RS4 Clear Corner Mod. Done, finally! warning...looong
04-27-2008, 07:09 PM
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RS4 Clear Corner Mod. Done, finally! warning...looong
Oh no, what have i done!
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Ohno.jpg">
I thought this would be a fun image to send to my friends...tell them i took apart my car and couldn't put it back together again.
Thanks to all who have posted before me on this topic...without them i could not have done this. Thanks also to my new Canon 40D EFS 17-85mm. This camera is simply awesome. Most of the pics here were taken with that camera, a few with my pocket digital. If you're looking for a good prosumer model, this is the one.
<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos40d/">Canon 40D review</a>
Please read this also if you are interested in attempting the clearcornermod.
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a4b7/msgs/88996.phtml">Gorobei's Write-Up</a>
I want to put in some details that i found missing elsewhere, and hopefully help someone else who attempts this. It took me a couple days of work to do this properly, mostly because i didn't have the right tools on the first day to get the light housing out of the car.
First and foremost, it's sunday, so let's get some go-juice.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/TimHortons.jpg">
Here's a pic of what I used to do the job.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Tools.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/300.jpg">
From top to bottom:
1. Most important item! Long screwdriver. This is what stumped me on the first day because i didn't have an extra long 8" Torx T30 bit. This is what you'll need to loosen the Torx nut that lies most laterally on the light housing. There is very little room to maneouver while accessing this bolt, it's about 6" down inside the engine bay and the opening through which the screwdriver passes is quite narrow so a normal Torx socket bit will not fit. Just get this item instead. An 8" 3/16 flathead screwdriver. It should fit perfectly into the Torx T30 bolt and it costs a couple bucks at your local hardware store.
2. Socket screwdriver with long extension and a 10mm socket at the end. For the 2 vertically arranged bolts inside the wheel well.
3. Regular or large flathead screwdriver for removing clips on light housing and then
gently prying the lens off after baking.
4. Flashlight
5. Torx bit set. You'll need T20/T25/T30
6. Hockey tape...just because you never know.
7. Socket with T30 bit to remove those tougher bolts on top.
8. Pliers for when you drop stuff in the nether regions of the car. I needed it a few times.
9. Small cutters. I used this when I had to take apart the light housing and remove the
amber reflector gently.
10.Silicone. I used this on a few spots after closing the light housing where I think it needed some extra waterproofing.
11. Pleasure Pack...hey, i drive an RS4...chicks dig guys who drive RS4s
Gotta be ready at all times.
I won't post the same info ad nauseum that has been written elsewhere. Just some interesting tidbits that I want to pass along for my particular case.
Simplified version from start to finish.
Removing bumper.
a. park car and turn wheel all the way to left/right.
b. remove 3 screws holding wheel well liner, pull back liner.
c. remove 2 screws that are traveling horizontally under liner, A-screws.
d. remove 1 screw that is running vertically, B-screw.
e. remove two nuts deep inside(towards front) with 10mm socket/extension. Too deep inside for a good picture. With a flashlight you can see them, C-screws. I have added another picture to demonstrate the location/orientation of these C-screws when the bumper is partially off.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Bumper1-1.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/BumperVertScrews.jpg">
f. open hood and remove 3 screws on top of bumper.
g. loosen bumper alignment bolt (looks like a white bolt through the hole opening) only do 3 x 1/4 turns. this will be enough. Now you can loosen bumper on that side.(see below for more info on this bolt)
Removing Light Housing.
a. remove top screw in middle of light housing using T30 bit
b. loosen only, using T30 again, the most medial bolt for the light housing (towards engine).
c. using your 8" 3/16 flathead screwdriver, loosen T30 bolt laterally for light housing. Access to this bolt is the toughest, here's a pic of how far it goes down inside the engine bay with the 8" screwdriver.
d. light housing can now be removed by pulling bumper away gently on that side.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Lateralbolt.jpg">
Bumper Alignment:
I've read that a few people have had issues re-installing the bumper because of the alignment bolt on the left and right side of the grille. The key is to use a T30 bit with an extension to slightly loosen it (I used 3 x 1/4 turns) and then the bumper should slide right off if all other bolts are removed. Re-installing is a bit trickier. You have to make sure the plastic guide on the bumper slides in between the opening on the bolt where it came from. This requires a little umph to lift the bumper up and slide it into the groove. The bumper should "snap" into place when you re-install it. Watch though the cracks and small openings as you put the bumper back on and you shouldn't have any problems. The key to this is to make sure the light housing is still loose, otherwise it's not possible. Once the bumper is re-installed do your 3 x 1/4 turns to tighten and the bumper should be as straight as when you took it off. If you mess around with the height of the bolt, you will have to play around to get it level, but i just loosened the top part from above when the bumper was still attached and i had no problems afterwards. Here is a picture of what I am talking about.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/BumperBolt.jpg">
Removing the Amber Cover:
I briefly considered another strategy for removing the amber covering which entailed removing the HID unit. But as I soon learned, this is not possible. The HID unit was installed before the front lens was glued on. Besides, it would make for an expensive adventure if something were to go wrong.
I elected to remove the amber cover with a half dozen whacks and this seemed to work for one side. I did this before baking, so i could just pry open one side and let the amber lens fall out. BTW, I baked at 170F for about 7 minutes. I found 5 minutes was just not enough, but perhaps my oven temp isn't accurate. Better to err on the side of caution with this anyways.
I used a hammer and a long 1/2 inch socket extension. The end is smooth so it wouldn't do too much damage if it went too far into the housing.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/RemoveAmber1.jpg">
The other side did not come so easily and I was worried about damaging something with all the force i was using. So, I elected to remove the front lens after baking and then find another way to remove the amber cover without force.
The plastic housing inside the unit comes apart quite easily by removing 4-T25 screws (A-two on top and two underneath).
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/LightHousing1.jpg">
After this, you can remove a lateral section for just the turn signal housing.
The amber cover is apparently installed by clicking it in place from behind. Whacking it to remove is tricky because you are forcing it through an opening it was not designed to go through. Fortunately this works most of the time, but in my case i needed a less traumatic way of accomplishing the removal.
As you can see i hit it pretty good a number of times with no luck. I used my small cutter tool to nip off the very tiny piece of plastic (A) and then pulled the two tabs (B) back to remove the amber cover without incident. This is probably the best way to remove it IMO.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/RemoveAmber2.jpg">
A little bit of silicone around the light housing edges to make sure it's sealed after re-baking and we're done this part.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Silicone.jpg">
Re-installing the bumper was easy, just making sure that the bumper slides nicely into the right spot on the leveling bolt. The real pain is re-installing the 2 nuts deep inside the wheel well.
Finally done, now it's time for some car **** and a brewsky. A pint of my favourite german beverage please!
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Beer.jpg">
Before and After...nice mod.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/LeftFrontBefore.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/LeftFront.jpg">
Car ****:
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Outside1.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Outside2.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Ohno.jpg">
I thought this would be a fun image to send to my friends...tell them i took apart my car and couldn't put it back together again.
Thanks to all who have posted before me on this topic...without them i could not have done this. Thanks also to my new Canon 40D EFS 17-85mm. This camera is simply awesome. Most of the pics here were taken with that camera, a few with my pocket digital. If you're looking for a good prosumer model, this is the one.
<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos40d/">Canon 40D review</a>
Please read this also if you are interested in attempting the clearcornermod.
<a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a4b7/msgs/88996.phtml">Gorobei's Write-Up</a>
I want to put in some details that i found missing elsewhere, and hopefully help someone else who attempts this. It took me a couple days of work to do this properly, mostly because i didn't have the right tools on the first day to get the light housing out of the car.
