janissary

Hi, I have a 2019 Q8 with plastic mid-console buttons. I noticed there are cars with alu buttons.
Any idea why there is a difference? I noticed the drive selector button row is different as well…

My plastic buttons


Alu buttons

LeoB

Alu buttons are included in the Prestige Package.

janissary

Any idea if the drive-select row buttons are touch buttons with Prestige package? They look different as well…

RichRace

Yes they are.

f10

Is there a kit to replace the black with alu?

janissary

This is exactly what I’ve been wondering

retom

Replacing the bottom buttons should not be a problem because if they have the same functionality (with or without IPA), they only differ in color. The upper touch buttons will probably require coding because they work differently than physical buttons. In order to replace both, you need to remove the entire upper part of the console, which is quite time-consuming. You have also to be very careful not to break the delicate trim what happened to me when I was doing it first time.
To make a full upgrade, you would have to replace the light buttons on the right side of the steering wheel and the handbrake button.
IMO, apart from the visual effect, the replacement of these buttons is not an added value. I have silver and touch buttons and personally, at least the ones with Drive Select, I would prefer to have physical ones because these buttons are intuitive and much easier to use.
I have not seen any replacement kits anywhere, but you can certainly do it by buying parts from a dealer (cost of these 2 on central console CA $400) or cheaper, second-hand on popular internet platforms. However, I have doubts whether it is worth doing?