172 advice.

[Ron]

Well I've been using a GTT as a daily for about 7 years and time has come for a change. I've found two cars local that I'm interested in, I've been looking around and there seems to be a lot of crap about!

Is there any pointers on what to look out for. I know about dephaser rattling cambelt change cost etc. Any help greatly appreciated.

How much wood it cost to have a key programmed?

Cheers Ron

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

Dealer price? Quite a bit.
We can do it cheaper than a dealer.

[royz]

sticky throttle body can cause it to rev high on tick over. but its a easy fix and not to expensive to put right. had mine for over a year now and its not give me any big problems even though its got a few miles on it.:)

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

sticky throttle body can cause it to rev high on tick over. but its a easy fix and not to expensive to put right. had mine for over a year now and its not give me any big problems even though its got a few miles on it.:)

That would be a phase 1 for sticky throttle body, also a new throttle cable makes a massive difference.

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

Well I've been using a GTT as a daily for about 7 years and time has come for a change. I've found two cars local that I'm interested in, I've been looking around and there seems to be a lot of crap about!

Is there any pointers on what to look out for. I know about dephaser rattling cambelt change cost etc. Any help greatly appreciated.

How much wood it cost to have a key programmed?

Cheers Ron

On an early phase 1 check the rear arches for rust, check to see that ALL of the arch liners are in place, any aftermarket stuff needs to be good quality and fitted correctly (induction kits/air filters next to the radiator, mad looking camber for example) make sure ALL the lights come up on the dash and go out as they should (ie airbag lights, abs ect...) a second key is a must, a good service history, worn interior parts like broken gear lever gators, worn/melted steering wheels.
Drive the car! If it doesn't feel tight, pointy and pokey leave it alone. Make sure it is what it is..... 172/172 cup/182/182cup packs, The more standard the better I say.

[Mr Raider]

Great little cars, had my 172 Cup for 5 years now, done 110k, replaced orignal clutch last week so they last pretty well, replaced rear brake compensator month before as that seized, had a fair few rear brake related issues as its a Cup with no ABS. If you can get a well cared for example with good history in standard form with lowish miles, as last year or so ive been replacing a fair few parts but some to be expected due to mileage. Engine mounts wear, cambelt replacement with dephaser is a must as not a cheap job, also watch for gearbox oil leak from selector seal as you have to dismantle the box to fit a new seal ;)

[Coops]

as above really, the best you can do is drive as many as you can to get a feel for good and bad cars

rust isn't much of an issue in my experience, even my ratty phase 1 was solid compared to mk 1 clios

watch for gearbox issues, snatchy changes when cold, rattly input shafts and whiny diffs. don't be totally put off by those symptoms, mine have all had small issues like these on the box but never had one go pop, just use it to factor in price drops ;-)

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

Good on fuel too, I averaged 43mpg on a trip to Brittany, France with the family on board (about 9 hours with a pee stop from Calais and autoroute the whole way).
You don't have to dismantle box to fix a selector leak, it can be one in situ with a kit.

[Mr Raider]

Good on fuel too, I averaged 43mpg on a trip to Brittany, France with the family on board (about 9 hours with a pee stop from Calais and autoroute the whole way).
You don't have to dismantle box to fix a selector leak, it can be one in situ with a kit.

Ahh touch mate, - thanks for that Matt have to get mine replaced :cool: :agree:

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

I seem to remember renault doing a kit too, I'll see if its still available.

[Haz]

Same faults as a 5 ;) top mounts, broken springs, engine mounts, tracking, faulty electrics, heater resistor, leaky air con. As most of the engine bits are Ali it gives an indication of how it's been looked after, white rust generally not been touched or greasey if its had issues. Rusty water stains from coolant issues. And lots of bits suffer from wear, seats, gear knob, interior door handles, steering wheel and carpet.
I'd have an expensive tidy ph1 over a tattier ph2 for the money.

[J8TRO]

I had mine for 2 years and if I’d had the space would of held on to it as a track car. Good advice above, go and see some in the metal and take them out for a spin. You can read all about the obvious things to look out for. Main cost now for their age is the Cam belt / Aux belt change relative to the price you'll pay for the car. Just check it’s got good history and is obviously looked after, you will not pay a huge premium for a car that been well looked after to one that hasn’t, just look around.

No real issues with mine, the original rear back box fell off! it split a few drive shaft gaiters and needed ball joints changing (probably due to the fact it was on coilovers and driven on track) but nothing out of the ordinary considering it was a 10 year old car. I went through two interior gear stick gaiters too, but they are about £15 new from Renault.

If you’re in Leicester, BTM isn’t too far and he really knows the cars inside out if you’re not handy with spanners yourself. He did my servicing and belts.

