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 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
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 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
