Better copy my project thread over. 14-01-2013 As I think it has been about 9 months since purchasing this car it's about time I got a project thread started! Some of you may have seen the car, it was at the April and September Castle Combe action days last year on the 'Club-306' stand (moderator over there) and also at FCS with them too. On track in April and at FCS. Purchased from Rob on here at the end of March last year having got rid of a rather nasty 182 Clio and realising that the amount I was looking at spending on a Trophy I could go straight for my original 'ideal' car! So spotting Rob's on the forum around mid day, texts were sent and by early afternoon I was on the train. (Warwick Parkway to St Helens ish.) Being a young'un my insurance don't let me drive other cars on my policy, so a trusted friend met me at the station for the test drive - unsurprisingly he was more than happy to oblige! A rather pedantic checking over and one test drive later and the car was mine Insurance swapped over and a very enjoyable drive home! 29500 miles on the clock when purchased, with the following extras - Carbone Lorraine RC5+ front pads, K-Tec Black edition front and rear discs, RBF600 fluid, front and rear braided hoses. Short shifter (Stey will confirm how brilliant this is!) Forge FMIC, re-circulation valve and actuator. K-Tec exhaust with Miltek de-cat. K-Tec panel filter. Samco hosing. 630cc uprated injectors. RS Tuning Stage 2 map (274bhp 310lb/ft) Scanguage 2. Cars prior to this were all 306s, from a DTurbo to a stripped and caged GTi 6 and then the 'Revs' Rallye. So the power increase when I got in the R26 was brilliant to say the least ------------------------------- Firs up a small job - sorting out the rear number plate lights which were cracked. Starting small with the work... One of the covers of the number plate lights didn't want to stay in place of its own accord, and as they were discoloured I thought I should replace both. Discovered that the wires behind one had been cut, must have been to replace the plug at some point. Unfortunately the ends had been twisted together and taped, so a bit of solder and heat shrink neatened this up. Old and new. Close up. Both fitted and working --------------------- Next was a trip to BTM in Birmingham for the full cambelt service, ARP rod bolts whilst the oil is being changed, and inspection of the clutch, which seemed to be sticking down. A replacement spring from a Renault Master van and no need for a new clutch - few! Big thanks to Fred at BTM for a great job as usual, and for delivering the car back to me at 21:30 to ensure I had it for work. -------------------- Now then, spot the difference. As much as I liked the privacy the tints provided, on a grey day they weren't very practical, I'm sure they would get me pulled over at some point, and I no longer feel the need to carry around a bag of pills or attempt to pull 16 year old girls**. All good. **I hasten to add I did not do this, or feel the need to try. And am by no means saying that everyone with tinted windows does this. Just some. -------------------- Couple of brilliant fixes next thanks to the info on here! A massive £1.10 off ebay for the insulation tape, and £1.91 from my friendly local bike shop for the TF2. Before [video=youtube;7uhN0ruMh68]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uhN0ruMh68&feature=share&list=UUSNe70xnH_3JhOk9TXqLexg[/video] I did not enjoy the water down my neck every time I opened the boot, and this is where the insulation tape comes in. After [video=youtube;EKkG2rCcynY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkG2rCcynY&feature=share&list=UUSNe70xnH_3JhOk9TXqLexg[/video] Both times I emptied half a watering can over the arse end of the car, so I think that is very successful. The second 'French' feature of the car to be attacked was the rattly dashboard. Between the dashboard and the window is a strip of foam. I expect when new this was soft, quiet and lovely. After years of being sat in the heat of the windscreen it is very brittle and not doing much to absorb the movement between the car and the dash. A good amount of teflon spray along here, and around the pod that fits around the clocks for good will and the noise has gone! -------------------- This takes us up to April time I think, so more to come!
25-01-13 Next update - a more exciting one this time! This was carried out around April time 2012. From my experience in previous cars and also discovering that although the Recaros are very comfy they aren't the most supportive I decided I would need to keep myself in place more firmly on track. Cue much searching around for harnesses and fixing methods that would allow me to remove the harness when not needed. I have to thank Poobah for the ideas and very clear pictures of where to mount the harness. The harness I chose is the Scroth Profi II asm with flexi belt. Good fit in the car and great adjustment. Very glad I chose the one with the flexi belt as it allows for much easier adjustment. Taken it for a spirited drive on some twisty roads and it is spot on, feel so much more connected to the car now. Oh, but now you can tell that the standard belts really need a clean!