[Ron]

Cheers for the advice chaps pretty much what I was expecting to hear! I have had a look a couple but they have not really been as described! I've found a two owner 172 with fsh that's bog standard and local so going to look at that on Saturday so fingers crossed it will be ok.

I've also found out a friend has the locking tools to sort the cambelt. I wield spanners for a living so should have it sorted! I expect to have to fix some problems as at the end of the day it's a ten year old car!

Cheers Ron

[dangerous dave]

There not just 10 year old cars, the 10 year old cars that are a total hoot to drive.. Everytimr I get in one its like some hotties got her chuff out, I just want to nail it. :hump:

[Haz]

There not just 10 year old cars, the 10 year old cars that are a total hoot to drive.. Everytimr I get in one its like some hotties got her chuff out, I just want to nail it. :hump:

Totally agree. With a 5 it feels like you can cruise off boost or give it large, with the clio's they feel like they want to be kept above 5k and constantly clipping the limiter. Great fun!

[Ron]

It will be strange having no boost, so pretty sure it will live on the limiter waiting for the turbo to kick in :laugh:

Haz I remember yours was good fun and I know you have a soft spot for a phase 1 :)

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

I hated my 172 when I rebuilt it 5 years ago... sold it on within a month of having it on the road....

Now have brought it back and I love it. :)

its got 167k on the clocks and still going strong.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh149/sexychrissmith/172%20for%20sale/photo_zps181293b4.jpg

[TopCat]

I hated my 172 when I rebuilt it 5 years ago... sold it on within a month of having it on the road....

Now have brought it back and I love it. :)

its got 167k on the clocks and still going strong.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh149/sexychrissmith/172%20for%20sale/photo_zps181293b4.jpg

Great bit of parking there fella ;)

[r5_scotty]

french parkin ;)

[The new Bill J]

They are outrageously fun cars. Surely they're unbeatable in the fun-factor department for the cash?

The first time I drove mine I hated it! The driving position was horrible (like a gtt - You sit on it, and not in it), the build quality was shocking, and it felt dead slow :(. In disgust, I took it out again and hammered the absolute crap out of it, and fell in love :D

Mine's not exactly been fault free, but they're so cheap to repair that I can forgive it (not to mention that it's 12 years old). In the 6k I've done so far, I've knackered a wheel bearing, the back box has fallen off, the centre exhaust section has snapped, a front spring has snapped, an injector's failed, the handbrake cables have snapped, two lambda sensors have failed, two rear exhaust mounts have fallen to bits, the gearbox has developed a lovely whine, and I've replaced almost everything else just for the hell of it. Not bad for a car that I got to just run into the ground and not spend a penny on :laugh:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a71/mrb_gtt/Random/172_zps7d96bfc4.jpg

[Ricardo]

They're the wrong shade of blue ;) :D

[The new Bill J]

They're the wrong shade of blue ;) :D

At least they don't look like smurfs :cooter:

[Ricardo]

It made it in the official Cliosport 2013 calendar, not bad for a smurf :D

[The new Bill J]

Only because it was surrounded by a ring of buckets :laugh:

[Ricardo]

Only because it was surrounded by a ring of buckets :laugh:


To be fair i did wash it earlier using the 2 bucket method :ashamed:

[Ron]

I don't own one bucket let alone two!

[dangerous dave]

If you did have a bucket it wouldn't be to cliosport standard.. You need 2 poorboys ones at £30 a pop..

Or you can get 2 huge plastering buckets for £5-10 each from any good builders.. I gave my old dears 182 loads of care when new, washed, waxed, clay..

But all the care in the world didn't stop some women from dragging her car down the rear quarter, or another one across the front bumper, or stop my mummy backing into a post..

I've never washed my van or astra, I even waxed my gtt while it was covered in dirt as I couldn't be fuked to wash it.. There's nothing wrong with a clean car, but it's like spending 6 hours cleaning your ar5e hole knowing that it'll be covered in sh1t again within 24 hours..

[Sparkie]

you dont need a new key reprogrammed.

as long as you have one working key, there are ways of getting a new key cut and then fooling the immobiliser to be permanently switched off. You buy an immo bypass module or have the immo removed from the ecu - plenty of ways of doing it.

if you want to know more just give me a nod. :) -i deal with a company at work which sells all sorts of interesting car entering/starting paraphernalia. :)

[old skool turbo power]

At least they don't look like smurfs :cooter:


:laugh:
nice car though:agree: :cool:

[royz]

That would be a phase 1 for sticky throttle body, also a new throttle cable makes a massive difference.


my bad forgot to put phase 1. :)

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

I had two at the same time at one point....
Brill cars.

