Any aftermarket cleverness with the Webasto parking heater control unit?

[roooms]

I've just bought a new (ebay) centre control assembly that sits between the sun visors as I wanted to replace the gloss black one that cam with the van but I didn't like.

It includes this control unit which seems to be for an OEM webasto heater. My existing setup has a dummy plate there, so I either need to...

1. fit the controls but not use them - cheapest but seems like a wasted opportunity
2. buy a new dummy plate - the second cheapest option and maintains the current setup
3. fit the controls and try and see if I can retrofit the parts it controls - sounds expensive and maybe impossible
4. fit the surround and try to install different buttons/switches there - sounds like the most fun but also may spiral into me buying a 3d printer and spending hours building brackets/fascias

Looking at other threads, @Robert has this setup and I think has scenario 3 covered, but I'm not sure what that would all cost or if it's even possible on a TSI.

Has anyone else done anything clever in this space?

 

[roadtripper]

Do you know if the controls work? #3 is at the extreme end of spiralling investment even for this forum...

I'd have thought the blanking plate is your best bet - if you want to fit your own useful items I'd just get 2 and experiment with mounting stuff in one of them - plus you get more clearance behind.

Variation on #4 would be to see if the existing controls pop out cleanly and glue in a blank bit of plastic, but I think you could spend the same as the proper blanking plate on plastic plates and end up with less room anyway.

 

[roooms]

Yeah, that's great advice. #4 does mean less space and needs a custom bracket. I've already taken it apart and could fit a new piece of plastic in, but making it and getting it right would likely be costly, time-consuming and -as you say- less space vs using a new dummy plate with some easy holes for switches. It would look nice though.

Just to be clear, I wasn't planning on fitting a webasto just to make the buttons work I do quite like the idea of the heater, but I've also got on fine with an electric blanket, so the heater would be a real luxury.

 

[roadtripper]

Just to be clear, I wasn't planning on fitting a webasto just to make the buttons work

To be fair I have a whole garden railway that mostly stems from seeing a potting shed and thinking "that looks a bit like a signalbox" so things like this can happen