petercronin
Paid Member
Clio 197 Australia
- Thread starter wootwoot
- Start date
wootwoot
Paid Member
I saw a review on YouTube that was pretty much said same as what you said.
gives a bit more light but also doesn't last as long, but was better than OEM by about 20% from his comparison.
I do a fair bit of country driving and need extra vision.
When they die again I will go led, if the technology gets better by that time.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
gives a bit more light but also doesn't last as long, but was better than OEM by about 20% from his comparison.
I do a fair bit of country driving and need extra vision.
When they die again I will go led, if the technology gets better by that time.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
wootwoot
Paid Member
Ordered a few parts to do over the summer
Planning to change the gearbox fluid
Got the floor mat lock as I was sick of it moving around
Then got my windows tinted
Got a rs gear knob as I really could not stand the OEM slanted one
Then got brake fluid and the lightweight crank pulley from Rene
Planning to do most of over the next month or so
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Planning to change the gearbox fluid
Got the floor mat lock as I was sick of it moving around
Then got my windows tinted
Got a rs gear knob as I really could not stand the OEM slanted one
Then got brake fluid and the lightweight crank pulley from Rene
Planning to do most of over the next month or so
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
wootwoot
Paid Member
I bought a few precaution items also.
I already had the steering rack bush fitted but will do the gearbox mount myself when I get around to it.
Also got the brake fluid changed as it was a good price to pay for a bleed but they couldn't figure out the clutch easily. So will do that when I do the mount also.
I already had the steering rack bush fitted but will do the gearbox mount myself when I get around to it.
Also got the brake fluid changed as it was a good price to pay for a bleed but they couldn't figure out the clutch easily. So will do that when I do the mount also.
wootwoot
Paid Member
I got into a bit of trouble when the steering rack bush was replaced, the clock spring for the drivers airbag broke and had to be replaced......shit that was a pain in the ass trying to get one locally. In the end i took a massive gamble and got one from Slovakia and hoped it would match the car. It was significantly cheaper than any other price i could find. Luckily for me it did fit
Hooray!!!! No more check airbag light
I also picked up a Maxton design rear boot lip spoiler, i always wanted the A1 gp rear boot lip but they dont fit sadly and saw this and ordered it right away.
I also picked up a MAF older from the FB group and i must say it actually works. simple to fit and does the job
I also picked up some cheap centre caps for the wheels as they look a bit manky with the exposed centre bore
I am also on the hunt for tires and have been looking a the usual suspects RE003 bridgestones, Hankook RS4 and Khumo V720. just waiting for a sale i guess.
Other than that have been ummming and ahhhing about lowering springs
Hooray!!!! No more check airbag light
I also picked up a Maxton design rear boot lip spoiler, i always wanted the A1 gp rear boot lip but they dont fit sadly and saw this and ordered it right away.
I also picked up a MAF older from the FB group and i must say it actually works. simple to fit and does the job
I also picked up some cheap centre caps for the wheels as they look a bit manky with the exposed centre bore
I am also on the hunt for tires and have been looking a the usual suspects RE003 bridgestones, Hankook RS4 and Khumo V720. just waiting for a sale i guess.
Other than that have been ummming and ahhhing about lowering springs
wootwoot
Paid Member
I had been noticing some weird things happening with the heater in my car on random occasions where it would blow out cold air and not warm air even with the temp set above 20.
I had asked around and from what i read the temperature on the clio 3 is supposed to sit on the middle line most of the time when the fans are on and off.
Mine was sitting on the second line and sort of stayed there, this hopefully means that the thermostat is stuffed and might help with the cold start fuel consumption also, which i noticed has been atrocious.
So i ordered a new thermostat from Renault and planned to fit it, bud sadly have been super busy and will be getting it installed next week.
I also picked up a new Cd player with a few extra features as the standard radio is playing up and i really miss having ipod connection .
I still have not installed this either hahahhaha
I did also manage to pick up some new tires with the bob jane buy 3 get the 4th free with Hankooks. I am super happy with these tyres and would recommend them.
