Delfin Grau Perleffekt *intro content*

[Hyde]

[ THE STORY ]

I've been in love with Audi's 4.2L S4 ever since it was first released ... So in early February 2009, I finally brought home my very own 2005 6-speed manual B6 S4. It took literally months to find one relatively close by with three pedals. I almost snatched up a particularly nice Moro Blue example from Maryland, but it slipped through my fingers. So the search continued until I found this Dolphin Grey beauty. Some bonuses with this one (which weren't on my must have list, but were preferential): carbon fiber trim, clear bra, tint, and an unmolested front filler plate.

Original cars.com photos:






[ THE MODS ]

Performance & Engine
• Fast Intentions resonated (14") catback exhaust (–23 lbs) - $1038
• K&N drop in air filter - $55
• Fast Intentions 2.5" downpipes (HFC) - $1295
• Two exhaust clamps (to correct neck-down width) - $30
• JHM tune (93 octane) with Launch Assist - $550
• JHM intake manifold spacers - $160
• Wrinkle red powdercoated valve covers - $175

Wheels/Tires/Suspension/Brakes
• FK High Sport coilovers - $881
• Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 235/40ZR18 - $129 each
• H&R spacers, front: 10 mm - $25
• H&R spacers, rear: 15 mm - $75
• Extended lug bolts, front (40 mm) & rear (43 mm) - $20
• Continental ExtremeContact DW 235/35-19 tires - $772
• Continental ExtremeContact DW 245/35-19 tires (@ 114,000 miles | 1/20/2015) - $858
• OEM S5 "peelers" (19x9 | ET33 | 28 lbs) - $1250
• OEM S5 "peeler" (spare) - $290
• OD/ID 66.6mm/57.1mm hub rings - $10
• Gray lug caps (321601173AZ37) - $25
• Silver Audi valve stem caps - $33
• Lug cap removal tool (8D0012244A) - $3
• Bilstein PSS9 coilovers - $1699
• Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 235/40-18 tires (5) - $1290

Lighting
• Chrome signal bulbs, front 3157 - autolumination.com/titaniumseries.htm - $4.99 each
• Chrome signal bulbs, front and rear 7507 - autolumination.com/titaniumseries.htm - $3.99 each
• Racing Dash LED license plate lights - $52
• OEM Bi-Xenon E-code headlamps - $700
• LED city/parking lights (ebay seller warden_jp2008) BAX9S H6W 64132 - $25 pair
• LED city/parking lights (ebay seller ledinfinity) BAX9S H6W 64132 - $19 pair
• LED license plate light bulbs 6418 in stock housings - $12

Exterior
• 3M Clear Bra - preinstalled
• Bi-Xenon clear corner mod (easy way) - $0
• "Shadow Line" black vinyl over window trim - $20
• Plasti-Dip over rear valence - $9

Interior
• OEM European RS4 steering wheel & airbag - $725
• OEM R8 steering wheel & airbag - $1200
• B7 S/C ring (4E0953541B) & Control module (8E0953549Q) - $285
• 4-pin S/C ring connector (4E0972133) - $6
• OEM RS4 shift knob - $195
• OEM RS4 perforated parking brake handle - $50
• OEM all weather mats - $50
• OEM RNS-E navigation - $474
• RNS-E adaptor - $27
• Diversity adaptor - $25
• Fakra antenna - $20
• OEM RS4 pedals + dead pedal - $183

