A4 Centaur's Build Thread

**A4 Centaur** · 03-20-2016 02:56 PM

I think a dark blue would work with both of those colors.

**A4 Centaur** · 04-15-2016 05:52 AM

Picked up some interior mods this past week:

Thanks to Alex at Europrice!!

As some can tell I also got the LED's from deAutoLED. They are great as well! Make the interior fresh looking once again. I really love the shift knob, and it will go great with the other new interior mods coming soon.

**avantagg** · 04-15-2016 08:42 PM

Looking good! That's a great interior upgrade. I got one from Alex last fall for my avant.

**auditd0rk** · 04-16-2016 06:38 AM

Great looking shifter. Really goes well with the Alcantara inserts you have on your seats.

/why oh why didn't I just hold out for a Prestige model at the time????

**A4 Centaur** · 04-16-2016 06:50 AM

^Haha!

**A4 Centaur** · 05-21-2016 06:47 AM

Or, so got to thinking about upcoming mods and even though I'm only at 65k I have put a lot of abuse on the suspension lately. The roads to work are a disaster and I felt the car needed some preventative maintenance.

Picked up some goodies from Rock Auto:

You can't go wrong with Timken or SKF bearings either! Getting the bearing out was a breeze. The half-shaft was a bit more work, but I disconnected the steering knuckles up top and she came right out.

Detailed the the new half-shaft because, well I was bored.

After buttoning it back up, I could feel how much tighter the front feels now. The fact that you have a lowered car I feel does put some stress on the the CV joints, the the aftermarket shaft is more robust. The PN# are for S4, S5 RS5 so its a tough unit.

Next up is some stuff from Alex at Europrice!

**avantagg** · 05-21-2016 05:20 PM

Well done. You've got me thinking about doing mine now!

**A4 Centaur** · 05-21-2016 06:21 PM

^ Yea, it completely changes how the front end feels. It's hard to believe but fresh bearings are noticeable, at least to me.

I used Loctite on every bolt and replaced the axle bolt and 4 bearing bolts with new ones.

**Demringstho864** · 05-22-2016 01:06 PM

What brand are your CV axles. I need to order a set soon.

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**A4 Centaur** · 05-22-2016 03:09 PM

Rock Auto sells two styles. Empire is the brand I went with. They looked beefier than the stock A4 axles. The cost a bit more too.

**A4 Centaur** · 06-19-2016 08:25 AM

Ok, now that I have finished some preventative maintenance on the Avant I decided to get the OEM Facelift LED lights for the rear of the car. Alex from Europrice had a group buy last month and I decided it was worth the look.

Since apparently I am in a bit of "competition" with a fellow Audizine member: Avantagg. Haha! Good clean fun here and thanks for the support and inspiration as well!

I love the look of the lights and I also picked up the "dynamic modules" but haven't put them in yet. I also copied Avantagg and de-badged last month as well. Just too much going on with the back end of the car and having the Quattro stickers on the side.

I routed the wires through the grommet to try and keep an OEM look. All in all this took a while to pull the panels and route the wiring. Lots of detail work pulling those darn pins as well. The VAS 1978/18 tool is too large, so get the smaller pin tool from the dealer. I think the CV joints replacement was more fun to do than this wiring job. Alex put together a great kit however, and I would recommend it for that reason.

**avantagg** · 06-19-2016 08:41 AM

Love it! Looks great man, congrats on the new set up and thanks for the inspiration as well. Someday these cars should meet. Avants FTW!

**A4 Centaur** · 06-19-2016 08:46 AM

^ You bet! I am thinking of trading in all my old parts and seeing if sourcing a B8.5 MMI unit. I think a few folks have upgraded the HU from the facelift models which have the google maps? Also, KWBC in Seattle has done the parking sensor conversion as well.

I think I will look into that. Didn't DavidB8 also do a conversion like this?

**avantagg** · 06-19-2016 08:55 AM

I'm not sure, but that would be awesome!

**redavant** · 06-19-2016 11:21 PM

Hi. Just read this post from the beginning. What a nice built you have! Giving me some good ideas once I'm ready for my future mods. Thanks for the inspiration! :-)

**A4 Centaur** · 06-20-2016 08:42 AM

^Thanks much! Its been too long for some of the items, but that is what makes it worth the wait I guess. I hope to see your build get going soon too!