While i was fitting them to the car i had a visitor
I also decided to clean the dirty looking front calipers a little
I must admit that pictures do not do the wheels justice, they look amazing in the flesh
thats the updates for now
I had asked around and from what i read the temperature on the clio 3 is supposed to sit on the middle line most of the time when the fans are on and off.
Mine was sitting on the second line and sort of stayed there, this hopefully means that the thermostat is stuffed and might help with the cold start fuel consumption also, which i noticed has been atrocious.
So i ordered a new thermostat from Renault and planned to fit it, bud sadly have been super busy and will be getting it installed next week.
I also picked up a new Cd player with a few extra features as the standard radio is playing up and i really miss having ipod connection .
I still have not installed this either hahahhaha
I did also manage to pick up some new tires with the bob jane buy 3 get the 4th free with Hankooks. I am super happy with these tyres and would recommend them.
While i was fitting them to the car i had a visitor
I also decided to clean the dirty looking front calipers a little
I must admit that pictures do not do the wheels justice, they look amazing in the flesh
thats the updates for now
wootwoot
Paid Member
So I had the new thermostat fitted on Monday and it is definitely sitting on the third bar now.
The old one was shagged even though still worked partially.
The strange placebo effect I have is that the engine somehow feels smoother between 2-3k even when cold.
No idea why
If you have a Clio 3 and it sits on the second bar most of the time change the thermostat.
The old one was shagged even though still worked partially.
The strange placebo effect I have is that the engine somehow feels smoother between 2-3k even when cold.
No idea why
If you have a Clio 3 and it sits on the second bar most of the time change the thermostat.
wootwoot
Paid Member
So i finally got around to installing the head unit I purchased a while ago as I had a bit of free time.
I had got all the connectors needed to make this a simple plug and play install and still retain the factory steering wheel controls.
The items are form Aerpro if anyone wanted to get them also.
I had watched a few videos on the internet on how to remove the standard head unit, and easily enough put some BBQ skewers in all four holes, push outwards on both sides and it slides out easily enough.
The hard part was disconnecting the plugs at the back which were really stuck in place.
all ready to go back in and also this head unit has microphone for phone calls, (not that anyone calls me........ so lonely........
I routed it to run up the steering column and drilled a hole into the surround and double sided taped it into place. Seems to work well
After this, I thought everything would be a super easy install...............IT WASN'T
Trying to push the head unit back into place with all those new cables behind it, was something that i could not explain the difficulty of. It just would not go back all the way in.
After maybe 25 mins of swearing i got it super close and then BAM it clicked into place. Hooray!!!!! Then realised the plastic surround needed to go on before pushing it into place....BOoooooooooo
Out it came and the struggle continued on for another hour or so. I finally got it into place again, and downloaded the sony app which is pretty useless if i must be honest. But you can change colors of the stereo through it, so YAY??
This is when the new drama started. The steering wheel controls worked, but they were weird and i wanted to manually program them myself which the head unit can do. Except it couldn't and i was stuck not really being able to swap between sources, and one button turned to unit off completely. So annoying.
After asking Sony Australia, Xplod, Sony UK, and getting shit all support or any info besides making a warranty claim, which was stupid because it was not broken, just did stoopit things.
I came across a post from the Uk Clio group 182 or something, and he had the same problem. He solved it by opening up the Connect2 box that allows the steering controls to work with aftermarket head units (Sony) and changed the dip set switch setting.
With zero support from Sony Australia i went on to try this and hoped it would solve the issue.
Glove box off this time, made life so much easier putting the head unit back in and shoving all the cables upwards, it was still a bit of a struggle but only took 5 mins after adjusting.
So with Sony and Pioneer head units, you will need to toggle dip set 4 down. This will allow it to work properly with Sony or Pioneer head units.
So it all when back together and shit me after a week, it was all working as it should. I was pretty happy with the result.
The sound has improved and the talk back radio stations are a lot more clearer for me to hear people complain about stuff. I should call the radio station and complain about Sony's fark all support. It was crap to say the least, and luckily i found the one post on the internet that had to answer to my problem.
Thanks for reading
I had got all the connectors needed to make this a simple plug and play install and still retain the factory steering wheel controls.
The items are form Aerpro if anyone wanted to get them also.
