The status of my car after three years of ownership. And where to go from here.
01-04-2007, 06:19 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 458
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The status of my car after three years of ownership. And where to go from here.
I think I have finally caught up with my 3 year backlog of regular maintinence on my car (with my oxygen sensor replacement coming this weekend). Got my front control arms finally done, new rear bushings, had to endure a transmission swap about two years ago, seized brake piston, clutch replacement, two rear wheel bearings replaced, an ABS sensor, a bad fan clutch, the idle control valve, a camshaft position sensor, the timing belt/water pump/t-stat replacement, and now a backflush of my heater core (thank god that worked). Plus various other little things.
Still not working is my air conditioning, my cruise control, and my climate control display still flickers on and off. And I need to change my fuel filter. I really don't care too much about the A/C. I am a windows down kind of person and I live in Chicago, so there are really only about ten days per year where I really wish I had A/C. I haven't gotten it recharged since I got the car, so I have no idea if there's a leak somewhere, or if the compressor is bad, or if just a regular recharge would do. I almost want to just remove the whole A/C system from my car and forget about it, because I don't want to spend so much money on something I rarely use. I don't use the cruise control much either, but I figure when it gets warmer out, I can look into that as well, since that is more of a trouble shooting task instead of a costly parts task. I may have my climate control display rebuilt soon if I can't find out what is wrong with it. I checked the continuity on certain parts of the circuit board, I cleaned the contacts to the LCD screen, I put contact cleaner in the ribbon cable connector, and it works better now, but the LCD is still off and on.
Anyhow, none of these last fixes are crucial to my driving pleasure, so I am looking to finally start upgrading my car instead of just playing catch up with the regular repairs. Obviously, I'm thinking Mance here.
If you had $500 to start upgrading your car, what would you do first? The MAF housing? Velocity stack? Silicone hose kit? Upgraded engine mounts? Something else?
I don't get the impression that people on here are high on the conical air filters. I guess I could think suspension, but I kind of like the smooth ride more than the increased handling I would get with that kind of upgrade. I don't track my car. I also take it that the stock exhaust is fairly adequate for the kinds of intake upgrades I would be doing. What do y'all think?
And I know this question has been asked a hundred times on here before. But everyone has a different answer.
Still not working is my air conditioning, my cruise control, and my climate control display still flickers on and off. And I need to change my fuel filter. I really don't care too much about the A/C. I am a windows down kind of person and I live in Chicago, so there are really only about ten days per year where I really wish I had A/C. I haven't gotten it recharged since I got the car, so I have no idea if there's a leak somewhere, or if the compressor is bad, or if just a regular recharge would do. I almost want to just remove the whole A/C system from my car and forget about it, because I don't want to spend so much money on something I rarely use. I don't use the cruise control much either, but I figure when it gets warmer out, I can look into that as well, since that is more of a trouble shooting task instead of a costly parts task. I may have my climate control display rebuilt soon if I can't find out what is wrong with it. I checked the continuity on certain parts of the circuit board, I cleaned the contacts to the LCD screen, I put contact cleaner in the ribbon cable connector, and it works better now, but the LCD is still off and on.
Anyhow, none of these last fixes are crucial to my driving pleasure, so I am looking to finally start upgrading my car instead of just playing catch up with the regular repairs. Obviously, I'm thinking Mance here.
If you had $500 to start upgrading your car, what would you do first? The MAF housing? Velocity stack? Silicone hose kit? Upgraded engine mounts? Something else?
I don't get the impression that people on here are high on the conical air filters. I guess I could think suspension, but I kind of like the smooth ride more than the increased handling I would get with that kind of upgrade. I don't track my car. I also take it that the stock exhaust is fairly adequate for the kinds of intake upgrades I would be doing. What do y'all think?
And I know this question has been asked a hundred times on here before. But everyone has a different answer.
01-05-2007, 12:06 AM
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,330
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Got tools? + a small list
Driving School!
metric allen wrenches
flexible-wrenches from sears
Socket set metric
dremel + accessories
-Throttle body gasket
Ported TB with dremel
Ported MAF with dremel
Some 3mm vac hose- replace frayed lines
Other Ideas
Lightweight valve lifters
P&P cylinder head, Intake Manifold, Exhaust manifolds,
Allroad transmission mounts
Light weight exhaust ( if you have no smog testing)
oil catch can
200 brake cylinder
weight reduction CF parts
H-sports
Koni coilovers
AAH cams -can be had for next to dirt if you find a upull yard ;P
A/F gauge
larger injectors- when applicable.
metric allen wrenches
flexible-wrenches from sears
Socket set metric
dremel + accessories
-Throttle body gasket
Ported TB with dremel
Ported MAF with dremel
Some 3mm vac hose- replace frayed lines
Other Ideas
Lightweight valve lifters
P&P cylinder head, Intake Manifold, Exhaust manifolds,
Allroad transmission mounts
Light weight exhaust ( if you have no smog testing)
oil catch can
200 brake cylinder
weight reduction CF parts
H-sports
Koni coilovers
AAH cams -can be had for next to dirt if you find a upull yard ;P
A/F gauge
larger injectors- when applicable.
01-05-2007, 11:47 PM
#3
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 458
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have a fair ammount of tools.
Plus, I got a VAG-COM cable/registered software for Christmas.
I don't have a dremel, but I have everything I need to take my car apart and put it back together...save some engine and transmission work.
I'm thinking I might do the bored MAF and velocity stack for my airbox to start off.
I don't have a dremel, but I have everything I need to take my car apart and put it back together...save some engine and transmission work.
I'm thinking I might do the bored MAF and velocity stack for my airbox to start off.
01-07-2007, 11:52 AM
#4
New Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
upgrades
After racing Porsche 911s for a while now I have come the the realization that my 2.8 is not fast. It will trash most mustangs but isn't fast. If I wanted a fast quattro car I would get an S4.
So not to put a damper on your enthusiasm but if you wanted to dump extra $$ into your car I would recommend getting everything up to spec, long before I dropped 1200 on suspension or 2000 for a big brake upgrade... Ignoring systems come back to bite you in the *** (your AC).
But if you really wanted to spend money to make the car better; I would HIGHLY recommend trashing the A4 seats and getting something that is far more comfortable, like leather sport seats from the late 80's 911s.
Hope that helps!
Andrew
And yes my fianc?e of 4.5 years just left me for one of my friends so I AM NOT A LITTLE ON EDGE!
So not to put a damper on your enthusiasm but if you wanted to dump extra $$ into your car I would recommend getting everything up to spec, long before I dropped 1200 on suspension or 2000 for a big brake upgrade... Ignoring systems come back to bite you in the *** (your AC).
But if you really wanted to spend money to make the car better; I would HIGHLY recommend trashing the A4 seats and getting something that is far more comfortable, like leather sport seats from the late 80's 911s.
Hope that helps!
Andrew
And yes my fianc?e of 4.5 years just left me for one of my friends so I AM NOT A LITTLE ON EDGE!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Lupis52
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
5
03-27-2005 08:48 PM