Partybish's 190k HDI Cleanup Thread

[partybish]

Hi all!

I've been on the forum for about a week now and have been hunting for a 3 door HDI for about a week prior to that.  I'm currently commuting 60 miles a day in a Golf 6R and apart from adding the miles to what is a low mileage car I'm finding myself filling up the tank twice a week.  For the past year I've also been doing a nut and bolt restoration on a Phase 1 Clio 172 but it has become something of a garage queen as everything I can unbolt has either been powdercoated or zinc plated so it doesn't get driven much and never in bad weather.

Pic of the current daily driver.  A great all round car with some nice modern toys but likes a drink...
   

A before shot of the Clio. It was in a bad way when I bought it but I've since spent a lot of time and effort on it and it now spends a lot of time in the garage waiting for Summer.  
   
After giving it some love and attention it has started to look a lot better..
   

Anyway, back to the quest for a commuter and I was contemplating getting an Integra Type R - don't ask me why but they're probably slightly better on fuel than the Golf and I always fancied owning one, plus they're getting quite rare now.

I was struggling to find a decent ITR for sale as they all seem to rot away from the inside arches but I've always had a soft spot for 306's ever since driving my ex-gf's XRDT many moons ago and I heard rumours the HDIs could get between 600-700 miles on a tank so after some classic "man maths" I decided to look for a nice tidy 3 door as it would pretty much pay for itself in saved fuel costs.

It turns out that since the last time I was looking at 306's back in 2007, finding nice, tidy 3 door examples is getting much harder than it was so I decided to change my approach and look for something cheap that needed time, effort (and likely money) to bring it up to scratch.  I really enjoy the process of restoring a car to its former glory and the 306 has always been a bit of a timeless classic in my mind.

After very little looking around I stumbled across an advert for a Moonstone Blue V reg HDI on facebook marketplace, the car had done some serious miles in its time but had a decent wedge of paperwork (which I didn't look at) and drove well (round the block) and the engine sounded pretty healthy (for a tractor).  But enough of the good points, overall the car was a little untidy to say the least as the pictures will show, despite the bodywork looking surprisingly decent for a car of its years.  I don't know why but something inside me thought sod it, it's worth a punt and everything is fixable with the right attitude plus it has 10 months MOT and a set of cyclones on which I could always sell for parts so I handed over £350 cash without a single further thought.

As I drove the car away the exhaust heatshield gave a happy rattle and when I tried to wind down the windows for a bit of fresh air they didn't work, nor, I realised, did the lights on the heater controls...

The advertisement at least highlighted all of the (major) bad points of the car.  The colour of the door and the wing looked a little mismatched in this picture but on viewing the car it was just the lighting as the owner pointed out.
   
Ripped passenger seat, with the driver's side having been stitched up.
   
Cracked windscreen. I've since ordered a like for like replacement with rain sensors and green tint/hue from National Windscreens which is due to be fitted next week.  It's surprising how much you can actually see when looking out, it doesn't obscure the view at all but I won't be driving the car again until it's sorted.
   
A couple of fairly deep key scratches to the boot and driver's door (which also has a scuff/blemish).  If there's one thing I am fairly confident about it's that I will be able to remove or seriously reduce the impact of the damage with the machine polisher as the blemish is just a surface mark where paint has rubbed off onto the door and the scratches have not gone through to the primer.  I've always been a sucker for Moonstone, it's such a rewarding deep colour when polished and waxed 
   
   
I made a start on the interior tonight so I will post more pictures shortly.  Comments welcome, even if they are ones of shock or disgust! 

[Matt-Rallye]

For a daily mile munching commuter car it doesnt get much more cost effective than a decent 306 hdi

Clio looks very nice! had a few mk1 1.8 16v's, williams, 172's & 182's and a 197. Currently got a RS megane dci175 as a mile munching commuter and its bloody good!

Looking forward to seeing pics of this once you have worked some magic

[Eeyore]

Yesss should be a good project

[Dum-Dum]

Looks good and for £350 there's barely any money to loose on it.
I've not long spent £300 on a 198k HDi (although mine is a 2.2) and it's sweet as a nut.