I had watched a few videos on the internet on how to remove the standard head unit, and easily enough put some BBQ skewers in all four holes, push outwards on both sides and it slides out easily enough.
The hard part was disconnecting the plugs at the back which were really stuck in place.
all ready to go back in and also this head unit has microphone for phone calls, (not that anyone calls me........ so lonely........
I routed it to run up the steering column and drilled a hole into the surround and double sided taped it into place. Seems to work well
After this, I thought everything would be a super easy install...............IT WASN'T
Trying to push the head unit back into place with all those new cables behind it, was something that i could not explain the difficulty of. It just would not go back all the way in.
After maybe 25 mins of swearing i got it super close and then BAM it clicked into place. Hooray!!!!! Then realised the plastic surround needed to go on before pushing it into place....BOoooooooooo
Out it came and the struggle continued on for another hour or so. I finally got it into place again, and downloaded the sony app which is pretty useless if i must be honest. But you can change colors of the stereo through it, so YAY??
This is when the new drama started. The steering wheel controls worked, but they were weird and i wanted to manually program them myself which the head unit can do. Except it couldn't and i was stuck not really being able to swap between sources, and one button turned to unit off completely. So annoying.
After asking Sony Australia, Xplod, Sony UK, and getting shit all support or any info besides making a warranty claim, which was stupid because it was not broken, just did stoopit things.
I came across a post from the Uk Clio group 182 or something, and he had the same problem. He solved it by opening up the Connect2 box that allows the steering controls to work with aftermarket head units (Sony) and changed the dip set switch setting.
With zero support from Sony Australia i went on to try this and hoped it would solve the issue.
Glove box off this time, made life so much easier putting the head unit back in and shoving all the cables upwards, it was still a bit of a struggle but only took 5 mins after adjusting.
So with Sony and Pioneer head units, you will need to toggle dip set 4 down. This will allow it to work properly with Sony or Pioneer head units.
So it all when back together and shit me after a week, it was all working as it should. I was pretty happy with the result.
The sound has improved and the talk back radio stations are a lot more clearer for me to hear people complain about stuff. I should call the radio station and complain about Sony's fark all support. It was crap to say the least, and luckily i found the one post on the internet that had to answer to my problem.
Thanks for reading
wootwoot
Paid Member
The other stuff arrived a bit faster than I thought it would.
Got an oil change coming up, never noticed how small the oil filter was.
Got these parts from European Auto imports in box hill if anyone was curious. Postage was pretty reasonable also.
Guess it's time to start measuring up heights and set some time aside to swap things around.
Also the sump plug needs to be torqued to 22nm from what Google says if anyone wanted to diy
Got an oil change coming up, never noticed how small the oil filter was.
Got these parts from European Auto imports in box hill if anyone was curious. Postage was pretty reasonable also.
Guess it's time to start measuring up heights and set some time aside to swap things around.
Also the sump plug needs to be torqued to 22nm from what Google says if anyone wanted to diy
wootwoot
Paid Member
Install update
I set aside a Sunday to attempt to install the coil overs after doing lots of research on the internet about methods and reports. Most people said they had major issues with the fronts and could not figure out how they came out. From pictures and looking at them myself, it looked pretty straight forward but might need to compress the spring on the car which i was a little worried about due to safety of the spring compressors flying at my face.
The rears were standard fare and is relatively pain free to change over.
I started with measuring the standard non cup heights. I measure from the guard down to the bottom of the centre cap
FL 38.5cm FR 38.5cm
RL 40cm RL 30cm
and then got to taking the boot trims apart to start the process
rear spring and adjuster
installation instruction
i did not take many photos past this as it was pretty straight forward installation wise
i set the hieght to the maximum on the adjuster and hoped it would be similar to Cup 197 ride height which is 7mm lower front and back capared to the non cup.
Low and behold was a full 2cm lower in the rear with the adjuster set on high. hahah
i then set about doing the fronts but with the mindset that if i could not do it easily i would not stress and take it to a shop, as i had to use the car the next day to go to work.
Removed the scuttle panel and gave the wiper linkages a bit of spray lube and cleaned the drains again since they block easily
I then started removint the sway bar link and a few other things and then dropped the hub as far as it would go. I then applied two spring compressors to the spring a few times trying to get the best approach to it.
