View Full Version : 0366 - WY8494J
Number: 0366
Owner: mrodz
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Mods: None
Info: 1993 LHD, originally from Switzerland, exported to UK early 2004
Well... this definitely took some time. 364 days to be exact - from the day I physically bought this car, to the day I finallly got it registered. Much longer than anticipated and had I known what I would go through, probably never would have bit the bullet. That's all in the past now though and I'm chuffed to bits that all the hoops and hurdles are, it seems, finally behind me.
I bought the car sight unseen via ebay, December last year, near Manchester (some may recognise the car from a "barn find listing"). Basing on the fact this was being sold from trade, was hoping the ebay description was accurate. Unfortunately turned out there was much more to do than I had anticipated.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8179&stc=1
Given the car had been stood the previous few years, turned out there was a lot to do - most importantly / unfortunately also in terms of bodywork / paint. Hadn't realised this from the ebay photos, but the sills where completely gone, rear arches rusted, but also the car had been vandalised - doors and rear quarter panels kicked in and practically the whole car keyed :evil: Caveat emptor and all that, was too late and I decided to take the hit and ship the car back to Poland. Car finally arrived a week or so later than expected - which pissed me off at the time, but was the first in many delays to come :D
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8180&stc=1
I was living in London at the time I bought the car, but with a return date set. First thing the car did when it arrived in Poland was to blow the expansion tank, so it went straight off to the mechanic to be taken care of and went through the typical cam belt, water pump, brakes, oil, filters, fluids etc, etc. Unfortunately the longer it spent being done, the more things started popping up. Only being able to tend to the car while on visits to Poland over the next 7 months, slowly the car got brought back to a decent condition. Of course, due to the direction in which Williams' values have been going last few years, where possible (and not eye wateringly expensive), the car was done up on OE Renault parts.
Come August, having sorted out the large majority of the mechanical side of things, I though I'd give it a shot at doing the Polish equivalent of an MOT, which was a prerequisite to getting it registered. Unfortunately, due to the state of the chassis, this was a no go and I was told to sort it out before coming back. Found a place near me that seemed decent (lot of high end stuff, Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs etc.) and was told it would take 2-3 weeks... which turned out to be over 2 months :evil: Not helped by the fact the Williams sills and arches are no longer available and that I had to buy A WHOLE CLIO BACCARA just to get a decent right door to replace the kicked in one :lol: Two birds one stone though, as the Baccaras were fitted with the same suit carrier parcel shelf that the Williams' had, so at least I also got that at the same time (bought the car with a very heavy, but seemingly professional audio parcel shelf). Over two months later (with deadlines constantly getting shifted) I finally went to pick up the car.. only to find the were a lot of corrections needed and the car had to go back in. All in all, one week later, the car was picked up, looking much better.
So.. off to get MOT'ed I went... only to fail again. This time on typical Polish beaurocracy, where the Williams' VIN plate was missing some technical details (weight, max load etc). Was told to nip down to Renault to get confirmation of the specs and come back next day, but of course it couldn't be that easy and I ended up waiting another >2 weeks for this (and paying a fair sum for it too!). Some busy days at work meant I only managed to MOT it yesterday and finally get it registered today. PHEW! In the meantime I also managed to refurbish the wheels in the correct R9312 colour and bought some 185/55 Contis, which will be going on the car soon. As soon as the weather clears up and I get the car cleaned and wheels fitted, will post some more photos.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8181&stc=1
Done:
- Oil and oil filter
- Transmission oil
- Fuel filter
- Water pump
- Camshaft seals
- Cambelt, rollers etc.
- Brake discs, pads - front & rear
- Battery
- Coolant flush and refilled (x2)
- Thermostat
- Full exhaust, with hangers, seals, etc.
- Spark plugs and leads
- Aux belt
- Light switch replaced
- Cam cover seal
- Radiator
- LHD lights (managed to get in touch with the previous owner and source the original lights for this car!!)
- Gear knob
- Wheel caps
- Spark plug cover (used, but not cracked!)
