Campblett's B8 A4 Build thread

[Campblett]

So I have been on the forums for a little bit and noticed every person these days makes a mod thread, so I figured it was my turn. I only recently started doing some more upgrades to my car. It is my DD as well as leased, so I originally didn't want to do anything but small mods, which has now turned into a bit more than that. I figured I would start from the beginning to where I currently am. The overall goal of my 'build' is to add individuality to the look of the car (hate driving around looking stock) while at the same time keeping an OEM+ look and adding some additional HP.

The car has undergone a few 'phases' in terms of the build as well as look of the car.



Mod List Breakdown:

Performance Mods:
Unitronic Stage 2
STaSIS Catback Exhaust (Custom)
R8 Red Coils
Eurocode Alu-Kreuz
Eurocode High Flow Intercooler Pipe (HFIP)
Eurocode FMIC
Eurocode Rotamass Lightweight Crank Pulley
Roc-Euro/Stratmosphere Short Shifter
034 Motorsports Transmission Mount
034 HFC
GFB DV+
APR Boost Tap and PCV Bypass System
CTS Turbo silicone turbo inlet hose.
Apikol Diff Mount
Solo Werks Coilovers
AFE Pro Dry S Filter
Hankook Ventus V12
Adam's Street Rotors

Exterior Mods:
Avant Garde M310 (Sold)
Avant Garde M590 Bespoke III Brushed Gloss Antique Bronze
Black rear emblem
Painted Calipers
E-Code Reflectors
LED Turn Signals + Reverse Lights
Tint (rear lights, 32% Windows)
Rs4 Grille
Honeycomb Fog Light Grilles
Hoen Fogs
Votex Valence
Audi Sport Plate Frame
Ebay Trunk Spoiler
Usmillworks plate bracket
Brilliant black Mirror Caps
Debaged


Interior/Accessories:
P3 Cars Digital Vent Gauge
OEM Carbon Atlas Trim
OEM Post-Facelift S4 Flat-Bottom Steering Wheel
OEM Post-Facelift Perforated Shift Knob With Nappa Leather
Blackvue dr500gw-hd wifi
Tune2Air
Ross-Tech Vag-Com
LED Interior Lighting


Day one

Feb 2012: After waiting 3 months for the car to be built, and shipped over my baby finally arrived. She stayed like this for a few months as I was happy enough to have the car and would focus on mods later on.





Phase I

This phase consists of mostly cosmetic mods as I was still breaking in the car and trying to get an idea of what my end goal would be.

Mods during this time:

OEM S5 19x8.5 et32 split 5 spoke wheels with 5mm spacers (rear)
32% tint
Rs4 grille
K&N intake
Plasti-dip bottom splitter
OEM black mirror caps (Thanks Calbee)
Painted calipers
Vag-Com coding
Debadged
Black rear emblem
US Mill Works plate bracket





Phase II

I started finally realizing what I wanted in terms of looks and performance for the car after about a year. This phase only lasted a few months before I decided it was time for something different and more power, but I will miss this look.

Mods during this time:

Unitronic stage I+
R8 red coils
Ebay trunk spoiler
Stasis catback exhaust
H&R sport springs
Eurocode HFIP
CTS Turbo Silicone intercooler hoses, turbo inlet hose, turbo outlet adaptor
Avant Garde M310 dolphin grey
Hankook ventus v12
Hoen fogs
Votex valance
034 transmission mount
Apikol diff mount
E-Code reflectors (J-code 'cf wrap' for 1 month)
Vinyl stripe
Blackvue dr500gw-hd wifi
LED interior lights
Audi Sport Plate Frame
CF wrapped interior

Pics:














Phase III

While I enjoyed the bump in power that going stage I+ provided, I wanted a little more, which turned into a lot more. This is the most current phase and was never fully completed as I was offered a deal on a new car that I couldn't walk away from.

New Mods:

Unitronic Stage II
034 HFC
Solo Werks Coilovers
Adam's Street Rotors
Eurocode Alu-Kreuz
Eurocode FMIC
Eurocode rotamass lightweight crank pulley
Roc-Euro/Stratmosphere short shifter
Apr boost tap and PCV bypass system
GFB DV+
Removed K&N intake and replaced it with oem intake and AFE pro dry S filter
Audizine Metal Plate Frame
Honeycomb fog light covers
LED Turn Signals + Reverse Lights
OEM Post-Facelift S4 Flat-Bottom Steering Wheel
OEM Carbon Atlas Trim
OEM Post-Facelift Perforated Shift Knob With Nappa Leather
P3 Cars Digital Vent Gauge
Tune2Air
Avant Garde M590 Bespoke III Brushed Gloss Antique Bronze










Overall, I love the car and everything about it. It is a pleasure to drive every day and I yet to have any major issues. Continue through this thread to see more of the progress of each individual item I have added + some extra pics and things I didn't mention above. Thanks for looking!

