bkw

first of all, many thanks to clark, sks, and dmak.
holy sh*t. for anyone attempting to install this w/o taking off the front bumper, i beg you to reconsider.
here's what i did..
first remove the pulley on the compressor on the passenger side.. i think its the a/c compressor. these two bolts are a major pain in the *** to get to.. and you need a hex wrench to get it.. injury #1 - bleeding knuckle.
remove the three obvious bolts on the thing covering the bushing.. the top one on the passenger side is another pita. unfortunately, i did this before i removed the pulley.. REMOVE THE PULLEY FIRST.
now its time to remove the stop plate.. this is where i was stuck before. remove the two bolts coming off the arms holding the plate in place. then there are 2 hex screws you need to get at. again, the top one is really hard to get to, and once you do, getting enough leverage to break the bolt was very hard to do.. you'll also have to remove another 13mm bolt waaay up on the drivers side that youll have to get to too.. another f*cking pita.. injury #2, gash on top of hand. remove the bolt and the washer.. the plate should fall out. i say "should" cuz its supposed to.. mine didnt at first.. then after a little banging, it finally fell on my face.. injury #3, cut above right eye.
tilt the bushing cover outta the way and pull on the stock bushing. mine didnt wanna come out, so i cut the hell out of it..
do yourself a favor and get some white lithium grease. slob it on the inside of the bushing and press it in.. guess what? i didnt have any. i used some wd40, a thin pipe (from the "club") and a long screwdriver. it took me about 20 minutes to press the bushing into place.
now if everything wasnt hard enough at this point, trying to get that stop plate that fell on my face back in place was almost impossible! i mustve used every single curse word in every known language.. curse words that i dont even know the meaning of.. the curse words that i learned while watching Blood in Blood out, and next friday.. i was like a possessed latino.. and im asian!!
im not exactly sure how i got the ****er in, but i did. injury #4, while banging the plate back in with a hammer, i sliced my finger.
install all bolts in reverse order.. it might be a little easier if you note which bolt came from where.. i didnt.. another pita.
i took her out for a 15 minute drive.. boy does she vibrate! forget that vibrating lumbar support for xmas, all i have to do is sit there in idle!
my car seems louder now. the exhaust "seems" really really loud.. i think its cuz of the added resonance from the mount. every loose interior panel also vibrates.. when doing tight slow turns (uturns) in first gear, my motor wails a little.. she shudders and stuff now.
ok, now im out of my driveway and onto the road..
as i warm her up, i notice that she feels a little tighter.. engagement into first must be perfect or she'll rattle in dissapointment. gear shifts are tighter too..
after warming, i come to a light.. i rev to about 3k and dump the clutch.. im not sure if this only happens to me, but before i got the mount, my car would bog a little and then go. this time she didnt bog instead she chirped the tires and took off like a rocket! 2nd gear, bam! if i can only get my revs to drop quicker during speed shifts, this mount would shine even more! mental note; gotta order that apr clutch and flywheel.. 3rd gear, bam! she feels like she pulls harder initially.. more power to the ground quicker.. at this point im starting to think i like this little mount..
red light.. i come coasting in neutral to a stop, she vibrates like a *****, getting more pronounced as i come to a complete stop.. i blip the throttle to 1.5k, vibration gone, she immediately drops to ~500, bzzzzzzzzzzzz.. back up to 750 and im getting the massage again.
i launch hard again, this time my clutch doesnt protests in anger and wont engage..
i like the mount. do i think its worth $99?? hell no. im glad i only paid $49 for this thing..
we'll see tomorrow if i like it or not.. it does take a little getting used to tho..

bkw

<img src="http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze257xs/images/mount1.jpg">
<img src="http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze257xs/images/mount2.jpg">
<img src="http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze257xs/images/mount3.jpg">

thank god its all over...

cana

Would motor mount show improvement on aTip?

Andy Hedin

I've got a pair of the "original" gloves....works like a charm to protect your hands while you're working on your car.<ul><li><a href="http://www.mechanix.com">Mechanix Wear</a></li></ul>

OldManTan

the plate. This is supposed to reduce vibration. Did your A4 install include this? It was on a single page at the back of the instructions.

BTW - mine was for the S4.

James R.

Can you really manipulate bolts and stuff with those on...can you really feel anything?

bkw

i was working by feel.. cant feel anything with those gloves on..

bkw

i did do this, i even jacked all four wheels up and put her into gear, then i retightened the bolts.

James R.

if you were working on anything remotely tight...I guess we'll just have to learn to live with a few busted knuckles here and there...or only put them on when you're pulling like mad on a wrench or something like that.

Regards,

James R.

2001 A4 1.8TQMSXP (Oettinger Pedals, Oettinger RE's 17x8 Yoko AVS Sports 225/45/R17, Euro Xenon Housings, Bailey BPV, Turbo5 Intake and RS4 Grille)