dj_efk
A2OC Donor
This is a very simple modification that is a nice upgrade: Last year I had my rear bumper freshly painted, only to then go and scratch it accidentally a few weeks later whilst loading something heavy into the boot (a bike in my case) - I was gutted! Hence I have been wanting to find a solution that would prevent this reoccurring ever since.
This got me thinking about one of those boot mats you can buy with an integrated fold-out bumper protector mat - But all the ones I found being sold that looked to be decent quality are either serious £££s to buy or looked to be a generic item that would be a poor fit for the A2. So here is what I did - perhaps it will help other forum members out who would like something similar but are unsure exactly how to proceed:
I bought THIS BUMPER PROTECTOR MAT - It's inexpensive yet very good quality and comes with a large section of velcro strip to attach it to the car’s boot fabric. Also, once folded up it has two straps with velcro pads on the end to keep it bundled up and out of the way, which I think is a useful and neat feature. The problem is that because the A2 has a particularly deep "well" in the boot and the rear wall of this well is not carpeted, it has to be attached to the actual boot floor carpet - this results in an unsatisfactory amount of rear bumper still exposed:
I suppose if like me you have a false floor, then you could as a work-around stick it directly to that - but then you couldn’t use it with the false floor removed so it’d effectively be useless - also it would be both in the way when folded up and you wanted to use the boot as normal AND also very visible / untidy looking.
The solution is to buy some adhesive 3M hook & loop strip, cut a length just a little longer than the width of the mat and attached it to the plastic lining below the boot sill, just below the level of where the false floor sits (where fitted):
For this application, I recommend splashing out and buying proper 3M hook and loop, because although it is expensive, the quality is second-to-none: I used it to secure our family Touran's fabric boot liner (which incidentally has a fold-out bumper protector integrated), this was not long after we bought the car in mid-2020 and the liner gets removed and washed in the washing machine every 6-8 weeks on a 30 degree wash cycle and NONE of the 3m strips have either come adrift or lost their effectiveness in that time! So you definitely get what you pay for.
Lastly, you'll need to install two further short (2 inch or so) strips of hook and loop tape below and to the side of the long strip; to give the two securing straps something to grip onto. Then the mat will fold up nice and tight, resulting in it neatly secured out of the way and not obviously visible when not in use. Here are the strips installed:
Anyway, here is the result once the strip is installed and the matt has been attached:
Much better! With this setup, when stowed away it’s almost unnoticeable when you glance in the boy, due to the mat being tucked below the sill trim in the shallow underhang space there:
…yet couldn't be easier or more convenient to use when you want insurance when loading or unloading - just pull the two straps on either side and unfold the mat over the bumper. Then, once you’re ready to go, the reverse is just as straightforward. It also just clears the battery compartment trap door too! Comments welcome.
This got me thinking about one of those boot mats you can buy with an integrated fold-out bumper protector mat - But all the ones I found being sold that looked to be decent quality are either serious £££s to buy or looked to be a generic item that would be a poor fit for the A2. So here is what I did - perhaps it will help other forum members out who would like something similar but are unsure exactly how to proceed:
I bought THIS BUMPER PROTECTOR MAT - It's inexpensive yet very good quality and comes with a large section of velcro strip to attach it to the car’s boot fabric. Also, once folded up it has two straps with velcro pads on the end to keep it bundled up and out of the way, which I think is a useful and neat feature. The problem is that because the A2 has a particularly deep "well" in the boot and the rear wall of this well is not carpeted, it has to be attached to the actual boot floor carpet - this results in an unsatisfactory amount of rear bumper still exposed:
I suppose if like me you have a false floor, then you could as a work-around stick it directly to that - but then you couldn’t use it with the false floor removed so it’d effectively be useless - also it would be both in the way when folded up and you wanted to use the boot as normal AND also very visible / untidy looking.
The solution is to buy some adhesive 3M hook & loop strip, cut a length just a little longer than the width of the mat and attached it to the plastic lining below the boot sill, just below the level of where the false floor sits (where fitted):
For this application, I recommend splashing out and buying proper 3M hook and loop, because although it is expensive, the quality is second-to-none: I used it to secure our family Touran's fabric boot liner (which incidentally has a fold-out bumper protector integrated), this was not long after we bought the car in mid-2020 and the liner gets removed and washed in the washing machine every 6-8 weeks on a 30 degree wash cycle and NONE of the 3m strips have either come adrift or lost their effectiveness in that time! So you definitely get what you pay for.
Lastly, you'll need to install two further short (2 inch or so) strips of hook and loop tape below and to the side of the long strip; to give the two securing straps something to grip onto. Then the mat will fold up nice and tight, resulting in it neatly secured out of the way and not obviously visible when not in use. Here are the strips installed:
Anyway, here is the result once the strip is installed and the matt has been attached:
Much better! With this setup, when stowed away it’s almost unnoticeable when you glance in the boy, due to the mat being tucked below the sill trim in the shallow underhang space there:
…yet couldn't be easier or more convenient to use when you want insurance when loading or unloading - just pull the two straps on either side and unfold the mat over the bumper. Then, once you’re ready to go, the reverse is just as straightforward. It also just clears the battery compartment trap door too! Comments welcome.
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