My carbon fiber dash insert trim piece cracked....above the glove compartment

[z_curtis_s4]

I have a 2011 B8 S4 and went out this morning to start my car only to notice my carbon fiber dash trim piece above the glove compartment has a huge crack in it. It looks like a stress crack and starts at the rectangular Quattro symbol and goes to the left about 5 to 6inches. I've done some searching only to notice that this has happened to a couple others with the carbon fiber trim package. My bomb shell was researching that just the front dash carbon fiber trim piece OEM cost $600. YOU have got to be kidding me!!!! I'm at a loss because the stress crack/fracture looks horrible and that's all I seem to stare at when I'm in my car now. Just asking for some advice I guess. Ocarbon seems to be an option. But I can't get over the price for such a small item. OEM cost is $600 I can't convince myself to buy a new one. Lastly has anybody had this happen to them recently and what did you do?

[davep411]

2012. After 6 months I just learned to live with it. Although mine starts at the same spot you describe, it is maybe 1/2"

[z_curtis_s4]

2012. After 6 months I just learned to live with it. Although mine starts at the same spot you describe, it is maybe 1/2"

I'm hoping it will grow on me. haha The crack starts at the bottom left part of the "Quattro" silver rectangle. One day it looked fine and today there is a huge crack!!!

[migo1980]

Same happened on my BMW and they replaced it at the dealer. They have funds to do repairs to keep customers happy that would not be covered under warranty. Its worth a try with Audi I'm sure they have the same.

[mrmomo313]

Happened to a lot of people on here. I got lucky, my crack isn't that noticeable but happened right where yours did. I learned to live with it... Shouldn't have happened but it's not worth replacing to me

[z_curtis_s4]

Happened to a lot of people on here. I got lucky, my crack isn't that noticeable but happened right where yours did. I learned to live with it... Shouldn't have happened but it's not worth replacing to me

Just can't believe for a 60K car sticker price Prestige the carbon fiber trim is a piece of crap. I'm definitely going to try to take it to Audi and see what they say. I hate the dealership but who knows hell might freeze over and they might say "sure we'll" replace it. Yea right!!! $600 for a brand new one hahahahaahahaha

[cw8307]

I was pissed when start/stop button peeled but luckily they replaced it with the 2015 button. This would really possible me off. Hopefully they hook you up brother.

[Johnnycash]

that ocarbbon guy is an asshole he was banned from advertising on these forums, his business model is shit.

[jamesj2k]

This is one of those things. You can't expect the car to be perfect. There is literally thousands of things that can go wrong. I have had the same crack. I was a little peeved at first too.

I have maybe spent $250on repairs not including oil changes and regular maintenance on my Audi's since 2007! Lucky...well...maybe!

[DannyDeez]

Ouch that sucks. Hopefully the dealer will help you out. Otherwise, seems like a good excuse for a vinyl wrap project! I did my B7 trim in brushed steel and it looks amazing.

[z_curtis_s4]

Anywhere I can buy this trim piece at wholesale price instead of paying $600!

[Usa]

Yep same with mine, really an open market for someone to come in and repair these for a modest price... so annoying

[jsh139]

Maybe try searching junked cars? http://www.car-part.com.

[lowjonathan]

may i ask how do i pull off this part?

coz mine is having some visible cloudy patches after i have accidentally apply some dashboard protector on it.

thanks

[Rocket Tech]

may i ask how do i pull off this part?

coz mine is having some visible cloudy patches after i have accidentally apply some dashboard protector on it.

thanks

Tape around it and get some light polishing compound, it'll get rid of any marks you have on there.

Some free swirls included with my intake!



After a few rounds with a white polishing pad and chemical guys v38. I ran out of time and called it good enough but next time I do an engine detail I'll get it to 100%

[Luna's S4]

+10 or so. I thought it was from my lovely wife's habit of putting her bare feet on the dash. The half inch crack only bothers me when I look at it.

