About Me

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I’m Nick Roshon, sometimes known as “nnnick” on various automotive forums, and I started this blog back in 2009 to document my adventures modifying and maintaining my 2006 Audi A4.

Since then, the blog has grown and millions of people from around the globe have read my DIYs, left helpful comments, and supported my car modification addiction. My work has been featured on Quattroworld, Audi Club of North America, Audizine, and many more, and while I don’t have as much time for blogging as I once did, I still enjoy getting to post whenever I can.

I’ve owned many different cars since starting this blog including the trifecta of B7 Audis (A4, S4, and RS4), as well as a TTRS, R8, and Porsche Cayenne. Each car I’ve enjoyed for very different reasons, and its been a lot of fun documenting my likes and dislikes on this blog. While I have an R8 now, I like cars of all price points and brands, and my first car was a modified Ford Explorer and then I had a lightly modified Acura TSX before picking up my first Audi in 2008, and my wife has a 2014 Ford Focus SE that we’ve owned since new as our trusted daily driver.

When not playing with cars, I live in San Diego and work for a digital marketing agency called NP Digital where I oversee Enterprise sales, and also help my wife run her website for her psychology practice, C-STAR. I am also a father of one, avid runner, dog lover, and go to cars & coffee almost every weekend.

I My driving experience includes track days at:

  • Firebird Raceway
  • Phoenix International Raceway
  • Buttonwillow Raceway
  • Chuckwalla Raceway
  • Infineon Raceway (Sears Point)
  • Streets of Willow / Willow Springs Raceway
  • Inde Motorsports Ranch
  • Chuckwalla Valley Raceway
  • Spring Mountain Motorsport Ranch
  • Go Kart Racing League at F1 Race Factory
  • Land Rover Offroad Driving School at the Greenbriar Resort

If you’d like to connect with me, you can friend/follow me on Instagram, leave a comment below, or contact me via email at cars@nickroshon.com.

108 Comments

  1. Hey man, I just recently purchased a 2006 audi s4 and was looking for some mods for it. I noticed you front LED strips (like the ones the newer model audis have) I was wondering where you got them from and if yould give me some info on them. I would really appreciate it. Your site is very nice and very helpful. I really appreciate your time. Thanks.
    -Gary

  2. Hey Nick – I have a 2002 A4 and lost one of the headlight washer lids. My question is – Can I just replace the lid, or do I have to replace the entire system including the pump. And of course directions on how to do it 🙂

  3. Thaddeus – thanks for checking out my site – I sent you an email with some ideas. Let me know if that helps!

  4. Hey Nick! – I just gotta say that you have a great site and your car looks sick! I also gotta admit that all your guids are really helpfull…Keep the great work up! I´ve got a B7 A4 myself, eventho Im going for the RS4-loock. . Abit expensive, but eh. Next step on my car will be the SO EASY INSTALLED door-blades 😀 Thanks to your guid that is. And also a RS4 front bumper. . I hope for success! 🙂

    – Take care and good luck! Im looking forward for more good guids where people can learn even more! Cheers // dS

  5. Thanks!! I appreciate the compliments! Keep me posted on how the RS4 conversion comes out, I’d love to see it! I’ll be sure to keep posting DIYs & Guides here 🙂

  6. Nick…i am looking at getting CF interior for my B7, which has platinum seats. Can you send me a couple of pics of the interior, specifically the seats against the CF trim?

    Thanks.

  7. Hey nick whats up. love you car. i saw on that diy for the s6 leds you said i can get the lower grilles for 350 a set? that still going on? and does that come with leds? thanks

  8. Hi Nick; Long time, No time,. Fine job ALL Around… Racing an all…SWEET.. Now if ya got a little spare time mayhapps you could help your dad an I on the 1937 4 1/4 Bentley “ROSHON” drophead. WHAT? don’t know about this one yet, well I guess it’s a secret… Hope to see ya before or after your cuss’s wedding…mo.later Ron

  9. Good to hear from you Ron! That’s awesome you found my site. I have only heard a little bit about a supposed Bentley ROSHON drophead – you’ll have to fill me in! Definitely look forward to chatting…

  10. Hey buddy,
    I just came across your blog when I was looking for fun scenic drives I could take with my new Audi. I am a first time Audi owner and my 2011 TT Roadster is supposed to arrive in Chandler May 23rd. I am so excited! Thanks for the postings and looking forward to future updates. Maybe one day we can meet up.
    Thanks, Mark!

