New Member - Just bought a '99 Coupe V6

[barki]

Alright chaps,

After a whole string of other interesting cars (last was a '95 FTO Mivec, and before that an '04 RX-8) I just bought a '99 406 Coupe V6.

Its actually the most civilised, most comfortable drive i've had. The V6 seems better than I expected, and im totally won over by the solid feel of everything - perhaps with the exception of the cockpit controls. The styling is just flawless.

Anyway, i'll likely be quite an active club member - I'm in Bristol, is anyone else?


I've only had it a few days - but im already growing a list of questions - i'm sure I can find the answers on this forum...

- Its got an awful cloth interior (including blue carpet|), that I intend to swap with black leather. Does anyone know of any reason why D9 leather and carpet wouldnt fit a D8? Im thinking of buying a set on ebay that also comes the control unit to function the electric seats/heaters aparently. Anyone had experience of retro-fitting electric seats, is it a nightmare?

- The CD changer in the boot has power, but nothing happens when you press the CD changer button on the stereo, how can I tell whats at fault, either the button, the cables, or the CD changer itself?

- I need a couple of front tyres on the standard starfish alloys - any recommendations welcome.

Pictures up next weekend i'd expect!


Cheers,

Tom

[plod]

Welcome Tom

Upgrading to a Leather interior, especially in a coupe is a very popular mod
I'm not clued up on whether D9 interiors fit into the D8 where the coupe is concerned
Best thing to do is check under the seats to see if the wiring already exists in the car

[steve_earwig]

Hi there, welcome

I'm pretty sure the interior will go straight in, although I would like someone to confirm this. Wiring should be pretty straight forward even if you've got nothing there, although you won't be able to use the memory ecu unless you upgrade the mirrors and wiring - otherwise it just doesn't work, apparently.

Btw there is a coupé club (http://www.406coupeclub.org/) who also have their very own resident breaker (Ade1122 he does advertise on ebay but you'll get it cheaper through the club )

[barki]

Alright thanks for the advice - I didnt realise that there was too clubs - dont you guys like the coupe?

[steve_earwig]

Think of us like the poor relative they don't like to talk about

[Doggy]

Hi & Welcome to the club.

Yes, we do like coupe's and have a few keen owners on this site.

[omega]

yes we like coupes
but they are a bit like bmw owners that think the 316 isnt a proper bmw
have fun joining the forum,ive tried a couple of times as ive faniced a v6 a couple of times but never managed to get passed the regestration page.

[scotty73]

I do like the look of the coupe, certainly aint practicle for my lot though... Post some pics up.

[highlander]

Welcome along! Coupes are awesome.

Your particular Coupe will probably be the 194 HP version with the ES9J4 engine - the slightly later models (late 1999 onwards) got a revised version called the ES9J4S, which was tuned up by Porsche, who added variable valve timing amongst other refinements. That engine officially produces 210 HP. Which model of engine is yours? A photo of the engine bay would help us help you if you need help

One thing to note is that the induction system on the Coupe is a bloody joke, and on RHD models, a liability - it's on the left side of the car just next to the front wheel; you can kill the engine by driving through a slightly deep puddle. It's recommended to replace this with an "air scoop" mounted on top of the slam panel, just underneath the bonnet. Throttle response is generally better because of better airflow, and you remove the risk of hydro-lock (damage to the engine caused by the engine being unable to compress sucked-in water). Additionally, the factory-fitted induction pipe (the infamous "knitted sock") has been known to collapse, causing significant loss of power. One of the Coupe Club members (nivek) makes these scoops; they're not expensive.

As for retro-fitting a leather interior - your car has the S-trim (lowest of the Coupe trim levels). Therefore you may have some fun with that; the front seats on the SE-trim cars are motorized (fore/back movement, backrest tilt angle, seat tilt angle) and heated, so there's a lot of wiring involved. The memory function will unfortunately never work once you do retro-fit it, which is a shame. Those seats are also quite heavy. My recommendation would be to source and fit a set of half-leather seats, which were found in the "Silver and Black" special edition trims. They have black leather bolsters and black checkered cloth seats, and look very classy. They had black carpets and black leather door cards, just like the SE-trim. The seats are manual and have no heating, so would be much easier to fit, and are much lighter. And they have a much nicer appearance than the blue cloth ones you've been "blessed" with. Whichever interior you want (black leather, tan leather, red leather, half-leather), you should get in contact with ade1122 over at the Coupe Club forums; he'll sort you out.

[sirwiggum]

The BX had similar issues with the air intake coming low on the nearside wheel.
Also had the chainmail sock.

Do you reckon those halfrauds/argos generic air intakes are any use? They look like they'd sit quite high.