[partybish]

Thanks for the comments guys, at £350 I can't (and won't) complain at anything this car throws my way, I'm just enjoying having another project to throw myself into.

So picking up where I left off, other than finding out the windows didn't work and the heater controls had no lights and being paranoid about some rattles in the dash (need to get a stereo in!) the trip home after picking up the car was great, the car drove smoothly and the tracking was spot on, the car pulls amazingly well, perhaps it's just because I'm not used to diesels but I was managing to accelerate up hills in 5th gear with no effort - I'm looking forward to finding out if the car has been modified, the only thing the seller told me about was the rear beam being dropped and the exhaust but I wouldn't be surprised to learn it has had a remap.   The seller had to change one of the cyclones as the tyre on it was bald so it's currently sitting on a steelie until I change it.

So I spent a couple of hours on Friday and pretty much all of today removing the interior.  It wasn't actually that difficult as I'm used to torx screws shearing off and bolts being seized on the Clio yet everything seemed to run smoothly until removing the last bit of carpet which I cheated on and cut with a stanley knife as it will be hidden when the centre console goes back on.

I started by unbolting the rear seats followed by the fronts hoovering as I went.  As it turns out the front set had a bolt missing and the rest were pretty loose so I'm glad to have found that out now.   I made sure I bagged up all the parts separately so I can have half a chance of putting them back where they came from.
The car was absolutely minging and has a smell of death.  When I saw these chips I nearly gagged.
   
Someone who owned this car was a bit of an avid in car audio DIYer as there were cables running everywhere, little bits of wire in the carpet and so far I have found 10 speakers in the car including two in the bootwell and two more in each of the rear seat pockets?!
   
When the wiring was run to the boot part of the carpet wasn't put back in properly which you can see bottom right
   
The 6x9s were seemingly held on by hopes and dreams (and massively long screws) and basically fell out when I took out the parcel shelf.
   
I'm really not looking forward to having to reverse whatever is going on with the stereo loom.  Does anyone know if this looks like a bodge job or whether I can simply remove the Pioneer adaptor and be left with what is there as standard?
   
Does anyone know what the little push button device is in front of the clutch pedal in this shot?  Looks important and it's surely not supposed to just hang there?!
   
It started getting dark so this was how I left it on Friday evening.
   

---

Today (Saturday) I got up early and went down to Homebase to hire a Rugdoctor for the carpets.  When I got home I found some ebay deliveries - a keyfob battery and lion embossed rubber button. The existing keyfob was a little worse for wear...
   
I started by removing the key part and polishing the dirt off with wire wool and autosol.  I then had to use the wife's hairdryer to heat up and remove the old worn rubber buttons as they were well and truly stuck on.  
The finished result...not perfect but certainly better.  
   
When I went to try the key the remote locking didn't work first time then I found and followed the guide on here and turned the key in the ignition once, off and on again making sure to hold the large button down for 5 seconds.  After that I tried pressing in AND.....nothing  . I slipped the key in my pocket thinking it was a lot to expect anyway and 15 minutes later the doors locked. I realised the key had pressed in my pocket so I took it out, tried it again and it worked!! I now had a fully functioning keyfob and remote locking which called for an air fist pump! 
I am thinking I will buy a used fob, another set of buttons and a new shell on ebay then get a key blank cut to get a second key - does anyone know if you can re-programme any used key to work the central locking just by doing the on/off/button hold trick?

[Eeyore]

Yeh there's a black pot that goes in that hole. I make a 3d printed cup holder for that space as well if you want something more useful. How much is the wetvac rental?

[Doseph]

that sound system makes my installs look professional...

Looking forward to seeing this progress

[Danny Wideboy]

That looks like the brake light switch that is hanging down there.
Are they working O.K?

[partybish]

For a daily mile munching commuter car it doesnt get much more cost effective than a decent 306 hdi

Clio looks very nice! had a few mk1 1.8 16v's, williams, 172's & 182's and a 197. Currently got a RS megane dci175 as a mile munching commuter and its bloody good!

Looking forward to seeing pics of this once you have worked some magic

Have you got any pics of the Williams?  They're getting rare to see in good condition these days.  I'm hoping the Ph1 will become rarer as time goes on.  I fancy a MEgane at some point - what sort of mpg can you get out of the 175?