  11. Hey nick,

    Just stumbled upon your blog while searching for mods to my 2006 A4 B7. Love what you did to your car man. And superb write-up too =). Cheers!

  12. GREAT Site man! The car looks sick. I’ve been looking at your S6 LED DIY a lot lately and I’m about ready to take the plunge lol. I live in Phoenix and was thinking about maybe having you make the S6 grill’s for me, are you still offering this service?

  13. Hey Nick, stumbled across your site today and haven’t been able to leave since. Great info here, love it. I’ve been thinking about swapping out my S-Line B7’s grill for a blacked out one, I’d like to see some pics of a black B7 with the blacked out RS4 optic style grill. ECS has it installed on a yellow one in their pics. Thanks in advance!

  14. Not sure if I can help you there, other than to say it will look great. Check out Audizine.com and you should be able to find one similar?

  15. That’s what I’ve been thinking, I’ll keep checking around the forums though. I did like the March car of the month’s look, Ryan’s black B7 with the blacked out S-Line grill looked sick. I’m just trying to visualize the optic grill.

  16. Hey Nick,

    Awesome site, love the car. Do you have spacers on your car or did your wheels come with that offset? I have an S-line B7 too, and am ready to make some wheel changes.

    Best,
    Aaron P.

  17. I’ve never ran spacers on any of my wheels – the OEM S-Line wheels probably could have used some, but my BBS & Sporttechnic Wheels sat pretty flush (even rubs a tiny bit in the rear) as-is in 19×8.5 ET35…

    Thanks for checking out my site!

  18. Hey Nick, I just purchased an 05 a4 that’s tricked out, but it has stock exhaust. I am used to trucks and don’t think I can drive anything so quiet. What do you recommend exhaust wise? again, I am used to trucks and being able to buy just a 200 dollar or so muffler, or 400 for a muffle and new tips. Everything I’ve seen for audi exhaust is a 1,000 or higher. Is it possible to just get the muffler and keep the piping, or will I eventually have to purchase the whole exhaust system? Thanks for the time. Appreciate it. Dope care btw.

  19. Haha yeah our exhausts are much more expensive than what you’re used to. If you shop around you should be able to find a catback around $800 or so.

    If budget is a big issue, a lot of people just buy Magnaflow mufflers for like $200 then have the piping done custom by a shop.

    You could also consider getting a test pipe to eliminate your cat converter for like $150, this will make it sound louder as well.

    Thanks for your comments!

  20. HEy NICK,
    Amazing job on your beautiful A4!
    I recently got a 2006 A4 and replaced the stock sidemarkers to the clear ones.
    How did you replace the orange reflectors in the headlights to be clear as well?
    Are there any details on how to DIY?

    Thanks for the great BLOGS you post!
    Max

  21. Thanks!!! I have been meaning to do a DIY post on the clear corner mod. Basically, you just knock out the amber reflectors. There are a few threads on Audizine that show how to do it.

  22. Just found your site and enjoy it a lot. my B7 is just like yours (even silver) except its stock. i’ve been looking for some rims for it that won’t break the bank. Are there good deals out there for rim/tire sets for about $1000 for the B7, or do they generally cost a lot more. Keep up the great work!

  23. Hey Mac – for $1000 it will be tough to find a wheel/tire set that’s new. VMR makes some great wheels for Audis, and you can generally get a 19″ wheel/tire package for about $1500, but that’s about as low as I’ve seen new.

    If I were you, I’d consider buying used. Check out the Audizine Classifieds: http://www.audizine.com/classifieds/showcat.php?cat=48 and also check out Craigslist in your local area.

    The specs of the wheels you want are a 5×112 bolt pattern. If you are looking for a 19″ wheel, you’ll probably want something about 8-9″ wide, with an offset around ET35. Tires are usually 235-35-19, although you could run a 225 or 245 width pretty easily if you want, depending on your needs/wants. Hope that helps!