Then BANG, one flew out and missed my face. I lost confidence and cared more about my safety and decided to put it back together and take it to a shop.
I took over 1 hour to put back the three things i removed, such a pain.
So i took the car to Hakon in Somerton, Reid has worked on Clios before and is very knowledgeable about suspension in general. He even set up one of the Clio cup race cars in Victoria and is a nice dude.
I also decided since it was there i would get the car serviced and my squeeking engine belts looked at.
He had everything done and had the car aligned also. I asked him to set the front to 1.5cm lower than the rear, to try keep the standard rake and hopefully weight balance of the standard car.
FL 36cm FR 36cm
RL 37.5 RR 37.5cm
from the guard to the bottom of the centre cap
Sad news though, my squeaking AUX belt is due to the light weight crank pulley being installed wonky by Virage
So have to get that sorted out
really pissed off with that
Ordered a few small things for the car also which should arrive soon.
thanks for looking
I set aside a Sunday to attempt to install the coil overs after doing lots of research on the internet about methods and reports. Most people said they had major issues with the fronts and could not figure out how they came out. From pictures and looking at them myself, it looked pretty straight forward but might need to compress the spring on the car which i was a little worried about due to safety of the spring compressors flying at my face.
The rears were standard fare and is relatively pain free to change over.
I started with measuring the standard non cup heights. I measure from the guard down to the bottom of the centre cap
FL 38.5cm FR 38.5cm
RL 40cm RL 30cm
and then got to taking the boot trims apart to start the process
rear spring and adjuster
installation instruction
i did not take many photos past this as it was pretty straight forward installation wise
i set the hieght to the maximum on the adjuster and hoped it would be similar to Cup 197 ride height which is 7mm lower front and back capared to the non cup.
Low and behold was a full 2cm lower in the rear with the adjuster set on high. hahah
i then set about doing the fronts but with the mindset that if i could not do it easily i would not stress and take it to a shop, as i had to use the car the next day to go to work.
Removed the scuttle panel and gave the wiper linkages a bit of spray lube and cleaned the drains again since they block easily
I then started removint the sway bar link and a few other things and then dropped the hub as far as it would go. I then applied two spring compressors to the spring a few times trying to get the best approach to it.
Then BANG, one flew out and missed my face. I lost confidence and cared more about my safety and decided to put it back together and take it to a shop.
I took over 1 hour to put back the three things i removed, such a pain.
So i took the car to Hakon in Somerton, Reid has worked on Clios before and is very knowledgeable about suspension in general. He even set up one of the Clio cup race cars in Victoria and is a nice dude.
I also decided since it was there i would get the car serviced and my squeeking engine belts looked at.
He had everything done and had the car aligned also. I asked him to set the front to 1.5cm lower than the rear, to try keep the standard rake and hopefully weight balance of the standard car.
FL 36cm FR 36cm
RL 37.5 RR 37.5cm
from the guard to the bottom of the centre cap
Sad news though, my squeaking AUX belt is due to the light weight crank pulley being installed wonky by Virage
So have to get that sorted out
Ordered a few small things for the car also which should arrive soon.
thanks for looking
wootwoot
Paid Member
My original carpets were pretty shagged on the drivers side, it was pretty worn and lasted 11 years which is a good run. I looked for another set of originals but found this website where you can customize the mats to suit your taste. I went with black and red stitching, you can do any color combo really though.
https://www.fitmycar.com/au/renault-clio-hatch-clio-phase-iii-2005-2014-car-mat-set-4-piece/24406
They fit really well and would recommend them for the $90 i paid.
I had to also removed my light weight crank pulley as sadly the place that installed it, did it wrong and it was crooked and killing the AUX belt. The car is back to normal with the original pulley and you do notice a fair difference with it i must admit. It does not rev as fast but it is also easier to drive in stop start traffic.
All this was in preparation for a very long drive across Victoria. I went for a wee journey from Geelong, to Bairnsdale (via the ferry)
The up to Omeo to Mitta Mitta, which is the best driving road in the state i will argue till the cows come home. Only had two cars of traffic in the 112km road of twists.