[6FOOT6]

They are awesome - if you keep it stock.

I have a '03 Cup 172 - It had an after market exhaust and it was so droning in the cab that it makes ya ears bleed with no sound deadening.

Put a stock system back on and noticed no performance difference and much more refined (as it can be) the '03 Phase 2 clios are worlds apart in terms of interior trim quality , phase ones are crapola!

Only issues I have had in 13K is a knackared wheel bearing and replaced all the disks all round and some new pads - oh and a fecked HT lead which took awhile to track down :( and one time when the car refused to start due to some random immobliser gremlin that has never come back.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a260/hellboy660/257147_10150327058773146_810033145_10048947_653723 6_o_zps5e7d2f11.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a260/hellboy660/258079_10150327060903146_810033145_10048970_266604 8_o_zpsf1d4980f.jpg

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

Couldn't disagree more about your comment that phase 1's are crapola....

They don't suffer from ESP/traction faults... Better on fuel (having driven every RS model), they won't experience limp home mode when the fly by wire system fails, they also won't flash up EML lights randomly if you have a catalyst imbalance, they don't have a UCH thank god!.....the list is endless in favour of the phase 1. But then again I'm biased:laugh:

[The new Bill J]

Couldn't disagree more about your comment that phase 1's are crapola....

They don't suffer from ESP/traction faults... Better on fuel (having driven every RS model), they won't experience limp home mode when the fly by wire system fails, they also won't flash up EML lights randomly if you have a catalyst imbalance, they don't have a UCH thank god!.....the list is endless in favour of the phase 1. But then again I'm biased:laugh:

I agree. Not that I'm biased either :laugh:

I have heard a few people say that the ph1's interiors actually tend to develop less rattles than the later cars. I admit to preferring the look of the ph2's inside though. There's just too much blue going on in the ph1's :crap:

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

True, but as I have a blue phase 1, a 'bit of blue' flashed about inside isn't too bad, the phase 1's have a coloured Renault Sport stitching whereas the phase 2 doesn't.......yeah I know I'm sad.....(admittedly it was pointed out to me so not too OCD).
The dash top change I did to mine and penfolds actually makes the car better as the ones I used are very dark grey and not blue again.

[The new Bill J]

Mine's blue too, and I think the blue paintwork with the blue interior is a bit ott :scared:

I have thought about changing the dash board to a ph2 version. I'm supposed to be keeping the car oe though! :laugh:

Out of curiosity, have you got any pics of your dash? :D

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

True, but as I have a blue phase 1, a 'bit of blue' flashed about inside isn't too bad, the phase 1's have a coloured Renault Sport stitching whereas the phase 2 doesn't.......yeah I know I'm sad.....(admittedly it was pointed out to me so not too OCD). I am not sad for pointing it out :)
The dash top change I did to mine and penfolds actually makes the car better as the ones I used are very dark grey and not blue again. :agree:I agree, looks alot better

I hate the look on the ph2, love the headlights and the slots under the ph1 headlights... makes it stand out, the ph2 looks like any other clio..
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh149/sexychrissmith/172%20for%20sale/photo-9.jpg

[6FOOT6]

haters gunna hate
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/085/977/HATERS.jpg?1291355060
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c65/Blarno/DSCF0005.jpg

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

:laugh:

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

I hate the look on the ph2, love the headlights and the slots under the ph1 headlights... makes it stand out, the ph2 looks like any other clio..
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh149/sexychrissmith/172%20for%20sale/photo-9.jpg

:laugh: X2

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

haters gunna hate
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/085/977/HATERS.jpg?1291355060
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c65/Blarno/DSCF0005.jpg

All I will say is, better/lighter seats and no cruise crap to go wrong in there.....plus cup spoiler;)

[6FOOT6]

http://lolsnaps.com/upload_pic/HatersGonnaHate-70382.jpg

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

Just for you 6foot geeza......:cooter:

[The new Bill J]

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh149/sexychrissmith/172%20for%20sale/photo-9.jpg

Hmm, that does look quite nice :cool:



http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c65/Blarno/DSCF0005.jpg

You haven't even got proper seats. I don't like those gay blue bits either :cooter:

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

In penfolds pic of his car, you will see I painted the clock display and dash silver to match the standard phase 1 gear knob, door handles and stereo surround.

[Ron]

Bit of a update. I have got myself a silver 52 plate 172 that I should be getting next week. Decided against a cup as I fancied a change to the 5 interior and will a be nice to have some luxurys!

It seems tidy FRSH 2 owners. Was surprised how nice it was to drive . Can't wait to get it now 😃

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

Nice one, good choice.