Paul Grainger

My current car is a 1999 C4 manual coupe. I have the option to buy (cheap) a 'horseshoe' trim (ie the trim housing the switches around the radio) from a more recent car. This trim has the integral cupholder. Will it fit my car? I suspect not, but I would appreciate confirmation. Thanks for your help Paul G

I did this conversion on my 1999 996 C4 last month. I found that the best place to locate the ballast unit was on the 'shelf' between the wing and the headlamp unit guide frame. I cleaned the surface with a solvent cleaner, and then stuck the ballast units in place with double sided adhesive tapes (the system I used had a single ballast unit with integral igniter). I could have drilled and bolted them, but didn't see the need. I was concerned that the ballast units might get wet (they use high voltage on start-up), but this has so far been OK despite some really bad weather and flooding in the UK. I was originally planning to mount the ballast units in the luggage area - but the conecting cables between the ballast and the lamp unit weren't long enough (you need to be able to withdraw the headlight with the cable still attached) and I did not want to extend the HV cable. I removed the plastic inner wings to do this mod, but it is possible to complete the work without doing this. It's a good mod, and well described in the previous postings. Paul G

I did this job last weekend on my 1999 C4 (UK Spec) On my car the bracket that locates the header tank was broken, the tank was not secure and made a rattling noise that could be heard when driving. I disconnect all the hoses from the tank, and removed the fuel filter (mounted next to header tank) and hoses. I did not remove any other equipment, or lower the engine to make more room. My dealer who supplied the bracket said that it is not essential to remove the air pump, there may be a difference with UK spec cars. Getting the header tank in and out is very difficult, but believe me it is possible. The tank will only go in and out when it is in a specific orientation, and even then it has to be 'forced' into position. I was concerned that I could have damaged the low-level switch when the tank was replaced, but fortunately there was no damage or leaks. I figured that this job would only take an hour. It ended up taking four hours, purely because of the difficulty getting the tank in and out. Anyone who has a broken header tank holding bracket should beware when replacing it. There are two fixing bolts for the bracket that screw into 'captive nuts' above the tank. These captive nuts break free very easily, and 'turn' with the bolt preventing removal. Unfortunately, the captive nuts are located in a void area between metal skins to which there is no access. This was a real puzzler to me. I ended up destroying the broken bracket and 'pulling' the nuts through the steelwork. I did not want to butcher the car in order to get access to the area above the nut - I ended up using spring toggle cavity fixings (stainless steel from local DIY store) in order to fix the new bracket in position. It's made a perfect job at a very low cost. Paul G

Thanks Loren, much appreciated Paul G

Loren Thanks for your quick response. I had searched and found that particular page, but it doesn't list the 'glossy' targa shade switch. Is there such a switch available? Thanks Paul G

Hi I have recently fitted front parking radar and a garage door opener to my 1999 C4 coupe, UK spec (RHD). Can anyone provide the part number for a targa blind switch, 'gloss' finish, horizontal mount, right hand side of console in 996 (ie raised section of switch on RHS when looking at front of switch). I understand that this is the best option for my garage door opener. I also need a switch to suit the front parking radar. I am currently using 'spare' electric window switches for both of these applications - these work fine but obviously the symbols do not match the application. Can anyone suggest a better switch option for this application? Thanks in advance Paul G