Button legends rubbed off.

CREWETRAIN

CREWETRAIN

Member
Hi, I have purchased a 2001 A2 yesterday and I can see why so many members fall under the spell of the A2's lines and curves. My A2 has 129,000 miles showing and I am going to check around the Crewe area to find a garage to do a cambelt and waterpump change and oil and filter. My reason for this posting however is that a lot of the legends on the buttons (which were black with white lettering) have been rubbed off through much use and have left a view of the white plastic of the button. My question - is there a way of restoring the buttons to their original appearance? I assume this is not a unique problem. Best regards.
 
I think you will find that the majority workshop recommendation for anyone in your region is WOM Automotive, slightly to the east of Stoke on Trent.

WOM Automotive

Automotive Sales & VAG Techology Specialists in Staffordshire
womautomotive.co.uk womautomotive.co.uk
 
Common problem. Some fit an earlier climate panel or radio panel which is slightly different in colour and some fit a panel from another Audi model and some replace the buttons from another unit (at least the radio ones, and maybe the climate ones can be changed)

Do a search for Worn Buttons. I just did that and see A2 Louis was offering a refurbishment service, see here https://www.a2oc.net/community/inde...red-climate-control-button-replacement.39779/
 
The buttons can be replaced fairly easily, and they are not too expensive. Just a question for others- if it's a 2001 model, surely it would be hard touch everything?
 
CREWETRAIN said:
Hi, I have purchased a 2001 A2 yesterday and I can see why so many members fall under the spell of the A2's lines and curves. My A2 has 129,000 miles showing and I am going to check around the Crewe area to find a garage to do a cambelt and waterpump change and oil and filter. My reason for this posting however is that a lot of the legends on the buttons (which were black with white lettering) have been rubbed off through much use and have left a view of the white plastic of the button. My question - is there a way of restoring the buttons to their original appearance? I assume this is not a unique problem. Best regards.
Click to expand...
Unsightly wear to soft touch buttons is normal, basically the soft touch paint Audi used was not up to the job.

You have several restoration options.

1. Rare and not cheap, buy good condition A2 soft touch button sets/head unit/climate/other switches. Reasonable items crop up in the Marketplace on here (you need to join for a one off £2 fee) or eBay or Facebook I believe.

2. Buy stickers off eBay for the head unit and climate eg.

audi a2 climate stickers for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for audi a2 climate stickers. Shop with confidence.
www.ebay.co.uk

Cheap and cheerful, imagine fiddly to do to get right and and will refresh no end, but will eventually wear.

3. Buy an A2 hard touch climate unit is an excellent option, may be a darker black, looking at £75, again in the usual markets above.

4. The option most members go for. Buy a hard touch (or soft touch) climate from another Audi range from the era of A2 production years, harvest the buttons from the donor and install.

Help guides available on here on installation, like the one I posted..

How To Replace Worn Buttons On A Concert II

How To Replace Worn Buttons On A Concert II – Part 1 Want to do something about those awful worn buttons on your head unit? You might find something in this, read on. You have three principal choices, either buy a satisfactory (to you) complete used replacement unit [£expensive] or buy a set...
www.a2oc.net www.a2oc.net

Installing donor buttons on a climate unit is very similiar but here is another option

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 to this (no stickers) For £18 and didn't have to disturb the dash at...
www.a2oc.net

Donor climate button units have suddenly gone up in price about three weeks ago. For years used units have been around the £20 mark, always two or three on eBay and then a strange thing happened. They all sold one week with next one up at £40. What has obviously happened is new sellers now think this is the bottom end and price accordingly. It's creeping back to normal, here's what's on eBay right now.

audi (8d0820043q,8d0820043m,8z0920043d,8z0820043e,8z0820043g) for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for audi (8d0820043q,8d0820043m,8z0920043d,8z0820043e,8z0820043g). Shop with confidence.
www.ebay.co.uk

There is a Concert donor unit on eBay at £20 I almost bought last night.

5. Arm and a leg stuff, but there are companies around that will restore buttons and switches.

6. Some items are available new from Audi, eg fuel tank flap switch is about £20, not too bad, but best to order through Crewe Audi on here. A few items are available new from Audi Tradition, such as the single din climate unit at £300, (but not soul black I notice), and the odd head unit.

Andy

Edit. Welcome by the way.
 
Last edited:
Kleynie said:
The buttons can be replaced fairly easily, and they are not too expensive. Just a question for others- if it's a 2001 model, surely it would be hard touch everything?
Click to expand...

Audi had certainly introduced soft-touch paint before the end of 2001.
 
