Hi all,
Been using this site a lot recently and thought it would be nice to do a progress thread for my 197.
Got the car back in May but couldn't actually drive it due to needing to wait until September when I had a year no claims bonus to be able to insure it (I am 18 years old). I made this decision anyway after going to see the car as it was genuinely stunning, had the optional Recaro seats and for the price it was going for, I knew I probably wouldn't get this chance again. So after a test drive (in the passenger seat unfortunately!) I put down the deposit on the car. My step-dad Andy who took me to see the car and test drive it for me also had a test drive in a new Focus RS the same day which I was a passenger for too, needless to say it was a very good day for us both!
The above pic is how it spent a lot of time after we got it home, sat on the driveway being admired, cleaned and sometimes I even went out and just sat in it to remind myself what I went to work for..however in July it actually went on it's first track day to Snetterton, someone else had to drive it to the track but I did get to have a load of fun despite being on pretty bad tyres and that was the first time I had properly driven the car!
Also something to note, you can see there's a few mods done to the car in these pics, that is exactly how I bought the car, I do absolutely love how it sits and how the wheels fill the arches though, couldn't imagine it without! Also debadged rear, roof wrap, black badges (the badge covers weren't in great condition so I got some new ones) and tinted rear windows look very nice. The steering wheel is also this lovely half alcantara with yellow stitching (matches the brakes!) and I believe a thicker grip than normal, it feels great.
After the track day the front tyres were pretty dead so I went for a pair of Kumho Ecsta LE Sport as they seemed a very good all-rounder for a reasonable price. The painful wait to drive the car on the road was over in September when I finally got insured! I'll be honest, it was quite a lot of money..but maybe not as much as some would expect. I won't say exactly how much it cost but I will say it was below £3000.
Now onto what I have done to the car since getting it insured:
New aerial - ordered another stubby bullet one since the one that was on to begin with didn't work at all but the new one didn't work brilliantly either, very bad signal especially around trees and buildings. Because of this I just bought a genuine aerial, I like to listen to the radio and needed something that worked.
2 more tyres - Just to complete the set of 4 Kumho Ecsta LE Sport tyres.
Wheel refurb - The wheels were badly kerbed and generally not in great condition when I got the car, I was a bit unsure about refurbing them but went for it anyway. £260 and a few days without the car later and the wheels look perfect, I'm very glad I did this.
Private plate - Got a nice plate for it, looks much cleaner now. Will have some pics further down of the car with the plates on.
Black wheel bolt covers - Just some bolt covers from eBay, looks very nice.
Service - Getting a good service done for the car, the parts will hopefully arrive soon so I can take it to be done this week, I'll make a quick list of the parts I have bought from Renault Parts Direct;
Oil filter
6L of Elf Evolution Engine Oil
Pollen filter
Air filter
Spark plugs
2L gearbox oil
Problems, unfortunately there are a few, but nothing major (I hope!)
The infamous gearbox crunch - unfortunately the car started making a crunching noise shifting from 2nd to 3rd while driving quickly, after researching I began to worry it was going to be an expensive sychromesh replacement/repair. But after driving it more, I managed to make it stop making the noise by just focusing on making the shift more precise! So for now it isn't as much as much of a worry. I will be changing the gearbox oil soon as a precaution.
Creaking noise on light throttle - Although it seems to be nowhere near as bad as it used to be, there is sometimes a weird creaking noise that seems to be coming from infront of me but only on low throttle, it can usually be most clearly heard when on cruise control. It goes away if more throttle is used or if I go off the throttle. It doesn't seem to be the steering rack as it does it even when no steering is being used. Strange!
Rattle underneath the car - literally yesterday after a bit of a blast I could hear a strange noise, when I stopped the car I got out and could still hear it, it seemed to be coming from under the car in line with where the doors are, you can hear it well as the engine is turned off. Only thing I can think of other than driving fast was I had driven on a small bit of track that was overgrown and could hear the grass hitting the front, maybe some stones got stuck somewhere? I doubt it as I was driving very slowly..but I really don't know what it could be, anyone got any ideas? I will probably drive more carefully for now and have it looked at when it goes for the service.