- Wheel refurb in correct R9312 colour and polished rim
- Replaced sills and repaired rear arches, rust spots removed
- Full respray
- New rear window
- New Continental ContiPremiumContact 2 185/55 tyres
- replaced boot strip (better condition)
- replaced lighter (previous one was missing trim)
Things still on the to do list:
- get the blower working
- fix high idle revs
- remove audio parcel shelf and fit suit carrier one
- stick on replacement Williams stickers
- sort out weathered / dull plastics
- fix centre console oil gauge (if possible!)
- replace centre console switch (one doesn't light up)
- anything else that might crop up after bringing the car back to life after a few years of hibernation!!
Chris197F1
02-12-2016, 16:38
Thats some rotten luck mate but great to see the dedication you have in returning this car to its former glory, I bet its cost you a pretty penny so far lol. Keep up the good work and that to do list will get smaller and smaller :)
I went to view this car when it first popped up on ebay - it didnt look too bad rust wise. I spotted a few painted panels that the car had but it was the dents that let it down.
Great write up though - nice to hear the cars being well looked after
Any pictures of the car having its rust removed and bodywork done?
Great update, sounds like you have had an interesting journey so far.
thanks for posting, always good to read what other owners are up to 👍
Thats some rotten luck mate but great to see the dedication you have in returning this car to its former glory, I bet its cost you a pretty penny so far lol. Keep up the good work and that to do list will get smaller and smaller :)
Rotten luck, naivety, light heartedness... the lot. I keep telling myself the next car I buy will be sorted and it never seems to be. And I keep telling myself I'll be wiser next time :lol: Just doesn't seem to happen. Had an Alfa 155 Formula (equivalent of the UK's Silverstone - very interesting version) which regrettably turned out beyond the means of a young man's budget to bring back to life. Had a Lancia Y10, that was rotted through and just didn't make financial sense to plough more money into (and parts were getting tricky / expensive). Had a Clio 16V, which had been brought back to usable state by the previous owner, but was just never going to be a sorted 'concours' car like I wanted it to be. Now, finally, I have this - but decided not to give up on it and save it from a dreary future. It has already cost me twice what I thought it would and I can only just begin to enjoy it!! Well almost... winter has properly set in in Poland this week and given our roads get salted I'm reluctant to use it in anything other than dry, sunny weather. Which probably won't be often in the coming months :upset2:
I went to view this car when it first popped up on ebay - it didnt look too bad rust wise. I spotted a few painted panels that the car had but it was the dents that let it down.
Great write up though - nice to hear the cars being well looked after
Any pictures of the car having its rust removed and bodywork done?
Got a few, will post soon. Did you view it when the original owner had it for sale or when it was being resold by trade? Unfortunately I missed the first listing of this and ended (over)paying a couple hundred pounds more when it was resold. To add insult to injury, I had to transfer some money for it over from Poland and this was practically spot on the Pound's peak against the Polish Zloty!!
Great update, sounds like you have had an interesting journey so far.
thanks for posting, always good to read what other owners are up to
Interesting but frustrating too. Just a big weight of my just to have it legalised, so to say. A labour of love though - this is a childhood dream of mine, from when I first read about it in Performance Car (funnily, someone brought that issue up on here some time ago http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?45354-Performance-car-Williams-1-v-Williams-2&p=435523#post435523). Hopefully onwards and upwards from now!
(...)
Interesting but frustrating too. Just a big weight of my just to have it legalised (...)
.. off my chest, of course! Something went wrong there :P
Yea, I have quite a few old road tests on the Williams, including the one highlighted that Wobba posted.
Like you it was a car I wanted when it came out, but it was the wrong time for me then.....
So I did it the hard way, buying 21 years later....
Cherry picked a few.. now looking back, surprised I have so little. Haven't got any good after photos - those will come once everything is pieced together and better weather comes. Need to get it washed too.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8182&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8183&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8184&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8185&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8186&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8187&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8188&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8189&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8190&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8191&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8192&stc=1
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8193&stc=1
Wheels now also cleaned up and protected with CarPro CQuartz DLux.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8210&stc=1
Finished product!
