes are slightly different to do with the speedo drive and that it has no ABS. I don't think that box is too healthy either from memory.

Hopefully be able to come but will have to speak nicely to Chip as my wife is using our other car!

 

[plymcl172]

his box cant be as bad as yours lol

loads of breaking 1*2's on CS hope you find one !

 

[Dan@SJM]

I'm probably going, so your welcome to hop in with me mate.

I won't sell my box as its knackered after the accident. If you do decide to sell as a whole cheaply let me know mate as ill probably buy it for Vikki.

 

[James-EP400]

I'm probably going, so your welcome to hop in with me mate.

I won't sell my box as its knackered after the accident. If you do decide to sell as a whole cheaply let me know mate as ill probably buy it for Vikki.

Yeah thats alright mate Chip is giving me a lift, cheers for the offer, you still going?

Yeah I thought from your thread sounded like the box wasn't too good.

I'll chat to you tonight if your going, still undecided about it all at the moment!!

 

[Dan@SJM]

Yeh we're going. I've just got to vik's.

 

[James-EP400]

Yeh we're going. I've just got to vik's.

Cool, see you down there then