Battle Of The Buttons On VW ID.4 - The Final Round Of Tactile Domination

👷🏽‍♂️Build resources

3D models on MakerWorld https://makerworld.com/en/models/1929589-headlight-multimedia-switches-bracket-vw-id

Deep-dive discussion: https://www.vwidtalk.com/posts/316986/

👀Related episodes

4-Button window switches: • No More 'REAR' Button! Ultimate Volkswagen...

Tactile steering-wheel switches: • VW ID.4's Big Problem SOLVED - Real Steeri...

Check out the   VWIDTalk Podcast on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts ( Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, Overdrive and more).

A transcript, cleaned up by AI and edited by a staffer, is below.

The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.

[Image: YouTube Screenshot]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

Transcript:

Welcome back to the VWIDTalk podcast. We’re your hosts, Wes and Jan, and this episode is a special one because we’ve now been doing this for just over a year. This was Jan’s idea, and I’m really glad you asked me to do it. We want to take a moment to say how much we appreciate everyone who listens and subscribes. We’re just volunteers with no sponsors, and your support really keeps us motivated to work on our cars and hopefully help you work on yours.

Today’s topic is essentially the final chapter in our series on retrofitting tactile switches into the ID.4. We’ve now completed retrofits for the headlights and the infotainment controls using OEM tactile switches from Skoda. Previously, Jan figured out how to replace the steering wheel buttons, and we also added physical window switches—four individual switches instead of the capacitive setup. Mine isn’t wired yet, but that’s coming.

This last project replaces the light and climate control panels under the infotainment screen. Originally, these functions relied on capacitive controls, and many owners found them difficult to use without looking, often triggering the wrong feature—especially the Max Defrost or, on all-wheel-drive cars, the heated windshield. Reviewers also struggled with this, often tapping in the wrong spot because the sensitive zones didn’t align with the printed icons.

Jan’s solution was to replace the entire light cluster with physical switches. On the right side are tactile buttons for climate functions, and the left three buttons carry over from the original setup: Assist, Drive Mode, and the “P” camera button. Three buttons from the original panel were moved to the climate controls on the right side of the display. The seldom-used windshield heater function was relocated to a shortcut within the infotainment system since Jan has only used it once in four years.

The end result is more logical: the lower panel is dedicated to lighting functions, while climate controls live on the upper panel next to the screen. All components are OEM Skoda parts used in models like the Enyaq and Elroq, which gives everything a factory look and feel.

Installing the new system is electrically simple—just plug and play. However, both the light cluster and the climate/infotainment panel must be replaced together, or you’ll lose access to some functions. The real challenge is mechanical. Jan had to design and 3D-print custom trim pieces to integrate the new hardware and also needed to trim part of the dashboard with a Dremel. The original pieces can cover the cut area if restored, so the modification is reversible from a cosmetic standpoint.

Jan showed the redesigned pieces, including a custom top trim panel and the bottom housing that holds the Skoda buttons. The parts were prototyped in red plastic during development and eventually printed in PETG with carbon fiber, since PLA would deform from heat. It took roughly 10–15 iterations to get the fit perfect, especially around the screen contours.

Interestingly, recent reviews of VW’s upcoming MEB-plus platform show that Volkswagen itself is moving toward new tactile climate buttons in future models. While we don’t yet know if these will appear in future ID.4s or ID.7s, there’s reason to believe they might be compatible as retrofits—but that remains to be seen.

Jan demonstrated the finished 3D models in CAD, explaining how he photographed the panel, traced the geometry, then built the digital parts around it. Similar custom housings were developed for the lower and upper button modules, each designed to drop cleanly into the space left by the factory components.

The result looks factory-correct and solves the usability issues that came with the original capacitive controls.

Jan also teased the next episode, where they drove their ID.4 all the way down to zero state of charge to see what happens as the battery depletes. So make sure to subscribe for that one.