[Okan509]

tints lulz

[dracolnyte]

you almost have my dream setup

[BirdmanQ5]

Looks great bro! Looking forward to seeing the whole setup in the spring!

[b6Hate4]

Not my style at all but the effort shows

[Campblett]

Thanks a lot guys. The car definitely is still a work in progress. Since this is the first car I have really taken beyond stock I am proud that I have done everything myself except for the exhaust install. Big changes coming in the next 2 months. The car will look very different.

[jpeazy21]

You paint your own calipers? What did you use? Where did get things for them?


2012 B8 A4 2.0 TFSI S-Line Quattro (Prestige)
Ice Silver Metallic
Black S-Line interior
VMR 713 19 x 8.5
RS4 Honeycomb Grille
STASIS Signature Series 2.0L AWD Exhaust
Tune2Air

[TCHUN003]

Love you're neighborhood

[Campblett]

You paint your own calipers? What did you use? Where did get things for them?


2012 B8 A4 2.0 TFSI S-Line Quattro (Prestige)
Ice Silver Metallic
Black S-Line interior
VMR 713 19 x 8.5
RS4 Honeycomb Grille
STASIS Signature Series 2.0L AWD Exhaust
Tune2Air

Ya it took me a few hours to get them all done (waiting for coats to dry, taking off wheels etc..) I picked up a Dupli-Color brake caliper paint kit which included cleaner, paint, a brush, and tape at Canadian Tire..I'm not sure what the equivalent to that is in the States, maybe Autozone? I strongly recommend staying away from spray cans of caliper paint and get the one with the can and brush. It eliminates any risk of overspray from a can, and since this is ceramic paint, it is a bitch to get off if you accidentally get it anywhere you don't want it. I took the wheels off the car (since I didn't have jack stands I removed one wheel at a time) and taped off all the metal components on the brakes, and put one straight piece towards the back of the front calipers to make it look more even, I then painted multiple coats, and put the wheel back on before moving to the next one. I also sanded down my calipers before I painted them to achieve a more smooth look. I probably could have se\anded more than I did but I was nervous. You can order the stickers on ebay, they're like $10 or something. But make sure that they are high temp stickers. It came with 2 large for the front and 2 small for the rear, I only put them on the front, but the rears are painted black as well.

[jpeazy21]

Ya it took me a few hours to get them all done (waiting for coats to dry, taking off wheels etc..) I picked up a Dupli-Color brake caliper paint kit which included cleaner, paint, a brush, and tape at Canadian Tire..I'm not sure what the equivalent to that is in the States, maybe Autozone? I strongly recommend staying away from spray cans of caliper paint and get the one with the can and brush. It eliminates any risk of overspray from a can, and since this is ceramic paint, it is a bitch to get off if you accidentally get it anywhere you don't want it. I took the wheels off the car (since I didn't have jack stands I removed one wheel at a time) and taped off all the metal components on the brakes, and put one straight piece towards the back of the front calipers to make it look more even, I then painted multiple coats, and put the wheel back on before moving to the next one. I also sanded down my calipers before I painted them to achieve a more smooth look. I probably could have se\anded more than I did but I was nervous. You can order the stickers on ebay, they're like $10 or something. But make sure that they are high temp stickers. It came with 2 large for the front and 2 small for the rear, I only put them on the front, but the rears are painted black as well.

Thanks

[ryan_m]

Looking good! I like the idea of painting the calipers... might have to steal that one. Not sure what color would go well with Ice Silver though.

[LoveMyA4]

To come in the spring:
Avant Garde M310 Dolphin Gray
H&R Sport Springs
Alu Kreuz

I'll be swapping out my H&R Sport Springs next month in place of bags. If you haven't already bought your springs, I'll be putting mine up for sale soon.

[Calbee]

wow, this build reminds me so much of the first phase of my build that it actually shocked me!

keep up the work man, its always fun making your car different.

its funny cause i never realized that it was you i sold the mirrors to haha! glad i helped you with that too :D

[Campblett]

I'll be swapping out my H&R Sport Springs next month in place of bags. If you haven't already bought your springs, I'll be putting mine up for sale soon.

Ah, I already have a sale pending with another member, if something falls through I will let you know.

wow, this build reminds me so much of the first phase of my build that it actually shocked me!

keep up the work man, its always fun making your car different.

its funny cause i never realized that it was you i sold the mirrors to haha! glad i helped you with that too :D

Thanks Cris, it means a lot for you to say that, your car is one of the first I saw on Audizine and I think both your old VB3 setup and also your new setup are still one of the nicest on the forums. The mirrors were a great call, thanks again for those! Can't wait to get those rims you helped me with on also, I just need summer sooner.


