Nice huh! ??. In regard to your intended experiment with the heated FBMFSW ( nice abbreviation), I know that the original A6 MFSW of our generation (2004) was equipped with a built-in thermostat that cuts off the current when reached the max. temperature. Is this not the case with the new style MFSW?
 
Nice huh! ??. In regard to your intended experiment with the heated FBMFSW ( nice abbreviation), I know that the original A6 MFSW of our generation (2004) was equipped with a built-in thermostat that cuts off the current when reached the max. temperature. Is this not the case with the new style MFSW?
Hi Duncan,

I’m yet to get my hands on an OEM heated steering wheel element, do like the idea of the thermo cut off though. I’ll keep looking in the breakers yards that I occasionally visit.

So far I have only used an aftermarket kit from eBay for £10-£12. I remove the leather steering wheel covering, apply the heat pads and sew the leather covering back on. It works fine but do want something from the VAG family instead. I’ve seen plenty of heated MFSWs but they are quite pricey right now and not come across a bargain yet.

I’ll have this finalised before the winter sets in as this is when it’s really needed. Just 2-3 minutes from the heat pads whilst I’m scraping the ice off is all that’s required for a comfortable steering wheel.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
I totally agree with you. Did the FBMFSW come originally with heated option? I can imagine this is only possible with the round steeringwheel. The ones I came across were all round though. But very interesting mod?
 
I totally agree with you. Did the FBMFSW come originally with heated option? I can imagine this is only possible with the round steeringwheel. The ones I came across were all round though. But very interesting mod?
Hi again Duncan,

Yes it’s an interesting enhancement which I’m sure will be really welcome in the colder months.

I’ve also not seen a heated FBMFSW but truth be told, I’ve not looked that hard.

The recent steering wheels that have the heating elements incorporated are for use with the later style buttons which aren’t compatible without a third-party converter.

For now the aftermarket set up is great which will be swapped out one day for ‘the real thing’.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Evening all,

Just found a spare 30 minutes so got the solder iron out to fit something i e had on the shelf for a while…

Remember this from an earlier picture:
View attachment 84654

To fit it I had to removed this:
View attachment 84655

And now OEM is a little flatter:
View attachment 84656

I actually hadn’t realised but this FBMFSW feels a lot thicker than the A1 round MFSW.

Very happy with the results.

Kind regards,

Tom

Looks great Tom. Have you ever considered fitting a black double din dash? I think it would work even better with the other upgrades you have?
 
Evening Steve,

I’ve not considered that before no, great idea though and totally understand what you mean.

I do have a Soul Double DIN Dashboard here… I bet it would look quite nice with black leather gear knob, gaiter and handbrake lever, great contrast with the remainder of the Twist interior!

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Evening Steve,

I’ve not considered that before no, great idea though and totally understand what you mean.

I do have a Soul Double DIN Dashboard here… I bet it would look quite nice with black leather gear knob, gaiter and handbrake lever, great contrast with the remainder of the Twist interior!

Kind regards,

Tom
I’ll second this sir and will happily send you a teaser shot of ‘what it could look like’ this time next week after visiting @timmus as that’s basically what Tonka should look like after! ?
 
126A6067-222D-4AEF-AD0D-4D995BFF6A98.jpeg


Had black and cream in my 90 and looks far more modern in my view.
 
View attachment 84661

Had black and cream in my 90 and looks far more modern in my view.
Wow that does look good Steve,

Remembering this project now. Stunning.

I wander what a certain Dolphin Grey A2 will look like with a Jive Double DIN Dashboard…

You may have just caused me an additional 4 hours work here mate!

Kind regards,

Tom
 
View attachment 84661

Had black and cream in my 90 and looks far more modern in my view.
Having had a combination Twist/Soul interior with a black dash in my former Cobalt TDI and transferred it into my Crystal car, I can add another seal of approval there.

I wander what a certain Dolphin Grey A2 will look like with a Jive Double DIN Dashboard…
Unfortunately I can also say, having twice seen similar results 'in the flesh', it doesn't work half as well as it does the other way round. I really wouldn't spend all that time to go there Tom, you'll want to go back.
 
Morning all,

Well it’s been some time since I added to this thread.

I had a spare hour this morning before I head off for the week with work again and decided to add something that was inspired by Duncan’s @DuncanA2 recent reveal of the A4 Cabriolet Grill he fitted.

Duncan and I have been communicating in the background to ensure I have the correct part and he showed me some close ups of how he completed the fitting which looks like this:

A738CB4C-8E84-48D3-9C85-C15DD182E8EA.jpg


Please do excuse the filthy car as it’s not been cleaned since before the camping weekend and has done a fair few miles since then. This is what OEM looked like an hour ago:

9A728385-36F3-4C6D-8B7D-F526AD9828F5.jpeg


I proceeded by removing the grill and mark everything up for some Dremel action:

A17B9192-FB1C-4166-8C32-6BAFCD53C17A.jpeg


Not very long later I was ready for refitting the grill with its new look:

DACFC17C-F838-4810-AFC4-614DBFE35646.jpeg


It needs a little tweak and will be fully adhered once it’s correctly lined up.

