Update: Parted Out & Sold in February, 2012 for a Brilliant Red B7 S4
I bought the car used in 2008 with 29k miles on it from Audi Chandler after I had totaled my Acura TSX in an unfortunate collision with a Lincoln Navigator (he won). I instantly fell in love with it, and have been slowly modifying it since, with the goal of keeping the clean, striking design from the factory while enhancing it with some OEM and aftermarket parts to make it perform and look a little better than stock. Check out my mod list below for more information on what I’ve done to modify my car, as well as the options that came with it. Many of the mods have links to individual posts in this blog reviewing the product or supplying more pictures of the mod.
My Mod List:
Stock:
- 2.0T Engine
- Full S-line Package (wheels & suspension now sold)
- Bose Symphony II Stereo
- Convenience Package
- Light Silver Metallic Paint
- Audi CPO Extended Warranty
Suspension & Braking:
- 19×8.5 BBS CH Black Edition Wheels in ET35 with carbon center caps
- 19×8.5 BBS CH Wheels (Silver) in ET35 with carbon center caps & red center caps (sold)
- 19×8.5 Rays Engineering Sporttechnic Mono 10 Premium 2 Piece Forged Wheels (sold)
- 235/35/19 Michelin PilotSport PS2 tires
- Koni Coilovers
- 22mm RS4 Rear Sway bar
- 640 mod – removed fuse to improve road feel and reduce power steering assist
- Adam’s Rotors
- Hawk HPS Brake Pads (Front & Rear)
- USP Motorsports Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Performance:
- APR Stage 2 tune with Stock/91/93/100 programs
- APR Stainless Steel Test Pipe
- Billy Boat (B&B) Exhaust with S4 Quad tips
- Carbonio Intake
- 034 Motorsport Silicone Turbo Inlet Pipe
Lighting:
- OEM Bi-Xenon E-Code Headlights & Kufatec Retrofit harness (originally equipped with Halogen)
- S6 DRL LED Retrofit with OEM S6 grills retrofitted to S-line bumper
- LED License Plate Bulbs (42 Draft Designs)
- Clear Corner Mod
- LED City Lights
- “Chrome Dome” turn signals
Interior (View all posts tagged Interior Mods)
- LED Interior Lighting
- RS4 Pedals & RS6 Dead Pedal
- Agency Power Big Paddle Shifters
- Carbon Fiber Interior trim by oCarbon
- LED Cigarette lighter flashlight
- Platinum S4 Recaro Seats
- CiM Vent Mounted Boost Gauge
- RS4 E-Brake Cover
Aesthetics & Miscellaneous:
- DIY Black-out RS4 Grille
- SpoonFedTuning Carbon Fiber Cupra Lip
- S4 Door Blades
- Audi S4 Rear Valence in Carbon Fiber (removed & destroyed)
- DTH Side Skirts (removed & sold)
- Eurogear carbon fiber hood
- Clear Front Sidemarkers & DIY Color Matched Rear Sidemarkers
- 3 Piece Engine Cover Set: Cowl Cover, Battery Cover, and RS4 Drivers Side Cover
- VAG-com Mods: Window Up/Down by Remote, Doors Auto-lock
- Gunmetal Trunk Rings
- Audizine Black Zinc Metal License Plate Frame
Electronics:
- Hardwired Escort Passport 8500 X50 Radar Detector
- In-Car Motorola Droid Integration & Car Mount
- Panavise Car Mount
- BlitzSafe AUDI/AUX DMX V.1B to add an auxiliary input
- Ross-Tech VAG-COM cable
- Leather Care – Leatherique Pristine Clean (regular cleaning of seats) & Rejuvinator Oil (to restore cracked or dry leather)
- Interior Cleaning – Einszett 1Z Cockpit Preimum
- Quick Detailer – Poorboy’s World Spray & Wipe
- Wheel Cleaner – SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect
- Tire Shine – TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat
- Microfiber Towels – DI Microfiber All Purpose Towel
Wish List:
- Vorsteiner vented carbon fiber hood
- DTM Rear Bumper
- RNS-E Navigation Unit
- Big Brake Kit
- Firmer coilovers or suspension
- Alcantara flat bottom steering wheel
- Paint Touch Ups
- titanium window trim
- black roof
at 8:57 AM
The 034 sway bars do look really nice, I’m tempted to try it out on my S4…but so far, I haven’t seen one or tested one, so it’s hard for me to tell. If I were going to go that route, I’d go with the end links too just to get the full package. 034 is a pretty reputable company so I would think its a quality product, but if you already have an RS4 rear sway you may just want to keep what you have and see later down the road what the reviews look like and if folks think its worth upgrading from an RS4 to an 034 sway bar…
at 3:25 PM
Well, I am still debating whether to get the RS4 or the 034 rear sway bars. 034 is a great reputable company. Now, if I go with the RS4 bar will I be required to get new end links? On the flip side, guys out there that have gone with the 034′s have said they’ve replaced the end links due to breaking the stock ones.
at 3:28 PM
The RS4 sway bars don’t require new end links (nor do the 034, they’re just optional). I think the upgraded end links are a good idea though like you said. I wish I had more personal experience here but all I know is what I’ve read.
at 3:57 PM
Did you by any chance upgraded the end links when you got the RS4 sway bar?
