Clio 182 reliability at higher mileages
Discussion
Anyone have any experience of Clio 182's at higher mileages? It'll be the first time i dip my toe into the little hot hatch market and it's not what i'd usually go for, so i don't really want to invest the money that decent low mileage examples command when it might end up being up for sale soon after. I've seen a few decent examples (not half assed track cars etc) with good documented service history and engines around the 125k mile mark, but can i expect to see much more life from the engine at 125k? I won't be doing big mileage in it, weekend toy sort of thing, but I don't want to buy something that's on it's last legs and require a rebuild soon enough. Tia
Cannot comment on the 182 but my 172 felt tired engine wise when I bought it with 106k showing,never felt like 172bhp,more like 140-150ish,these cars have often led a hard life and mine was no exception.Did have it all checked by a specialist and new cambelt,dephaser etc fitted.A race engine builder friend recommended an engine rebuild but never bothered due to cost,was'nt chuffing blue smoke or anything like that though and was a reliable car.If I had my time again would defo take the time to seek out a much lower mileage example with a good ownership history.
Edited by evojam on Sunday 16th May 08:33
I ran my 172 cup to 156k and then my brother took it to nearly 200k. Still pulled like a train. Servicing and regular oil changes, every 6k for me. Use the best plugs and oil. Remember it is a 2l engine lugging a mere tonne and a bit.
My pal just sold his cup with 145k for £3650. Bought by The Grand Tour for a future show.
My pal just sold his cup with 145k for £3650. Bought by The Grand Tour for a future show.
I bought a 182 with around 110k on the clock in 2016. Previous and only owner worked for the Renault (or was it Lotus then?) F1 team. I viewed it at Enstone no less. My point is I think it was reasonably well looked after.
It needed a new fuel injector shortly after I bought it, and part of the front under tray detached and dragged along the ground first time I took it into triple figures. I ripped it off and carried on.
Didn't feel lacking in power compared to the 172 Cup I had for several years previously. The handling wasn't that confidence inspiring in the wet but I suspect the tyres were old and the dampers may have given their best. It did feel tired and I was a bit scared of breaking it if I drove it hard.
Still it wasn't bad for £1300.
It needed a new fuel injector shortly after I bought it, and part of the front under tray detached and dragged along the ground first time I took it into triple figures. I ripped it off and carried on.
Didn't feel lacking in power compared to the 172 Cup I had for several years previously. The handling wasn't that confidence inspiring in the wet but I suspect the tyres were old and the dampers may have given their best. It did feel tired and I was a bit scared of breaking it if I drove it hard.
Still it wasn't bad for £1300.
Theres a few on the owners club that are over 200k and haven't been rebuilt. Mine was using a lot of oil when I parked it up a couple of years ago on 145k, hoping to get it rebuilt at some point. I have owned it since 68k and never left me stranded though, the only engine gremlin it had was a knackered injector.
t itself from personal experience. I bought mine at 138k and it’s now nudging 146k. Has been extremely reliable and pulls like the proverbial locomotive. Some parts are getting slightly harder to come by but generally these are cheap cars to keep in good order. A few hundred quid spent on dampers, wishbones, ball joints, bushes and tie rods will bring the the suspension back to factory fresh.
Gearbox synchros wear and they leak from the selector, but there are several specialists who can rebuild for not too much money. I’ve just had mine done and while in there fitted a Quaife which fixes the only complaint I had about the handling, which is traction out of tight corners.
Gearbox synchros wear and they leak from the selector, but there are several specialists who can rebuild for not too much money. I’ve just had mine done and while in there fitted a Quaife which fixes the only complaint I had about the handling, which is traction out of tight corners.
evojam said:
Cannot comment on the 182 but my 172 felt tired engine wise when I bought it with 106k showing,never felt like 172bhp,more like 140-150ish,these cars have often led a hard life and mine was no exception.Did have it all checked by a specialist and new cambelt,dephaser etc fitted.A race engine builder friend recommended an engine rebuild but never bothered due to cost,wasn't chuffing blue smoke or anything like that though and was a reliable car.If I had my time again would defo take the time to seek out a much lower mileage example with a good ownership history.
Perhaps it had the timing belts done without the dephaser being changed, or not quite locked up properly?Had mine from 80k to 120k miles and thrashed it every time, always felt every single one of its bhp.
Imho these would be a great car to run to a high mileage - the engines are robust enough and easy to get parts for, just keep on top of belt changes. Gearbox is the most likely thing to fail, but they are relatively common and/or simple. If you have room I'd buy up a good spare and keep it tucked away.