General rattles - A few minor rattles on the interior, one being the rear middle seat which sometimes has a terrible rattle, luckily it can be fixed with a quick lift and putting back down again!
Plans for the future
I'm lucky enough to have a car that already has some nice mods so there isn't a whole lot that I have planned. One thing I am keen on getting is a resonated Scorpion cat back exhaust, after weeks of going back and forth with wanting ktec, miltek and Scorpion I think that I've settled on the Scorpion exhaust, I like the sound of the reviews and also I think the tail pipes look nice. I plan on keeping this car for quite a long time and would like to be able to consider something a bit mad like a Megane swap at some point, but I feel like I'd miss the high revving fun from the Clio's 2.0 N/A..hmm we'll have to see how that plays out in the future!
I would like to take the car to Bedford for a track day in Spring when the weather should be improving, hopefully along with Andy who I mentioned earlier, he should have his new Focus RS delivered and run in by then! I'm new to track days having only been to Snetterton so a safe track like Bedford works well for me, especially when it isn't too far away! Before I go on the track again I would like to have a set of Ferodo DS2500 pads fitted.
Opinion on the car so far
To put it short, I absolutely love this thing. Having gone straight to this from my first car (1.2 Clio) it is quite a leap forward! The speed is immense, the noise is incredible, the gear changes feel amazing and it handles so well, while the Recaro bucket seats hold you firmly in place! The only real downside is the fuel economy, it isn't great...at all. Usually I'm getting low 20s or even under 20 MPG, however I hardly do any main road driving at all, usually I'm on country roads or stop-start driving through town which definitely has a big impact on fuel economy. I do also like to hear the noise of bringing the big 2.0 N/A engine up to the limiter!
I have worked and continue to work hard to be able to own and run this car, but even so I appreciate that I am very very lucky to drive a car like this at 18.
I think that's about all I have to say for now, thanks for reading! I'll leave some more pics of the car below!
Will
Been using this site a lot recently and thought it would be nice to do a progress thread for my 197.
Got the car back in May but couldn't actually drive it due to needing to wait until September when I had a year no claims bonus to be able to insure it (I am 18 years old). I made this decision anyway after going to see the car as it was genuinely stunning, had the optional Recaro seats and for the price it was going for, I knew I probably wouldn't get this chance again. So after a test drive (in the passenger seat unfortunately!) I put down the deposit on the car. My step-dad Andy who took me to see the car and test drive it for me also had a test drive in a new Focus RS the same day which I was a passenger for too, needless to say it was a very good day for us both!
The above pic is how it spent a lot of time after we got it home, sat on the driveway being admired, cleaned and sometimes I even went out and just sat in it to remind myself what I went to work for..however in July it actually went on it's first track day to Snetterton, someone else had to drive it to the track but I did get to have a load of fun despite being on pretty bad tyres and that was the first time I had properly driven the car!
Also something to note, you can see there's a few mods done to the car in these pics, that is exactly how I bought the car, I do absolutely love how it sits and how the wheels fill the arches though, couldn't imagine it without! Also debadged rear, roof wrap, black badges (the badge covers weren't in great condition so I got some new ones) and tinted rear windows look very nice. The steering wheel is also this lovely half alcantara with yellow stitching (matches the brakes!) and I believe a thicker grip than normal, it feels great.
After the track day the front tyres were pretty dead so I went for a pair of Kumho Ecsta LE Sport as they seemed a very good all-rounder for a reasonable price. The painful wait to drive the car on the road was over in September when I finally got insured! I'll be honest, it was quite a lot of money..but maybe not as much as some would expect. I won't say exactly how much it cost but I will say it was below £3000.
Now onto what I have done to the car since getting it insured:
New aerial - ordered another stubby bullet one since the one that was on to begin with didn't work at all but the new one didn't work brilliantly either, very bad signal especially around trees and buildings. Because of this I just bought a genuine aerial, I like to listen to the radio and needed something that worked.