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8211&stc=1
Nice and black, rather than old and rusty ;)
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8212&stc=1
It's aliiiiive!! .. and by it I mean the blower :D Replaced the blower resistor - didn't help. Connected the blower itself straight to the battery to check and it span right ip. All fuses seemed fine, so the last element must have been the plug... quite obvious, looking at the plug itself. Took a while to find a good condition replacement part (had to be cut off a scrapped car as it's part of the wiring harness), but finally got it and connected up. Blower now works and means taking the car out to stretch its legs is a bit more bearable with the heater working :D
http://i.imgur.com/811Sgpal.jpg
By the way, got a second Williams for Christmas... 1/43 scale :D
http://i.imgur.com/YMzrwCAl.jpg
So... because progress had been painstainkingly slow (and it being winter over here) I only recently managed to drive the car in a little bit of anger. Turns out it cuts out at about 3.5k revs - like it's hitting the rev limiter. Any ideas? This happens both under load and in neutral / stand still.
Right... turns out revs are fine, it's the rev counter that's buggered and I was actually hitting the limiter :D
Anyway, some new parts came, joy oh lighter wallet joy. Air filter, expansion tank, hub, bearing, fuse panel, air vent and battery screw.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8344&stc=1
loving the air vent - whats the part number for that please?
That's RHS and the part number is 7700802859 - although in all honesty only the back black bit is new, as I broke the connector rod for closing / opening flow. The gray front bit is originally from my car. Bought the whole thing though and would have replaced as it was, if it hadn't been for the fact that the little square dot on the left of the open / close regulator looks different to my original vent :/ Sou wouldn't match the one on the left!
so did it come with the grey front cover?
Haha.. yeah, sorry if not clear. The part number is for both the front and back bits. Just that the front is visually minimally different to original.
PS Not sure if the vent is still available from Renault - I bought this off someone as new old stock.
The parts... they just keep on coming!!
http://i.imgur.com/ubf7NlJl.jpg
Today was a good day :)
Have to say, I've not been feeling the love lately. With the car having been parked up a couple of years prior to me buying it, things are constantly popping up that require attention, fixing or replacing... and it's been quite frustrating (and expensive!). Today my motivation got a some much needed propping up though.
In getting ready for the inaugural summer season Youngtimer Warsaw meeting (probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest classic/youngtimer car meets in Poland), I finally got round to getting the Williams stickers on the car (thanks wrighty!!). Nearly cried a little yesterday, because I bought these almost a year ago and when I peeled the protective paper off, at first it stuck to the decal as it had dried out. Thought they're ruined and would need to order more, but in the end I managed to get rid of what had stuck to the letters. Made some stencils, using masking tape, to get the right position of the stickers and stuck them on in the morning. As I pulled back the protective paper and saw the beautiful gold lettering on my just washed Williams, I nearly wet myself from joy. Like the "cherry on top", just thought this completely transformed the car and felt like the car is more done, than getting there.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8411&stc=1
So, off to the meet I drove, to be engulfed by a sea of BMWs, Mercs, FSO Polonezs, Fiat 126ps and 125ps. Typical Polish fare. While a lot of them were nicely done or smartly customised, it's just a bit saddening to see the lack of diversity (I'll post a link to some galleries, when they get added). When I asked where's the French section, I heard "there isn't one" and drove around for a bit, until I finally found the only French car there at the time (a white Citroen XM) and parked next to it. More Frenchies appeared later in the day (mostly 205s, a nice pearl white 5GTT, a Matra) but has to be said "we" were severely under-represented compared to the amount of German gear. Photo below of probably two of the more interesting cars at the meet ;)
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8412&stc=1
The meeting took place on the old FSO factory test track - consider it the Polish Monza or Brooklands ;)
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8413&stc=1
Long story short, with over 500 cars registered overall for the event, my car won first place in the Freshtimer category (cars produced 1990-95)!! The jury decided to award its uniquness and condition, which really was a boost for my morale :) Especially after a couple of hours standing around in the cold. I was actually on the verge of leaving prior to the results, but decided to stick around, not holding out much hope. 3rd place went to an old and fairly tatty Tavria, 2nd was a nice Twingo Graffiti ... and having heard that I thought no way am I going to hear my car called out next (just a different style / look). But alas, RENAULT CLIO WILLIAMS were the next words and I found myself jumping for joy :D Got a bloody huge gold trophy piston too!