I ran a 172 non-cup for almost 4 years and over 40k miles. Apart from a crank sensor and a rear silencer mounting bracket, both which I was able to replace myself, nothing on it really broke. It only needed the regular servicing items that every car needs (oil, filters, belts, brakes), but noting more. I have owned 3 Clios so far, all over 100k miles on the clock, and they all have been bullet proof. People can say what they want about French car reliability, but mechanically they tend to be very solid, and reasonably resistant to the tin worm as well, compared to German or Japanese cars of that era.
A 172 or 182 is the perfect first hot hatch. Go for it.
A 172 or 182 is the perfect first hot hatch. Go for it.
My Trophy is on 122k and is still brilliant. It's really not showing the mileage, cosmetically or mechanically.
Parts are fairly cheap, so it's easy to recondition a 182 and get it to a properly sorted condition. Mine is on catcams, remapped, custom exhaust, induction kit, refurbed Trophy dampers, cooksport springs and polybushed and it's a little track weapon. Dyno'd at 190bhp (no matter what you do to them you don't get much more than 10/15bhp without a turbo, which ruins it) it's still pulling fine. As others have said make sure the oil is changed regularly and it should be fine. There's some preventative maintenance you can do also, like replacing the 5th gear end cap and changing the gearbox oil for uprated stuff (Redline MTL or similar).
A bit of a crunch if changing from 3rd to 4th quickly when cold is fairly common, although if used a lot on track or really thrashed the syncro's in the gearbox will go. It's not hugely expensive to rebuild the 'box, around £600 including labour to remove and re-install it at my local specialist. They also commonly leak oil from the selector shaft, a little moistness around the area or on the undertray isn't anything to worry too much about, just needs to be kept topped up. If it's leaking a lot then unfortunately the only way to solve it is by taking the gearbox apart as the seal is internal.
Parts are fairly cheap, so it's easy to recondition a 182 and get it to a properly sorted condition. Mine is on catcams, remapped, custom exhaust, induction kit, refurbed Trophy dampers, cooksport springs and polybushed and it's a little track weapon. Dyno'd at 190bhp (no matter what you do to them you don't get much more than 10/15bhp without a turbo, which ruins it) it's still pulling fine. As others have said make sure the oil is changed regularly and it should be fine. There's some preventative maintenance you can do also, like replacing the 5th gear end cap and changing the gearbox oil for uprated stuff (Redline MTL or similar).
A bit of a crunch if changing from 3rd to 4th quickly when cold is fairly common, although if used a lot on track or really thrashed the syncro's in the gearbox will go. It's not hugely expensive to rebuild the 'box, around £600 including labour to remove and re-install it at my local specialist. They also commonly leak oil from the selector shaft, a little moistness around the area or on the undertray isn't anything to worry too much about, just needs to be kept topped up. If it's leaking a lot then unfortunately the only way to solve it is by taking the gearbox apart as the seal is internal.
Worth mentioning that those people saying there's felt tired at certain mileage will almost certainly be due to incorrect timing after a cambelt change.
I had a phase 1 172 on 138k, it flew. My mates got a 182 on 220k I think now, correctly timed, tracks it, doesn't hang about either.
Engine wise, if belts are changed and timed correctly, fine. Rot is the killer.
I had a phase 1 172 on 138k, it flew. My mates got a 182 on 220k I think now, correctly timed, tracks it, doesn't hang about either.
Engine wise, if belts are changed and timed correctly, fine. Rot is the killer.
Zarco said:
It was the suspension/chassis that felt tired on my 182, not the engine.
The entire front end can be refreshed with genuine Renault dampers, top mounts, steering-rack and ARB bushes, wishbones, ball joints, track rod ends for £600 in parts and 4 hours of labour. Rear dampers are £50 each and can be done on the drive in 30 minutes for both sides. The only slightly tricky item is rear beam bushes which require the beam to be dropped, but that's easy for a specialist.plenty said:
Zarco said:
It was the suspension/chassis that felt tired on my 182, not the engine.
The entire front end can be refreshed with genuine Renault dampers, top mounts, steering-rack and ARB bushes, wishbones, ball joints, track rod ends for £600 in parts and 4 hours of labour. Rear dampers are £50 each and can be done on the drive in 30 minutes for both sides. The only slightly tricky item is rear beam bushes which require the beam to be dropped, but that's easy for a specialist.Just making the point the engine felt fine.
Any old hot hatch on reasonable mileage for peanuts money would benefit from a suspension refresh, kinda goes without saying. But people saying the engine feels tired will almost certainly be down to incorrect timing, which is super critical on these specific engines and which people may not be aware of.
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