  24. Hi i have acquired some genuine Audi 19″ 8.5″ areo spoke alloys offset of 43 for my A4 B6 model just wondering if i would need any spacers, have tried the wheels on with no tyres they fit but it looks a bit close. I was going to put 235 35 19 tyres on them, may be space them to offset of 35.

  25. Hey Nick, and a big hello from sunny England (raining like heck), amazing website pal, really helpful, I’ve used a few of your guides already on removing bumpers and grills and plan on using your S6 retro-fitting on the fogs in the near future, I’ve got one for you though mate if your interested (unless you’ve already heard) I’ve retro-fitted an RS6 grill to a s-line surround and it looks mint, and as your in the states and don’t need a front number plate it would get full use day in day out, no filler plate needed just pure RS grill, and it’s easy to do.

    Rich

  26. Rich – that sounds really cool. How did you do it? Got any pics? If you’re interested in writing a DIY for me, I’d be happy to post it here on my blog…

  27. Yea Sound mate do you have an e-mail address and I’ll write one u and send pics and you can go from there

    Rich

  28. DUDE CRAZY BRO…. I cant believe u got rid of her. I get it i wish i had an s4 to bro but the s/line was such a nice car/

  29. I see the HIDs you installed. R u not going to reinstall the led’s from the fogz u made from the s/line on it?

  30. what else have u done to it? or r u going to just transfer everything over. most everything should fit theyre virtually identical

  31. Dave – I don’t think I’m going to do S6 LEDs on the S4 this time around. They were a fun mod but going a different route this time. So far I’ve just swapped over some little things, I’ve been super busy so the S4 hasn’t been getting the attention I’d like to give it.

  32. Hey nick.. I have a question.. I’m planning to set a up same exhaust system that you set up for your B7 A4 FWD Auto tran. Do you happend to know the part # for your S4 quadtip? and how did you put it together with BB? shop did it for you ? cost?

  33. I was lucky in that Billy Boat (B&B) is located in Phoenix, so they installed it directly. I would call either B&B or GoodSpeed Performance Lab. GoodSpeed is the shop that helped me build the exhaust and facilitated the conversation with B&B, so GoodSpeed can definitely help you. GoodSpeed reccommended B&B and after 3+ years of modding Audis I’ve gotta say GoodSpeed has always been helpful & highly recommended. You can check ’em out at: http://www.goodspeedperformance.com/

  34. Thanks Nick ! But I have last and final question. Do you happend to remember your tip size?

  35. I believe the tip size is either 2.75 or 3″, I can’t remember and have since sold the car & exhaust to a new owner. Anyone at GoodSpeed should be able to help you out there.

  36. hey nick i really like what u do to ur cars.. i have a b7 s4 myself (imola yellow) and its completely stock right now.. i want to start modifying it but i didnt know where to look until now.. i reeeaaallllyyy like the lip u have on the front bumper of the red s4. and i would also like to know about good suspension for my car if u have any ideas. the rs4 grill is an awsome look and its something i want to do to mine. i dont want to go crazy i just want it to have a nice stance and i want it to look clean.. so if u’d like please write back with some of ur audi knowledge and any additional info on how and where i can get these parts.. thank u very much

  37. Hi Ivan – thanks! Imola Yellow is a great car and pretty rare, enjoy it!

    The lip and the RS4 Grille are great starting mods as they make a huge impact visually and are fairly easy to buy & install. I have posts on both topics for you to check out.

    For suspension, I just installed some STaSIS Ohlins SL coilovers. They’re fairly high-end, but I wanted something that could withstand some track duty in addition to looking nice. I’ve heard a lot of great things about just going with H&R Springs and Koni Yellow shocks if you’re looking for something cheaper however.

  38. Hi,… I have a 2007 A4 Avant with the titanium package. I’m doing something similar to yours. Are those the stock headlights with an LED add-on or did you replace the lights altogether?

