The rubber compartment mat that conceals the 12-volt receptacle needs to be removed to access the power receptacle. The compartment with the mat removed looks unfinished. So, I would like to cut a (hopefully) precise hole in the mat to make the receptacle accessible. I already have a flush-mount 2-port USB car charger, now I just need to modify the mat.

The Porsche part number appears to be 95B863328 (thanks to folks at Porsche Delaware parts department) and am waiting for confirmation and will order as a replacement. I also found a silicone replacement on Ali Express but am dubious that it is the right part. It's on the way to me, so I'll find out in a week or so.

Does anyone have a suggestion on the best approach to neatly and effectively cutting the hole in the rubber (or silicone) mat? I am not very handy and don't want the end result to look awful.

 

maybe try an apple corer or similar metal tool that you can heat up and then "hammer/press" through the mat. This way the heat is doing more of the hard which should help make it a cleaner cut

 

Something like this will work
Use some card to make a template from the mat, locate where you want the hole and punch a hole in the card. Repeat, if you have to, until you get it where it should be. Now use the card as a template for the mat.

Consider a USB charger with a slight flange so that it covers the edge of the hole.

 

Thank you! This is a great idea. Not sure if should get 20mm or 21mm. But this seems like a workable approach!

 

I can't help with advice on the sizing - the set of punches I have only goes up to 19mm. I have used it to cut washers and shims where the size I wanted was impossible to find.

 

Unfortunately this connects to Amazon Britain. Can not find it on Amazon United States

 

Here is the (20mm not 21mm as in the other post)
I ordered and received this punch and think it will be too small to accommodate the charger.

So I ordered a and will try that once my http://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806461816155.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.79861802Zj6qTN&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa or the actual http://www.delawareporscheparts.com/oem-parts/porsche-insert-for-stowage-compartment-95b863328?c=bD0xJm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT1wb3JzY2hlJm89bWFjYW4meT0yMDIzJnQ9Z3RzJmU9Mi05bC12Ni1nYXM%3D arrives.

I don't know why the URLs are not embedding in the text. Preview displays correctly and I used the link button.

 

So the Ali Express part I ordered arrived. It does fit and may be useful but is not a direct replacement for the Porsche "Insert For Stowage Compartment - 95B-863-328" part. The Ali Express unit is made from silicone so it does not have the rigidity of the OEM piece and it is much larger than OEM, but it does indeed fit. I will attempt to punch a hole in the silicone piece and see how well I can make it fit. A small piece of two-sided tape may be required to keep silicone unit nicely attached. The OEM piece also has two legs which sit in the recesses of the console to keep the mat in [place. See pix...

[img]https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlist.com-vbulletin/2000x641/20240705_170450_56f8920557d6c4d4e2278150acc1ccee5b520553.jpg
OEM on left, Ali Express on right

OEM on left, Ali Express on right. Note that the OEM piece has two legs which fit into the console to keep the piece in place. The Ali Express silicone unit does not have these legs and is a much larger cup.

OEM on left, Ali Express on right

 

I ordered and received a 20mm punch which appears to be too narrow. I e ordered and received a 22mm punch which I think will do the trick. Will attempt to modify the Ali Express silicone run and see how that goes.

 

I used the 22mm punch to make a hole in the Ali Express silicone tray using a template I made. Wasn't perfect, but pretty close.The silicone tub isn't a perfect fit as it's not quite deep enough. If you press on the bottom, the front wall of the tub bends inward. This could be rectified with some double-sided tape. I also received a replacement Porsche OEM stowage tray and may try to use the punch on that piece keep the look more original.

The Ali Express silicone tub after using the 22mm punch.

The fitted silicone tub from Ali Express that I modified.

Silicone tub bends when pressure applied to bottom - it's not precisely as deep as the well.

 

I received the OEM compartment mat so I decided to go ahead and modify the original mat rather than use the Ali Express silicone tub. I used the 22mm punch and a paper template to make the hole. Here are pix of the part and the final placement. I am happy with the result.

 

Well done, that's a very neat looking job.