[palmor]

Same crack here on my 2011

[SteveYem]

I found the same issue on my 2015 S4. I came out to my car one morning last week when it was 26 deg.F ambient temperature and found two cracks - the larger one (shown in the photo below) propagating from the top left corner of the quattro emblem, and the shorter one (not visible below) propagating from the lower left corner. The service manager at my local Audi dealer said it is unlikely for cracking like that to occur due to temperature but is going to try to get the replacement done under warranty since there is no sign of external trauma to the piece. My car is under warranty so it seems like a pretty clear-cut case to me.

[jmeenach]

Seems pretty common for the lacquer (or what ever they use) to crack. Many users with wood trim have made the same comment. Since your car is a 2011, I'm not sure the dealer will be able to do anything, but keep us posted!

[Hofahome]

Holy shit! I have one in the exact same place that just popped up. Also have one by the console. I have CPO so I hope mine is covered.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AnthonyR215]

I found the same issue on my 2015 S4. I came out to my car one morning last week when it was 26 deg.F ambient temperature and found two cracks - the larger one (shown in the photo below) propagating from the top left corner of the quattro emblem, and the shorter one (not visible below) propagating from the lower left corner. The service manager at my local Audi dealer said it is unlikely for cracking like that to occur due to temperature but is going to try to get the replacement done under warranty since there is no sign of external trauma to the piece. My car is under warranty so it seems like a pretty clear-cut case to me.

I thought this was a picture of my car, I have this EXACT same crack. They knocked 250$ off the final price of the car when I bought it but would not budge on just fixing it.

[SteveYem]

Holy shit! I have one in the exact same place that just popped up. Also have one by the console. I have CPO so I hope mine is covered.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For sure, there is a stress concentration at each corner of the indentation where the quattro emblem sits, which is why we don't see cracks forming at random spots in the middle of the flat, continuous section of the inlay. As my service manager (and @jmeenach in post#19) pointed out, it is not the carbon fiber that is cracking but the epoxy/lacquer gloss coat. Seems to me that they should have used something more durable and/or flexible to withstand temperature large temperature variations.

For those who have experienced this issue, do you happen to recall whether there as a drastic temperature swing directly preceding the failure? In my case, I found the cracks on a very cold morning which followed a mild day before.

[Dr GP]

Someone previously posted that they were able to buy a complete set of CF trim from China for about $500. The quality was much better then expected. You can probably get this set for less than Audi would charge for the single piece. I cannot guarantee the CF mesh is the same.

[JettaGetUpandGo]

The CF trim from China uses a 2x2 twill weave similar to the RS5 rather than the 8HS basket weave like the carbon atlas. If you're swapping it all out it wouldn't matter if it matches as long as it's consistent with the rest of the pieces from China.

I will have a full set of carbon atlas trim available shortly. One of the doors has a scratch on the silver edging and there are some marks on the center console piece, but the dashboard part over the glovebox is perfect.

[jachien]

maybe you can swap the dash with an S5 and not have that trim emblem. We dont have a space for that trim piece. Lol, id trade ya if its a straight swap.

[Tuneman7]

I hope this isn't one of those things that's guaranteed to eventually happen.

Seems to only happen to the CF trim too right, Aluminum/Wood guys are ok?

[JettaGetUpandGo]

I hope this isn't one of those things that's guaranteed to eventually happen.

Seems to only happen to the CF trim too right, Aluminum/Wood guys are ok?

Someone above said it has happened on the wood trim too. I'd imagine anything with a clear lacquer is susceptible. The matte wood and aluminum shouldn't have any issues.

[Tuneman7]

Someone above said it has happened on the wood trim too. I'd imagine anything with a clear lacquer is susceptible. The matte wood and aluminum shouldn't have any issues.

Yeah, I was thinking more that pinstripe black wood later on that was offered rather than the wood from the earlier models.

[Helmet165]

Just noticed the same crack in the exact same place (starting from the top left of the Quattro symbol) yesterday. Let me know how you guys make out at the dealer with this. I'm calling my SA tomorrow.

[Usa]

I was told by the dealer that this part would only be covered within the first year after purchase.

[Bruno_s4]

If anyone comes across a deal for a really clean center console carbon fiber trim piece (the U shaped one) then please let me know.
I just bought a full set for a reasonable price but the console trim has a slight blemish that is in a place that will bother me and before I go through the entire ordeal of installing it I wanted to look around.
Only options I have seen are brand new....

Thanks

[SteveYem]

I was told by the dealer that this part would only be covered within the first year after purchase.

Did they give any justification for that?

[pezgoon]

Did they give any justification for that?

Because Audi


Of course it's from a temperature difference! Jackass dealerships, metal and lacquer are going to expand and contract at a different rate! Sticking a big piece of metal in the middle of the lacquer would obviously put it at a high risk of cracking. Idiots.

Is it inlayed, screwed on or stuck on? Tough to tell from the picture but it doesn't look like it's inlayed so screwed on? Which would definitely do it, like doing it to a piece of wood with that much lacquer on it, it'll eventually crack


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[doughboy17]

that ocarbbon guy is an asshole he was banned from advertising on these forums, his business model is shit.

Surprised and disappointed to discover this is a common problem and that Ocarbon is a scam. I really liked the red and blue CF trim from the website, especially for the price. Too good to be true, I guess.

[BJYorko]

I just thought this was initiation into the S4 carbon atlas club... Pretty sure this has happened to everyone I know with the carbon atlas interior trim option, but I live in MN so we are the kings of major temperature swings...

FWIW, I have the same crack in the same spot and haven't done anything about it for over 2 years, just kind of look at it as a battle scar... would love to get it fixed, but definitely don't want to pay $500 for a small cosmetic part on the inside of the car that it will probably happen again with. If anyone knows of suggestions to fix this on the cheap, I'd be all ears, otherwise I'll just keep using my money to mod the rest of my car and live with it.

[Hofahome]

I was told by the dealer that this part would only be covered within the first year after purchase.

That is utter bullshit. If my dealer tells me this when I bring it in, I'm gonna throat punch them then contact AOA. It's not exactly a wear item.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Oloung1]

If my dealer tells me this when I bring it in, I'm gonna throat punch them then contact AOA. It's not exactly a wear item.

hopefully they cover it but if they dont, please FB live this.

[Hofahome]

I brought my car by the dealership. Sure enough, the SA said it is not covered under CPO warranty. I wussed out on punching him, though. He did say that he has seen this issue on the carbon trim several times. Anyhow, I am going to contact AOA about this. Anybody who has this issue, please post up a pic. I might need pics to show that this issue is obviously not a fluke and points to a design flaw.

[wt219200]

Is the aluminum or wood replacement part a lot cheaper? Wood might look weird but the aluminum might look ok. Better than a cracked piece of carbon I'd guess.

[Hofahome]

Here is my email to AOA:

Hello,
I own a CPO 2013 S4. I have been very happy with it thus far, as was I with my previous A4. My car just passed 54k miles. However, I recently noticed a crack in my carbon fiber trim at both the right-side center console and above the glovebox (I can send pictures if needed.) This seemed odd to me as I almost never have a passenger or open my glovebox. I took my car in today to the dealership who instructed me that this would indeed not be covered under my CPO warranty. He did say that he has seen this issue on several of these cars, which struck me as odd. I have reached out to some of my associates who own b8 and b8.5 S4's with carbon trim. Indeed several of them have had this issue, and furthermore, the crack happens in almost the exact same place near the quattro emblem above the glovebox. I can provide pictures of these as well.

I am requesting that Audi take into consideration the fact that although I am CPO, which does not cover trim items, I just passed 50k miles recently and that the trim pieces in question suffer from a design flaw that is not limited to my car.