Another update! We've just got up to the week before Castle Combe spring action day last year - my first track outing with the car. First up was a trip to Tolman Motorsport to get the geometry set up. Track wise it was awesome. Any of you who were there will remember the weather was awful - loads of rain! But the car performed brilliantly. I can happily say the PS3's were great in the wet conditions, I noticed a few people looking around at the tyres/suspension later in the day trying to work out why I had more grip than them. It was also a great change not to be left behind on the straights. My previous car was great through the corners but fell short on the straights; this was much better :yes[1]: Another update. Few jobs completed last summer - Wanted somewhere to put my phone, and a music solution. Didn't want anything permanent, and at the same time I wasn't too bothered about hands free/music streaming as I carry very little on my iPhone at this time, so have come up with this - Couple of strips of acrylic cut and bent, some heavy duty plastic velcro and a magnet on the back of the MP3 player (it stays in the car anyway). Easy to install and easy to remove. I am now considering adding either a factory hands free kit or a Parrot to stream music as well and remove the MP3 player, but the iPhone battery already gets enough of a battering when using it throughout the day and as a satnav. Pioneer speakers courtesy of Ben, and a replacement cover on the passengers side as the one on there was cracked. Much better sound, although it still has it's 'french car rattle' if your turn it up too loud. Another new interior part collected at French Car Show to go between the gear stick and the hand brake - this is the original with a nasty stain that would not come out. And replacement Next up a fix to sort out a check ignition/esp message that had come up a couple of times. Both times having turned the car off and on again it was fine, but I purchased these sensor brackets from caymanR26 on here. Fast delivery and very well finished parts - highly recommended. Since fitting I have had no error messages pop up either. At the same time I replaced the tb air absorb pipe too as it seemed to be missing a couple of clips. All small jobs but all tidying up nicely!
Scary update next from September. Parked my car near the bottom of my drive and was returning to it to see this. Last time I saw that it had a locking bolt in there too. The other four bolts gave about 1/8th turn. No idea how it could have come out, it had been about two weeks since it was washed, so I would have noticed it then. I can only assume that someone has had a go at removing the wheel, started with the difficult bolt and got disturbed after that. I considered a stud and nut conversion but no one seemed to be able to supply something off the shelf quickly, so treated myself to these - I know they aren't to everyones taste, but personally think they are smart - would look even smarter if the wheels were refurbed! However now they have been on for a few months the locking nuts have gone rusty on the inside edges, so I will be speaking with TPI as I'm not very happy about that. Beginning of November last year... Update time! I knew there was a knocking from the front, and a bit of investigation located the source to be the anti rotation link on the off side. I decided I would get that done at MOT time, and that around the 50000 mile mark (it's at about 38000 now) I would renew most of the wear and tear parts in the front suspension. Turns out that the ball joint on the off side is worn as well. With that in mind, along with the ball joints being an integral part to the bottom arms I decided it'd be better to do the lot now. A few very expensive phone calls to Renault, and a couple of days later I have this little lot - We have... New bottom arms with front and rear bushes and ball joints. Anti-rotation links. Drop links. Inner and outer track rod ends. Rear discs (because they have the rear hub bearings built in). Rear pads (as I might as well whilst the discs are changed!). Rear hub nuts (as they are a one use jobby). Oil filter. Oil plug and washer. Expensive but can't wait to see the difference it makes. Mid December last year... All parts fitted, nice difference! Also treated to some lovely Millers CFS 5W40 Fully Synthetic Nanodrive oil and a Renault filter. Next up; driveshaft seals seem to have given up, rather a lot of seepage around the edges so a new set on order, however one of them has got lost somewhere between France and here. Also a new gearbox mount as there seems to be a lot of play on that side of things. Also ordered some Autofinesse products recently. So far I've used the Citrus cleaner (tar remover) and Triple (clean/polish/wax) in one - great for this time of year when there isn't much time for doing many layers. Very impressed with both. Also have their glass cleaner and quick dirt remover to try too. Might also give the Toughcoat protection wax a try that they do. Update! Driveshaft seals and gearbox mount replaced, drive shafts were stuck tight but Fred @ BTM won the round eventually. Still knocks on small low spped bumps, particularly noticeable when I was going down a curved concrete ramp in a car park, so I expect it could be a top suspension mount. Top suspension mounts and new dampers on order from Renault, and I have a set of Cooksport springs ready to be fitted, they have got great reviews so far, sits a bit lower, reduces body roll and just as comfortable as standard - we will find out soon! A picture to make the update more interesting: Since this was taken I have given the car a good going over with some Auto Finesse products, de tarred, clayed, paint cleaner, polish, and tough coat preparation and sealant. Also did the black trim and it looks awesome! Hope to get some pictures of it soon, also have a sample of some hard wax to try out on top of the tough coat. Beginning of April 2013! Cooksport springs fitted all round, with new dampers and top mounts at the front too - and I think the knocking has now gone. Time will tell. An old shot for a before picture - (No longer have the tints) After Front still needs to settle a bit I think. I have also got a nice clean set of plates made up. Some how the new one fits the bumper recess perfectly, whereas the old one hung over the edge Discovered that what I had expect to be a squeaky flexi joint in the exhaust was actually a small tab that was welded to the decat to bolt on to something under there. The weld has snapped off so the bit was vibrating and squealing. Now gone. I contacted K-Tec and it seems that some of the earlier decats didn't have these on. Either way the warranty is non transferable and it doesn't seem to be required so it is fine! Also had a bit of clutch slip. So time to get rid of the dual mass flywheel whilst fitting a new clutch and slave cylinder when I have saved up
June 2013! A new pair of tyres came from Love Tyre - Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 225/40/18. The fit looks spot on, certainly don't look narrower than the PS3s on the front. Have since used the car at Castle Combe with the spring and tyre set up and very happy with both, although I was going a bit gentle to be kind to the clutch as I am not at a point to replace it right now. There will hopefully be a video online with the GPS data soon, however the Contour software is awful and keeps failing to upload. The only downside to the springs that I have really noticed is that I can no longer straddle speedbumps to get over them - tried that and nearly took the whole splitter off. How have people attached them once clips are broken? A couple of pictures from the track time: Mudflaps fitted! Corner of car cleaned, clayed, polished and sealed before putting them on so that I don't have to remove them when I do the car again. Before After I'll take a picture from further away later, don't think they look too bad. Thanks for looking!