Then down to Bright and then to Mansfield just after the Targa and seeing all the car leave on the Monday.
Then Jameson-Eildon road which was covered in loose rubber and was a slip and slide on some corners.
Parked at Eildon after a very hard few days and looked at my car and tires after all the battering.
Drove back home after this stop. It was a great trip where the car ran flawlessly and the brakes did a amazing job of hauling the car up from speed to take corners. The Hankook RS4 tires are a track oriented tire, but they really did take the punishment well and they were super grippy on the twisty roads and never let up.
Drove home and thought about some things where i concluded that i would make the car a more daily orientated car, which basically means making it more comfortable for daily use.
Basically i am just going to just maintain it from now on, and also replace the front speakers which have the most up and down sound quality of any speaker i have had.
I have also ordered ceramic coating from America adn some clay bars to give the car a clean and some protection.
https://avalonking.com/
https://www.fitmycar.com/au/renault-clio-hatch-clio-phase-iii-2005-2014-car-mat-set-4-piece/24406
They fit really well and would recommend them for the $90 i paid.
I had to also removed my light weight crank pulley as sadly the place that installed it, did it wrong and it was crooked and killing the AUX belt. The car is back to normal with the original pulley and you do notice a fair difference with it i must admit. It does not rev as fast but it is also easier to drive in stop start traffic.
All this was in preparation for a very long drive across Victoria. I went for a wee journey from Geelong, to Bairnsdale (via the ferry)
The up to Omeo to Mitta Mitta, which is the best driving road in the state i will argue till the cows come home. Only had two cars of traffic in the 112km road of twists.
Then down to Bright and then to Mansfield just after the Targa and seeing all the car leave on the Monday.
Then Jameson-Eildon road which was covered in loose rubber and was a slip and slide on some corners.
Parked at Eildon after a very hard few days and looked at my car and tires after all the battering.
Drove back home after this stop. It was a great trip where the car ran flawlessly and the brakes did a amazing job of hauling the car up from speed to take corners. The Hankook RS4 tires are a track oriented tire, but they really did take the punishment well and they were super grippy on the twisty roads and never let up.
Drove home and thought about some things where i concluded that i would make the car a more daily orientated car, which basically means making it more comfortable for daily use.
Basically i am just going to just maintain it from now on, and also replace the front speakers which have the most up and down sound quality of any speaker i have had.
I have also ordered ceramic coating from America adn some clay bars to give the car a clean and some protection.
https://avalonking.com/
wootwoot
Paid Member
The ceramic coating arrived and i made sure to put a weekend into the process as i knew it would take a while.
I did not take many photos during the process but i basically followed the video from the previous post i made.
It did take a combined 5 hours or so, with the hardest part being to try keep the car from getting wet in anyway for 4-7 days after putting it on, depending on weather. The warmer it is the quicker things happens apparently.
I did not get many good photos as it has been a very busy time of year. I did not do a paint correction as i mostly could not be arsed, and i did not want to pay for it.
I am especially happy with how much the car shines and how much better the plastics turned out and turned blacker.
I decided i had enough of the standard front speakers and was realy contemplating getting some focal flax speakers, but the price of the alpines could not go passed, and got a set of the type r installed.
The sound is more clear and sounds a lot better.
Sadly i found something ont he car that has broken and had to spend some money to get the replacement parts. I have not got them installed ye
I did not take many photos during the process but i basically followed the video from the previous post i made.
It did take a combined 5 hours or so, with the hardest part being to try keep the car from getting wet in anyway for 4-7 days after putting it on, depending on weather. The warmer it is the quicker things happens apparently.
I did not get many good photos as it has been a very busy time of year. I did not do a paint correction as i mostly could not be arsed, and i did not want to pay for it.
I am especially happy with how much the car shines and how much better the plastics turned out and turned blacker.
I decided i had enough of the standard front speakers and was realy contemplating getting some focal flax speakers, but the price of the alpines could not go passed, and got a set of the type r installed.
The sound is more clear and sounds a lot better.
Sadly i found something ont he car that has broken and had to spend some money to get the replacement parts. I have not got them installed ye
wootwoot
Paid Member
So i have been pretty bummed about that as i knew it would be a pricey fix. I do mean pricey. Sadly if you fix one side you should as best practice do the other side also.
