Should I do the drop or not, on 2008 A4 2.0T Quattro

[Image is Style]

What's up everyone. I have been debating this for the past weeks. I bought this CPO, Brilliant Black Pearl Effect described car this past March with 36K miles. It does have the red shocks/struts, but is not the S-Line sport package, just the trim. I'm here in the Atlanta area. Now, I got a price quote from Butler Tire to order the Eibach Pro kit springs, and the store guy suggesting the Bilstein shocks. With labor, parts ordered through them and alignment, he is charging $1400 "out-the-door." Any GA Audi owners want to chime in. I have seen a few pics here of what my car would most possibly look like, and it would look great. My fender to ground measurement is about 26 8/10 all around. My car ride is awesome though. I barely feel the holes, or those metal hole covers on the roads. I can literally drink open cup coffee with no issues. I have read many reasons why, and mine too for aesthetic and performance. I will not track/race this car.
So, I am seeking a lot of opinion on those that decided at the end, to not drop/lower their car. Thanks to anyone for their input.

[yayjohnny]

Wow.. $1400 out the door. LOL
Parts is like $700, labor is $700? Getting ripped off through labor buddy. Don't do it.
I'd suggest you order it online via many AZ sponsors and find a local place to install it. Average is like $300-400 for installation? something like that

[tankdeer]

Install yourself. Free + a few hours of your time.

[DoThisMyWay]

That quote isn't too far off. An alignment is $125-$175. Labor might be on the high side depending on the cost of parts.

[boosteda4]

WOW!!! That's a lot of money... Buy the stuff online, and then go to a different shop and ask how much to install if ya cant do it yourself.

EDIT: When I had springs installed on my last A4 it cost 40 bucks...

I can't imagine paying 700 for shocks and springs..

[cheemn]

If ya plan on selling it a couple years down the road DO NOT mod the suspension. If you plan on keeping it for a long time and dont care about resale value or the hassle of putting back the OEM/Factory suspension back then by all means go for it. Just shop around first before ya do it. I never modded my suspension and try to keep my car as close to factory as possible. Yes I dont like the front fender gap but honestly dont mind the 4x4 suspension in the winter or over the bad roads we have in the north east. This may not be as much of a factor for you though.

[grimlock]

For $1400 you can easily get a set of good coilovers (Stasis StreetSports or Konis) with install.

[beantown]

For $1400 you can easily get a set of good coilovers (Stasis StreetSports or Konis) with install.

x2 That's about what I paid for my SS, install, and alignment.

[OtisA4]

You guys aren't worried about voiding your warranty?

[Image is Style]

My bad everyone, let me detail this further. And thanks for the replies. All of the following was quoted over the phone: Eibach Pro kit $299, Bilstein front shocks $150 ea., Bilstein rear shocks $129/ea., the install $400 and alignment $95, plus tax $68. It was not specified which Bilstein (HDs, etc.) and did say they would adjust/check the camber (toe). I don't believe it will void the CPO alot, that is why I want to do both the shocks and springs at the same time. I figured to save a few hundred $ over buying coilovers and would not be adjusting (no racing/tracking). I have called a few other places and the dealer, Hah! They were charging like $1200, What!. I am leaning towards this shop due to convenience since they said they would drive me to work that day (3.5 miles) so I don't have to wait. They also have a 12 month/12K mile warranty on their install/work. Never owned an Audi so don't want to do anything-like this-on my own. I plan to keep for a long time and so willing to invest this mod and keep the original parts for future purposes.

[vbrad26]

You guys aren't worried about voiding your warranty?

why would it void the warranty?

[Operator]

You guys aren't worried about voiding your warranty?

It would only affect the suspension warranty, not the entire car's warranty.

[tankdeer]

Installing springs/coilovers does not, and legally can not void your warranty. At all. And it doesn't really "hurt" the resale value either - you won't get your "investment" into the suspension back when you sell, but it's not going to suddenly make your car worthless. If you put your car back to stock whenever you go to sell it, you can sell your suspension separately and recoup some of the money at least.

Such bad information in here.

[tankdeer]

It would only affect the suspension warranty, not the entire car's warranty.

And even then, they have to prove that the mods to the suspension are what caused the failure in order to deny service.

[vbrad26]

yes yes and yes

[TMurt]

I'm in the exact same position as you. I can buy the parts for $700 (Eibach/Koni Sports) and I got quoted at $400 plus $130 for alignment. So about $1250 total. I'm going to check another place but the first place I checked charged $1750 for everything! There isn't a ton of competition here so I don't think I'll get it much lower.

[OtisA4]

And even then, they have to prove that the mods to the suspension are what caused the failure in order to deny service.

You know it will be the first thing the stealership would blame. Saying the car wasn't designed/built to use aftermarket parts to lower the car. Good luck getting them to fix suspension issues under warranty with lowered springs and struts.

