audi, carbon fiber08.13.2010

Those of you that are following the blog know that we’ve been making a bunch of sets with new, custom fabric.  Now we’ve got the first B5 set with the 8 harness satin (8HS) weave.  It is the same type of fabric found on the B8 Audi S4 and S5 OEM carbon fiber trim, so it is kind of cool to see it in a B5.  Keep in mind these pieces aren’t finished yet, they still need to be polished up, so there are a few imperfections still on the surface.

Stay tuned for more sets on different makes/models with this fabric.

These last two shots are comparison photos of the 8HS and the 20oz 2×2 twill.

uncategorized08.09.2010

I had posted up about a few custom B8 sets we’ve been working on and we finally got the first one wrapped up.  I’m really happy with how it turned out and can’t wait to get some pictures back of it installed.

I hope to have the other custom B8 sets finished by the end of the week.

You can compare these new 20oz shots to some older 11oz 2×2 twill B8 sets we made a few months ago.

audi, production07.27.2010

We’ve done a few B8 A4/S4 carbon fiber sets of trim so far, but up until now they have all been the standard 11oz 2×2 twill (you can see some of those sets in the B8 gallery).

We recently got a bunch of B8 cores from Germany so we figured it would be time to start getting a little more custom with some of them.  I’m hoping to have these sets trimmed and sanded smooth sometime next week so I can clearcoat them.  I’ll post more pictures as I make further progress on them.

First is the 20oz 2×2 twill.  This is the same fabric found on the B7 RS4 OEM carbon fiber trim.  The weave is twice as thick as the standard 11oz 2×2 twill.  I’ve done some blog posts comparing the 20oz and 11oz in the past.  Side by side it becomes apparent how much nicer the 20oz is.

Few close ups of the 20oz.

Up next we have a harness satin weave, known as 8HS.  I believe this fabric is very similar to the B8 OEM carbon fiber trim.

Up close you can see how tight the weave is.

Few more shots of the 8HS.

Lastly we have another harness satin weave, but this time it is a 5HS.  It is basically the same thing as the 8HS but with thicker bunches of fiber.

Few close ups of the 5HS.

Lastly we have some B5 pics of the 8HS.  We’re also currently working on a B6/B7 set with the 5HS.  Hopefully I can post some updates on these sets soon.

audi, install guide07.13.2010

Lately I’ve had some customers have some trouble removing the front ashtray covers on their B6/B7 Audis, so I figured I would write up a little guide.  I think people tend to over complicate this step of the trim removal when it is actually quite simple.  Before we start, let me stress that you do not need to remove the whole ashtray from the car to remove the ashtray cover.  I have just done that for this guide because it will make it much easier to photograph.

B6/B7 Front Ashtray Cover Removal

Tools needed:

• Strong thumbs

Time required: 60 seconds

Difficulty: Super easy

First we will start with the rear ashtray because it works on the same principle as the front ashtray, but you can actually see the bottom of it.

Both ashtray covers have these pegs in them (the front ashtray has 3 of them, the rear ashtray has 2 of them).  Both lids have teeth that grasp the pegs and hold them in place.

On the rear ashtray you have to slide the cover forward while lifting up the tab.  This will unhook the teeth from the pegs and set the cover free.

Here you see the rear ashtray off of the lid.  The front ashtray bottom looks almost identical.

On to the front ashtray.  With the ashtray open, you can see the separation of the lid and the cover.  The goal is to use your thumbs on the lid to push it inward and use your fingers on the ashtray cover to slide it forward in the opposite direction.

So grip the ashtray like this (use both hands, I could only use one because I needed the other to take the picture) and move your thumbs in and pull your fingers towards you.

If you’ve done it correctly, you’ll free the pegs on the ashtray cover from the teeth on the lid.

Close the ashtray, and you should be able to just pull it straight up and out.

With the ashtray cover off, you can see the pegs and the teeth.

One last picture for reference: a lot of people assume they are removing the whole top of the ashtray, but as you can see from this image, that isn’t the case.  The lid that opens and closes remains connected to the ashtray assembly, you are just removing the decorative cover.

audi, carbon fiber06.18.2010

I’ve been anxious to see what this setup would look like for a while now, so I was happy to finally get some decent photos.  I think it fits pretty well with the two tone interior and adds a nice contrast.

Rest of the gallery can be found here: Barry’s A4.