  39. Ryan’s “Featured Ride” car uses the fly300kts LED kit – you can find him on Audizine and he will retrofit the kit for you or you can email him at tbm850 at gmail.com

  40. Hey nick, just wanted to see if the carbonio intake or the boost gauge, or other items from the a4 were for sale?

  41. Hey i need your Nick hepl to change fog light bulbs on audi Rs4 if u can email me i
    would be great

  42. Nick,

    The swift metric springs you have on the SL ohlins were which part number? Thanks

  43. Nick- how are the SL’s holding up. I keep getting misleading info about the SL’s and how they were designed for time attack and should be torn down and rebuilt regularly. I wanted to know from your experience whether you use the S4 as a DD and how many miles you already have on SL’s. Every time i research Ohlins SL – your blog pops up and so I decided to ask you. Thanks.

  44. Steve,
    The SLs do need to be rebuilt occasionally, but not as often as say the Motorsports would. I think STaSIS recommends the SLs about once every two years whereas Motorsports should be done once per year. From what I’ve seen, most people can get 40-50k miles out of the SLs before they start to ride rough and need rebuilt, which is about the expected life of coilovers/struts anyway. The rebuild process costs $500 and you can have them send you a set in advance if you give them a deposit to minimize downtime, so the way I look at it is that once every 2-3 years I’ll pay $500 (plus labor) to get a like-new set of coilovers installed…not a bad program . I’m still very happy with mine – I bought them used and have put about 3,000 miles on them and 1 track day so far, no issues or complaints.

  45. Hi Nick
    First off fantastic site! Just curious if you have used any LED lighting products from ECS Tunning? Have you heard positive or negative? any inoformation would be appreciated as this is the next upgrade ii would like to do on my A4.

  46. I don’t have a ton of experience with ECS/Ziza’s LED products, but they tend to be very expensive compared to comparable products on the market. In this blog I’ve demonstrated alternative LED products that are much cheaper and equally if not more effective. I know a few people have paid for the $50 Ziza “Error Free” City Lights/DRL lights and still had errors, but regardless it’s just a $5 LED and $3 resistor that you pay $50 for, so I find it hard to justify that price even if they did work 100% of the time…

  47. Hey Nick,

    I just picked up a 2007 A4 non s-line in silver. Just put on some 19’s and a nice rs4 style rear spolier so the back and sides are looking pretty good. The front bumper however has got to go! It so bland and unsporty. I like the Deval RS4 a lot but i’m worried about the quality and fit due to the mixed reviews on audizine. What should I do? I need something sporty and awesome. Can a S4 B7 bumper fit? or should I go S-line like yours. BTW i’m for sure doing the S6 LED’S like yours, they’re awesome. Any help would be great man. So happy I found your blog. hope to hear back from you soon.

    Rob

  48. Hi Rob,
    I too have heard pretty poor reviews of the Deval bumper, including two friends that own the bumper and spent a lot of time & money with body shops to get it to fit “better” without ever really fitting perfect. I’d stick with the OEM route and upgrade to an S-line/S4 bumper (they are the same part/part number) or a DTM S4 bumper if you want something a little different. Both mods (non S-line to a S4 or DTM bumper) have been done by A4 owners in the past and are fairly straightforward – a new bumper cover, fog lights, grilles, reflectors and you’re pretty much good to go.

    The S6 LEDs were awesome but expensive and took a lot of work to get right. I loved them, but I don’t think I’ll be doing them on my S4 just due to the custom work involved and wanting to keep my S4 more stock looking. But props if you decide to do it! I’d start wiht an S4 bumper upgrade first, and save the S6 LEDs for later…

  49. Hey Nick,

    Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I decided to go with the Oettinger bumper because I wanted to be distinct without sacrificing quality. I also picked up a pair of S4 door blades. Once everything is painted can I email you a pick and get it up on the blog? Should be ready to go by the end of next week.

    ps. I decided to wait on the S6 LED’s and just go for HID fogs/DRL for now. We’ll see what happens down the road. Thanks for all your input. Much appreciated.

    Rob

  50. Hey Nick,
    Quick question, I purchased an RS4 grille and it came with the chrome Audi badge installed. I also picked up a pair of aftermarket matte black badges (front and rear). Have you ever swapped out the grille badge before and if so do you have any advice on how to remove the OEM badge without damaging the tabs that hold it in place?

    Thanks.