[4RingRook]

You know it will be the first thing the stealership would blame. Saying the car wasn't designed/built to use aftermarket parts to lower the car. Good luck getting them to fix suspension issues under warranty with lowered springs and struts.

Every dealership is different when it comes to this. Some will work with you while others will refuse, so blanket statements like this don't apply to every dealer everywhere.

OP - the answer is ALWAYS lower it. It makes the car look much better without the wheel gap. Like others have mentioned, I would buy the parts online (classifieds, etc) and check out the regional forms to source a shop/guy to do it cheaper.

[vbrad26]

You know it will be the first thing the stealership would blame. Saying the car wasn't designed/built to use aftermarket parts to lower the car. Good luck getting them to fix suspension issues under warranty with lowered springs and struts.

but then they have to prove that your modification caused the problem...
which i suppose could be easy or hard depending on what needs to be fixed...just thought i would reiterate that
and like rook said some dealerships are dicks about it others are not...

[greensto]

For $1400 you can easily get a set of good coilovers (Stasis StreetSports or Konis) with install.

x1000000 I got my Vogtland coilovers and installation for $580 all together...

[Layza]

If ya plan on selling it a couple years down the road DO NOT mod the suspension. If you plan on keeping it for a long time and dont care about resale value or the hassle of putting back the OEM/Factory suspension back then by all means go for it. Just shop around first before ya do it. I never modded my suspension and try to keep my car as close to factory as possible. Yes I dont like the front fender gap but honestly dont mind the 4x4 suspension in the winter or over the bad roads we have in the north east. This may not be as much of a factor for you though.

I'm sorry but LOL.... Call me crazy, but suspension is a must on any car, I buy. Even if I lose a grand. But....In my experience. A car that is well put together and clean. Will bring more money when it comes time to sell and trust me when I say this. A faster sale!!

I have Stasis and love them.



PS. I never even raised my car this winter. We get tons of snow in WI. I even drove her to Denver for a snowboarding trip, in Jan. Didn't have one single problem on the mountains.




OP. Do it! It does not sound like to bad of a deal! Or wait for a vender on AZ to have a sale.

[cheemn]

My bad everyone, let me detail this further. And thanks for the replies. All of the following was quoted over the phone: Eibach Pro kit $299, Bilstein front shocks $150 ea., Bilstein rear shocks $129/ea., the install $400 and alignment $95, plus tax $68. It was not specified which Bilstein (HDs, etc.) and did say they would adjust/check the camber (toe). I don't believe it will void the CPO alot, that is why I want to do both the shocks and springs at the same time. I figured to save a few hundred $ over buying coilovers and would not be adjusting (no racing/tracking). I have called a few other places and the dealer, Hah! They were charging like $1200, What!. I am leaning towards this shop due to convenience since they said they would drive me to work that day (3.5 miles) so I don't have to wait. They also have a 12 month/12K mile warranty on their install/work. Never owned an Audi so don't want to do anything-like this-on my own. I plan to keep for a long time and so willing to invest this mod and keep the original parts for future purposes.

If you are keeping this for a long time then by all means mod and yeah keeping the original parts is a good idea unless someone is going to pay alot for them right now. Also maybe look into adjustable control arms etc. One warning though. You will catch the mod bug........and suspension will be only the first in a long list of mods...........LOLOLOL :-)

[Image is Style]

I do appreciate everyone's feedback thus far. This is my first used, albeit CPO, car. I do still have the warranty for another 3 years/60K miles, so I feel "safe" there. I plan to keep at least for the next 5 years and would be paid off by then, who knows mabye sooner. Lottery? Nice pic by the way Layza. It doesn't get too crazy here in the counties where I live and work as far as weather, that is why I am thinking of not spending the extra money on coilovers. I had coils on my first car, but had lots of help with the mods, but that was a long time ago on a Mitsubishi. Yes, I agree about keeping it "clean" looking. I believe the drop would be my stopping point on any mods for at least another year. I have thought about this a lot and have looked through many forums about this. I do like the shop's warranty on their work and they have good testimonials and reputation for working on Audis and other luxury vehicles. I guess I am paying more for their work and getting the parts for me because he sounded like he knew what my Quattro needed compared to other places I called and stopped by. I don't want to deal with the hassle of ordering wrong or waiting either. He told me it would be a 2 day turn around time once he orders and only needs a deposit to order all the parts. I pay in full after the work is done. He even told me they would drive the car 10 miles after the alignment to make sure all seems as it should. The shop also has a 1 time free alignment, within 500 miles, in case I feel the alignment is off. No questions asked. Not bad. I did not get that from the other shops I contacted. Can't go wrong with Eibach and Bilstein for the Audi either. Worst case, I still have my OEM parts and can reinstall, with money saved, if I choose to put them back on. I really don't see many Audis, B7s, so I have nothing up close to look on.