Maintenance
• O ring condensation fix - $3
• Optima Red Top 75/35-925 battery (–25 lbs) - $162
• Ignition Coils (Audi recall @ 62,000 miles) - $0
• Bosch spark plugs (@ 62,000 miles) - $76
• Front right wheel bearing - $95 from ECWerks
• Fuel filter w/ 4 lines (@ 70,000 miles) - $50
• Trunk lid gas struts (8E5827552B) - $70
• Oil dipstick (@ 80,000 miles) - $22
• Coolant overflow tank (@ 80,000 miles) - $30
• Valve cover gaskets (@ 82,000 miles) - $115
• Alternator belt/idler pulley/tensioner assembly (@ 82,000 miles) - $20/40/120
• 034-Density Control Arms (@ 82,000 miles) - $490
• Central Electronics Module (8E0907279F) - $180 (from Joey)
• Wiper motor (8E1955119) - $140
• Windshield - $0 (covered under Florida statute 627.7288)
• Hood gas strut (@ 87,000 miles) - $38
• Inner and outer tie rod ends (@ 88,000 miles) - $200
• Valeo starter (@ 88,000 miles) - $235
• NGK spark plugs (@ 88,500 miles) - $68
• Super Start Extreme AGM 850 CCA Battery (@ 92,000 miles) - $160
• OEM snub mount - $8
• Suede Headliner - $397
• Dent-Trix PDR - $250
• Spring Seats - $111
• New Front & Rear Brake Rotors + Pads (@ 104,000 miles) - $450
• Radiator Fans (@ 107,000 miles) - $620
• Raxles front axles (@ 107,000 miles) - $560
• Valve cover gaskets (@ 107,000 miles) - $115
• Oil Check valves and miscellaneous hardware (@ 107,000 miles) - $160 (thread)
• PCV Valve (@ 107,300 miles) - $40
• Power steering return hose (@ 107,500 miles) - $150
• Coolant overflow tank cap - $8
• Hood paint restoration & detail @ Vital Car Care (10/5/2014) - $350
• Warranty replacements for Raxles axles (@ 119,000 miles) - $0
• Shipping & installation of axles + new upper control arms (@ 119,000 miles) - $749
• Driver side power mirror base replacement (3/5/2016) - $90
• Oil pressure sender (@ 123,000 miles) - $123 parts/labor
• Arm rest lid replacement (used) - $25
• In-dash cupholder replacement (used 8E1862534J) - $40
• Oil pan gasket & radiator replacement (4/14/2018 @ 135,000 miles) - $663 parts/labor
• O2 sensor replaced + front passenger seat airbag wiring repair + Driver rear window regulator replaced (10/22/2021 @ 140,000 miles) - $1264 parts/labor
• Crank position sensor replaced (9/8/2022 @ 145,000 miles) - $561 parts/labor
• JHM/OEM clutch + flywheel: B6-to-B7 upgrade (10/29/2022 @ 146,000 miles) - $1007 parts + $990 labor
• Fix hood latch + Valve cover gaskets + oil change + driver rear brake backing plate + transmission oil + coolant hose connector (@ 147,715 miles) - $2211 parts/labor

Miscellaneous
• Remote window operation via key fob - $0
• One touch unlocks all doors - $0
• Seat belt chime disabled - $0
• Revised B7 exhaust hangers (8E0253144AS & 8E0253144AT) - $40
• R8 oil cap - $0

light gray = no longer equipped


[ THE PICTURES ]


^My very first fuel stop on the way back home from picking up the car ... "Where's the fuel cap release!?!"




^You can see the edge of the clear bra in this picture (behind the headlight) ... and some curbage on the wheel.




^Pics from one of my local cruises.


^Getting the super shiny catback installed.


^After FixxFest ... Ran a 14.11 with dirty oil & fuel filter—humid with temps around 80°F. Not too bad for my first time ever at the drag strip.


^The night suspension was installed ... no spacers, and riding around 24.5"




^These two by Josiah, when he came down to a Florida GTG.





I thought upon getting this car that it would be "so stock, it hurts," but that's absolutely not the case. It does everything leaps and bounds better than my ol' B5 did—though you can't really compare the two except for design philosophy and ergonomics. For what I'm looking for in a car, the B6 S4 is pretty much perfection from the factory.

[gear_head81]

god i miss florida

[Storm33]

Dude - that car looks nice! I never noticed it before, but your photos really capture how nicely the Dolphin Gray sets off the luster of the wheels and mirror caps.

I have a new appreciation for Dolphin Gray...

[Hyde]

^Thanks! With that said, whatever wheels I eventually decide to get will be some kind of silver or bright metallic (but not chrome).

Here's a pic of the old daily ...

[Justincredible]

Super clean love the dolphin grey the only color I would get other then black. Nice pix as well.

[oatzel]

nice. i miss how easy my dolphin gray was to keep looking clean


when i was looking for my car, black, white and gray were the only colors I was looking for

[GFRRS3]

Dolphin gray would be my favorite if White didnt exist. Very clean car!

