'A' Pillar trim removal.

[wolfie]

Been thinking about installing a dashcam for months. Rather than leave everything dangling around the screen I thought I'd install it via a permanent feed and hide the wires discretely. Before I jump in feet first I was wondering what the technique is for removing the 'A' Pillar trim without fighting it every inch of the way and damaging any plastic retaining clips. Anyone been there before???

Cheers

[RUM4MO]

Someone on the Ibiza forum has just been there done that, using "safe" or proper removal tools is always advised, be prepared for the metal part of the retainers to come away from the plastic trim, these will need to be removed from the frame of the car and reinserted into the A pillar plastic trim prior to refitting it.

[wolfie]

Had a little look but can't spot the link. By chance I do actually have a set of trim removal tools. One of those things I bought on a whim a few years back but never used... I knew they'd come in useful one day...

[RUM4MO]

Like this:-

https://forums.seatcupra.net/index.php? ... im.444330/

Edit:- same here with trim tools, get them first then a use will soon turn up!

[wolfie]

I've come across those types of clips before, they pull out of the plastic trim rather than unclipping from the chassis. You need to use one of the "Fork" type tools to straddle and support the plastic trim as you ease them out. You need to come at them from the top of bottom, not side-on. Think it also helps if you do it on a warm day as the plastic is slightly more forgiving. Not actually bought the camera yet just investigating...

[RUM4MO]

Hum yes, warmer weather helps to avoid things getting cracked! The tailgate trim on my wife's previous 2002 Polo got a bit messed up when I removed it in winter, I needed to buy a few new clips - and I seem to remember that there were 3 lengths of clip on that trim! Plus I had to cut up small blocks of wood and bond them in the trim at points behind some of these clips, things did go very badly wrong when I first needed to remove it - it was only to replace a severely tarnished hatch handle. So the next time that it needed to be removed, to replace the rear wiper spindle etc, a few more weak points "gave in" I did keep an eye open for NOS rear hatch trim but none appeared.

In general, VW Group trim designs are not too handy when they need to be removed, even Audi have weird trim parts, on my 2011 S4 I removed the side sill/floor trim to fit front parking sensors, I ended up breaking a "jack post/support" on one piece of trim, this part can be removed from that piece of trim - but you can't buy a new "jack post/support" as they are not listed anywhere - if I had wanted to solve that problem, I would need to buy a complete new trim piece!!

For VW Group, there is a trend here as when I tried to buy a "hose bridge clip" for the low pressure fuel line on my wife's August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI - on that car the older type of fuel line is fitted so no "hose bridge clip" and that can lead to the fuel line rubbing against the AC discharge pipe, which is not good, so when that happened to wife's Polo, I tried to order in a clip as fitted to later cars - impossible as that clip is not available as a spare part, it comes with the later fuel line - so I found one from the fuel line of another VW Group and bought that and fitted it!

[wolfie]

For VW Group, there is a trend here as when I tried to buy a "hose bridge clip" for the low pressure fuel line on my wife's August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI - on that car the older type of fuel line is fitted so no "hose bridge clip" and that can lead to the fuel line rubbing against the AC discharge pipe, which is not good, so when that happened to wife's Polo, I tried to order in a clip as fitted to later cars - impossible as that clip is not available as a spare part, it comes with the later fuel line - so I found one from the fuel line of another VW Group and bought that and fitted it!

Now I've seen this mentioned before but never quite picked up on it and what it's supposed to fix. My Polo has a little rattle that I suspected came from between the fuel line and the chassis so I improvised a solution and made a little foam pad and placed in a plastic bag, then squished it down into the opening where the fuel line emerges on the baulkhead. (I copied Vdubs "heath-Robinson" fix of "foam in a bag" behind the headlamp assembly.)

So what does the bracket do and where does it fit? What should I be looking for. (do you have any images?)

Re:- the clips I know exactle what you are taliking about! On my Polo 9N I had the rear screen washer feed pipe un-couple so I needed to remove the trim to fix it. It was like being in an episode of the Krypton-Factor trying to work out which clip went where. As you say, same clip, 3 different lengths. Some stayed firmly in the chassis, some came out as the should and some just went ping onto the garage floor. Think I still have a couple of bags of replacement clips I bought.

I think some of it is definitely down to cost cutting and doing things on the cheap where it can't be seen. But also that they just don't expect some bits of trim to ever be removed, so why make it easy?

[RUM4MO]

Okay, fuel line hitting things, you have mentioned stuffing foam into that aperture, that is exactly what VW Group did on some cars, my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza 1.4 16V SC has foam in a poly bag in there from the factory!

So, remind me, is your car a 2014> 6C Polo, but an early one with the 1.2TSI belt driven camshaft, if so, the fuel line which appears out of that enclosure/cover is not clipped to anything and makes it way to the front of the cambelt area where it is clipped to the front of the engine - then it disappears under the air cleaner. Later cars had a different version of fuel line and that later version had a "hose bridging clip" on it so that the fuel line is held clear of the AC larger aluminium pipe (discharge side of system) by having this clip which also clips onto the small coolant return hose that goes to the top of the header tank/bottle.

Edit:- "if" replaced with "is"!

[wolfie]

Okay, fuel line hitting things, you have mentioned stuffing foam into that aperture, that is exactly what VW Group did on some cars, my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza 1.4 16V SC has foam in a poly bag in there from the factory!

