Did you know that 46 percent of VW ID. drivers prefer four buttons? Are you tired of fumbling with the VW ID.4’s two-window switch and that finicky rear button?
In this episode, Wes and Jan walk you through an in-depth, real-world retrofit: upgrading to a true four-switch layout—using high-quality Audi (or VW/Skoda) parts and a custom 3D-printed trim.
A transcript of this episode, cleaned up by AI and edited by a staffer, is at the bottom of this post.
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VWID Talk Podcast – Transcript
Welcome back to the VWID Talk Podcast. We’re Wes and Jan, and we’re glad you’re here. If you’re passionate about Volkswagen or EVs, make sure to subscribe. You can also find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, OverDrive, and of course here on YouTube for the full video experience.
Jan has been working for months on a project we teased in our last episode about steering wheel buttons. Today we’re excited to show you what he built. Listen to that satisfying click—that’s Audi’s mechanical key switches in action. Jan designed this part.
Last time, we talked about how the steering wheel buttons fit together without modification. This retrofit is more complicated, but worth it. Jan, tell us what you’ve done.
We moved from two-button switches to four-button switches. You can see the before and after photos from my car. Now, instead of two switches, there are four.
Why four window switches? Two switches can work if executed well, but the rear button on the old setup was awkward. There was no way to find it by feel, the light was hidden under your finger, and it was easy to hit the child lock by mistake. That happened to me constantly, especially when my kids were trying to get out of the car.
To address this, I even hacked together a temporary fix by wiring a vibration motor to the LED to give feedback, but it wasn’t perfect. The new four-switch setup solves those problems. You can open any window directly, and it makes things like creating a cross-breeze pattern much easier.
The downside is that Volkswagen packaged everything—the window switches, mirror adjustment, lock/unlock, and child lock—into one assembly. This mod splits it into three components, which means more wiring, but it’s more user-friendly.
For the retrofit, we looked at mechanical fitment, electrical compatibility, and software coding. Mechanically, it’s challenging—you have to design custom parts and cut into the existing trim. Electrically, it’s simpler. The door module supports the extra functions, so it’s mostly about building the right harness.
I 3D-printed the part and designed it in Fusion 360. Early prototypes were printed in red for easy inspection, then refined for a perfect fit. Cutting into the piano black trim requires patience, but the piece is inexpensive to replace if needed. I used a hot knife attachment on a soldering iron for clean cuts.
Inside the door, I built a custom harness to connect everything. The original connector handled multiple functions, but now there are additional connectors for the window switches, lock/unlock button, and mirror switch.
I’ve been driving with this setup for a few weeks and it works great. The 2021 ID.4 door module accepts the four-switch setup without an upgrade. The only custom work needed was the harness and 3D-printed parts.
This mod also gives flexibility. You can use switches from a Jetta, Atlas, Skoda Enyaq, or the Audi Q4 e-tron. I used the Audi switches for their mechanical feel, but we’re experimenting with Volkswagen and Skoda parts too.
We’ll continue refining this, including exploring a plug-and-play harness. On our forum, we’ll post part numbers for different versions of the mod. Keep in mind that the 3D-printed housing needs to match the switches you choose.
Thanks for watching. Please subscribe so you don’t miss our next episode—we have more button projects planned.