Or just went ahead with the pure RS4 bar mod and found no problems…
at 4:04 PM
I just did the RS4 bar with stock endlinks/hardware…no problems.
at 4:47 PM
Thanks man, I like your clean setup here. I am thinking on working my way up to some 19′s..at the moment I am running 17 alloys wrapped on Pirellis 235′s. I do not want to fender roll anything like some others have done. Any advice with this regard?
at 4:52 PM
19s won’t rub as long as you don’t completely slam your suspension and you run a fairly mild offset. Most folks run a 235/35/19 tire on a 19×8.5″ wheel with around a offset of ET35 and that runs great. You could probably do an ET40 if you were really worried about rubbing, or go with a slightly skinnier tire like a 225/35/19…
at 5:57 PM
Awesome, I appreciate the advice. I’ll make a note of that, because rubbing is one of my concerns, and at the end of the day, I am also looking for a decent stance at this desirable size…(not too low, but just about right) so Ill be sure to look for either some KW suspension or coils.
at 7:33 AM
Hey Nick I’m wondering where the best place to find an s-line bumper would be, as well as the center grill? Thanks
at 8:43 AM
Check out ECSTuning.com, OEMPlus.com, or GenuineAudiParts.com for an OEM S-Line bumper + Grille. Genuine Audi Parts will be the cheapest probably, but their site is the hardest to use. Keep in mind that you need more than just the bumper cover & grille to swap out the front bumper from non s-line to s-line though, you need new foglight grilles, mounting brackets, reflectors and a few other items too…
at 5:47 PM
Okay so I’m gonna order the Bumper cover, lower grills, reflectors and any different mounting brackets. I’ll be getting the S-Line grill from another source. Can you think of anything else I’ll need that I wont be able to retro fit myself?
Thanks Nick this will be a lot of help.
at 2:13 PM
I think that’s about it. Here is a full part-list of everything needed according to a poster from Audizine:
8E0-945-072-B Marker Light
8E0-945-071-B Marker Light
8E0-807-105-J-GRU Bumper Cover
8E0-807-287-C-1RR Trim
8E0-807-681-F-01C Grill
8E0-807-682-F-01C Grill
8E0-853-651-K-1RR Grille
8E0-955-101-E Washer Nozzle Left
8E0-955-102-F Washer Nozzle Right
at 5:35 AM
Hi nick I’m just wondering if you could answer me a question. I have just bought a b7 a4 s line special edition. The steering wheel controls say no function when they are pressed. Is there anyway to activate them or does a separate ecu need to be purchased ?
Regards
Chris
at 11:39 AM
No need for a separate ECU, you probably just need to enable that feature via Vag-com to tell your current ECU that the feature should now be enabled.
at 10:43 AM
Hey Nick I just want to get to it, if I missed it and you’ve previously mentioned it; my apologies. I am in the process of installing HPS front pads on my A4 but the guy told me there would be hard squeaking/squealing along the way. Based on your install, did you ever experience this with your A4? If so, what did you do to rid of it?
at 11:00 AM
@Manny – i had the HPSs on my A4 as well as my S4. They didn’t squeal too bad IMO, they were maybe slightly noiser than OEM but not by much. If your brakes are squealing a lot, they’re either low on brake pad, or there is some residue that needs burnt off which a hard breaking session will do – the only times my HPSs squealed was after a track day or other abuse, and generally it would go away after whatever brake dust & residue built up had burned off the rotors. I wouldn’t sweat it too much, unless noise is a serious concern, then you can go for a less aggressive pad that will also squeal less. But the HPS isn’t that aggressive and won’t bother most people.
at 11:29 AM
Okay, now I’m being told that my rotors need replacement, did you went ahead and did the same? I’m guessing the front rotors never got replaced or cut; which I hear is not a good idea to cut.
at 11:30 AM
@Manny – yeah I wouldn’t cut them either. check out Adam’s Rotors for replacement rotors, they’ve got great stuff…
at 1:05 PM
Nick, amateur question probably but I am in the process of battery removal, there is a wire tube leading from the positive terminal of the battery, do I just yank it out or what is the best route to remove this wired tube ..I don’t want there to be any problems. thanks in advance.
at 7:13 PM
You can just remove the wire at but loosening the bolt that connects to the battery terminal itself. Don’t forget you’ll need to reprogram your key after removing the battery!
at 8:02 PM
Thanks Nick, yeah I just got it installed, no problems in reference to my alarm keyfob locking and opening my doors. I just had to manually turn my key and start as well as reset my time and date, am I good?
at 10:55 PM
@Manny yep – you may need to turn the key on/off several times (But do not start the car, just go from off to accessory on) to get the keyless entry feature to work again.
at 4:05 PM
Niceee! How much did those s4 quad exhaust pipes go for?
at 4:35 PM
I think I paid about $850 for the exhaust originally…
at 3:25 AM
Hi Nick,
I just wanted to ask where can i get the audi a4 b7 head lights with built in led’s from? i stay in south africa. also how good is APR for software from what i seen and heard its the best for audi’s and delivers the most reliable best performance? please could you give me some insight .
Thanks
at 11:21 AM
There are some options on eBay for LED headlights, or you can contact fly300kts on Audizine and see if he ships his kits internationally. In terms of the APR software yes, it is very good and reliable, I highly recommend them!
at 10:10 AM
Hi Nick. Just recently discovered your blog and it’s great! I recently purchased a 2006 B7 A4 in silver with black interior and so far I lots of great ideas on DIY stuff that I can do. Great content here!
Thx…Ryan
at 10:11 AM
Thanks Ryan! Enjoy your B7!
at 10:16 AM
hi nick i’m a new a4 b7 owner and would like to say your cars are awesome. i would like to ask you for some future upgrades for my car also but for now i am just curious as to what kind of android phone holder you got on your car.
thanks from a audi a4 b7 newbie.
at 10:23 AM
The holder was made by a company called Panatech – it’s really slick! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NERYZA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002NERYZA&linkCode=as2&tag=niscabl-20