d2 a8/s8 trim removal guide
D2 A8/S8 Trim Removal Guide
Big thanks to Adam from Adam’s Rotors for taking the time to document his trim swap from wood trim to an oCarbon carbon fiber trim set. You can check out his sweet S8 project over on Audizine here. The man has proven yet again he knows how to build out cars.
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Before you start your own removal, make sure you read through this guide in its entirety. It is also advised that you read the supplementary Audipages.com guides.
Audipages.com detailed armrest removal
Audipages.com trim removal guide
Tools needed:
- Flathead screwdriver (or a plastic trim tool)
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Small torx screwdriver
- 5mm and 6mm allen keys
Time required: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
The full kit all laid out. 4 door pieces, 2 dash pieces, radio surround, shifter, ashtray cover, small cubby cover, large cubby cover, ebrake cover, and rear HVAC cover. Thirteen total pieces.
We’ll start with the easiest pieces. The rear door pieces are very simple, just wedge your flat head screw driver (or plastic trim tool) under the piece. Pry back gently and the tabs will release. There are tabs all along the door, so just work your way from the rear of the piece to the front until it is removed.
Replace it with the new piece in a similar manner, starting at the rear inserting each tab and making sure it is secure before moving to the next.
Repeat the same process with the front doors.
For the rear HVAC cover, remove the cigarette lighter first. Same principle with this piece as the door pieces. Wedge your screwdriver under the piece and pry it out.
Once the original HVAC piece has been removed, you’ll see what you need to do next.
There are several small clips that need to be popped out with a small screw driver.
Once the clips have been removed, you can swap the plastic housing to the new piece and reattach the clips.
Push the HVAC cover back into place.
The ebrake cover lifts right out, however once it is removed, you’ll see that it needs to be “broken” to remove the wood piece from the plastic bottom. There are three small rivets that keep it in place that must be popped off. There is a small chance you’ll be able to maintain the rivets, but be prepared to use an adhesive to help secure the new piece to the original plastic bottom.
Pop the post in between the armrests off by inserting your screwdriver under it and gently prying up. This will expose the allen screw. Unscrew the allen screw completely and remove. There is a tapered bracket support for the armrest holding it in place, so you’re going to need to knock it a few times to get it lose. More information about this step can be found in the supplemental Audipages.com guide.
Audipages.com detailed armrest removal
Once your armrest is completely removed, the wood piece just pulls right out. It is held in with the same types of tabs as the door pieces.
Although not pictured, the radio surround piece is held in with the exact same tabs. If you put the shifter in neutral and reach your hands underneath the piece, you can feel the bottom edge at the back of the piece. Just pull this forward and the bottom tabs will release. Keep pulling gently and the top tabs will release as well. Remove the tabs attached to the switches, and use your torx screwdriver to remove the hazard trim. Consult the Audipages.com guide if you have trouble with this step:
Audipages.com trim removal guide
Up next is the shifter piece. On each side of this piece, there are two screws on each side holding the mounting bracket for the shifter piece in place. If you peel away the carpeting that is along the side of the center console, you’ll see these hex screws. Remove the screws, and the shifter plate assembly will pull right out. If you get lost on this step, consult the Audipages.com guide:
Audipages.com trim removal guide
Once the shifter plate is out, you can remove the screws that hold the rubber bit that sits along the chrome.
The ashtray is somewhat tricky, but simple at the same time. Do not over complicate this step. It is held on with little plastic posts on a track. With the ashtray slightly open, rock the piece slightly towards the front of the car. You’ll feel it disengage. Then slide the cover back towards the rear of the car and lift it out. You might have to play with it a little bit to get it right.
Once the cover is out, you’ll have to remove the plastic tracks from the original piece and put them on your new piece. They just slide off as well.
This compartment is held on by two phillips head screws.
Remove them both.
Detach the wiring by pressing in the tab.
Once the cubby is completely out of the car, you’ll see that it is held in by three small screws.
Almost done. For the dash piece, you’ll need to open the glove box to get access to the vent.
When you open the glove box, you instinct will tell you to unscrew these two hex screws, but these are not the ones to remove. It is actually the one that is in between the two, slightly below them. Once you remove this screw, the vent will pull out.
With the vent removed, you need to remove a c-clip that is holding the a bolt and nut in the back of the trim right where Adam’s finger is pointing above. The nut does not need to be unscrewed, as once the c-clip is removed, the piece will slide out completely. There is a small hinge on the left side of the dash piece, so there is nothing to remove on that side.
The small dash piece is very similar, except on this side you’re going to have to remove the large plastic piece that is in the same spot as the glove box. Pop off the small long plastic piece pictured above to expose two hex screws. There are also two more screws at the base of this large plastic piece that need to be removed as well. Once this piece is off, you’ll have to remove the vent in the exact same fashion as the previous vent. Once the vent is out, remove the exact same c-clamp and the small dash piece will pop right out.
Once again, if you have trouble with the dash pieces, check out the Audipages.com guide: