repacing the worn Air con buttons without dismantling the dash

Hi,

It is reasonably common knowledge that the air-con buttons from an early A4 will fit the A2 air-con switch panel, but stripping both units and the dash can be a little daunting.

BUT!!

I went from this
SAM_0134.JPG

to this (no stickers)
SAM_0135.JPG

For £18 and didn't have to disturb the dash at all!!!

I was VERY lucky to bid on an early A4 air-con switch unit on eBay and win it for £18.
I then (in the comfort of my living room) managed to get the awkward little screws out to remove the faceplate with the buttons.
The screws are only awkward because of the tiny splined heads, but they can be persuaded out eventually)

Having done that you can then take your time and push out each button (they come out of the front of the face plate) but some are quite stiff.

I didn't fancy stripping the dash to get the old unit out and then struggle again with those screws, so being a lazy sod, I devised an easier (but slightly scary way)

Since the old buttons were scrap and no longer required and since they come out of the FRONT of the face plate, I thought I would try to do that in situ.
Some buttons came out easily enough (the "Auto" was the easiest, followed by the up and down temperature and fan speed buttons) the hardest was the air direction up and down buttons and the heated screen buttons, they were VERY tight indeed. But if you get the centre ones out first it make the outer ones a little easier.
I even resorted to making a hole in one or two (carefully) and screwing in a small self-tapper and pulling it out with pliers.
It sounds brutal, but it took 15 minutes to do rather than a couple of hours or so.

The end result is not perfect, it is known that the A4 buttons are slightly darker, as can be seen in the "after" shot. But the advantage is that they are not soft touch and so should last for a long time.

By the way, I didn't expect to win that auction and so I bought another air con unit (again A4) This time for £30 (which is not a bad price) so if anyone wants to buy this for the same price I paid, I will post it (I could even remove the buttons and just post them if you want?)

It does tidy the interior a lot. The car has only done 72,000 miles and so I want to get it looking right.

Cheers
Steve B
 
Hmm. This is looking do-able.

Was your unit in situ?

Yes, it was 15 minutes or so from opening the car door to closing it again, job done.

It took about three times as long to get the donor switch panel stripped down and get the buttons off for the transplant! But at least that was in the comfort of the lounge while watching Wheeler Dealers on TV.

Steve B
 
I went this route with an old A4 unit,
however removing the CC unit allows you to clean the fan at the top of it which mine was choked up with hairs etc etc.
 
Birchall, could you (or any other experts) on this give a bit more detail on how to remove the buttons from the donor unit, I'm half way through this repair but not yet worked out how to release them. Looks like there are some very small shouldered clips which allow the buttons to locate when pressed in, but so small I'm bothered they will be easy to damage, thanks simonrad
 
You can remove facia when cc unit is out.
I would desist from pushing buttons out from rear as I managed to push right through one.
 
Birchall, could you (or any other experts) on this give a bit more detail on how to remove the buttons from the donor unit, I'm half way through this repair but not yet worked out how to release them. Looks like there are some very small shouldered clips which allow the buttons to locate when pressed in, but so small I'm bothered they will be easy to damage, thanks simonrad

I just used a blunt end of a pencil to push them out
Or you can cut through the old facia to release them if you are not going to use it.

Steve B
 
I pressed through the centre hole of each button with a T handle Allen key (largest that will fit) move it about to apply pressure in the corners to push the button out. Note that the outer 6 buttons on my A4 unit are slightly different to the A2 ones and are too stiff a fit in the A2 panel. If you look closely at them you will see the difference. I used a small flat blade screwdriver and stanley knife to cut a small tab from each socket on the A2 panel to free them up.
 
Sounds a right faff to me, I'll be attempting to change the unit in its entirety it'll be a challenge and take longer but for me I've less chance of braking something which I'd be sure to do fiddling about with the buttons :D
 
It is not much "faffing" at all. Getting the old buttons out can be done indoors in the warm. And if you dont mind destroying the donor unit it is very easy indeed.
Then 15 mins in the car and the job is done.

Yes, finding an A2 unit for a complete swap is easy too, but finding one without wear is the hard (and expensive part)

i did the buttons on my wife's A2 for £18 and as i say it was a simple task.

If you are suggesting modifying an A4 unit to fit an A2 it certainly didn't look possible to me.
If you are suggesting replacing the whole A2 panel with another A2 panel the YES i totally agree that this is the way to go if you can find one at a sensible price and without wear.

But everyone has their preferences.

Steve B
 
Last edited:
Fwiw, I have a new, unused complete A2 climate control unit which I bought from Glen (martings) in early 2014 for, I think, £100 incl postage.

I thought my climate control unit was broken, which is why I bought this second unit; it turned out it the broken item was my aircon compressor. As I no longer need this second unit, I would be happy to sell for the price I paid.

Edit: part number is 8Z0 820 043D 5PR, soft touch black paint finish

Andrew
 
Last edited:
Fwiw, I have a new, unused complete A2 climate control unit which I bought from Glen (martings) in early 2014 for, I think, £100 incl postage.

I thought my climate control unit was broken, which is why I bought this second unit; it turned out it the broken item was my aircon compressor. As I no longer need this second unit, I would be happy to sell for the price I paid.

Edit: part number is 8Z0 820 043D 5PR, soft touch black paint finish

Andrew

Hi Andrew

If the earlier posters aren't interested in your a/c unit, I'll take it. I've bought most of Glen's stuff (including one of his A2s!), so I may as well complete the set. Is it for a single-DIN or double-DIN dash? I'll take it either way - just wondered!

PM me as and when.

Alan
 
It is not much "faffing" at all. Getting the old buttons out can be done indoors in the warm. And if you dont mind destroying the donor unit it is very easy indeed.
Then 15 mins in the car and the job is done.

Yes, finding an A2 unit for a complete swap is easy too, but fibding one without wrar is the hard (and expensive part)

i did the buttons on my wife's A2 for £18 and as i say it was a simple task.

If you are suggesting modifying an A4 unit to fit an A2 it certainly didn't look possible to me.
If you are suggesting replacing the whole A2 panel with another A2 panel the YES i totally agree that this is the way to go if you can find one at a sensible price and without wear.

But everyone has their preferences.

Steve B

I was led to believe that the earlier ones didn't have the soft touch coating ( happy to be corrected ) so that would be a possibility I guess. I suppose those with the dodgy coating without wear would be quite difficult to get hold of but as someone has offered one for sale on this very thread is not impossible... :)

BTW your solution looks good, if I tried the same it would all be destroyed hence it being a faff for me
 
Last edited:
Yes the very early ones had the hard buttons with no soft touch coating.

Yes, they are very rare but nothing is impossible!!! As has just been demonstrated.

But I am still happy with my hard buttons for £18 !!!

Good to have your input to this discussion, we like to see things from many angles.

Cheers
Steve B
 
I have the hard touch buttons fitted. I got them from MrB himself. I did destroy some buttons on removal following the guide but the new ones are so brilliant. No more white patches.

James
 
Re: the A4 button option.

The panel is different so not a straight swap but switching the buttons was easy and I didn't break any, it took half an hour. I THINK the equivalent A3 panel is the same as the A2's.

The trick to not break them is to push their edges not the centre and be patient, but the only access is through the centre hole and use a blunt instrument like an Allen key to spread the pressure. It's only the outer 6 which are tight and they are the ones you might not need given its the temp and fan ones that wear.
 
Back
Top