- B8 Spark Plug Replacement
- CTS Turbo FMIC Kit
- AWE Rear Non-Sline Quad Lower Valence
- S4 Exhaust Modified
- S4 Shift Paddle Install
I’ve been meaning to start a build thread for a while now, but never have really gotten around to it. Mine is a 2009 A4 2.0T Tip Quattro Prestige, Quartz Grey with a black interior. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gotten an S-Line for the 3-spoke sports steering wheel (retrofitted in), side blades (retrofitted in) and seats (still searching).
My path to mod-sanity started out mildly (and uninformed) enough, with a trip to the dealer for a Stasis ECU flash to the tune of about $1100. Not long after I found the ‘Zine and began to really learn what our cars are capable of, as well as the sponsors and manufacturers who support the forums.
The mods started out small:
• H&R Rear Sway
• EuroCode HFIC
• RS4 eBay Replica Grille
• Hoen Yellow Fog Lights
I tried running a EuroPlate for a while with my WA Plate # on it, but became paranoid after lots of folks told me that would only draw more negative attention than no front plate at all. I liked the look, but wasn’t too interested in the ticket possibilities.
I also threw in the S-Line wheel because I was dying to be able to simply shift on the fly and wanted something sportier than the stock 4 spoke. In my 2002 B5 A4 1.8T Avant I had the thumb trigger shifters and although early tech, I enjoyed them.
Soon thereafter I also joined the Audi Club Northwest (ACNW) and took my wife to our first event (an Auto-X & Drivers School), which hooked us both. There we met the guys from Achtuning, which was like adding gasoline to an already burning fire.
The mods picked up speed after that:
• APR Stage II w/ APR Downpipe
• APR Carbino Intake
• APR Catback Quad Exhaust System (SOLD)
• StopTech F&R Brake upgrades (Rotors, Pads, SS Lines, Motul Fluid)
• H&R Street Coils + 15mm front/20 mm rear H&R spacers for the Achtuning signature stance
• A bunch of VCDS coding from a ‘Zine member at work (thanks Neal!)
• Add others…
Then I went from chrome to gloss black, having my grille and window trim wrapped, as well as my lip spoiler and teeth. Mark at WU Wraps did the work and did a great job at a fair price. I also blacked out the rings on the front and back of the car at the same time. I still like the back, but I’m going to take the front back to chrome as soon as my new Mass Drop RS4 Grille arrives.
As you can see in the pic above, I had the APR Catback Quads. After a year of ownership I wasn’t totally happy with the sound, or the DSG farts and neither were my wife or neighbors. So I sold them to another ‘Zine member at a steal and bought a 2010 S4 Stock Exhaust local off Craig’s List for $300 (the kind with the SS Tips already on them).
Then I took the Catback portion to Dan Fast in Bellevue and within a few hours had a welded up custom exhaust for $150 more. If I’d know I could have done this before I would have a while ago. While I lost some power from APR to the S4 Stock, I gained a much nicer sound from a neighborhood perspective, which ironically also sounds great to me and was more of what I wanted in the first place. Maybe next time I’d try AWE instead as I’ve heard good things. Either way, the look is now this:
I paused for a while when work had me slammed, but didn’t stop piling up new parts in my garage. I was just short of time to put them in. Over the past week, after several back to back business trips, I took some time for myself and got my hands dirty again.
Interior Before:
I picked up the following and prepared to install. I added my comments on the install of each in the linked threads below:
• eBay Reiger-ish trunk lid spoiler (painted to match OEM from the factory)
• Bosch AeroTwin wiper blades from Amazon (it rains a lot here)
• B8 RS4 Pedal Kit from Alex@Europrice (B8 kit fits like a glove with no modification required)
• S-Line Facelift Tiptronic Shifter from Alex@Europrice (matches my wheel)
• Dynamat Trunk Lining Kit from Amazon
• p3 Digital Boost Gage kit (with analog boost tap)
Interior After:
And then moved onto the engine:
• Eurocode TrueFit Turbo Hose
• Okada Projects Coil Packs from Podi (Adding a detailed write-up and critical findings I made)
• 034 Catch Can Kit (Adding an extensive write up and critical install findings I made)
• CTS Turbo FMIC complete kit (started my own thread on this since I have the first non-prototype version)
Engine Before-ish:
Engine After:
So how does she run now? In a word, fantastic. I have tons more power than before and it definitely comes on at least a few hundred RPMs, or more, earlier than before. I can also feel the surge of power much longer through the band and deeper into every gear. I had planned a before and after dyno set for many of these parts, but with all my travel (and impatience) I just couldn’t make the time. I still need to get her on a dyno sometime soon to set a baseline for my current configuration before I move forward to the final stages.
The addition of the 4 engine parts above did 3 really important things for my ride:
1. Increased power
2. Improved engine sound (She really sounds like a hard working turbo now – in a good way)
3. Improved the longevity of my engine
Cheers!
Joel
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While it's a waste now looking back to the $1100 Stasis ECU flash, that's actually a damn good price! Can I ask which dealer did you go ?? I paid $1500 for the samething (30% more
) Have you experienced any warranty issue after all these mods you've add to the car? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Originally Posted by Okan509
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