Product Reviews

oCarbon MK2 Audi TT Install Guide & Review

I’ve had carbon fiber interior trim from oCarbon on all on my last two Audis (pics here and here) and been super happy with it, so when I got my TTRS I knew who to call. I started with steering wheel trim to make sure I liked how it matched the OEM carbon fiber mirrors, and then decided to do the rest of the interior based on how great that came out. Like previous oCarbon sets I’ve had, the quality is impeccable. oCarbon is all hand-made in the USA, and made-to-order, which means you can pick the weave pattern and color you please, and even have custom parts wrapped in carbon fiber that a normal off-the-shelf kit wouldn’t entail. You can check out the oCarbon Instagram for inspiration where they’ve done everything from seatbacks to center caps in all sorts of cool patterns and colors.

While it takes a little longer to get oCarbon trim custom-made versus a buying a mass-produced kit, the difference in quality is undeniable. All of my searches looking for TT interior trim install instructions mentioned the rival OSIR kit for the TT and there were lots of complaints about the fitment and needing to sand/modify pieces; with oCarbon these pieces just pop right in usually factory mounting spots, no modifications needed…and the quality of the weave, depth of clearcoat, and attention to detail is OEM quality if not better.

If you’re not willing to wait for the craftsmanship of handmade work, then I’d suggest buying a spare set of trim online (good sets can be found for $100-150) and have shipped directly to oCarbon for them to wrap, allowing you to keep your OEM trim installed while you wait for it to be done. They do allow you to ship your existing trim in, but then you drive around with no trim while it gets made and buying a spare set is so cheap that personally I’d rather not have to deal with that. There is a lot less trim on a two-door than four-door, which meant finding a donor set of trim to wrap was really cheap; install was also really easy, but I’ll document the process below since there aren’t many good tutorials online.

Installation Instructions for MK2 Audi TT

The glove box is the easiest, so I’ll start with this one – it’s nice to get some immediate satisfaction. Use an interior trim removal tool, or just find something with a flat, soft edge made of plastic or rubber. A lot of guides say you can use a screwdriver wrapped in a towel or tape, but I honestly think that is too risky and you risk damaging the trim or worse yet the dash itself – you want something with a lot of give. I actually had a piece of plastic (pictured below) that I think came to do apply vinyl/push out bubbles that worked great, so search around your house for something like that; a spatula would also probably work well. If no luck, the tools meant for interior trim removal are cheap, you can buy them for $6 on Amazon here:

Once you have the right tool, there are three clips holding on the glovebox trim – left, center, and right – so you can just pry from any edge and it will release.

Next do the door handles, because they’re also very easy. They’re held on by two clips, so just insert your tool into the gap and pry out. The new oCarbon bits just pop right into their place. Making good progress!

The center console is trickier. Start with the “C Frame” by prying from the back where the e-brake is. You’ll pull it the clips in the rear this way, then there are some clips in the center of the trim you can pull loose by grabbing the shift boot and pulling up.

At this point, the trim should come off pretty easy, except the ash tray that remains in place.

Unplug the wiring harness and then the shift boot which is held on by four small Torx screws.

Lastly remove the buttons, held on by another two small torx screws (T20 if I recall correctly).

Next, remove the AC controls. Just use your tool and pry from a corner like above, they pop right out.

Once you get the AC controls out, you can get the rear bolt holding the ashtray in place. There are two more bolts in front of the ash tray…once removed, you can slide the lid off the ash tray easily, and replace with the oCarbon lid. I believe these were 10mm but don’t quote me on that. You’ll probably need an extension for the rear bolt, since it’s recessed fairly deep.

To finish, reinstall the ash tray, then c-frame, and make sure everything lines up okay (adjust the ash tray bolts or cover if not). Assuming things do line up, put your AC controls in last, wipe off all your grubby finger prints with a microfiber and interior cleaner of choice, and voila.

Nick Roshon

Nick has been an Audi owner and fanatic for the last 10 years, and started Nick's Car Blog in 2009 to share DIYs and pictures of his A4. Currently he drives a 2012 Audi TT-RS, and has previously owned a B7 S4, B7 A4, and an 82 Audi Coupe (GT) LeMons race car. In his day job, Nick is a digital marketer and lives in San Diego, CA, USA.

4 Comments

  1. Nice job on the write-up and photos as always Nick. I’m still enjoying my S4 Avant – much due to your inspiration – but now ponder the TTRS with regularity.

    The carbon looks excellent, bumps up the purposeful look another notch.

  2. Looks Great! I have a 2013 Panther Black crystal TT RS. I had the rear spoiler wrapped to match the carbon fiber side mirrors. Would love to do my headlights like you did, but don’t know anyone in Arizona who could do it?

  3. Hmm, don’t know any off the top of my head but maybe call up vinyl shops and see if they have anyone they can recommend, that’s how I found the guy who did mine…or check out Yelp and Google and see if any leads for headlight mods, they usually specialize in things like angel eyes and LED mods, or xenon projector retrofits.

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