**A4 Centaur** · 08-08-2016 08:25 PM

Ok, so the stumbling issue has just been driving me crazy! Can't figure it out, but it seems to occur mainly in the hotter months? IDK.

Here is what the Iridium plugs looked like with R8 Coils and huge stumbling issues recently:

I am making an assumption that its just too lean in the engine and a WM kit will need to be added or I'll have to go a colder plug? I went back to average copper plugs from NGK and things are a bit better, but the stumbling has just "changed" and is light and down lower in the RPM's from 2700 or so back down to 2200. Weird.

Got tired of the S-Line grill and finally went with the RS4 grill from ECS tuning:

I put the homelink on the front crash bar and again, I really like the smooth look.

**sferraro** · 08-09-2016 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by A4 Centaur}
[URL=http://s1220.photobucket.com/user/JHTaylor2003/media/IMG_4191_zpstq5pjjke.jpg.html

[/URL]

I put the homelink on the front crash bar and again, I really like the smooth look.

Car looks great, man. Question - do you ever get hassled or ticketed with no front plate here in Denver? I got a ticket in my old B7 after moving back from Arizona and that was enough to force the front plate on my current B8 avant. Looks so much better without a front plate.

**Poodini** · 08-09-2016 08:23 AM

I'm here in stoggy NorCal and I've gone without a front plate for 6+ years and NEVER got a ticket!

2+ years ago:

2016:

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**A4 Centaur** · 08-09-2016 09:26 AM

I am running the off-set plate holder which you can't see from the drivers side. Parking in Denver City will get you a ticket, and they are really tight about it. The CSP will get a reason to pull you over on the highway, but in 15 years it's only happened 2 times. Once in the Telluride/ Montrose area another near Castle Rock.

Guess I need to get an S-Line Badge for the front? Can't mount up the Quattro Badge now.

**Dub_prime** · 08-09-2016 10:31 AM

I'm really digging the yellow brake calipers.

**A4 Centaur** · 08-09-2016 11:38 AM

^Thanks much!

**hyperunion** · 08-09-2016 12:06 PM

That perfect brake setup!

**sferraro** · 08-09-2016 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by A4 Centaur

I am running the off-set plate holder which you can't see from the drivers side. Parking in Denver City will get you a ticket, and they are really tight about it. The CSP will get a reason to pull you over on the highway, but in 15 years it's only happened 2 times. Once in the Telluride/ Montrose area another near Castle Rock.

Guess I need to get an S-Line Badge for the front? Can't mount up the Quattro Badge now.

Ah, I should've looked more closely. I see it clear as day now.

**avantagg** · 08-09-2016 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by A4 Centaur

Guess I need to get an S-Line Badge for the front? Can't mount up the Quattro Badge now.

This looks great man! I think @johnnysv might have a clean solve for the s-line badge on the RS4 grille. I'll see if he's got any pics/info or perhaps he can chime in.

**johnnySV** · 08-09-2016 03:45 PM

I love my solution for the S-Line badge on the honeycomb grill, but I'm afraid it might not be very repeatable.

I found (on eBay) some type of OEM looking badge in its own abs black plastic housing with some type of mounting tab. I cut the mounting tab on my milling machine (but you could use a dremmel) to nest with the honeycomb pattern.

Since I live in snow country, and was concerned about cold weather durability, I specified DevCon Plastic Welder to adhere it. this stuff is very nasty/volatile and made specifically to adhere abs to the urethane paint on these grills.... work fast, I had it mixed and spooned into the syringe w/in 60 seconds, it stops flowing after about 2mins.

pics attached.
I could also do the license plate mounting bracket for a group buy, but minimum order qty would be 15, and they would still probably cost about $200ea. because they are machined.

I've also done the grill badge with an OEM S5 badge and a stainless steel bracket, adhered with 3M VHB. see the post #1073 here:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...9&share_type=t

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**A4 Centaur** · 08-09-2016 05:34 PM

Thanks much!

**A4 Centaur** · 08-26-2016 02:36 PM

Well, I'm getting tired of the weird stumbling going on between 2700-3000 RPM's. Not sure what to make of the tune or fueling or the detonation that might be occurring in that area. Replacing plugs helped a bit, and I guess I can narrow the gap a bit which I will try as well.