2 more tyres - Just to complete the set of 4 Kumho Ecsta LE Sport tyres.
Wheel refurb - The wheels were badly kerbed and generally not in great condition when I got the car, I was a bit unsure about refurbing them but went for it anyway. £260 and a few days without the car later and the wheels look perfect, I'm very glad I did this.
Private plate - Got a nice plate for it, looks much cleaner now. Will have some pics further down of the car with the plates on.
Black wheel bolt covers - Just some bolt covers from eBay, looks very nice.
Service - Getting a good service done for the car, the parts will hopefully arrive soon so I can take it to be done this week, I'll make a quick list of the parts I have bought from Renault Parts Direct;
Oil filter
6L of Elf Evolution Engine Oil
Pollen filter
Air filter
Spark plugs
2L gearbox oil
Problems, unfortunately there are a few, but nothing major (I hope!)
The infamous gearbox crunch - unfortunately the car started making a crunching noise shifting from 2nd to 3rd while driving quickly, after researching I began to worry it was going to be an expensive sychromesh replacement/repair. But after driving it more, I managed to make it stop making the noise by just focusing on making the shift more precise! So for now it isn't as much as much of a worry. I will be changing the gearbox oil soon as a precaution.
Creaking noise on light throttle - Although it seems to be nowhere near as bad as it used to be, there is sometimes a weird creaking noise that seems to be coming from infront of me but only on low throttle, it can usually be most clearly heard when on cruise control. It goes away if more throttle is used or if I go off the throttle. It doesn't seem to be the steering rack as it does it even when no steering is being used. Strange!
Rattle underneath the car - literally yesterday after a bit of a blast I could hear a strange noise, when I stopped the car I got out and could still hear it, it seemed to be coming from under the car in line with where the doors are, you can hear it well as the engine is turned off. Only thing I can think of other than driving fast was I had driven on a small bit of track that was overgrown and could hear the grass hitting the front, maybe some stones got stuck somewhere? I doubt it as I was driving very slowly..but I really don't know what it could be, anyone got any ideas? I will probably drive more carefully for now and have it looked at when it goes for the service.
General rattles - A few minor rattles on the interior, one being the rear middle seat which sometimes has a terrible rattle, luckily it can be fixed with a quick lift and putting back down again!
Plans for the future
I'm lucky enough to have a car that already has some nice mods so there isn't a whole lot that I have planned. One thing I am keen on getting is a resonated Scorpion cat back exhaust, after weeks of going back and forth with wanting ktec, miltek and Scorpion I think that I've settled on the Scorpion exhaust, I like the sound of the reviews and also I think the tail pipes look nice. I plan on keeping this car for quite a long time and would like to be able to consider something a bit mad like a Megane swap at some point, but I feel like I'd miss the high revving fun from the Clio's 2.0 N/A..hmm we'll have to see how that plays out in the future!
I would like to take the car to Bedford for a track day in Spring when the weather should be improving, hopefully along with Andy who I mentioned earlier, he should have his new Focus RS delivered and run in by then! I'm new to track days having only been to Snetterton so a safe track like Bedford works well for me, especially when it isn't too far away! Before I go on the track again I would like to have a set of Ferodo DS2500 pads fitted.
Opinion on the car so far
To put it short, I absolutely love this thing. Having gone straight to this from my first car (1.2 Clio) it is quite a leap forward! The speed is immense, the noise is incredible, the gear changes feel amazing and it handles so well, while the Recaro bucket seats hold you firmly in place! The only real downside is the fuel economy, it isn't great...at all. Usually I'm getting low 20s or even under 20 MPG, however I hardly do any main road driving at all, usually I'm on country roads or stop-start driving through town which definitely has a big impact on fuel economy. I do also like to hear the noise of bringing the big 2.0 N/A engine up to the limiter!
I have worked and continue to work hard to be able to own and run this car, but even so I appreciate that I am very very lucky to drive a car like this at 18.
I think that's about all I have to say for now, thanks for reading! I'll leave some more pics of the car below!
Will
