Restoring 'Soft touch' interior parts- any idea's anyone?

Pompeydave

A2OC Donor
Hi all, I have the usual problems with crappy Audi 'soft touch' interior parts that have the coating worn off. Does anyone know if this coating can be re-applied with any aerosol type products? My centre console and window switches are particularly bad and I've been quoted over £70 for new window switch surrounds alone. A refurb would obviously be better.....
 
Thanks, and handy to know, but I'm looking to refurbish the surrounds the switches sit in, not the switches themselves...
 
Thanks, and handy to know, but I'm looking to refurbish the surrounds the switches sit in, not the switches themselves...

???

I have only ever seen the surround on the headlight switch showing any wear. How did the surround get worn????

Steve B
 
It's the window switch surrounds and the centre console that's worn. The headlight switch itself is pretty rough, but not the surround. Spike, I've asked Audi UK customer services tonight for any help they could give on this. If they can't I've asked them to escalate it to Audi Germany. May seem a little dramatic to use terms like 'escalate', but the finish on these items isn't good enough. Be interesting to see what response, if any, I get...
 
I thought the forum has a good senior management level relationship/contact with Audi UK? Could that relationship be used to pursue this rather than a lone member trying, or does that relationship no longer exist.......? Such issues will become more regular as the A2 stock ages and becomes evermore difficult to keep on the road and in good condition.
 
Update time. Sadly, nothing heard from Audi UK, not even an acknowledgement of receipt. I've sent the request again. Watch this space....

'Hello, I emailed this enquiry earlier this week, but have had no acknowledgement of receipt returned, so I assume you didn't receive it?

I have a problem with the interior trim on my 2001 A2 1.4TDI. I am a member of the Audi A2 Owners Club, and most of us have this problem with our cars. There is a plastic or vinyl coating which has been sprayed onto many interior parts, centre console, window switch surrounds, and all the other switches. It's known as a 'soft touch' coating. It wears out very quickly leaving the whole interior looking very secondhand.

I understand that Audi were considering marketing a soft touch replacement spray in various colours to combat this problem, but nothing has ever appeared. Cars made during this period are very difficult to keep looking 'as new' by the inability to find a cure for the use of these coatings. With this in mind, can either yourselves in the UK, or Audi Germany please investigate to come up with some sort of retro fix kit to help owners of these cars?

Thank you.


p.s. can someone at least acknowledge reciept of this email- please do not ignore it, even if the answer is 'no'. Thanks.'
 
Perhaps I'm being cynical, but it is not in their interest to do this ... if older cars can be made to look as-new, who would buy new cars?
 
Perhaps I'm being cynical, but it is not in their interest to do this ... if older cars can be made to look as-new, who would buy new cars?

I don't agree. One of the hallmarks of 'premium' brands is that they depreciate slower than other brands, thus making them more attractive to new car buyers. If Audi came up with a retrofix for this problem that lifted all Audi's of that period it would enhance their reputation further for longevity and customer service. Look at BMW- they were a run of the mill brand right up until the early 70's. As British cars decayed and fell apart, Beemers improved year on year. The rest is history...

Anyway, disappointingly, the nice, but faintly disinterested lady from Audi UK customer service today referred me to my local dealer to see if they can come up with anything. Just for a laugh, I'll give them a ring tomorrow. This should be good......
 
I don't agree. One of the hallmarks of 'premium' brands is that they depreciate slower than other brands, thus making them more attractive to new car buyers. If Audi came up with a retrofix for this problem that lifted all Audi's of that period it would enhance their reputation further for longevity and customer service. Look at BMW- they were a run of the mill brand right up until the early 70's. As British cars decayed and fell apart, Beemers improved year on year. The rest is history...

Anyway, disappointingly, the nice, but faintly disinterested lady from Audi UK customer service today referred me to my local dealer to see if they can come up with anything. Just for a laugh, I'll give them a ring tomorrow. This should be good......

Speak to them calmly and objectively and it might rub off on them (just like the buttons!)

Steve B
 
I can only understand audi wanting to do something if it was the original owner complaining. Seems to be the way nowadays good luck
 
I don't think the Germans would agree that Beemer were ever run off the mill, if that is the case then how would you describe the older Audi's which literally were rebadged VW's - think 80/Passat and 50/Polo........ However that is digressing, I am still puzzled why this issue and the wider potential problem of future parts availability isn't being taken up by the forum management given they have - or is that had? - good contacts and relationships with Audi UK.........
 
Well, I didn't get as far as calling my local dealer. Intriguingly, I had a call from Audi UK customer services again yesterday morning from a lady who sounded far more interested this time around. I explained that we're all Audi fans, A2OC, and in my case support Audi at Le Mans every year blah, blah, blah. She re-iterated the advice about talking to the local dealer, but as my eyes started to glaze over, she did say she'd take it up with tech support.

Five minutes later I get another call from her and it's good news. Audi Germany last week launched a Soft Touch Repair Spray! Apparently, we need to contact our local dealer and ask them to raise an ETKA ticket to order said soft touch spray. We need to quote our chassis number and the correct interior colour e.g. Platinum Grey, if we know it. It takes about 5-6 weeks to arrive from Germany. I don't know what the cost, if any, would be, or how it would be applied and what preparation would be needed, but Audi are now doing something about his issue.

It doesn't necessarily address the issue of faded switches, but I have found a guy in Germany supplying all the worn items as stickers. Have a look here...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331027991100?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I'm ordering my spray tomorrow....
 
Great result !!

I don't suppose you fancy asking them about a repair kit for the soft touch buttons as well do you?

:) :)

The stickers are available on the UK eBay site but some are dreadful and don't even let the light through the icon.

They are an "ok" solution, but Audi really should sell the buttons individually surely?


Steve B
 
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... They are an "ok" solution, but Audi really should sell the buttons individually surely? ...

They do, I bought the front/passenger window switch recently for exactly this reason (soft-touch paint on the old switch was completely worn through).
 
They do, I bought the front/passenger window switch recently for exactly this reason (soft-touch paint on the old switch was completely worn through).

Yes, they sell the window buttons (and so make money out of you because their product wore down, which I suppose is fair enough)

But not the radio buttons, light switch surround, climate control buttons etc. When they wear you have to pay mega bucks for new units rather then replacement buttons!!!

Surely they could sell the buttons individually (bit of a pain to fit, but one huge improvement in appearance !!!

Steve B
 
You can get new window switches quite easily off Ebay. And the switch surrounds are about £12 each + P&P from a source in Germany. The real ballache is the light switch and of course the climate buttons. The same German source can supply a new lightswitch but they want EU97 + P&P for the Soul Black one (8Z1941531E 5PR), and EU101 + P&P for the Satin Black one (8Z1941531E B98). Too much for me....
 
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You can get new window switches quite easily off Ebay. And the switch surrounds are about £12 each + P&P from a source in Germany. The real ballache is the light switch and of course the climate buttons. The same German source can supply a new lightswitch but they want EU97 + P&P for the Soul Black one (8Z1941531E 5PR), and EU101 + P&P for the Satin Black one (8Z1941531E B98). Too much for me....

Yes, that can all be sorted, but the climate and radio buttons are not so easily resolved.

But since most of our cars have done 100K plus now, I don't think we can ask Audi to do anything about it (even if they wear off long before 100K).

I just wish you could buy the buttons by themselves, that would be a reasonably cheap option (although a bit of a struggle to replace them I guess).

The stickers are OK but not much more than OK and the ones that don't let the light through the icons are worthless.

So I think I am going to have to settle for a full set of stickers and use them all, even on the unworn ones, to at least make it look something like it was meant to be.

Steve B
 
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