First and foremost, it's sunday, so let's get some go-juice.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/TimHortons.jpg">
Here's a pic of what I used to do the job.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Tools.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/300.jpg">
From top to bottom:
1. Most important item! Long screwdriver. This is what stumped me on the first day because i didn't have an extra long 8" Torx T30 bit. This is what you'll need to loosen the Torx nut that lies most laterally on the light housing. There is very little room to maneouver while accessing this bolt, it's about 6" down inside the engine bay and the opening through which the screwdriver passes is quite narrow so a normal Torx socket bit will not fit. Just get this item instead. An 8" 3/16 flathead screwdriver. It should fit perfectly into the Torx T30 bolt and it costs a couple bucks at your local hardware store.
2. Socket screwdriver with long extension and a 10mm socket at the end. For the 2 vertically arranged bolts inside the wheel well.
3. Regular or large flathead screwdriver for removing clips on light housing and then
gently prying the lens off after baking.
4. Flashlight
5. Torx bit set. You'll need T20/T25/T30
6. Hockey tape...just because you never know.
7. Socket with T30 bit to remove those tougher bolts on top.
8. Pliers for when you drop stuff in the nether regions of the car. I needed it a few times.
9. Small cutters. I used this when I had to take apart the light housing and remove the
amber reflector gently.
10.Silicone. I used this on a few spots after closing the light housing where I think it needed some extra waterproofing.
11. Pleasure Pack...hey, i drive an RS4...chicks dig guys who drive RS4s
Gotta be ready at all times.I won't post the same info ad nauseum that has been written elsewhere. Just some interesting tidbits that I want to pass along for my particular case.
Simplified version from start to finish.
Removing bumper.
a. park car and turn wheel all the way to left/right.
b. remove 3 screws holding wheel well liner, pull back liner.
c. remove 2 screws that are traveling horizontally under liner, A-screws.
d. remove 1 screw that is running vertically, B-screw.
e. remove two nuts deep inside(towards front) with 10mm socket/extension. Too deep inside for a good picture. With a flashlight you can see them, C-screws. I have added another picture to demonstrate the location/orientation of these C-screws when the bumper is partially off.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Bumper1-1.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/BumperVertScrews.jpg">
f. open hood and remove 3 screws on top of bumper.
g. loosen bumper alignment bolt (looks like a white bolt through the hole opening) only do 3 x 1/4 turns. this will be enough. Now you can loosen bumper on that side.(see below for more info on this bolt)
Removing Light Housing.
a. remove top screw in middle of light housing using T30 bit
b. loosen only, using T30 again, the most medial bolt for the light housing (towards engine).
c. using your 8" 3/16 flathead screwdriver, loosen T30 bolt laterally for light housing. Access to this bolt is the toughest, here's a pic of how far it goes down inside the engine bay with the 8" screwdriver.
d. light housing can now be removed by pulling bumper away gently on that side.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Lateralbolt.jpg">
Bumper Alignment:
I've read that a few people have had issues re-installing the bumper because of the alignment bolt on the left and right side of the grille. The key is to use a T30 bit with an extension to slightly loosen it (I used 3 x 1/4 turns) and then the bumper should slide right off if all other bolts are removed. Re-installing is a bit trickier. You have to make sure the plastic guide on the bumper slides in between the opening on the bolt where it came from. This requires a little umph to lift the bumper up and slide it into the groove. The bumper should "snap" into place when you re-install it. Watch though the cracks and small openings as you put the bumper back on and you shouldn't have any problems. The key to this is to make sure the light housing is still loose, otherwise it's not possible. Once the bumper is re-installed do your 3 x 1/4 turns to tighten and the bumper should be as straight as when you took it off. If you mess around with the height of the bolt, you will have to play around to get it level, but i just loosened the top part from above when the bumper was still attached and i had no problems afterwards. Here is a picture of what I am talking about.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/BumperBolt.jpg">
Removing the Amber Cover:
I briefly considered another strategy for removing the amber covering which entailed removing the HID unit. But as I soon learned, this is not possible. The HID unit was installed before the front lens was glued on. Besides, it would make for an expensive adventure if something were to go wrong.