So 6 balljoints and superpro bushes were ordered and a big chunk of money later, it all started arriving
wishbone ball joint
lower swivel balljoint
upper swivel ball joint
Super pro bush.
I went with superpro over power flex due to the very conflicting reports people have with running powerflex bushes. Superpro does not seem to have these conflicting reports, so i went with them instead
I will have take this to a shop to get installed sadly as its a bit beyond my ability and tool set. I have tentatively booked Autoparis to do it as he seems to be the only person in Victoria that has done it before
Lets just say there is not much change from 2k, which really annoys me.
In the mean time i decided i wanted to change the interior lights to a whiter color that was a bit brighter.
I went with Illumo canbus LED bulbs that are non polarized, so they just slot in and good to go.
I did the boot light first and liked the outcome
then started on the 3 interior lights
naturally one was stuck and caused me to swear a lot, but it came out eventually.
I ended up only putting one LED into the middle socket as it was plenty bright enough to do all three jobs.
I will have the ball joints done in the next month or so. I am really annoyed that one side failed while the other side looks great otherwise.
I did not take a photo, but a while back another member swore by adding the Nulon shift additive to the gearbox to help with cold shifts, which were not bad for me, but still niggly and annoying as this is my daily.
I bought the 250ml tube and put it into the gearbox easily enough and left the car for the weekend. When i drove it next, i was stunned at the difference. The shift is so much better when cold, and had made the trip to work much easier. I would also recommend putting this stuff into your gearbox if you find it is stiff at cold start
anyway thanks for looking
So 6 balljoints and superpro bushes were ordered and a big chunk of money later, it all started arriving
wishbone ball joint
lower swivel balljoint
upper swivel ball joint
Super pro bush.
I went with superpro over power flex due to the very conflicting reports people have with running powerflex bushes. Superpro does not seem to have these conflicting reports, so i went with them instead
I will have take this to a shop to get installed sadly as its a bit beyond my ability and tool set. I have tentatively booked Autoparis to do it as he seems to be the only person in Victoria that has done it before
Lets just say there is not much change from 2k, which really annoys me.
In the mean time i decided i wanted to change the interior lights to a whiter color that was a bit brighter.
I went with Illumo canbus LED bulbs that are non polarized, so they just slot in and good to go.
I did the boot light first and liked the outcome
then started on the 3 interior lights
naturally one was stuck and caused me to swear a lot, but it came out eventually.
I ended up only putting one LED into the middle socket as it was plenty bright enough to do all three jobs.
I will have the ball joints done in the next month or so. I am really annoyed that one side failed while the other side looks great otherwise.
I did not take a photo, but a while back another member swore by adding the Nulon shift additive to the gearbox to help with cold shifts, which were not bad for me, but still niggly and annoying as this is my daily.
I bought the 250ml tube and put it into the gearbox easily enough and left the car for the weekend. When i drove it next, i was stunned at the difference. The shift is so much better when cold, and had made the trip to work much easier. I would also recommend putting this stuff into your gearbox if you find it is stiff at cold start
anyway thanks for looking
wootwoot
Paid Member
Dear Diary
I was thinking to give actual detailed reviews of the products i have placed onto the car
Ceramic coating
I have never really been pedantic regarding how clean the car is due to it being black and dirt seeming to stick to it like glue all the time. I daily this car and it will sit outside during the day while i am at work.
I had tried waxes that i used on my previous car and it still did not seem to do much in all honesty, and just sort of gave up trying to keep it clean.
Since applying the ceramic coating the car has been left outside while at work and even being parked outside while at home due to some work we are doing. I did not even paint correct the car or clay bar it properly when applying this stuff, but i must admit i am surprised at how well it works.
The car still had water spots and minor scratches in the paint before i applied it, and they are still there, but the car still looks shiny, even when being coated in dust and tree sap it still looks good and it even comes off easily. I would highly recommend this stuff. You can be lazy and just clean the car with dish soap and then the isopropal alcohol if you want to take shortcuts.
i am very pleased with this and happy with the small amount of money for the product.