  51. @Morgan,
    I’ve done that, yes. I used a small flathead screwdriver, like the kind you’d use for eyeglasses. You can use that to depress the tabs and then pop them out one at a time. Still very tedious and you may end up breaking one or two on accident, but the majority should be fine and as long as you keep at least 2-3 of them it won’t come out of place…it’s tricky but can be done, just be patient.

  52. hey man i live in scottsdale, i have some ideas about what i want to do to my 06 audi a4,
    but not to sure how..lol curious if i could get some advice from you? thanks

  53. Hi Nick,

    Probably a long shot, but do you still have the stock A4 shift knob? Actually, all I need is the little plastic “R-1-3-5-..” cap on top, it is just glued on and can be easily pried off. If you would be will to part with your or know where to get one let me know 🙂

    Thanks

  54. Hey Nick,

    Great blog, it has definitely helped me through the years. I’ve recently experienced a burnt out headlight bulb and realized how pesky it is to remove the bumper. So I went the no-bumper-removal route. Learned a lot of things, and how simple it is after doing it for the first time. I only made one mistake, and it’s a pretty bad one. I dropped one of the screws that secure the headlight cover at the back. Do you know if it’s alright to leave that hole unscrewed (it’s tight and secure, but I don’t know how it’ll hold with water). If it’s not, do you know where I could pick up these screws?

    I’ve contacted my local dealer, apparently the screws only come with the caps, which comes to a total of $41.

    Cheers,

    Kevin

  55. Hey nick,

    love the site very helpful, i was wondering if your could help me. I have an audi a4 b7 2005.5 with the nav inside it and i was wondering if you could recommend me some sort of device or audio system so i can plug my android phone into? If you could help that be great.
    🙂
    Alan

  56. Nick thank you for covering Volkstock and your very kind words.. We have heard only positive comments with a few constructed comments that are all being addressed for the show in October..most that became obvious to us..
    We had a final count of 254 and between 2500 to 3000 attendees.. Amazing for our first event with only two months of planning. We and German Toyz concieved the idea late December an had to hussle to make this work as fluid as possible..
    Thanks again and see you at the next show.. Mark Miller

  57. Hi Nick, I was wondering if your friend Matt would like to sell his White S4 cab. If so have him email me at the address above. Thanks, great site, great cars.

  58. hey man i live in scottsdale too and i just bought the hofele ”b8 look” bumper, but my grill doesnt fit, do know anyone selling an s4 one…i believe i need that or an RS grill.
    I bought one of those RS look alike ones of ebay for my b7 but it doesnt fit my new bumper. thanks man

  59. Jack – awesome, haven’t seen many people with that bumper. Be sure to send me some pics! I don’t know of anyone with an S4 grille for sale in that area currently. Check out eBay or ECS Tuning and I’m sure you can find one though!

  60. Hey Nick thanks a lot for referring ECS Tuning, they had the grille i needed and it was on sale. ill send picks when its all complete.

  61. Please give me your email. I need to send you info and have a question you may be able to help me with concerning my 2007 A4 B7 3.2L Avant. Thank you

  62. Nick new to your site. excellent i must say, lots of great info. just purchased my first 2007 a4 quattro. what body mods are on the red a4 in the black out headlights article. that is exactly how i want my a4 to look. thank you

  63. Hi Scott, Would you be able to post a How to on changing the reverse bulbs to an LED type and wiring in resistors becuase apparetly they need resistors even if the bulb has them built in to avoind canbus eror. And also how to run the Fog light only mod, with or without parking light? Thanks for all of your great info!

  64. Thanks Daniel…from what I’ve read, no one had been successful at LED reverse bulbs on a B7, unless you go for aftermarket LED housings – I’m sure it’s doable, but I’d take some playing around. In terms of running fog light only, check out these threads for what you’re looking for: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/188467-a-Bit-longer-than-5-minute-Fogs-w-JUST-Parking-City-Lights and http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/124446-5-Minute-DIY-CityLight-w-Fog-Mod-(Props-to-quot-FatAuto-quot-on-AW)

  65. Hello, any tips for removing the rainbow effect/water spots on the chrome window trim?
    Car is white and don’t want to black it out.
    B7 A4.

  66. I was wondering if you would know where I can find the 4 digit pin code for an RNS-E unit? Other than going to the dealership.