I think @Andrew covered all viable options in great detail. I just wanted to bring up and share another solution I came across very recently, which looks really promising. See pictures below:

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I came across this option on the Italian A2 club on Facebook. The guy's name is Borislav Rumenov Petrov, who sells the stickers set for 10 Euros. I am not affiliated with this seller, just sharing what I found.
 
Wow, I am overwhelmed by the quick and detailed response from everyone who posted. Thank you all and I will take all the advice on board and revive the buttons by one or other of the methods described. Best regards.
 
@TYP 8Z

Been meaning to comment, they look really good. I suppose a question of how they wear and I assume you lose the night illumination but well done for pioneering. We wil have to refer to this as the Italian job!

Andy
 
Andrew said:
@TYP 8Z

Been meaning to comment, they look really good. I suppose a question of how they wear and I assume you lose the night illumination but well done for pioneering. We wil have to refer to this as the Italian job!

Andy
Click to expand...
You would not loose the illumination....in the first picture you’ll see all the black soft touch paint has been removed. The white plastic revealing transmits light. The symbol sticker gets removed at the end, leaving the bare, white plastic visible, hence allowing the light to go through.

As far as durability is concerned, it all depends on the paint’s quality and above all the protective clear coat.
 
Last edited:
Andrew said:
@TYP 8Z

Been meaning to comment, they look really good. I suppose a question of how they wear and I assume you lose the night illumination but well done for pioneering. We wil have to refer to this as the Italian job!

Andy
Click to expand...
I understand that they are transparent at the sign point so the light still shines through, am considering them myself, on Ebay at £9.90
 
TYP 8Z said:
I think @Andrew covered all viable options in great detail. I just wanted to bring up and share another solution I came across very recently, which looks really promising. See pictures below:

View attachment 58395View attachment 58396View attachment 58397View attachment 58398View attachment 58399View attachment 58400View attachment 58401

I came across this option on the Italian A2 club on Facebook. The guy's name is Borislav Rumenov Petrov, who sells the stickers set for 10 Euros. I am not affiliated with this seller, just sharing what I found.
Click to expand...

Hi there Typ 8Z ... I realise this is an old post and I've searched on eBay but do you have a link where these masking stickers can be ordered?
 
I bought a set a couple of years back, from a guy in Portugal, via ebay. Can't find it now, but the Chinese can help, with radio and climate.
Mine were for the Chorus radio, and are still fine, follow the instructions, but only clean, with acetone, and only the area that the transfer will cover, as the acetone takes the paint off. That's what you want under the transfer, but nowhere else. The transfer is heat "set" with a hair dryer. Only you will know they are refurbed.
Look here :
m.banggood.com

[£11.70 17% OFF] Car Radio Stereo Worn Peeling Button Repair Decals Stickers For Audi A4 B6 B7 A6 A2 A3 8L/P Car Audio & Monitor from Automobiles & Motorcycles on banggood.com

Car Radio Stereo Worn Peeling Button Repair Decals Stickers For Audi A4 B6 B7 A6 A2 A3 8L/P
m.banggood.com m.banggood.com
 
PlasticMac said:
I bought a set a couple of years back, from a guy in Portugal, via ebay. Can't find it now, but the Chinese can help, with radio and climate.
Mine were for the Chorus radio, and are still fine, follow the instructions, but only clean, with acetone, and only the area that the transfer will cover, as the acetone takes the paint off. That's what you want under the transfer, but nowhere else. The transfer is heat "set" with a hair dryer. Only you will know they are refurbed.
Look here :
m.banggood.com

[£11.70 17% OFF] Car Radio Stereo Worn Peeling Button Repair Decals Stickers For Audi A4 B6 B7 A6 A2 A3 8L/P Car Audio & Monitor from Automobiles & Motorcycles on banggood.com

Car Radio Stereo Worn Peeling Button Repair Decals Stickers For Audi A4 B6 B7 A6 A2 A3 8L/P
m.banggood.com m.banggood.com
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info PlasticMac ... I was thinking more of going down the route of masking the symbols off and respraying as in posts No8 and No12 but I'm sure the heat set stickers are just as effective. Thanks again ... Tom
 
Tomscar said:
Thanks for the info PlasticMac ... I was thinking more of going down the route of masking the symbols off and respraying as in posts No8 and No12 but I'm sure the heat set stickers are just as effective. Thanks again ... Tom
Click to expand...
I decided the masking and painting route was just too difficult. The black buttons on the radio have very small, clear rectangular outlines, that are illuminated, and would be very hard to mask. Hence, I went the transfer route.
Good luck whichever way you go.

Mac.
 
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