1999 C4 cabriolet project

[kingroon]

Time taken 0.5 hours

I got myself into all Manner of Trouble when I attempted this, ultimately successfully, but I definitely took longer than 30 Minutes..! :lol:

Is there not another Wire Attachment under the Lid Latch..? That was the one that caught me out on my '01 C4..

 

[MisterCorn]

Yes there is a connector for the lid close detection. That 30 mins included removing the gear shift mechanism, but I have done it a few times before.

MC

 

[MisterCorn]

State of that knob :lol:

Fortunately for me I should have plenty of time over the gifting season break to hide away in my garage and polish my knob. God know what happened to it before though, it is a state.

MC

 

[MisterCorn]

Half an hour and £144 later it is ready to go back in. Feels better already.



So far:
Total time: 92 hours
Total cost: £6369.84

MC

 

[Alex]

8)

 

[MisterCorn]

I thought my knob was badly scratched, but a couple of minutes of rubbing with my fingernail reveals it is mostly incredibly badly applied paint, so that is good.




MC

 

[MisterCorn]

After carefully rubbing down with some 800 grit wet and dry I got the surface smooth. Masked it, and a few coats of primer.





I'll leave it to harden for 24 hours then carefully flatten and see how it is.

MC

 

[MisterCorn]

Shift lever is back in the car, bracket behind it removed for impending arrival of the console delete kit next week.





Time to refit, plus the bit of prep work and painting on the gear knob.

1.5 hours

Total time: 93.5 hours
Total cost: £6369.84

MC

 

[MisterCorn]

Silver going on. I'm going with the same silver as the bonnet / boot levers.



MC

 

[MisterCorn]

Painting the gearknob that was did NOT work. When the masking tape came off the edge was a right mess, and some paint made it onto the leather, so I had to figure out how to take it apart.


























Dye kit was £65 but have hardly used it, so can do seats later.

2 hours

Total time: 95.5 hours
Total cost: £6434.84

MC

 

[Alex]

That is EXCELLENT!! :thumbs:

 

[MisterCorn]

quick video on the process here:

 

[Dammit]

On to the next job to do over the break during the 'gifting season'. The centre console rear lid hinge is broken, soft open /close on the ashtray doesn't work, the centre console is dirty and scratched, the gear lever looks a mess and the gear change is sloppy. So time for an Alex quickshift and a painted centre console. I might even go for a Boxster console delete as I do like those.

Centre console and gear mechanism removed.


















Time taken 0.5 hours

So far:
Total time: 91.5 hours
Total cost: £6225.84


MC

My ash-tray close mechanism was buggered when I got the car, I had a look at fixing it, at what a replacement cost, then found that Porsche do a non-smoker option, which is just a tray that replaces the ash-tray with a little rubber mat in the bottom of it - it's much more useful than the ash-tray, especially when you remove the lower centre-console. Keys, spare change, the fag-lighter if you're charging your phone etc.

 

[MisterCorn]

I looked at that, but then found a spare ashtray in my garage when looking for something else, so back on track.

MC

 

[MisterCorn]

I haven't got round to doing anything with the centre console yet, I usually do painting in my garage at home but there is an engine in there at the moment, somewhat in the way, so I'll have to rethink on where else to do it.

There was an issue with the drivers door handle, it would stick in the slightly open position. So to get the window to go back up again it would have to be manually pushed in to place.



I wasn't sure what the problem was, so to make sure I had whatever I needed I bought a secondhand one in the correct colour for £20.

To get at it, make sure the windows are up and then disconnect the battery.
Remove the door card and peel back the membrane near the lock mechanism.

There is a metal bracket held on with three bolts which blocks entry, so remove that.



There are two nuts on the back of the mechanism which clamp it to the door frame, remove these, and also unclip the actuator arm. That is done by pulling back the plastic cover and pull the arm out the sleeve. Unclip the cable from the bottom of the rear cover. Undo the electrical connection for the microswitch.




The lever will then come out. Here you can see the old one and the new one.



From inspection it was clear that nothing was broken, but the rod which is used as a pivot was corroded which was making it stiff. The new handle was not in as good condition as the current one, so decided to swap the rods over than the entire handle. Undo the clip on the end of the rod and pull it out.



Here are the two rods side by side. The new one is massively better, but even so it was given a good wire brushing and lubricated to hopefully stop further corrosion in the future.



That done, put it all back together and test it. I now have a spare door handle and a working one on the car

Time taken 1.25 hours
Cost £20

So far:
Total time: 92.75 hours
Total cost: £6245.84


MC