My First Few Mods On My A7

[Borg54]

I was finally lucky enough to get an A7. I have an irrational thing with hatchbacks and fell in love with the lines of the A7. I wanted to share my first few mods. These are mostly inexpensive DIY but I think they add to the look of the car. More importantly they can all be easily removed should I want to sell the car. Most folks on here know that selling a customized car is way harder than a stock one.

First up was the steering wheel and gear shift. This was super easy and only took about 5 mins to swap. The stock steering wheel in the A7 made the car look like a old Lexus IMO.



Next I used Plastidip to blackout the grill. It was quick and I can always peel is off if I sell the car. I know plastidip is a little ghetto but its fun and so easy to remove.

Before:

After:


Blacked out the chrome (I HATE CHROME) window trim with matte black vinyl:



Grayed out the rear badges (they look black in photos but are a matte gray in real life). I liked this better than pure black:



Soon I would like to add some H&R springs and possibly an AWE exhaust. The exhaust on the A7 is way too quite

[psiaddict85]

Looking good. Where did you pick up the wheel and airbag if you don't mind me asking?

[Ze_Nardo6]

Steering wheel was crucial! Looks great

[Borg54]

Looking good. Where did you pick up the wheel and airbag if you don't mind me asking?

I got the wheel on eBay with the airbag included. It isn't cheap but its great quality and I thought it was worth it for how much it changed the interior. All controls work perfectly

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222265430279


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[Davor_]

Did you follow a DIY tutorial for these (I have the same wheel in the mail) and I also want to switch my gear shifter :/

[Borg54]

Did you follow a DIY tutorial for these (I have the same wheel in the mail) and I also want to switch my gear shifter :/

I used this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBs-YTEUCCY

The video quality isn't great but it works. The idea to use a phone's front camera to see the clips was a good idea. You will need a torx bit to remove the center steering wheel bolt. I used a flathead screwdriver to remove the airbag clips. Install is reverse of removal. Make sure the wires to hook up the controls aren't kinked when you put the airbag back in. The airbag just presses back into place and you will feel the clips click. Make sure both are clipped.

[flyfishing]

Yeah get some springs and to hold you off, have muffler shop do some cutting (search this forum for options) and it will sound better. Looking good!

Oh I put alu kruez chasis stabilizer on my car the other day. Wanna buy my stock s7 one? it should be thicker than yours and will reduce body roll. Easy bolt on.

[Scooter1]

I was finally lucky enough to get an A7. I have an irrational thing with hatchbacks and fell in love with the lines of the A7. I wanted to share my first few mods. These are mostly inexpensive DIY but I think they add to the look of the car. More importantly they can all be easily removed should I want to sell the car. Most folks on here know that selling a customized car is way harder than a stock one.

First up was the steering wheel and gear shift. This was super easy and only took about 5 mins to swap. The stock steering wheel in the A7 made the car look like a old Lexus IMO.



Next I used Plastidip to blackout the grill. It was quick and I can always peel is off if I sell the car. I know plastidip is a little ghetto but its fun and so easy to remove.

Before:

After:


Blacked out the chrome (I HATE CHROME) window trim with matte black vinyl:



Grayed out the rear badges (they look black in photos but are a matte gray in real life). I liked this better than pure black:



Soon I would like to add some H&R springs and possibly an AWE exhaust. The exhaust on the A7 is way too quite

Rear badge looks great. May I ask how you did it?


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[Borg54]

Rear badge looks great. May I ask how you did it?


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I used a gray matte plastidip spray. Just mask off the general area then spray the badge with about 4 coats. Peel off the overspray with a toothpick and your finger. No need to remove the badge and if you want it can also be removed from the rings later


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[Glacier6]

Car looks great! How many coats of dip did you do on the grille?


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[Glacier6]

Car looks great! How many coats of dip did you do on the grille?

I did the same to mine but you might want to double it up since the rock ships begin to show with only 4-5 coats.

Other than its a super easy mod that looks great and like you said, just fun to do on your own.


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[Borg54]

Car looks great! How many coats of dip did you do on the grille?


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Thanks for the heads up

I did about 10 coats on the grill. It is my first time using it so I'm curious to see how it holds up. Only takes about 20 mins to touch up but if it becomes a problem I'll probably just put in a mesh RS7 style grill.


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[Glacier6]

You should be set! It's surprising how well it holds up. No fading whatsoever in over a year.


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[ntsantos]

Great progress so far and nice choice on the steering wheel. That was one of my first mods as well.

Definitely change out those pedals. I got a full set (with dead pedal) on Amazon for $50. Makes a huge difference in looks and you couldn't tell the difference from a real oem set.

Also, let me know if you're interested in a k&n filter. I know...shameless plug.

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[Charlie_41510]

[QUOTE=Borg54;11950041]I was finally lucky enough to get an A7. I have an irrational thing with hatchbacks and fell in love with the lines of the A7. I wanted to share my first few mods. These are mostly inexpensive DIY but I think they add to the look of the car. More importantly they can all be easily removed should I want to sell the car. Most folks on here know that selling a customized car is way harder than a stock one.

Blacked out the chrome (I HATE CHROME) window trim with matte black vinyl:



Was the vinyl wrap for the window strip easy to cut and install? I was thinking about doing plastidip or do you think the vinyl wrap gives a cleaner look?

[madyspop]

I like everything except for the grey rings.

[Borg54]

[QUOTE=Charlie_41510;11953394]

I was finally lucky enough to get an A7. I have an irrational thing with hatchbacks and fell in love with the lines of the A7. I wanted to share my first few mods. These are mostly inexpensive DIY but I think they add to the look of the car. More importantly they can all be easily removed should I want to sell the car. Most folks on here know that selling a customized car is way harder than a stock one.

Blacked out the chrome (I HATE CHROME) window trim with matte black vinyl:



Was the vinyl wrap for the window strip easy to cut and install? I was thinking about doing plastidip or do you think the vinyl wrap gives a cleaner look?

I plastidipped them first and it didn't work well. I grab the A pillar as I get in the car and it would start to peel it off. The vinyl is a little more durable.

It is pretty easy to do if you have any experience with vinyl. If you don't it still isn't rocket science just need to be patient and use spray (soapy water) underneath to get the bubbles out. I installed then cut with a razor blade. Went pretty fast.


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[Charlie_41510]

Got it. Thanks!

[Deelow29]

That steering wheel made a big difference, gives me an Idea to change out my own!