DIY: Fix Center Console Fading Buttons

[Dakine17]

Hey guys i started searching for ways to fix the fading buttons on my + and - and other stuff around the center console. (pics courtesy of kwimberly). so i went from this...



then bought this... (MATCHES PERFECTLY WHEN DRIED!)

Duplicolor scratch and fix 2in 1
Universal Flat Black
NG SF 104


and ended up with this...

for some reason u can really notice the difference on the -


not the best, but you get the picture


the whole portion of the button, somewhat noticeable, was all scuffed




Sort of noticeable where you grab


Not the average diy but the parts i used were...

- damaged fading buttons
- duplicolor flat black touch up paint
- and a toothpick (for those tiny detailed spots)

[got boost.]

What color code is the pen exactly or is it primer? Thanks.

[audistheonlyone]

what is the paint number on that bottle you used? i see TY sumin.

[Grenade]

1C6 Toyota

Graphite Grey

[vintagespin]

c'mon macro pics haha

[Dakine17]

Duplicolor scratch and fix 2in 1

Universal Flat Black
NG SF 104

[Boston_USP_327]

im flattered you used my dash as the "after" photo... but i think an actual before and after of your console would be hugely helpful

[Dakine17]

^ will do. sorry i just had to share as a quick reference. i can only do a after photo cause i never took before photos as hideous as it looks but i will try to point out the markings. I also used the paint on my grab handles and window buttons.

[audistheonlyone]

did you just use the touch up applicator or is there a brush too?

[Dakine17]

2 in 1. its a brush and a roller ball pen. but i also used a toothpick for the very small spots and making the + and - more noticeable.

[audistheonlyone]

ah gotcha..

[jon102034050]

not too bad of a quick fix for people not wanting to search for cheap used parts...

[woofster]

My buttons are exhibiting a similar fate as well and I've been meaning to do this simple touch-up for the longest time. Thanks to this thread, I'm now motivated to finally go ahead and get it done this weekend!

[KareemA4]

Where did you get it from?

[Dakine17]

any autoparts store. i bought mine from advance auto but im sure autozone, pep boys, etc would have em.

[akarol]

not too bad of a quick fix for people not wanting to search for cheap used parts...

The problem isn't searching, is paying for them. If I was to replace every button/part that is fading, I'd spend a lot of dough.

Thanks for the tip. Will try this paint today on the way home. BTW, how long does it take to dry?

[Dakine17]

its a flat paint so depending on the temp inside the car... should be about a 10 min dry.

[jon102034050]

The problem isn't searching, is paying for them. If I was to replace every button/part that is fading, I'd spend a lot of dough.

If you search well enough, you wont have to pay anything... For example - I replaced my climate control with a 2007 a4 and bought it for about $70... I then went around and sold my somewhat peely one for $70 shipped. I have done this for multiple different items on my ride

[B6Lovin]

not too bad of a quick fix for people not wanting to search for cheap used parts...

not true at ALL.

that climate control thingy is EXPENSIVE for what it is..


edit -- you found one for 70 bucks??? you lucky bastard.... every one i've found in good shape has been 110+ ...I'm no slouch with searching for a good deal either, half my car (ok, almost all of it) was built on good deals

[swrt83]

Not bad!! I used a fine tip black sharpie (permanent) and was EXTREEEMELY patient.. looks about the same, and I'm sure the marker costs a lot less. Might want to consider other options :)

[aaronz]

Damn that is a dirty car!

[Dakine17]

^ ya havent had time to give a good clean down inside the car. wash and waxed the exterior already. i just bought the car about 2 weeks ago.

[skeeball]

not true at ALL.

that climate control thingy is EXPENSIVE for what it is..


edit -- you found one for 70 bucks??? you lucky bastard.... every one i've found in good shape has been 110+ ...I'm no slouch with searching for a good deal either, half my car (ok, almost all of it) was built on good deals

I just bought a cherry B7 one for fairly cheap. I will be reselling mine and it has no peeling. The reason for the upgrade is the newer controllers have a vag channel that allow you to do a temperature offset and mine doesn't.

[dirtybird]

how much did it cost?

[A4natomical]

none of my buttons are peeling and im almost at 60k, but I will admit that our interiors are not as durable as they should be. The only complaint I have is, I wish we didn't have the soft touch buttons, rather the plastic ones like BMW.

[kwimberly]

im flattered you used my dash as the "after" photo... but i think an actual before and after of your console would be hugely helpful

And I'm flattered you used my pic as the "before" photo!

[Peterjk4]

i just took that awful paint off my grab handles and have bare black plastic and it looks fantastic... cheap on audis hand to use water based paint.. I washed it all off with some mild soap and water. Nothing to it. I'll post pictures soon.

[Fergsonfire]

anyone know the part number for that damn thing? Mine is going and I might as well just get a new one because its pretty screwed.

[nananana4k]

Nice. Better than the super dark perm marker I've been using.

[mdzaudi]

I-pod holder: where did you get it?

[Dakine17]

PM kwimberly. its his picture.

[xnetcrash]

You have a few options for holder - proclip - bracketon - panavise. I searched a lot for my Iphone and I finally got a complete set from bracketon (mount, swivel and holder) for 75 $. You'll need the power and audio adapter as well. Loys of options on ebay, depending on how smart you want the interface to be. I see in the picture it's a dice unit, you can also go with blitzsafe. Either way all are very easy to install , all you need are the radio keys.

[mdzaudi]

You have a few options for holder - proclip - bracketon - panavise. I searched a lot for my Iphone and I finally got a complete set from bracketon (mount, swivel and holder) for 75 $. You'll need the power and audio adapter as well. Loys of options on ebay, depending on how smart you want the interface to be. I see in the picture it's a dice unit, you can also go with blitzsafe. Either way all are very easy to install , all you need are the radio keys.

Why thank you, Ipod accessory advisor for AZ