Since then the car has had it's first machine polish - I bought a DAS-6 PRO and Autofinesse Revitalise kit. Have to say I didn't notice any major changes after using it - still a few minor swirl marks present. I spoke to the guys from Autofinesse at FCS and it would appear I wasn't trying hard enough or doing it for long enough. I'm unlikely to get a chance to attack it again for a few months; all my gear needs to go into storage as the house has sold. Hopefully by the time it comes out I will have a sizeable car port that will allow me to take more time over it. Had a set of Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres fitted to the rear, and have destroyed the edges of the front Michelin Pilot Super Sports that were fitted a few months ago. Oops. I have previously mentioned that my wheels needed a refurb, they had a number of chips and scratches, and the standard Renault black poweder coat seemed to be pretty poor judging by the number of stone chips on the spokes, and some faint crack lines that could be seen. After some hot weather on track they really do need a refurb now... Current/future plans: Trip to BTM to get my fault codes read - keep getting Check Injection/Check ESP again. Seems to happen often if I give it a moderate amount of power at a particular motorway junction which goes round a sharp left hander whilst heading down hill, before a long up hill. Had thought it could be fuel starvation from being a bit vigorous, however it has happened with a full tank, and at other times too. Keep an eye on pad/disc wear as both need replacing soon, and some new fluid. Take care of the clutch to ring out it's last bits of life. Replace front tyres. Consider a wheel refurb. Wish I had the spare funds for an R26R spoiler.
Thanks Just popped my future plans in at the end of the last post! On top of those I would love to consider more power, but it looks like I will be signing up to a mortgage soon which could limit that...
Sorry, not a lot has happened! It past it's MOT with an advisory for a sticking rear caliper so I will get both refurbed when I replace the front pads and discs. Unfortunately somewhere between leaving it at the MOT station and getting it home a rather large hole appeared in the paint on the bonnet. Doesn't look like a stone chip, however I know I will have no come back or proof with the garage so will get that done when the front bumper gets a refresh. Other than that, hopefully a friend has a turbo stored away for me from a 250 engine. Once everything else is sorted (including the clutch unfortunately) I hope to see if this can push it up over 300bhp.
That's the plan, but it may end up being a long term one! Having said that the price of 265s is getting more and more tempting.
I have to ask, did your knocking go with the new top mounts? Your car looks brilliant! Love the shots from Combe!
Yes, the knocking went away when I did the top mounts and dampers - I think it was more likely to be caused by the top mount but there wasn't really any visible damage to the removed items. Thanks 88 Y. Great tyres. Although the Pilot Sport 3s were better in the wet I reckon.
Cool, thanks; I was already half-planning on doing the top mounts early next year, as I have a very very slight knock occasionally over bumpy roads... Also, I haven't driven supersports, but I do rate the ps3s very highly. Good grip and progressiveness in the dry, and excellent in the wet too
I found that the PS3s gave up too early, although very controllable when they did. Thanks - first time using an off camera flash and one of the only times I have managed to get out to specifically take a couple of pictures of it! It's underneath Waitrose in Kenilworth.
Small update for her. Front calipers have been refurbed with new seals, some Brembo HC discs and DS1.11 pads are ready to go in with new fluid now I know the new seals are seated fine with no leaks. Rear calipers appear fine. Unfortunately she has to go as I've just purchased my first house and I cannot afford to keep running her. An advert will be up soon
Just saw your front mud guards, what have you used to keep the guard secure to the bodywork? Just case of double sided sticky tape/pad?
They come complete with fittings from Renault - there's a screw already down there, and then a small metal bracket that fits into the lip of the wing.