  67. Nick,
    Always love your site! Your DIY guides are appreciated. I wanted to know if you have replaced your snub mount in your B7 S4? I have a B7 S4 and wanted to replace the snub mount but dumbfounded after I took a look underneath the car… thanks

  68. You have to put the car into service mode and swing the radiator out, the snub mount is kind of in front of the engine but behind the radiator…hard to get to. You can definitely DIY install the snub mount, but it’s a pain – I opted to pay someone else to do it for me…

  69. Hey nick I was wondering how to change my day time running lights to led. The videos I have seen don’t really help. I have the xenon lights that move as you turn. Also wanted to change the fog lights. But the videos shows that you have to understand unclip the clip in front of the fog lights but my car doesn’t have that. I was wondering if I have to take out the bumber.thanks

  70. Hi Nick – I’m looking into buying a 2005 Audi S4 with 120,000. At the time i was far from reach in obtaining a car like this, so i’ve been sticking to VW GTI or GLI’s. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs on the car, but stuck in the middle. Some are against buying something like that and others are go get it! So far looks like the car has minor services at Audi dealers here in CA, so that’s a plus. Let me know your insights for a soon to be Audi S4 owner. Awesome site too!

  71. Hi Gabriel – check out my B7 Buyers Guide for some things to look out for: https://www.nickscarblog.com/reviews/b7-audi-buyers-guide-2005-5-2008-audi-a4-s4-rs4 – the risk with buying that car on a tight budget is that if the timing chains go out, it’s a $6k repair bill and you SOL. Likewise things like insurance and gas costs will be much higher than a GTI. While it’s an awesome car, I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have some cushion or savings to account for this, you might be better off doing some mods on an A4 or GTI and have nearly as fun of a car without some of the risks. That’s just my 2c though!

  72. Hi Nick;
    I just came accross your blog looking for help on the dipped headlight error, great information thanks a lot! I have a different question though that I am afraid to call and ask the dealer about. My A4 had the “excess oil consumption”‘repair done where they replace pistons/ rings etc at around 75k miles. Now I am wondering if the 85k service due anyway since that was a kind of rebuild. What are your thoughts? Would oil change be enough?
    Thank you

    R

  73. Hi Rafa – the 85k service is basically just an oil change anyway, so I think you’re good:

    Service at 85,000 miles (130,000 km) or 1 year after last service, whichever occurs first.

    Engine oil/filter
    Service reminder indicator display- reset
    Check the following:
    windshield wiper and washer/ headlight washer- add fluid if necessary
    tire and spare wheel- check for wear and damage. Rotate tires. Check tire pressure.
    Road test- Check braking, kick down, steering, electrical, HVAC system, automatic shift lock,
    and power accessories.

  74. Hi Nick,

    Trust you are doing well.

    I am having an Audi A4 B8, it says it has Bluetooth connectivity but I am unable to connect to Bluetooth. It has MMI 2g high factory system on it, the version on it is B8-HU 20.9.0 0809

    Is there a software update available for it? If yes, how do it do it? The car is a Japanese import and I am now located in Newzealand. It has Japanese maps in it and would love to get NZ maps, any chance you could help me out with this?

    Thanks in advance.

  75. Hey Lohith, I would look for updated Maps DVD on eBay, and I believe when you get new maps it should also have any patches/updates to the MMI software included.

  76. Nick,
    Good site for Audi fans. Many interesting things and info. Thanks. Now…I’ve got a 2007 RS4 and I’ve been experincing the problem of parasitic amperage drain on my battery. I’m going to get another opinion about the battery and the alternator…but, they both have some months back checked OK. I’m thinking it must be the Bluetooth module and not only because that has been a known problem but due to the fact the on screen BT symbol and any way to connect a phone have disappeared. At first I thought that was good as it probably meant the malfunctioning BT module had totally died and would not likely continue to drain my battery. That was not the case as it died some time ago and the battery still drains.in several days time unless I”m driving it on the highway for longer distances which, I guess, work to give the battery a proper charge. Of course I’m not sure if it is the BT module, but it surely seems defective at the same time. What are you thoughts and any experience with this problem will be appreciated. Thanks.
    John Werner

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