Yeh there's a black pot that goes in that hole. I make a 3d printed cup holder for that space as well if you want something more useful. How much is the wetvac rental?

Yeah, that would be great, having a cup holder would be really handy.  Have you got a pic of one that you've done?  The wetvac was £30ish for 24 hours plus £20 deposit that you get back.  I've got mixed feelings about it.  It takes ages and the suction is worse than the Henry I've got but there's probably nothing quite like it for deep cleaning and the amount of dirt it picked up was impressive.  I might just shell out and buy a "George" as I think that is Numatic's wet vac.

that sound system makes my installs look professional...

Looking forward to seeing this progress

Haha, it's pretty shocking.  I've just picked up a professionally built stealth shelf which looks like it's been wired correctly and I'm looking forward to teaching myself the basis of ICE installation with this project.

That looks like the brake light switch that is hanging down there.
Are they working O.K?

Yeah, the brake lights work fine but I'll check them again.  It has a little push button on it so I'm not sure what that's for.  Where is it supposed to be?

[madmadmax]

moste likley will be the clutch switch so get it working as it effects fueling in some situations

[Eeyore]

Sorry haven't got a photo I can upload from mobile but there are some on my project thread probably a few pages back.

[partybish]

moste likley will be the clutch switch so get it working as it effects fueling in some situations

Aha!  I think you're right, as per this diagram.  Just got  to figure out where it goes now, think its at the very top of the clutch arm.
   

Sorry haven't got a photo I can upload from mobile but there are some on my project thread probably a few pages back.

No worries, will try to have a look for it.

---

Yesterday I managed to remove the rear carpet and the foam underneath followed by the front carpet which was harder as it was caught up around the centre console.  I ended up cheated and took the stanley knife to the last but as I had no clue what it was snagged on and I'd had enough of having my head in the footwell as  the carpet smelt pretty rotten.  Once I took out the carpet I found the foam underneath was a little mouldy.  As Saturday was sunny I left both sets of foam underlay in the sun to absorb some rays.
Rear seats and carpet out...
   
Working out the front carpet!
   
Both sets out...
   
Foam drying in the sun
   
In between trying to wrestle the carpet out I went round and took off all the rubber trims.  As you can imagine there was a lot of grime underneath which I set about removing.
   
Once the carpets were out it was time for the RugDoctor!
   
In progress.  It took ages to get them clean, the hand tool attachment sprays cleaning fluid onto the carpets and there is a little brush on the back to move apart the fibres so the vacuum can suck up the soap/dirt.
   
I don't have many after shots as it was getting dark but what came out was impressive.
   

[Matt-Rallye]

For a daily mile munching commuter car it doesnt get much more cost effective than a decent 306 hdi

Clio looks very nice! had a few mk1 1.8 16v's, williams, 172's & 182's and a 197. Currently got a RS megane dci175 as a mile munching commuter and its bloody good!

Looking forward to seeing pics of this once you have worked some magic

Have you got any pics of the Williams?  They're getting rare to see in good condition these days.  I'm hoping the Ph1 will become rarer as time goes on.  I fancy a MEgane at some point - what sort of mpg can you get out of the 175?

No pics of the williams on my photobucket unfortunately but plenty of my various valvers









Had a few others but thats the favourites

[Danny Wideboy]

That last pic is the sex.

Goddamn. I love those things, I haven't seen one for years.
A good mate had one for a while YEARS ago, it was quite eager.

[partybish]

Matt - those 16vs are awesome. Is the last one not a Williams? I remember driving a mate's 16v back in the early 2000's, he had 17" TSW Revos on it and and the thing was dropped to the floor with so much arch scrub it made a noise driving in a straight line but the experience of "massive engine stuffed in a car seemingly too small for it" stayed with me until I got my first 172.

[Matt-Rallye]

That last pic is the sex.

Goddamn. I love those things, I haven't seen one for years.
A good mate had one for a while YEARS ago, it was quite eager.

