Smith837

Hi all,

Have Carbon Atlas in my 2010 and am considering going with the Stainless Steel Mesh on a 2013 car, mostly in order to get the Piano Black instrument panel surround (the Carbon Atlas option retains the silver plastic from 2012). I've heard from some that the Piano Black scratches easily and is a fingerprint magnet, although others have said that with care and the right products, it's not a problem. Some guys talk about how much they regret getting the Piano Black because it starts to show swirls and look crappy (except at night), others seem to really love it. Not sure how to go on this one. I'll admit, I like to keep my cars looking factory-new. I still love the Carbon Atlas, and even though I'm not a fan of the silver plastic instrument panel surround, both the carbon and silver plastic are very low maintenance.

Any thoughts on this, or direct experience with the Piano Black? Curious if anyone else here would move from Carbon Atlas to SS Mesh in order to change that instrument panel surround from matte silver to shiny black?

Thanks in advance for input!

Stereodude

I can't speak to the piano black Audi trim specifically. I haven't manhandled it in a car for years. However, I specifically did not order it on my 2013 because of wear concerns and cost. There is no way a high gloss black piece of trim around the shifter is not going to end up with obvious marks from wear. I'm sure with enough effort you can keep it looking good by polishing out the scratches (like you can on exterior paint), but that's more effort than I want to spend. The piano black surround for the cluster is probably less of an issue in terms of wear, but obviously it will need to be wiped carefully when dusting / cleaning it.

I want carbon fiber trim / inlays in my S4, but wanted to get mine from oCarbon since it's reportedly more durable (doesn't yellow) and I think it looks better. Ultimately I decided that $750 for SS + Piano Black + $600 for oCarbon trim was too much money to spend on trim / inlays. I'm also not sure if Matt at oCarbon can rework the piano black shifter piece into one of his Carbon Fiber pieces, so that could make it even more expensive.

Smith837

Thanks Stereodude! I share your wear concerns re: Piano Black. FWIW, I plan to lease this car and keep it for 2-3 years max, so I won't be customizing the trim and will need to be happy with the build as delivered. Torn on this. After 2 years, the Carbon Atlas trim in my car looks brand new, with NO discernible marks -- obviously, I'm not one to "manhandle". It's easy to maintain and I REALLY DO ENJOY THE CARBON MATERIAL. So the safer decision is to stick with it. But, the 2013 has a healthy amount of glossy black regardless of trim level (e.g., around the multimedia cluster and MMI controls, around the steering wheel column and buttons)...and ONLY the SS Mesh option seems to carry this through and well, "mesh". With Carbon Atlas, it's not like the silver plastic around the instrument cluster is awful, just a bit alien and not as premium feeling. So it's a compromise either way.

What do others think? Anyone else order a 2013 yet? What trim level did you choose and why? Anyone previously or currently get Piano and regret it?

JD15

When I purchased my A4, I specifically avoided the Titanium package because it replaced all of the interior inlays with piano black. Instead, I bought the Titanium package wheels separately and got wood inlays. I am happy with my decision; the wood inlays show a little bit of wear around the shifter, and I can imagine that it would be much worse with piano black. Regardless of how careful you are with the interior, someone's leg will occasionally brush against the side of the shifter surround inlay, leaving light scratches.

Smith837

Just curious, if you're planning to swap the trim out for your own Carbon, then why spend $ for the SS + Piano Black to begin with?

Smith837

I can imagine that too, but would it be much worse in reality? Technically, the piano black, the (lacquered) wood, and even the carbon are all covered in the same glossy lacquer. Guessing Piano Black may be more revealing, but not more durable, yes?

Stereodude

I didn't. I was saying that I wasn't going to spend an extra $750 just to get a piano black cluster / MMI surround. I ordered my S4 with the standard Aluminum Trigon inlays.

JD15

Let me clarify: I doubt that the durability of the piano black trim will be significantly different from that of the carbon or wood, but I believe that scratches are more noticeable on a solid black surface than on trim with some sort of pattern.

Smith837

Makes perfect sense.

handruin

I ordered my 2013 back in April and I selected the Carbon Atlas trim/inlays option. I didn't want to deal with pulling off the stock trim and replacing it with something from oCarbon like Stereodude is doing even if the quality is supposedly better. I would be concerned that I'd break something while trying to pull the factory trim off or the oCarbon wouldn't fit correctly in the 2013.

I have carbon fiber trim in my TL-S right now that's five and a half years old and it shows no sign of wear or tear on it. Granted it's a different vehicle and it's very possible it's not even real carbon fiber, but it's held up perfect over the years. :-)