The flexible friend has been bent double this last month or so; but after a half day at Elvington, spirits were high and I was looking forward to a year of being able to enjoy the car on track. Things were looking good.

Back on planet earth, however, the Clio had ideas of its own about spending my Hard Earned. A visit to the local specialist to have a look at the recently fitted power steering pump, which had started to groan again from cold, resulted in a bill for £120 for a drain and refill, and a kind word in my ear about the worn front suspension top mount on one side and the leaking shock absorber on the other. Mind you, I'm pretty certain the suspension hasn't been refreshed in the car's 13 year history so I suppose it's only fair that it would go at some point.

Two new top mount kits and front shock absorbers sets me back approximately £150 + VAT from my local Renault dealer in Manchester, and with the help of fellow auto-journalist Ben Bradley we set about changing them. Eight hours later - yes EIGHT hours later - the new bits were on, with more than a little help from a borrowed angle grinder. Seized old units had to be cut to get them off the car, and cut again to release the springs. Needless to say a few well deserved beers disappeared a little too easily that night.

Sunday morning brought a heavy head but a quick drive across to the peak district soon blew the cobwebs away. Wow! Who would've thought that such a relatively small outlay could have such a drastic effect? So much of the car I knew was gone. Heavy steering, which I'd always assumed was due to minimal assistance, was suddenly as light as a feather. Almost too light in fact, with me pulling the wheel too much in to corners on several occasions.

Further to the dramatic changes in steering feel was the bump absorption. The old test of pushing down on your car to see if it bobs up and down like it's suspended with vats of jelly doesn't really work on sportier cars with harder rides, so it's always hard to tell if anything could benefit from a refreshment. What has struck me in the last few weeks is just how much better the car is at soaking up the smaller bumps now, without the bone shaking thumps that used to judder through the entire car.

The work didn't stop there though. With preparations well under way to tackle Elvington again, the rear callipers decided to give up the ghost, with one choosing to stick off and one choosing bind on. This led to an embarrassing moment on a local roundabout when, at 30mph and whilst being overtaken by a large E-class estate, I performed a rather delicate 180 degree spin. Oops. Whilst Mr Mercedes was non too appreciative, I'm glad I brightened up the following BMW driver's day, as he found it highly amusing.

So, a clean up of all the parts was undertaken and for 2 days all was well again, apart from a handbrake that only seemed to be working on one side. Not surprisingly, it soon got worse again and it was clearly in need of proper attention so two refurbished callipers were ordered from German Swedish and French Car Parts along with new rear discs, pads and handbrake cables from Renault at a total cost of £250 plus VAT. Apart from a seized brake hose nut and one of the callipers arriving with the carrier attached using 5-sided bolts (I have certainly never seen such a thing before) the job went relatively smoothly and the results were very impressive. I now have brakes that allow me to move at low speed and stay still when parked on hills. "There really can't be anything else to go for a few months now" thought I.

Last week saw the alternator light start flashing at me. With it only having been on the car for 20 months that seemed a little strange. A quick visit to the local vehicle electrical garage confirmed that the relatively new alternator was on its last legs. It would seem that the bodyshop that repaired the front end crash damage forgot to fit a radiator shroud, and as a result of the weather getting in the alternator had aged prematurely. Having spent the last six cold weekends struggling to work on two cars I decided to let the professionals have a go this time. I am now another £200 lighter and I really, really do hope that I can just have 2-3 months respite.

The next month is going to be a busy time for both of us with a further track-day at Anglesey, the week after at Elvington, and the end of the month sees the annual French Car Show event at Bruntingthorpe on May Day bank holiday weekend. This will be Williamsclio's 2nd year at the event and it's likely that ULF's spot as the only standard 16v in the paddock could well be contested. Not only that but the club will be getting an hour of dedicated track time which some of us, including fellow auto-journalist Matt "how long can I keep it on 3 wheels for" Zollo, intend to try and use to entertain the visitors and attract more attention for the fledgling club.

With a wonky bumper and a few stone chips to touch up there's still going to be plenty of work to be getting on with, even assuming that there are no more mechanical hindrances. I have my fingers crossed, for all it's worth.

Some photos: David Sanderson