Cheers mate, yes they are eager to rust the rear arches out thats for sure the more eagle eyed viewers will recognise that grey one

Its since had a meticulous nut & bolt resto, was at FCS last year where i was fortunate enough to have a good look over it and a chinwag with the chap that owns it now

Matt - those 16vs are awesome. Is the last one not a Williams? I remember driving a mate's 16v back in the early 2000's, he had 17" TSW Revos on it and and the thing was dropped to the floor with so much arch scrub it made a noise driving in a straight line but the experience of "massive engine stuffed in a car seemingly too small for it" stayed with me until I got my first 172.

Sorry for the thread hijack! Last one was a valver shell with full williams running gear (hillpower tuned engine) besides the wider front track and 3 skin subframe only found on williams as all that was knackered on the donor car.

After owning those mk1 valvers my 172, 182 & 197 were just a bitter dissapointment unfortunately they lack the very raw characteristics of the mk1 and i found the driving not nearly as involved. certainly quick but just lacking character.

Back on topic! any progress with the HDi?

[partybish]

So it was raining on Sunday and I basically sat inside the car with a bunch of cleaning gear and made a bit more progress whilst it is stripped out.
   
Both footwells appeared to be quite damp/wet which might have been the cause of the bad smell inside so I got two large bags of silica that I use to keep my Clio moisture free and stuck these under the sound proofing at the front of the car which has dried things out nicely.  I just need to identify what is causing the leak as it seems there are common things like a lack of foam inside the doors by the speakers and/or draining holes in the scuttle panel being blocked.
I took a quick trip to a breakers yard to pick up some interior parts and whilst I was there I took an interior switch off a Meridian which looks like some kind of light dimmer - I was surprised to find my car had a plug behind the blanking plate so I'm not sure if it will do anything but it looks a bit better.
   
   
   
It was drier when I got home so I cleaned out the inner door panels and door jambs using a detailing brush and some quick detailer
   
I then turned my attention to the boot.  I ripped off the really thin carpet on the boot sides and there was a yellow glue residue that just would not shift so I eventually got out some white spirit and went to work.
Before...
   
After..still a little bit to do but much cleaner...
   
To top off the day I found a winning scratch card behind the driver's sunvisor...only £1 sadly but (notwithstanding cracks in the floorpan covering) I get the feeling this is going to be a lucky car for me!!
   

---

Couple of pics of the door jamb before as it was in a filthy state, me brushing out the vents using Aerospace 303 protectant and the door panel which I cleaned up using APC and Autoglym Quick Detailer which has given it a nice shine (only to be covered up by the door cards eventually!).
   
   
   
The boot has cleaned up nicely but the back of it is still really dirty inside so I am going to try and source some trim to cover this up as I have seen that Meridians have this trim.  Let me know if anyone has some?
   

[Matt-Rallye]

GTi6 has a boot trim like your after

If your after any parts i do happen to run a breakers yard and can post most items for a sensible price

[Eeyore]

Yeh its gti6 boot trim that you want. Not a median thing probably get a decent set for 20 quid somewhere.

[partybish]

Thanks guys, for some reason I can't yet post in the wanted section but I'm after the following:

full leather/alcantara interior (as found on the early model gti6s I believe?)
Roof rubber strip (drivers side, though I expect they're the same both sides)
Boot trim (the panel which fits around both rear lights)
Front and rear inner arch plastics
Rear centre console coin tray (the but where the electric window switches go on a 5 door)
Door stop hinges (both sides)
Rear wiper arm (phase 3)

I've tried my local breakers but it seems 306s are getting harder to find!!

[Magenta Sunset]

just wait til they start a "dirty old diesel" scrappage scheme

[Eeyore]

I think I've got some gti6 boot trim somewhere. If matt can't sort you with some let me know.

[partybish]

It's been a while since I posted an update but I've actually done quite a bit to the car since.

After stripping the interior I finally got the front window replaced and treated the car to some new wipers and a set of C2 mist jets (after looking on the forum and having two goes at ordering a sets off of ebay they are STILL the wrong type and spray the bottom of the screen?!?!?!   )
   
Once that was done the car was roadworthy again and it was time to make a trip down to Derv Developments in Southampton where I met Alex who fitted a new cambelt.  Alex and Jonny are top blokes and know everything there is to know about these cars - I'd recommend them to anyone who is local (it's even worth a trip if you're not!).