So, remind me, is your car a 2014> 6C Polo, but an early one with the 1.2TSI belt driven camshaft, if so, the fuel line which appears out of that enclosure/cover is not clipped to anything and makes it way to the front of the cambelt area where it is clipped to the front of the engine - then it disappears under the air cleaner. Later cars had a different version of fuel line and that later version had a "hose bridging clip" on it so that the fuel line if held clear of the AC larger aluminium pipe (discharge side of system) by having this clip which also clips onto the small coolant return hose that goes to the top of the header tank/bottle.

Mines a 2011 chain driven version CBZB engine. On mine the two lines pop out of the little appature on the chassis/baulhead. I assume one is fuel feed and the other a breather return. So far as I can see neither hoses come into contact with anything else. If I peer down the little appature there is a plastic clip that appears to hold the two hoses appart.


I have no way of hosting images additional images at the moment, otherwise I'd stick an image up for you.

[RUM4MO]

Okay, what surprised me was that that "void" is not a chassis void but an enclosure to protect these pipes, typically there are two, one is the low pressure fuel line coming up from the tank to the high pressure fuel pump which feeds the fuel rail. The other one is typically the EVAP pipe which collects and purges any petrol fumes and passes them into the inlet tract via the EVAP solenoid valve as venting to atmosphere is now not allowed.

[wolfie]

Okay, what surprised me was that that "void" is not a chassis void but an enclosure to protect these pipes, typically there are two, one is the low pressure fuel line coming up from the tank to the high pressure fuel pump which feeds the fuel rail. The other one is typically the EVAP pipe which collects and purges any petrol fumes and passes them into the inlet tract via the EVAP solenoid valve as venting to atmosphere is now not allowed.

I'll be honest and say there have been a few things that surprised me on the 6R0 Polo. The new notion of sticking a bit of foam in a plastic bag counting as an acceptable engineering fix for one! Don't get me wrong I like the Polo, but when you start looking round it you I just feel like it's been cheapened here and there.

I ran my Polo 9N for almost 10 years prior to buying this one. When I parted company with it the alloys were pretty much unblemished. This one has just turned 7 and really the alloys could do with a refurb. (though I am picky) It's as though they've just put less paint/lacqer on and it's starting to fail on the rear of the wheels.

[RUM4MO]

My wife ran a 9N Polo from new in September 2002 until August 2015 and it came with Melbourne 15" 5 spoke alloys, they survived except for the one that I rubbed heavily against a very high kerb!

I ran a VW Passat B5 4Motion from new in May 2000 until July 2013, it came with Montreal 16" 5 twin spoke alloys, I took them off that car when it was only 5 years old and fitted it with second hand Audi Aero 16" 5 spoke alloys and they were still okay when I sold it at over 13 years old, the original Montreal 5 twin spoke wheels festered in my garage until that car was maybe 8 years old at which point I used these wheels in winter with Alpin tyres, by the time I sold it these original wheels were really nasty and leaking across the sealing area so needed frequent topping up.

I have an Audi S4, a February 2011 car which I bought in July 2013, it came with 19" 7 twin spoke wheels and I only use them in summer, I bought second hand 18" Audi A4 5 spoke alloys for winter use with Alpin tyres, I got them refurbished, ie powder coated when I bought them in August 2013, both them and the original 19" alloys are still okay looking.

My wife has an August 2015 Polo 1.2TSI SEL bought new with 5 spoke VW 16" alloys, they have only ever been used in Summer, ie start May until end of October, so at 21K miles they currently look as good as new, for Winter time I bought a used set of VW 15" alloys 7 spoke alloys and fitted them with Alipin tyres, they were new in 2014 I think, so after 1 year of use all year round prior to me buying them, and 3 winters use, they are okay looking on the outside but a bit nasty on the inside, in fact yesterday I washed them with car shampoo, let them dry in the sun, then used Wonder Wheels brake dust remover on them drying them again in the sun, today I cleaned off any remaining brake dust and tar, washed them again and then dried them in the sun, then scraped any raised paintwork on the inner surface and painted them with Hammerite silver paint, again drying them in the sun, so now they are back stacked in the garage ready for next winter.

Edit:- I made an incorrect statement wrt the original VW 16" 5 spoke alloys, ie they have only ever been used in Summer, so have never ever been subjected to road salt.

[RUM4MO]

One thing wolfie, it looks like alloy wheel manufacturers don't really bother about the inner surfaces of these wheels, maybe because they are not normally seen, but as you have said, it is stone damage or covering weaknesses that cause the corrosion to start and then it creeps about coming across the tyre bead sealing points and causing leaks and coming around the spokes to the outer surface and making things like very nasty.

[wolfie]

One thing wolfie, it looks like alloy wheel manufacturers don't really bother about the inner surfaces of these wheels, maybe because they are not normally seen, but as you have said, it is stone damage or covering weaknesses that cause the corrosion to start and then it creeps about coming across the tyre bead sealing points and causing leaks and coming around the spokes to the outer surface and making things like very nasty.

Yeah, I have to agree. The front still looks OK. Any and all of the corrosion that has appeared has crept round from the inner faces. Actually when you look at the finish it's nothing like as good or robust as the outter surface. In my head it's still a new car, but the reality of it is, it is now over 7 years old so it's going to start showing it's age a little.

[Bigtam]

Been thinking about installing a dashcam for months. Rather than leave everything dangling around the screen I thought I'd install it via a permanent feed and hide the wires discretely. Before I jump in feet first I was wondering what the technique is for removing the 'A' Pillar trim without fighting it every inch of the way and damaging any plastic retaining clips. Anyone been there before???

Cheers
[/quote
You can leave the A pillar in place and squeeze the wire in behind