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8415&stc=1
What a great result from your first show, very well done.
Thats a great trophy 👍
Ayli Carper
23-04-2017, 14:41
That's just about the best post of the year so far. Well done. Piston is almost a match for the wheels!
Winters01
24-04-2017, 12:04
Excellent Job.... well done! =D>
I've been looking through the online galleries last two days and have to say - the jury really seem to have gone against the grain with my car :D There's not a single photo of it!! Hardly any of the others that won in the category either. Oh well..
Links to some (non-Williams :P) galleries in the below FB posts for those interested.
https://www.facebook.com/events/183733198778751/?active_tab=discussion
Oh AND that same day I found out my Williams has REMOTE central locking :D My previous 16V had the IR immobiliser in the key fob, which you'd point at the IR scanner near the mirror. This didn't work in my Williams, so thought perhaps someone had done something with the immobiliser or mapped the ECU etc. By accident (was showing a friend how the immo used to work in my 16V) pressed the fob and heard the doors trying to lock :D No idea why it didn't work the first time I tried (probably a duff battery), but was very pleased to find out I don't have to physically use the key each time :D
Found one! :D
http://youngtimerwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Top-1-Fresh.jpg
Only realised now how all three cars have gold centre wheels, with a polished rim :D
After 5 years of (various) Clio ownership I finally made it to the Polish Clio club's annual meet. Wasn't as big as in previous years, but still, was great to meet with some like minded Clio addicts, for hours of chat and banter about the cars :) Four Willies (all numbered) and two 16Vs (unfortunately never managed to get all of them in one shot) - I'll be adding these to the register soon.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8462&stc=1
His & hers :)
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8542&stc=1
getting some mileage in.
Hows she running?
Mileage wise, it's done just over 1k km over its time with me (nearing on two years now), so not that much ;) It is running a bit crap though, have to say. Since I decatted it (the cat was literally in bits), it's been making a bad noise, like a resonating tin, somewhere between 1.5-3k RPM. Now I always knew it's been doing that, you can here it from the inside, but only recently did I hear it by accident from the outside. You can hear me leaving a car meet, in the vid below - it really sounds horrible! So I need a new cat (ouch...), but before I buy a new cat, I need to fix the high idle. Just been struggling with finding a reliable mechanic, that I can trust with the car. So a bit stuck :(
https://www.facebook.com/events/1823493171294155/permalink/1824922397817899/
Bit of an update.
Swapped over the clocks from a friend's 16V - has fixed the issue of incorrect revs (would show it's cutting off at >3k RPM, but I am sure it was revving upto the correct redline). Unfortunately has not fixed the issue of high idle - although initially seemed better, sitting at 1k RPM when started up.
Tried swapping over to an original negative battery connector, but couldn't clamp down on the lead well enough. Not sure what to do there :(
Also - one photo from a recent Renault club calendar photo shoot. Unfortunately was a cloudy day, so they had to tweak the colours and it's come out a lot lighter than it should.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8566&stc=1
ianbirch
28-08-2017, 17:29
Did a little retouchy thing on your previous pic but obviously very lo-res.
Hope you don't mind.
Regards Ian
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8567&stc=1
Ha, that's good! Thanks :) Shows how off the photo of just the Williams is with the colour :(
ianbirch
29-08-2017, 08:43
Ha, that's good! Thanks :) Shows how off the photo of just the Williams is with the colour :(
Yes...whoever retouched that has done something a bit strange, possibly decreased shadow end and increased highlight end to much.
Do you still have the original hi-res file?
Having said that colour is always subjective as monitors vary considerably.
Regards Ian
ianbirch
29-08-2017, 08:51
Have pmd you.
Regards Ian
do love your pictures Ian
ianbirch
29-08-2017, 15:22
do love your pictures Ian
Yeah....as you know Northy it's kinda my thang.
Cheers E
One step forward, one (potentially big) step back :/
Forever Blacked my scuttle panel - initially wasn't too happy as it looked like a fairly gloss finish, was expecting much more of a matte effect. After fitting to the car it doesn't look too bad though. Will do for now. Hopefully pics soon, if weather is nice.