[Hyde]

nice. i miss how easy my dolphin gray was to keep looking clean

Yes, that is a pro ... epecially for a daily

Super clean love the dolphin grey the only color I would get other then black. Nice pix as well.

Wow, lots of love for the Dolphin Gray! I thought it was just "teh standard" color ... Thanks ... I was shootin' for the proper intro, and there was no way I was gonna leave out pictures.

[S4DTM]

Lookin good my friend! Good choice on the color...we all know DG is the fastest

[Hyde]

^And the stealthiest

One more ...

[Monchichi8]

Awesome ride. Waiting looks like it paid off! Congrats!

[Beelzeebub]

looks sick.

[Bravest NY S4]

I like your Scarlet avatar better!

[Hyde]

I like your Scarlet avatar better!

Me too!

Ever since … Mark … posted that gif of her eating popcorn in Saki's B5 misery thread (and 40valve's pic on page two ), I've been on this crazy Scarlett binge.

[Hyde]

I'll post up my thoughts on the cat-back system soon, but for now ...

[FastB7S4]

Yes, that is a pro ... epecially for a daily


Wow, lots of love for the Dolphin Gray! I thought it was just "teh standard" color

Nah, silver is "teh standard" as you say.

[GameBreaker]

I'll post up my thoughts on the cat-back system soon, but for now ...

Do you have a Tip or Manual? I would like to see how your comments turn out compared to mine. I live and work in the city so I want to see how it will compare.

[AudiOso]

Bud... your car is tight... very nice.

[sakimano]

Nah, silver is "teh standard" as you say.

you'd think so (I did) but not according to the B6 S4 forum...silver tied for 3rd-4th with Dolphin. Nogaro was 2nd most popular and Brill Black was numero uno.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281295

[duvinclunk]

Looks good but I'm confused. In your mods you list a FI exhaust and then in your future mods you list an FI exhaust, and then pictures of the exhaust?

[Hyde]

Looks good but I'm confused. In your mods you list a FI exhaust and then in your future mods you list an FI exhaust, and then pictures of the exhaust?

Oh thanks! I forgot all about my "future mods" section ...

Edited.

[Silver B6 S4]

Looks good! How do you like the exhaust? Is it louder than you expected? When I purchased my Milltek, it sounded loud on video's, but was disappointing when I installed it. After 1k miles, it's still the same.

[Hyde]

Looks good! How do you like the exhaust? Is it louder than you expected? When I purchased my Milltek, it sounded loud on video's, but was disappointing when I installed it. After 1k miles, it's still the same.

So far I'm loving the exhaust! And to answer your question, no, it's actually not as loud as I expected. But to me that's a very good thing.

I've got a couple of videos where I'm just putting around, but none where I really open it up. According to my buddy, when the right foot goes down, the sound goes way up. I hope to capture that on video tomorrow morning ... Then I can post it up along with a full review.

[duvinclunk]

So far I'm loving the exhaust! And to answer your question, no, it's actually not as loud as I expected. But to me that's a very good thing.

I've got a couple of videos where I'm just putting around, but none where I really open it up. According to my buddy, when the right foot goes down, the sound goes way up. I hope to capture that on video tomorrow morning ... Then I can post it up along with a full review.

Did you get the resonated or non-resonated version? If the resonated version how big of resonators?

[mad70sx]

I've been in love with Audi's 4.2L S4 ever since it was first released ...

I'm right there with you Bro! I too have wanted one since they were introduced and could never afford to own one until recently. I finally saved up enough pennies to get myself one,which I did last March.

I the know the feeling that your feeling right now! Feels good,eh? It's by far the best car I've ever owned and I still get major grin on my face every time I drive it. Even more now since I had the exhaust put on!

Congrats,Hyde!

[whartung]

Did you get the resonated or non-resonated version? If the resonated version how big of resonators?

you can see the resonators in the picture, so yes it is. they look reasonable sized... ~10inches i'd guess

[hot2trots4]

Congrats man. That car is really clean.

[Hyde]

I'm right there with you Bro! I too have wanted one since they were introduced and could never afford to own one until recently. I finally saved up enough pennies to get myself one,which I did last March.

I the know the feeling that your feeling right now! Feels good,eh? It's by far the best car I've ever owned and I still get major grin on my face every time I drive it. Even more now since I had the exhaust put on!

Congrats,Hyde!