I elected to remove the amber cover with a half dozen whacks and this seemed to work for one side. I did this before baking, so i could just pry open one side and let the amber lens fall out. BTW, I baked at 170F for about 7 minutes. I found 5 minutes was just not enough, but perhaps my oven temp isn't accurate. Better to err on the side of caution with this anyways.
I used a hammer and a long 1/2 inch socket extension. The end is smooth so it wouldn't do too much damage if it went too far into the housing.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/RemoveAmber1.jpg">
The other side did not come so easily and I was worried about damaging something with all the force i was using. So, I elected to remove the front lens after baking and then find another way to remove the amber cover without force.
The plastic housing inside the unit comes apart quite easily by removing 4-T25 screws (A-two on top and two underneath).
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/LightHousing1.jpg">
After this, you can remove a lateral section for just the turn signal housing.
The amber cover is apparently installed by clicking it in place from behind. Whacking it to remove is tricky because you are forcing it through an opening it was not designed to go through. Fortunately this works most of the time, but in my case i needed a less traumatic way of accomplishing the removal.
As you can see i hit it pretty good a number of times with no luck. I used my small cutter tool to nip off the very tiny piece of plastic (A) and then pulled the two tabs (B) back to remove the amber cover without incident. This is probably the best way to remove it IMO.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/RemoveAmber2.jpg">
A little bit of silicone around the light housing edges to make sure it's sealed after re-baking and we're done this part.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Silicone.jpg">
Re-installing the bumper was easy, just making sure that the bumper slides nicely into the right spot on the leveling bolt. The real pain is re-installing the 2 nuts deep inside the wheel well.
Finally done, now it's time for some car **** and a brewsky. A pint of my favourite german beverage please!
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Beer.jpg">
Before and After...nice mod.
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/LeftFrontBefore.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/LeftFront.jpg">
Car ****:
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Outside1.jpg">
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/Stunners4/Outside2.jpg">
04-28-2008, 03:28 AM
#4
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Thanks! quick question:
If I simply want to re-align the bumper, how much do I need to take apart to get to the alignment bolts you mention? Do I need to take the side lamps loose?
Thanks for the pictures!
Thanks for the pictures!
04-28-2008, 06:02 AM
#5
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Hmm, to do the job
you need to loosen the entire bumper and the light housings on both sides. The height adjustment is inaccessible through the little hole offered to you when you open the hood. The bumper needs to come off partially and then you can rotate the lower portion of the bolt with your hand.
If the bumper is not sitting in the proper slot in the bolt it's being held in place mostly by the top 3 screws. It seems that the leveling bolt is the main attachment of the bumper to the car with the most reinforcement. If it's just not level, yeah, you have to remove everything unfortunately.
Cheers
If the bumper is not sitting in the proper slot in the bolt it's being held in place mostly by the top 3 screws. It seems that the leveling bolt is the main attachment of the bumper to the car with the most reinforcement. If it's just not level, yeah, you have to remove everything unfortunately.
Cheers
04-28-2008, 08:51 AM
#7
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Great write-up! Did you guys know that you can replace the orange reflector with
a clear one. Everyone did the clear corner mod over at Maxima.org and we all used the Malibu garden light that can be purchased at home depot. It looks a million times better than leaving the lens out.
Here is a link:<ul><li><a href="http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/clear_HIDs.html">Clear lens for clear corner mod</a></li></ul>
Here is a link:<ul><li><a href="http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/clear_HIDs.html">Clear lens for clear corner mod</a></li></ul>
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04-28-2008, 09:01 AM
#9
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If it's your first time...and it probably is,
it took me a whole day not including a trip to the hardware store. I did it on my own, help is not really needed unless you want someone to swear at once in awhile