Went down to change the dogbone mount in the car today, only to find a puddle under the car. Looks like after my last drive one of the heater matrix hoses decided to pack it in and developed a crack around the jubilee clip. Coolant is now slowly dripping from my Williams :( Coolant still wasn't looking terribly clean after the last flush, so hoping the heater matrix hasn't got clogged up and caused pressure build up that bust the hose!
Smokey McPot
12-09-2017, 11:15
I have a stockpiled a heater matrix for mine, for as and when I put it back on the road. I'm sure they're still easily obtainable.
I think this time it's more the thought of a (supposedly) dash out job, than parts availability itself...
Smokey McPot
18-09-2017, 11:50
I think this time it's more the thought of a (supposedly) dash out job, than parts availability itself...
Its the one thing that has put me off replacing it.
Vandella
18-09-2017, 14:05
its a pig of a job but doable within a day.. i wasnt at the time amazingly mechaniclly minded but managed to have the dash off and back togethor in a day.
most important part id say is labbelling the screws and where they came from..
some say you can do it with the dash in situ.. looks awfully tight to me though.. may even get away with just releasing the dash and bringing it forward abit.. but makes the world of difference, especially coming up to winter..
Slightly off topic - but got a stablemate for the Williams :)
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8635&stc=1
good buy! whats the mileage? Is this a local car as its LHD??
It's currently on just under 88k km / 55k miles, which is quite low for a 10 year old car (2007 production). 2 previous owners, with the first being the owner of a Renault dealership in Poland, so yes, a local car :) Looks well cared for - I passed on a LY R26 earlier this year and have been regretting since. This one was up for a bit more, but lower mileage, better condition and has a better history, so didn't think much and bit the bullet.
A Renault wouldn't be a Renault if it didn't come up with a couple issues within days of buying of course! :D
- left front turn signal went - initially thought it was the bulb, but a few twists of the bulb housing back and forth and it's back. Must have been a dodgy connection, previous owner warned me this issue sometimes occurs. Can confirm it's a right ball ache to reach :D Fortunately my GF has smaller hands!
- hesitation / stuttering at WOT - potentially fuel pump on the way out? Seems to pull nice and clean under small / medium load.
Won again this year :D This time over 600 cars at the event, although not all in the same category as me, of course.
http://williamsclio.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8739&stc=1
ianbirch
10-04-2018, 18:50
Well done....always nice to get some recognition.:)
Regards Ian
Winning is starting to look like a habit, well done.
you tealise that you will be the favourite for next year.....no pressure eh 💥
For those not on the Facebook group, link to a gallery from photo session for a local magazine. Think it turned out quite good :)
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TygodnikMotor/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156814313160616
https://scontent-waw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/34889003_10156814313265616_6529430976706117632_o.j pg?_nc_cat=0&oh=58f4dd31d62d69887e7f86928ec6b252&oe=5BA6EC46
Two of my cars got featured in October issues of two Polish car mags - the Williams in classicauto (new vs old comparison with a Clio IV Trophy) and a buyer's guide on the R26 in the Polish edition of Car.9100
Wants the out come of the Williams and the trophy
I have both cars https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181105/4bcc76651347c862e4b9c33e0368aee8.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Lord almighty.... been lusting after a Spider (sans screen for me though :winkey:) ever since I first saw it in Autocar. And a Lunar Grey R26.R? You're killing me...
On the article though, I think you can make a better judgement from your own experience ;) It's a classic car mag, so obviously they go on how different hot hatches used to be, how the Trophy, with it's turbo, EDC box and stiff suspension is a better performer, but just a different type of car and experience, compared to the no aids 90s HH idol, which while it's slower, is just more fun and engaging.
In my mind both are good fun in different ways
The Williams I brought new in 94 then sold then got back so just part of the family now ,trophy only had 6 months
Up date 25 years time if still alive [emoji3]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ianbirch
06-11-2018, 00:11
Fantastic collection there Edd..save me searching through the register what number is the Williams.
Regards Ian
Fantastic collection there Edd..save me searching through the register what number is the Williams.
Regards Ian0296 it's in his profile ;)
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