Thanks! Congrats to you too!

-----------------------
My thoughts on the Fast Intentions cat-back exhaust (resonated):

All in all, I'm very pleased. This is my first experience with aftermarket exhaust on any vehicle I've owned (this is only my third car), and despite the number of modifications to my last car, I never went through with even a simple custom bent pipe and welded muffler. I guess I found the sound of a spooling turbo intoxicating enough. That, and the old car wasn't really all that fast ... I figured why advertise aurally when there's only mild salsa under the hood?

Well the S4 is obviously a different story. It's got quite the hot tamale (for a stock car) under the hood, but no one would ever guess it if they didn't know anything about cars. I like the understated styling of the B6, but I wanted the character of the car to be more like a competent European sedan, but with the soul of a sports car trying to get out.

The Fast Intentions resonated cat-back exhaust helps some of that sports car to show through, but not too much. It provides a more aggressive, deep exhaust note, while not sacrificing [much] interior noise comfort. Does this system drone? Yes. However, in order to produce the 'bad' sounds, I'm required to accelerate in 6th gear at speeds below 45 MPH. In other words, with a manual transmission, I'd have to drive it 'wrong' to get drone. So while on the subject of interior volume, from the driver's seat with the windows up, the car sounds 90% stock with little bass note intrusion. Again, as this is my first exhaust experience, this was a pleasant surprise. I guarantee it's too quiet for someone who wants to hear what he paid for all the time, but for me, that would become tiring.

After having the pipes on for a week, I finally got my buddy out to do some videos. This was the first time I got to hear the car on the outside (I let him do a run while I held the camera). I was relieved to find out this cat-back system is not "wake-the-neighbors-loud," rather, it's quite well behaved ... Just as I believe an S4 should be. And to top it off, the Sebring Racing tips look like stock, only they're 4" big, have perforated detailing on the inside, and fill out the valence cut outs exceptionally. It certainly looks great.

To summarize, the Fast Intentions resonated cat-back is exactly what I was looking for. It's got a deep refined exhaust note, that fits with the character of the car, and doesn't draw unwanted attention when driving normally in everyday traffic; it produces a small but measurable interior drone in the 1200~1800 RPM rev range, but is easily avoided with 6MT; and the build quality and choice of tips is top notch. If your tastes are similar to mine, and you don't want to attract attention, you can't go wrong with this setup.



*CLICK FOR VIDEO.*

[duvinclunk]

^ Niccce shot!

[Hyde]

Bump, for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN89oopIXHk

... In case anyone missed it at the end of post #28.

[SebringSilver]

Dolphine Gray looks pretty amazing under bright sunlight, especially if you've clayed, waxed, and polished the car right. I still love mine after 3 years.

[Hyde]

This was the last major performance work done to the car. I think it belongs here in this thread:

So I finally had some major upgrades done to the car a few weeks ago: suspension/tune/downpipes. Here or some photos of the work as it was being done at Driven Performance in Pensacola, Florida (pulled from Driven Performance's facebook page)



Goodies.




Check out that craftsmanship.




Compression test went well. One cylinder was slightly lower than the rest, but inconsistently so. If I'm feeling uncomfortable, I'll seek out a leak down test in the future. As it is, this car burns almost no oil over OCIs. Valve covers are looking gnarly, but I'll save replacing them for next time ...






So pretty ...




Old and new.






Newly installed.




Old and busted ...




Old and new bushing (one was failing).








... new hotness.






Everything bolted up.




Sittin' pretty.


I actually didn't have Driven do the tune, and instead flashed the car myself a week after the above installations so I could feel the car's progression from stock downpipes to 2.5" downpipes, and then finally with the tune. Just adding the downpipes (high flow catted), made a noticeable difference in throttle response and freeing up horsepower. The car felt appreciably faster ... And the noise she makes is fantastic—even from the driver's seat. Finally I get to enjoy the sound from inside the car too. While the exhaust sound is slightly louder, the higher flow seems to have alleviated some of the drone, so that's a plus.

Going from my busted FK coils to brand new Bilstein PSS9 coilovers marked a huge difference in ride quality and handling. Finally, this car feels like a sports sedan. I regret initially taking the cheap route, and not following my own advice (buy nice or buy twice), but at least now everything is buttoned down, and solid. Currently set at 5 front and 6 rear, it's both more comfortable and more controlled than the FKs ever were. Very satisfied here.