Halfway through the job Alex sent me a picture of the existing belt...looks like I got away with it!!
   
Alex also found a coolant leak which he promptly fixed and gave me a list of things that would need to be done to bring the car back up to scratch.
   
When I got the car back home I started to attack the rust in the arches.  It turns out that the offset colour in the pictures was an arch repair but the welds look neat and it is a decent job.  The colour difference of the rear wing isn't all that noticeable except in certain lights/angles and I plan to address it further by machine polishing and detailing the car so the end finish will make it look even less so.  Still, it was a £350 car so as I said I can't complain!  
   
I used a trusty wire brush attachment and took the rust back to bare metal
   
   
Once that was done I applied Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 and left it for a couple of days until it did it's thing.  
   
Freshly applied...it turns darker purple and converts the rust after 24 hours..
   
Once the hydrate had converted the rust I applied Bilt Hamber Dynax S50 into the cavities to hopefully stop the rust coming back.  After that had settled I had bought some silent coat to start the sound deadening process ready for a new ICE install.
   
Silent coat is amazing, the tinny sound you get from tapping the wing is now a dull thud and it makes the car sound smoother on the road.  I used 2mm sheets and applied it to the inner arches and rear sections of the boot.  I plan to source more to do the doors, boot, roof and behind the dash.

---

With the rust treated it was time to put the interior back together.  Carpet cleaned and looking (and smelling) much fresher...plus I was pleased I managed to refit it without the corner hanging out of the door rubber (I think that must have happened when the previous owners fitted the wiring for the boot speakers.
   
I also sourced a set of HDI car mats from Ambassador who I have always been impressed with, plus I managed to source a new coin holder from a donor car at my local scrapyard!   
   
Before I started I cleaned all the plastic interior trim with AutoGlym Vinyl and Rubber care (I was even able to clean through the vents using a microfibre).
   
And I let the seatbelts rinse in a soap solution overnight - it made quite a difference
   
I also did a few little tidy up jobs like the gear lever gaiter which had seen better days..
Before:
   
After:
   
I couldn't identify what this wire was for - anyone know?  My guess is it is for a CD changer in the boot?  I just cable tied it up and shoved it into the console in case it turns out to be important later on.
   
The boot had a load of yellow glue on it where I pulled off the dank thin carpet, so I got busy with the white spirit.  The wires were all burnt out but that was next up on my list.
   
After much rubbing and still a little bit left in the corner to do another day.
   

[kyler000]

Looking good fella. Your going through a similar process as I have mine. Worth it all though! All the best with it

[Poodle]

You want xsara mist jets. All the newer models have more steeply sloping bonnets so when fitted to the 306 they end up happily washing your wipers and little else.

Was good to meet you a few weeks ago, glad to here you're all happy with the work.

[partybish]

Looking good fella. Your going through a similar process as I have mine. Worth it all though! All the best with it

Thanks bud, I just re-read your thread and what you have done is epic.  I'm not sure I'll end up respraying this one but I would love to get it done.

You want xsara mist jets. All the newer models have more steeply sloping bonnets so when fitted to the 306 they end up happily washing your wipers and little else.

Was good to meet you a few weeks ago, glad to here you're all happy with the work.

Likewise, any chance you could post a link to the xsara jets I need so I can be 100% sure I'm getting the right ones?  

I'll drop you a PM shortly about suspension as I think that needs sorting next!

[partybish]

When I took out the interior paneling I came across some burnt out wiring in the rear of the car so I ended up taking some advice from my neighbour who is an electrician and cut out the burnt wire replacing it with new wiring.
   
   
There were more burnt out wires in the boot and the rear wiper had been removed and blanked off so I performed a similar task by cutting back the burnt wire and splicing it in using plastic wire connectors and a couple of blocks.  It was a right mess to start with and the last two wires were stripped completely bare of their casings so I wrapped them in electrical tape and basically took a guess at which one was which when reconnecting them to the new wiper motor unit I'd sourced.
   
