Clio Mk1 life

 The Clio is quite simply very thrifty. Being small and lightweight clearly helps. A full tank shall get 400+ miles which is about 50 to the gallon. It does however pay to have perfectly serviced spark plugs (mind the gap!) and leak-less exhaust. The original exhaust provides a very acceptable level of cabin noise and in fifth gear you can get up hills despite the 1.2 L engine capacity. A recent MOT failure was the exhaust and the emissions: Repair immediately (major defects): Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits A replacement centre section pipe solved this. It is worth appreciating how the momentum of exhaust gases in a long tube helps suck residual fumes out of the engine at bottom-dead-centre so that the next burn is that little bit cleaner, and with luck, a slight vacuum awaits the next charge.  Changing the engine oil does not guarantee an improvement of emissions but healthy spark plugs help plus you get extra power. Every little helps wit...

 A brief period of refusal to start occurred twice. First, complete lifelessness. Various people posted things online about bypassing the immobiliser. After fiddling around I can confirm that it’s vital for the battery terminals to be completely clean.  By the way , the alternator output goes to the car via the post connector. Second, starter motor failure. The symptoms were classic flat battery but this was disproved eventually, the motor was physically worn but replaced for £45 which is a great deal. This sort of joy comes from having old common cars. Did I mention the exhaust catalytic converter is similarly cheap? Cars designed before 1998 generally have non CAN BUS wiring which in my mind categorises them as Classic Cars. Mine has a bewildering circuit diagram, but after a new indicator stalk was fitted to solve a worn out head lamp dip switch mystery, I was suddenly proudly claiming to have a French car of a certain vintage with all its electric parts working correctly!!...

 I got a Haynes manual like all keen DIYers, and it tells me the engine is the D-type. Useful gen to know! After a bit of time with a new car, little things come to your attention. The sun roof started leaking after a bit of use and I’m still not sure how the drain pipes run, but the best thing to do is take out the seal, clean it and it’s channel throughly and smear the lot with Vasaline. It’s possibly shrunk in its old age.    The synchromesh is weak for 1st and 2nd gears but the recent oil change will hopefully stop further decline started by previous neglect. I don’t think this car was cherished during the last 40,000 miles.  There was a splendid note penned onto the bonnet underside of when the cam belt was last changed. This job is utterly vital to do periodically to avoid engine destruction!!  After getting new tyres and the tracking corrected. I began to see why the Clio was such a popular car. Very pleasant to drive, soft doughey suspension and if I wer...

 This is a story of life with an ’older’ car and a small budget! It had 8 owners between 1997 and 2017, it was SORN the last 4 years and had 74000 miles on the clock.  I got it off a good friend for a little money and various favours.  Completely expectable MOT repairs needed were a bit of welding needed to the back ends of the sill and a front brake was dragging on one side.  First, my word on rust: It is a well known to classic car enthusiasts that rust is a perennial problem and any car of a certain vintage will need attention unless it was extra-undersealed when still new. New car owners won’t feel the need to fork out on extra layers of ‘paints’ but it’s worth it if you’re looking at keeping your investment as a tool of service rather than a frequently replaced fashion accessory. If steel can’t be cleaned or replaced back to bright clean, er, steel, there is no point painting it because it’ll turn rusty again. Rusty steel can still be saved in my opinion by smea...