A few updates coming next week, got some goodies arriving for the car.

[LoveMyA4]

My plan as of the moment is to go with H&R Sport springs on my stock shocks. They will give me the drop I am looking for but I know I will suffer in the comfort area when compared to coilovers. Since I only have the car for another 2 years (unless I buy out of the lease, which is doubtful) I don't want to sink a ton of money into install and my stock shocks should not degrade THAT much before it is time to return the car

I've had my H&R Sport Springs paired with my non-sport stock shocks for nearly two years now. At first the ride comfort was comparable to OEM. At this point my shocks are pure crap. I feel every bump in the road, and not in a good way. Even my wife, who is usually oblivious to anything and everything car related, has commented on how uncomfortable the ride quality is in my car. My car is also a lease, but after the amount of mods I've made, I'm fairly confident I'll be keeping it. If you're sure you're giving up the car, you can probably get away with using your stock shocks with the H&R Springs, but it will likely become unbearable towards lease end.

[Campblett]

I've had my H&R Sport Springs paired with my non-sport stock shocks for nearly two years now. At first the ride comfort was comparable to OEM. At this point my shocks are pure crap. I feel every bump in the road, and not in a good way. Even my wife, who is usually oblivious to anything and everything car related, has commented on how uncomfortable the ride quality is in my car. My car is also a lease, but after the amount of mods I've made, I'm fairly confident I'll be keeping it. If you're sure you're giving up the car, you can probably get away with using your stock shocks with the H&R Springs, but it will likely become unbearable towards lease end.

There's no way I will be keeping the car past the lease. I already have my eyes set on either an S3 or S4 for my next one. So I am not too worried about the shocks. The last few months of my lease will probably be uncomfortable, but then it's the dealers problem when I give it back bone stock. If I was going to buy the car out of the lease, or even was considering it, I would jump straight into coilovers. I am so jealous you are getting bags, that is my dream. I can't wait to see it at the meets.

How many kms did your stock shocks have before you considered them 'shot'?

[LoveMyA4]

How many kms did your stock shocks have before you considered them 'shot'?

I probably had 7,000km on the stock shocks when I mounted the springs. I'm now at 51,500km. I would say the real discomfort started around 40,000km or so.

[lx4life]

why didnt you paint the whole caliper, it doesnt look good IMO. But the rest of the car is on its way from your list of future mods.

[Campblett]

I probably had 7,000km on the stock shocks when I mounted the springs. I'm now at 51,500km. I would say the real discomfort started around 40,000km or so.

Thats pretty much exactly where I will be at the end of my lease. I'm at about 35,000km right now, and have another 2 years left (20,000k per year for 4 years), so if I get to 80,000km, which is unlikely as I don't drive as much as I used to, I will feel discomfort for the last 5,000km or so of my lease. And since I bought the wear & tear protection from Audi, they shouldn't bother me about the shocks.

[Campblett]

why didnt you paint the whole caliper, it doesnt look good IMO. But the rest of the car is on its way from your list of future mods.

It's mostly the angle I took the picture, when you look at the wheel from a distance you can't really see the line. It was my first time doing my calipers and I really wan't sure how far back to go. I figured if I did a sharp cutoff in the middle of the caliper it would look more like a physical 'cover' for the calipers rather than looking painted, which is kind of what I was going for. Also, I could always paint more if I wanted, but if I did too much there's not really an easy way to get that ceramic paint off.

[lx4life]

oh ok that make sense

[Campblett]

So after some long deliberation I decided to finally get around to buying a dash cam. The drivers are so bad around these parts (especially those scam artists) that it really is a must to have a cam. A big shout out to Alex from Blackboxmycar.com who hooked me up with a Blackvue dr500gw-hd wifi as well as a Power Magic Pro. It was shipped out Thursday afternoon and was at my door this morning. Install was easy as pie, the hardest thing was tucking in the wires in the cold. The camera is amazing. Video quality is great and the wifi feature is awesome. I would strongly recommend this cam to anyone looking to get one. And the Power Magic Pro is a must for a clean and easy install.

I used THIS guide for the install, which made it a lot easier. I also picked up a 32gb micro sd card to replace the 16gb one which comes standard, I don't want any footage being overwritten before I get a chance to check it out. I will post some footage from the cam in a few days.



2x tap a fuse used, wires all tucked in, nice and neat.


Routing the Power Magic Pro into the glovebox turned out to be a lot more intensive than I had anticipated, I opted to put it in the passenger footwell area for easy access. You would never know it is there unless you looked.


Cam Mounted


I see you!



Springs should be going on around the beginning of March, and I am hoping to have my new summer wheels on shortly after that. More updates to come!