   
   
Once I'd connected it all up I turned the ignition on and tentatively flipped the rear wiper switch.  There was a short delay and then the wiper started working...cue me fist pumping the air!!  It even seems to have made the passenger side electric window work again (although that could be coincidence).
I finished off the evening by adding in some rear boot trim that I had taken from a gti6 which made the boot look much neater.  I removed the warning sticker with some white spirit after this pic.
   

---

Whilst I had the interior out and drying I cleaned up all the door jambs and shuts and other little areas like the fuel filler properly.  The door hinges were both broken when I got the car and they didn;t look like the best design to start with so I sourced a new set plus pins from Peugeot and had them shotblasted and zinc plated together with a new set of alloy wheel bolts as I'd done this on my Clio and they look nice and withstand the elements better.
   
   
   
Shiny bits back from the platers
   
The fuel cap had accumulated a lot of crap over the years..
   
After going at it with a toothbrush and some solvent..
   
Lastly I swapped over the blacked out lion with a replacement sourced from ebay to make the car look a little more OEM..
   
   

---

Pretty much since I'd bought the car I'd been on the lookout for some decent gti6 leather/alcantara seats to replace the smelly ripped seats that the car came with.  I managed to find a seller on the gti6 forum and turned up to find he had about five gti6's on his drive so I left with a rear bench and three front seats as the plan is to swap the bases/backs over on the driver's side so I end up with a seat that has no wear.  The seats had accumulated some mould so I attacked them with some all purpose cleaner followed by using a clothing de-bobbling machine to get the alcantara looking nice then treated the leather with leather cleaner followed by leather care cream.  I left the seats in the car overnight with some large silica bags to absorb any moisture from them.  I plan to get some black leather paint to get the cracked leather parts looking good again.  Anyway, after a good clean they were much better than the old seats and they came out of a phase 3 so the side airbags were just plug and play.
Old seat
   
New seats on arrival
   

[partybish]

There's still a rip in the driver's seat bolster but when I get the time I will strip down the spare seat I have and replace this.  They are much nicer to look at on the whole and I will hopefully get some door cards to match at a later stage.
   
With the interior all back together and a few odd jobs attended to the thing I had been really looking forward to was cleaning the exterior.  
The paint was looking pretty dull and flat before I started. 
   
I started by washing it with Meguiar's NXT car wash which made it look a lot better.
   
I then removed all the door strips and used a DA machine polisher to get rid of the worst marks on the car - like this scuff which had left white paint on the door.
   
Part of what let the car down was the alloys, they were flaking really badly from a DIY spray job and each one had a different brand of budget tyre on.  One tyre was completely bald meaning I had to put a steelie on just to get it home.
   
Before I even sourced the car I had manged to acquire a set of Wheelmania Lions from a user on the gti6 forum.  These wheels seem to divide opinion but I really like the OEM look they give the car whilst providing a bit more to fill the arches than the 15" cyclones.  Anyway, when swapping the rims over I decided to paint the calipers in hammerite smooth silver.
   
After washing, decontaminating, hand-polishing and sealing the car I was pretty pleased with the difference.
Before (I have no idea why the steelie was covered in red paint).
   
After shots...
   
   
   
And that's pretty much where I am up to.  I've actually changed my mind about how much work to put into it because I have really enjoyed working on it so much and it's been rewarding fixing things and learning as I go so when I get a bit more time I plan to do a full machine polish, tidy up the engine bay and continue the soundproofing in advance of adding a nice stereo setup for the daily commute.

Hope it wasn't too dull a read and all comments welcome 

[DeeTurbo]

That's great read.

I love the detail of cleaning you've done.

The only advice I could give is that it might be worth using some cable sleeving or heat shrink instead of electrical tape. The reason being that the tape can start coming undone when the glue softens on hot days and can leave the cable at risk of shorting again.

I'm taking the radio out in a could of days so I can get some photos of the loom then for you.

[Poodle]

I don't have a known-good link i'm afraid, haven't bought any for years as i picked up a few sets at a scrapyard yonks ago and haven't run out yet. I suspect theres a part number kicking around the forum somewhere, maybe worth a quick search.

This does look fecking awesome on the Lions, i didn't want to say too much before in case you were planning a grand reveal at one of the shows. She really is coming together nicely, looks like a different car from when i first saw it.