Bilsteins
Getting the bilsteins was something that i was umming and ahhing about for a very long time, as i actually did not mind the non cup suspension i had in the car. It rode okay over bumps but still handled well, and knew that i might not be able to install the suspension myself and would have to go through the adjusting of heights for the following month while the springs settled to get the car to sit where i wanted it to, while also having to get two wheel alignments to not kill the tires after installation and also adjusting of heights. Plus the OE suspension was very high and was 140kms old though.
Having them in the car for 4000kms and setting them with still a fair amount of travel, i really like them.
They honestly feel pretty similar to the non cup suspension in terms of day to day comfort. (This is subjective though) i did notice that when you drive over a sharp ridge line in the asphalt, it is more harsh but the suspension settles quickly and you do not loose confidence in the suspension doing its job. I use the car on very bumpy windy roads and it soaks it up and does not get unsettled and feels planted. This is with running the 7 year old tyres also and in the rain this morning as i went for a great ocean road blast.
I personally really like them, but if i had the cup suspension i don't think i would have made this change, but either way if you keep OE or go with Bilstein and allow them to be set with travel and not dumped, you will not regret your choice.
Otherwise i have been really happy with the car daily use wise since putting the shift additive in the gearbox. It had made the shift much nicer day to day while cold.
Ball joints have still not been fitted due to procrastination to bring the car to Auto Paris which is a 2 hour drive for me and personal things going on also.
Thanks for reading
I was thinking to give actual detailed reviews of the products i have placed onto the car
Ceramic coating
I have never really been pedantic regarding how clean the car is due to it being black and dirt seeming to stick to it like glue all the time. I daily this car and it will sit outside during the day while i am at work.
I had tried waxes that i used on my previous car and it still did not seem to do much in all honesty, and just sort of gave up trying to keep it clean.
Since applying the ceramic coating the car has been left outside while at work and even being parked outside while at home due to some work we are doing. I did not even paint correct the car or clay bar it properly when applying this stuff, but i must admit i am surprised at how well it works.
The car still had water spots and minor scratches in the paint before i applied it, and they are still there, but the car still looks shiny, even when being coated in dust and tree sap it still looks good and it even comes off easily. I would highly recommend this stuff. You can be lazy and just clean the car with dish soap and then the isopropal alcohol if you want to take shortcuts.
i am very pleased with this and happy with the small amount of money for the product.
Bilsteins
Getting the bilsteins was something that i was umming and ahhing about for a very long time, as i actually did not mind the non cup suspension i had in the car. It rode okay over bumps but still handled well, and knew that i might not be able to install the suspension myself and would have to go through the adjusting of heights for the following month while the springs settled to get the car to sit where i wanted it to, while also having to get two wheel alignments to not kill the tires after installation and also adjusting of heights. Plus the OE suspension was very high and was 140kms old though.
Having them in the car for 4000kms and setting them with still a fair amount of travel, i really like them.
They honestly feel pretty similar to the non cup suspension in terms of day to day comfort. (This is subjective though) i did notice that when you drive over a sharp ridge line in the asphalt, it is more harsh but the suspension settles quickly and you do not loose confidence in the suspension doing its job. I use the car on very bumpy windy roads and it soaks it up and does not get unsettled and feels planted. This is with running the 7 year old tyres also and in the rain this morning as i went for a great ocean road blast.
I personally really like them, but if i had the cup suspension i don't think i would have made this change, but either way if you keep OE or go with Bilstein and allow them to be set with travel and not dumped, you will not regret your choice.
Otherwise i have been really happy with the car daily use wise since putting the shift additive in the gearbox. It had made the shift much nicer day to day while cold.
Ball joints have still not been fitted due to procrastination to bring the car to Auto Paris which is a 2 hour drive for me and personal things going on also.
Thanks for reading
wootwoot
Paid Member
Time for a update.
With some leave coming up from work, i planned to get the ball joints and superpro bush installed during this time with Auto Paris in Box Hill. They said they could do it when i asked them late December last year and i would get in contact with them once i had leave sorted.
It was dictated by an operation and the timing could change on a days notice.
The time comes and........Autoparis start ignoring me and not responding to me.