In the meantime , I decided to meet the guys at Bluewater Performance in Denver and order up the APR FMIC. This will be required for the upcoming turbo upgrade. Still not sure if we will see the EFR anytime soon, so might just do the K04 and call it done.

The guys at Bluewater have some ideas and a W/M kit from Snow might also be coming as well. What a great shop!

**A4 Centaur** · 08-27-2016 03:25 PM

So today I was feeling like putting on some of the other items I have waiting for the upgrade to the FMIC or turbo.

Decided to ditch the soundbox and replace with the Eurocode pipe:

Decided on removing the fender liner and then do some other much needed replacements:

Ordered new foglights from Rock Auto and then covered with Lamin-x which I can replace instead of the whole foglight housing.

I like the way it ties the brake calipers color together and yellow is best for fogs IMO.

Waiting on the APR FMIC next.

**avantagg** · 08-27-2016 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by A4 Centaur

So today I was feeling like putting on some of the other items I have waiting for the upgrade to the FMIC or turbo.

Decided to ditch the soundbox and replace with the Eurocode pipe:

Decided on removing the fender liner and then do some other much needed replacements:

Ordered new foglights from Rock Auto and then covered with Lamin-x which I can replace instead of the whole foglight housing.

I like the way it ties the brake calipers color together and yellow is best for fogs IMO.

Waiting on the APR FMIC next.

I like what you did with the fogs. I love my Hoen Endurance bulbs, but the permanent yellow tint you did looks great when the lights are off. Very LE MANS. Looks great on a black car IMO.

**A4 Centaur** · 08-27-2016 05:54 PM

^Thanks much! I am gonna do the Euro Lenses soon which will get rid of the ugly orange side marker. The Lamin-x covers allow you just peel off the damaged skins and replace with fresh yellow covers. I like that idea especially here in Colorado where there are so many rocks on the road.

I like how the engine spools a bit cleaner with the Eurocode pipe.

**johnnySV** · 08-28-2016 08:14 AM

the Lamin-X looks great! I've never used it but am considering.... how does it look when lit up? and are you lighting it with a yellow, super-white, or conventional bulb (incandescent or LED?) ??

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**NLPed68** · 08-28-2016 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by johnnySV

the Lamin-X looks great! I've never used it but am considering.... how does it look when lit up? and are you lighting it with a yellow, super-white, or conventional bulb (incandescent or LED?) ??

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I was wondering the same as to which kind of bulbs you were running with the Lamin-X?

**A4 Centaur** · 08-28-2016 06:56 PM

^Stock 9003 bubs. Looks great if you ask me! I'll try and post up pics.

**CONative** · 08-29-2016 07:07 AM

Nice build man...didn't know you were in CO...will have to keep an eye out for your whip.

Have you checked out Berg Performance? Another reputable shop in the area, going to have them do my tensioner hopefully before winter.

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**sferraro** · 08-29-2016 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by CONative

Nice build man...didn't know you were in CO...will have to keep an eye out for your whip.

I second that. Looking forward to the day when I come across both of your avants. All in Denver and no sighting yet...

**A4 Centaur** · 08-29-2016 04:46 PM

^ Haven't tried Berg yet, but I will try and check them out in good time.

Tried the fog pic last night and its just not working with the exposure rates of the I-Phone. I will try it with a proper CMOS camera shortly.

All I can say is the yellow Lamin-X looks great at night.

**Poodini** · 08-29-2016 07:47 PM

Yellow Lamin-x with:

Came out AWESOME!

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**CONative** · 08-30-2016 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by sferraro

I second that. Looking forward to the day when I come across both of your avants. All in Denver and no sighting yet...

To be fair, I take light rail to work or else I would rack up 250+ miles per week just commuting. So she spends most of her time either in my garage or at the Park and Ride.

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**sferraro** · 08-30-2016 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by CONative

To be fair, I take light rail to work or else I would rack up 250+ miles per week just commuting. So she spends most of her time either in my garage or at the Park and Ride.

Yeah, I work from home 4-5 days per week so my car sits in the garage (I'm definitely not complaining about the lack of miles being put on the car). Guess I'll keep an eye out on the weekends.

What part of Denver are you and A4 Centaur? I'm near City Park/Denver Zoo.

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