Hole in my Dash :(

[aaronthew1692]

Hi All

My A3 2.0tdi 140bhp had the dash mounted phone holder in it as an optionalextra.

I removed it as is ugly and the adaptor for an iPhone is £100 (rip off)

Has anyone got any ideas on what I could put the to cover the hole?

All ideas welcome

Cheers

 

[plezz]

hey mate, whats your budget? how about just replacing the whole thing? i dont know how easy this would be to fit but its £168, and i think i saw on on ebay for about £125

AUDI A3 8P 2004 DASHBOARD WITH ALLOY FINISHED VENTS. | eBay

 

[plezz]

here is the other one. Audi A3 Dashboard ( No airbag kit ) 2004 - 2008 model | eBay

 

[aaronthew1692]

http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r530/Aaron_Thew/photo.jpg
http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r530/Aaron_Thew/photo-1.jpg

It has crossed my mind mate, but getting it out and in again i can see being to big a job

 

[aaronthew1692]

 

[hades-]

put the holder back and get the ipod cradle
or get a new dash **** haveing it look like that
or get a good dash repair they can be done not sure how good with something that size

 

[Goner]

I'd of just left it in and bought the Ipod phone cradle for £100, saves paying out for a new dash and the time involved and then the inevitable **** ups which will come with a dash swap.

 

[aaronthew1692]

Think i may have to get a different cradle an put it there, was just hoping someone had a good idea on something a bit original to put there

 

[aaronthew1692]

to be honest don’t really want my phone on my dash, i don’t personally like it.

 

[Goner]

Think i may have to get a different cradle an put it there, was just hoping someone had a good idea on something a bit original to put there

Any cradle you put there is going to look even more out of place than the OEM one as you're going to have to find your own way of fixing it to the dash, I'm just imagining now self tappers, gaffer tape, super glue and the good old hammer and nails being brought out for this DIY job lol.

 

[plezz]

how about some polyfiller and then flock the whole dashboard

 

[aaronthew1692]

I like small changes think floking it is a bit over the top

im not to bad a DIY lol

 

[plezz]

haha, maybe a little OTT.

i still think this is something audi should do as a factory extra.

 

[marknjayne]

Have the dash done in alcantara
some top work here

 

[plezz]

Wow!

that is all.

 

[Smoothie]

If it was my own id be looking to replace the dash as said above mate, anything else is more hassle than its worth when you take into consideration cost of repair/re-trim and then the car re-sale

 

[Pipsqueak]

Have the dash done in alcantara
some top work here

That looks sweet

 

[Shadowman]

As you say, the trouble is the size of the hole, as it's pretty big to cover up with anything that will look subtle.

As has been said, you can get smart dash repairs now, but they are quite expensive and it would take a real expert to make it invisible......worth investigation though.

If that doesn't work, and you don't want the expense and complication of changing the whole dash, what about some kind of map reading lamp or something like that which you can pull out of a mount in the dash ?

Finally, take a look on ebay at some of the badges for Audi which are available ( just search on 'Audi Badges' or such like ) and see if there is one large enough or shaped correctly to cover the whole without looking too tacky ? Some of the Audi Sport metal badges may work ?

Let us know what you do in the end.

 

[NHN]

put the holder back and get the ipod cradle
or get a new dash **** haveing it look like that
or get a good dash repair they can be done not sure how good with something that size

I agree, put the cradle bits back.

Changing the dash means taking the whole console out, vents, steering wheel, stalks etc, reall pita to do tbh, time consuming.

Dash repair for me wouldnt be too great given the texture, you wouldnt be able to replicate the same at all, but be interested to see someone's attempt on that hole for sure.

 

[VWAddict]

how about some polyfiller and then flock the whole dashboard

That's completely flocked-up!

 

[Hendo]

How about a new one of these every few days.


Dashboard Flower by dogwelder, on Flickr

 

[NHN]

LMFAO yeah that'll work.

 

[ZeeSaffa]

Why doesn't it surprise me that Audi would put their holder somewhere like that rather than somewhere inconspicuous like most other phone-cradle manufacturers.
They know you'll come back to them at some point to sort it out!
(too cynical?)

 

[NHN]

You forget they have to consider allot of things when building cars, like eu rules, safety etc & sticking it there so it can not obstruct other things like climate, aircon, gearknob & also be held sturdy is probably the best location & of course at the height best for the driver.

 

[aaronthew1692]

Think I might see if can get badge to cover it, new dash is way to big a job, It will be way too hard to get out and way too easy to damage whilst installing the new one. I don’t really want the phone holder back it is so ugly. Thank you for everyone the comments so far

 

[Blackie]

What's the bracket look like ?

 

[hades-]

personaly i think a big badge will look kinda stupid and out of place
bracket would go back for me

 

[Shadowman]

Take a look on eBay.....loads of them are tacky, but some of the metal or enamel ones may work. Make sure you measure the hole though so you can make sure the badge will cover it

 

[aaronthew1692]

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/new-a3...w=768&h=1024&ei=12dfT9fOF8nfsgbB8c27CQ&zoom=1

Thats what was there

 

[hades-]

no pic showeing
use photobucket or flicker

 

[leeroywarner]

I have the same in mine, my master plan is to get a cheap 7" android tablet with Bluetooth and fit it to the bracket, I could then run the android torque app on it (currently run on my phone)