So i went on the hunt for someone else to do it, Alpine Affiar funnily enough said they had never done it before and started asking me questions about where to get the parts and a few other things. They also had a Clio in the shop that needed the ball joints to be done, but due to the price, the owner declined the work. They were very friendly though.
Next call was to Virage, who i was really reluctant to call over some previous work i had done with them.
They had never done them before, and was not sure who to ask.
I then called a place in Reservior called Worx or something, after some people on here recommended them, they basically said no and would just replace the parts with OEM new parts which would mean new hubs, wishbones, bearings and what ever else was needed. I was not too thrilled on this.
So one of my last options was to remove the parts from the car and send them up to Renotech is NSW. I called them and they were super happy and helpful to do it. Said it would be a bout 30 mins worth of labour to change the parts over and then they can send them back.
This was my real last choice, but decided to call a place in Geelong to see if they could do it. After a short chat, they said they had not done it previously either, but were not phased by it and were really confident they could do it, as they deal with a lot of European car problems that no one wants to touch.
http://www.hardyautomotive.com.au/
So i booked it in. They had some trouble figuring things out to remove the wishbone ball joint as it was stuck in really badly, but otherwise they completed it all. I also swapped over my good tyres from the SPEEDLINES wheels to the OEM as i am planning to sell the white SPEEDLINES.
Besides Renotech, this is the only place i can confirm can do the ball joints for the Clio 3. I understand that most shops have access to a press to take out ball joints, but the hub is easy to crack and i did not want to have to order parts from France or try find second hand parts if something broke like a nother member on here faced.
I only have these pictures, and have not been on a real drive yet.
Can see the wishbone ball joint here
Superpro rear bush.
thanks for reading
With some leave coming up from work, i planned to get the ball joints and superpro bush installed during this time with Auto Paris in Box Hill. They said they could do it when i asked them late December last year and i would get in contact with them once i had leave sorted.
It was dictated by an operation and the timing could change on a days notice.
The time comes and........Autoparis start ignoring me and not responding to me.
So i went on the hunt for someone else to do it, Alpine Affiar funnily enough said they had never done it before and started asking me questions about where to get the parts and a few other things. They also had a Clio in the shop that needed the ball joints to be done, but due to the price, the owner declined the work. They were very friendly though.
Next call was to Virage, who i was really reluctant to call over some previous work i had done with them.
They had never done them before, and was not sure who to ask.
I then called a place in Reservior called Worx or something, after some people on here recommended them, they basically said no and would just replace the parts with OEM new parts which would mean new hubs, wishbones, bearings and what ever else was needed. I was not too thrilled on this.
So one of my last options was to remove the parts from the car and send them up to Renotech is NSW. I called them and they were super happy and helpful to do it. Said it would be a bout 30 mins worth of labour to change the parts over and then they can send them back.
This was my real last choice, but decided to call a place in Geelong to see if they could do it. After a short chat, they said they had not done it previously either, but were not phased by it and were really confident they could do it, as they deal with a lot of European car problems that no one wants to touch.
http://www.hardyautomotive.com.au/
So i booked it in. They had some trouble figuring things out to remove the wishbone ball joint as it was stuck in really badly, but otherwise they completed it all. I also swapped over my good tyres from the SPEEDLINES wheels to the OEM as i am planning to sell the white SPEEDLINES.
Besides Renotech, this is the only place i can confirm can do the ball joints for the Clio 3. I understand that most shops have access to a press to take out ball joints, but the hub is easy to crack and i did not want to have to order parts from France or try find second hand parts if something broke like a nother member on here faced.
I only have these pictures, and have not been on a real drive yet.
Can see the wishbone ball joint here
Superpro rear bush.
thanks for reading
Similar Thread Suggestions
| Thread starter | Similar threads | Forum | Replies | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Clio 197 in Racing Blue FSH 65k £5,500 | Clios For Sale | 1 | |
|
Clio 197 Australia | New Members | 10 | |
|
Renault Clio 197 Deep Black - Australia | Projects/Progress Threads | 2 | |
|
|
Clio 197 / Black / Sydney / Australia | New Members | 8 | |
| M | new Clio 197 owner from Australia! | New Members | 10 |