Flashing the beast took almost 4 hours. I did have to call JHM once in the process (I made sure to flash after work on a weekday as JHM is closed on the weekends), but that call only lasted for a minute. The reason for the lengthly process is because of all the pre-flashing setup you have to do before actually flashing, my OCD in following the instructions exactly, and my trip to Walmart to grab a battery charger which is highly recommended to have during the flash to keep your ECU juiced during the process. Once I was connected to the server (I did it over WiFi) and plugged into my car, flashing took less than 15 minutes.

So moments later, I'm driving the thing ... I go easy on her at first, obviously to let her warm up. Because I was expecting ridiculous throttle sensitivity (as I've read on the forums), I found it wasn't as difficult to drive from first gear as I thought it would be (though some days it does seem worse than others with lumpy starts—though perhaps the tune has just exaggerated a problem I already had). As far as torque and feel, second gear feels like first gear did before the tune. And the tune's elimination of the throttle limiter in the first few gears was made apparent to me when I made a U-turn on an empty road. Had I been in a rear wheel drive car, I'd have spun out for sure! The tune puts ferocity into every gear ... it's really great. Another thing I noticed that I really, really enjoy is with the increased throttle response, rev matching on downshifts is sooo much easier. I find myself doing it just because it sounds cool, whereas before the tune, it was a chore.

Finally, I played with launch assist once that night in an empty parking lot. Wow. Very impressed. From a stand still I revved to 5000 RPM in first gear with ESP deactivated, let off (not eased off) the clutch, and the car automatically put the revs down to 2900 RPM or so, and launched the car with little to no drama. It was so cool, I'm thinking I may run out and try it again after typing this, haha.

So yeah, all in all I'm pretty satisfied. The Bilsteins should be about settled by now, so I'll take it back to Driven soon to get it evened out, and then elsewhere to get alignment done. Hopefully not long after that I can get a video up of the exhaust under load.

[Hyde]

So I figured I'd start continually posting in my old intro thread rather than make a new one for any new things that happen with the car (Audrey). I also continually edit the list of mods and maintenance in the first post.

Random recent photos:






For the latest update, some of you may remember me posting a month ago about the clearcoat on my hood; it was beginning to oxidize.



After asking around, I found a couple of great guys in Pensacola at Vital Care Care who did an awesome job with the restoration.

[Mr.Wrong]

You should post more pictures of your beauty! Awesome clean OEM+ set up What's next for you bud?

[FastEddie]

Damn hyde. Always loved the look of your car!

[Slow4]

Gorgeous!!!!

And dat engine bay....had to go back and look to see if you picked up the JHM intake manifold.

[Hyde]

You should post more pictures of your beauty! Awesome clean OEM+ set up What's next for you bud?

I need to take more pictures of it first, haha. I'm not really thinking about what's next other than general maintenance and upgrades in the form of maintenance ... Well I do have a center console lying around that I need to install to replace my beat up one. It won't be a B7 conversion, but I snagged it off of eBay for $80, and it's pretty much mint.

Audrey has the typical chain rattle on cold start (new oil check valves cured that for only about a month). The timing components are original with 112000 miles, and it's also on the original clutch. Those are some big money items that I will take care of eventually, but for now we want to focus on saving up funds (home/future/misc), and getting a third vehicle so the B6 can be the weekend/hobby car. It's daily driven, but I only drive 3.6 miles to work and back these days.

At least my oil consumption between OCIs is nil.

Damn hyde. Always loved the look of your car!

Thanks! Again, I'm glad your DTM B7 is back to 100% after the water damage.

[Hyde]

Gorgeous!!!!

And dat engine bay....had to go back and look to see if you picked up the JHM intake manifold.

Eventually ... Only spacers here.

I love the red, but overall the engine bay is about average as far as cleanliness. I should've asked them to detail that too!

-----

Random question: I have a leak in my washer fluid system. I don't feel like dealing with it now, so what fuse do I pull to get rid of the low fluid light?

[staticuxo]

looking great hyde! OEM+

[Hyde]

looking great hyde! OEM+

Thank you! When are you gonna post up pics of your Avant? Or did I miss the thread?

A few more photos from the detailer: