Why 3D printers are great for DIYers

[SpectreGadget]

My 2012 Audi A7 has a lot of miles on it (108K) but doing pretty well. The other day I went to close my driver's door and the cover over the lock was loose and came off easily. One thing I've noticed is the plastics on this car don't seem to do so well in the heat, especially since this one lived its first four years in Florida. The part can be had online for $52.50, primed for paint, so somewhere north of that painted in my phantom black pearl effect.

I like to think of myself as a do-it-myself sort of guy, and sometimes that even works out for me.

I popped off the cover of the rear door and they use the same tabs so I could see what was missing. I used an xacto blade to cut and square a nice spot and then fired up my trusty 3D CAD program (Fusion 360 by AutoDesk). It took me about three iterations to get it to fit right and the test fitting (without any glue) kept the cover on just fine. I glued the two pieces in and so far so good. We will see how it holds up, and there's always the dealer parts if it ends up missing. Might even opt for another of the rear type and just cover up the lock. :)

Poor lock:


Missing plastic:


Rear door cover:


3D Model for top:


Glued in place:

Not a great photo, but here's the 'after':

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[Silent Drone]

That's pretty sweet!


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[Webtoker]

Impressive!


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[agent47]

I am in awe. This is fucking awesome. Can you 3d print me a flat bottom steering wheel please? Lol.. jokes aside, commendable work!

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[SpectreGadget]

Thanks, all!

I am in awe. This is fucking awesome. Can you 3d print me a flat bottom steering wheel please? Lol.. jokes aside, commendable work!

Well, the steering wheel itself is doable, just would take awhile to get measurements from a real one. :) Then would then need to wrap it, etc....