Coco Pazzo

Acquired an '04 TT Quattro about two months ago and have been slowly undoing some of the previous owner's handiwork (like dents and dings).
Had an iPod adapter installed today, connecting a Blitzsafe Audi/M-Link V.1B to the back of the Concert stereo, and dropping the iPod cable down and into the front sliding drawer. (not the ashtray)
Plugged in my iPod, it worked fine, paid my bill, and drove away. Then when I got home, I removed my iPod, put it in my pocket and went to close the tray. Uh, oh. It doesn't slide quite as smoothly as before. What could be wrong?

Closer examination revealed that the installer had somehow managed to break off one of the thin plastic glide regulators that apparently keep the lid in place and gliding smoothly open and closed. Probably about four inches long, less than a quarter inch wide, with two small nubs that fit into posts on the tray.
So before I totally went Postal on the installer, I went online in an attempt to determine how much the (now broken) piece would cost to replace.

Have determined that it is either the Console Cover (the sliding one) or the Console Tray (i.e. the piece that sits below the cover). But I can't tell if the broken piece broke off the Cover or the Tray without first removing several other pieces of the console.

What I'd like to do is order the appropriate piece and return to the installer and have him do the work, and then begin arguing about who will pay for the piece. (We already know who SHOULD pay...but the shop would lose money on this job!).

So, does anyone know if the thin little later glide retainers (one on each side) are attached to the lower tray or the upper cover?

Thanks in advance. And I hope you don't know the answer to this question because you also had one or both of these broken off your console!

Coco Pazzo

Well, apparently no one else has had this problem. But after much web research, acquisition of the repair manual, and scouring sources for TT parts, I can now report that I've made my repair, and also share the answers I found in the process.

First, the drawer tray and sliding lid fit into the center console, and can easily be removed once you've located the three plastic latches that hold it in place. (more on this later). In my case, as you may recall, two small plastic pieces were broken by a klutz installing an iPod adapter; the lid still fit, but did not slide smoothly. Naturally, these two drawer glides (for want of a better name) are not sold separately. But I was able to determine that the lid and the tray can be acquired separately through such sources as www.audipartsnationwide.com/

Then Center Console, Shelf Black, and you will see the whole schematic. The two items in question the Tray (#6 $57.24 in 2010) and Lid Black (#7 $23.40). Plus shipping.

I suspected I only needed one of these two items, but could not tell from the picture or the parts themselves, if the glides were originally a part of the upper lid or the lower tray. As I later learned, the glides are part of the lower tray.

In order to remove the tray from the console, you first have to press on two releases, one on each side of the Gas Tank release and the other adjacent to the Trunk Release. Then pull up fixture (item 13 or 14 depending on the year of your TT), and release the electrical housing from the unit.

With the unit out of the way, the manual says you have to release two latches holding the lower tray, and then release a third latch. This is a lot easier to visualize with the unit in hand-- but that can't be done without first removing it from your vehicle, or purchasing a new tray.

The easiest way to release the latches is to insert a narrow flat blade of a screwdriver, nail file, or other thin metal tool directly down in the narrow juncture between the console (in front of the gear shift) on top of the three latches, releasing the two on each side first, and what turns out to the be larger one in the center. Then gently pull up on the rear of the tray about two inches.

The front of the tray is hooked onto a metal brace at the base of the knee pads underneath the console. With the rear of the tray lifted slightly, push the entire tray forward about half an inch and lift the entire assembly (tray and lid) up, back, and out.

Inserting the new tray is a piece of cake, taking less than a minute. Insure that the electrical cable can be easily reached through the space at the rear of the tray assembly, and then slide the front down at an angle, placing the curved stays over the front metal brace, and then slowly, carefully lower the back of the tray onto the releases. Then clip the electric controls back onto the cable, and snap that assembly back into place

Done. It's actually very easy-- but you have to be careful not to break those little plastic parts that aren't sold separately. Audi will charge you well over $100 for an entire center console, so caution is recommended.