The close up doesn’t really do it justice as I’m racing against time before I head off for the week. I'll tweak it this evening to correctly line it up:


9031D497-12BD-41C7-88CA-7A23B27B38DC.jpeg


I know this modification will not be to everyone’s taste but I’m quite happy with the outcome. It’s certainly growing on me. I do have a spare grill to revert but right now I’m thinking it can stay.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Morning all,

This morning I started the works that will be completed by Rob and Marcus @chumsofmanutd later this week.

They are replacing the tired Tandem Pump along with a few Coolant Hoses. First up though was me to remove this:
Old Reservoir.jpg

You can see (or not as the case maybe) that its heavily coated on the inside which makes it difficult to read the level. Is it worth trying to somehow clear the inside of this to keep it as a spare? Plenty of YouTube clips using various cleaning agents and rice which seem to produce ok results.

A new Coolant Reservoir was fitted which was surprisingly an easy task that took no longer than 5 minuets:
New Resevoir.jpg

The level is slightly too high but I rectified that after the picture was taken.

Might even give the engine bay a quick detail at the weekend after its received its WOM loving!

Edit: This is what the old reservoir looks like after a few hours soaking with Bar Keepers Friend and lemon juice. Once most of the coating has gone I emptied it and started again for a second round. Second round was just warm water, rice and bicarbonate powder. Shook it a few times and here is the results:

F674AFCF-82A8-494E-AD82-51C5CC386A05.jpeg


Quite sure I could have got it cleaner but it’ll certainly do as a spare. At least i can take a reading from it now.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Evening all,

As you know, I’m going to swap my Jive coloured Double DIN Dashboard for a Soul Black one when time permits. Probably a next year task.

As part of this colour change I an going to also recolour the Handbrake Lever, Gear Knob and Gaiter to Black. I’ll be using the very same Furniture Clinic product I used on the A1 MFSW with spotless results.

Knowing how good the Furniture Clinic paint is I went ahead a purchased a small bottle of Beige to test the colour match for my Twist Seats. I can report it’s a very close match and I’ll be going for it at some point. Need to get some leather filler first to hide the awful to the eye cracks in the bolsters.

So what could I possibly do with the redundant Beige tester paint? Well my Gear Knob is very untidy and worn plus it’s going to be Black at some point next year…
DB6F2FC8-D7BC-40B3-A218-00141BC72E70.jpeg


The finish you can very easily achieve with this product is faultless.

Here is it back in the car to fully cure over the next 24 hours:

60A9FCAA-5A1F-467B-A947-62887CF7605D.jpeg


Thoughts on the results. You can be honest as it will all be repainted Black soon enough.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
That does make a very good match Tom, especially to the Twist plastics around it, excellent result on that score. I do feel I prefer the contrast of the Jive colour though - or of course, black.
 
I do feel I prefer the contrast of the Jive colour though - or of course, black.
Evening Ian,

Wholeheartedly agree that these items look much better when contrasting with their surroundings.

I was not liking the Jive colour anymore since deciding to go for a Black dashboard. I’m happy I done this little experiment (only an hour wasted) but feel Black will be much better on the eye when I get to round to the dashboard swap.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Evening all,

As you know, I’m going to swap my Jive coloured Double DIN Dashboard for a Soul Black one when time permits. Probably a next year task.

As part of this colour change I an going to also recolour the Handbrake Lever, Gear Knob and Gaiter to Black. I’ll be using the very same Furniture Clinic product I used on the A1 MFSW with spotless results.

Knowing how good the Furniture Clinic paint is I went ahead a purchased a small bottle of Beige to test the colour match for my Twist Seats. I can report it’s a very close match and I’ll be going for it at some point. Need to get some leather filler first to hide the awful to the eye cracks in the bolsters.

So what could I possibly do with the redundant Beige tester paint? Well my Gear Knob is very untidy and worn plus it’s going to be Black at some point next year…
View attachment 86091

The finish you can very easily achieve with this product is faultless.

Here is it back in the car to fully cure over the next 24 hours:

View attachment 86094

Thoughts on the results. You can be honest as it will all be repainted Black soon enough.

Kind regards,

Tom
I definitely prefer it to the Jive however I’m with Ian, black will look even better.
 
I definitely prefer it to the Jive however I’m with Ian, black will look even better.
Morning Erling,

I might recolour them to Black this evening but inclined to leave it for a few weeks to test the durability of the Beige paint. The Black is perfect on the steering wheel so cannot see why it wouldn’t last on these items.

Just need to find another Soul Double DIN Dashboard, unless someone is feeling generous and would like to explain how the Single DIN Dashboard/Cage is modified to be swapped. I know it’s possible as I gave a cage away a few years ago to be fitted into a LHD A2.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
Evening all,

Some of you might well have seen my breakthrough with the Sun Visors on the Today I… thread yesterday.

I’ve already completed a completely reupholstered a Paltinum passengers Sun Visor. If the rain ever stops I’ll be heading out front to remove both of OEMs Sun Visors to give them the same treatment. They will then colour match the headlining I reupholstered last year, or was it this year? Cannot remember!

I’ll try to take plenty of pictures to create a how to guide so you can all have a go yourselves. It really is easy and only takes an hour max.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
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