[kwbdc]

So after some long deliberation I decided to finally get around to buying a dash cam. The drivers are so bad around these parts (especially those scam artists) that it really is a must to have a cam. A big shout out to Alex from Blackboxmycar.com who hooked me up with a Blackvue dr500gw-hd wifi as well as a Power Magic Pro. It was shipped out Thursday afternoon and was at my door this morning. Install was easy as pie, the hardest thing was tucking in the wires in the cold. The camera is amazing. Video quality is great and the wifi feature is awesome. I would strongly recommend this cam to anyone looking to get one. And the Power Magic Pro is a must for a clean and easy install.

I used THIS guide for the install, which made it a lot easier. I also picked up a 32gb micro sd card to replace the 16gb one which comes standard, I don't want any footage being overwritten before I get a chance to check it out. I will post some footage from the cam in a few days.



2x tap a fuse used, wires all tucked in, nice and neat.


Routing the Power Magic Pro into the glovebox turned out to be a lot more intensive than I had anticipated, I opted to put it in the passenger footwell area for easy access. You would never know it is there unless you looked.


Cam Mounted


I see you!



Springs should be going on around the beginning of March, and I am hoping to have my new summer wheels on shortly after that. More updates to come!

Nice install. Night recording on it is pretty clear too.

[Calbee]

great to see your progress man! its so funny how your build thread always seems to relate to me!

alex is a really good friend of mine, you definitely made a good choice purchasing from him! he has excellent customer service

[Campblett]

Nice install. Night recording on it is pretty clear too.

Thanks, I made sure every wire was hidden (I'm really anal about that stuff). I opted to mount it at the top of the windshield instead of by the mirror because I found it extremely distracting and right in my line of sight. This way its up and out of there and I don't have a wire running on my windshield up to the headliner. The only problem right now is I mounted it a tad too far over and that part of my window doesn't get hit by my wipers, so I might remount in the spring. Otherwise its sweet. Have you played around with the g sensor sensitivity? I still don't know what the optimal settings are for parking mode.

great to see your progress man! its so funny how your build thread always seems to relate to me!

alex is a really good friend of mine, you definitely made a good choice purchasing from him! he has excellent customer service

Thanks Cris. It seems everything I do involves you in one way or another, it's starting to get a little weird. Can't wait to see your new bags. If you decided to part out the car again for the millionth time, I call dibs on those!

[Campblett]

Finally got my H&R sport springs installed today. A big shout out to Tito at Evolution Racing here in Toronto, he did a great job with the install and was so nice he even offered to let me borrow his car to go get some coffee while mine was being worked on. A+ guy.

Since the springs only had a few hundred kms on them before I bought them, they are in essence brand new. So I was told to expect a bit more of a drop once they settle.



Install took a few hours, a lot of the bolts were just completely frozen solid (due to the insane winter we have had), the fronts were a pain, but the rears went on a lot faster. The ride on them is for sure harder, but in turns there is noticeably less body roll. It pretty much got rid of that 'floaty' feeling the stock springs gave. I am happy with the height, obviously I have my winter tires and rims on now, so the car still looks a bit high. Now I just need the snow to melt so my new summers can be put on.

When I got back from the shop I had a nice letter from Audizine waiting for me with my new stickers inside. I threw those on as well. Overall, I am very happy with the install and how the springs turned out, this is something I always felt the car was missing and now I am happy to check it off the list.
Sorry the car is filthy, woke up to a fresh dumping of snow this morning and the roads are messy.




More things coming very soon, also ordered some vinyl to have some fun with once it warms up.

[Highlander1010]

Lookin' good. Keep it up!

[Campblett]

So last week under the influence of mops, Okan, and alcohol (a deadly trio) I decided I needed to step up my detailing game and see what everyone is raving about with Adam's products. I bit the bullet and ordered some stuff, I may have gone a bit overboard...
For 10% off your Adam's Order use the Coupon Code 'Mops10' at Checkout!




Once the snow starts to melt to the point where I can actually wash the car, some hard core post winter detailing and swirl removing will be taking place.

[oh10a4]

How's the dip on the grille holding up? I'm itching to get rid of the chrome trim on my grille but debating between painting/dipping or going for a grille replacement. Not looking forward to pulled the bumper off to replace though.

[Campblett]

How's the dip on the grille holding up? I'm itching to get rid of the chrome trim on my grille but debating between painting/dipping or going for a grille replacement. Not looking forward to pulled the bumper off to replace though.

Either deciding to dip the grille or replace it entirely depends on your taste (and budget). The dip held up pretty well, I never had any issues. My bottom splitter below the grille is still dipped and has held up also with no issues to this day. I just didn't really like how the grille turned out, and much preferred the rs grille. There are a lot of people who have dipped their oem grilles and it looks great (Okan's S4 comes to mind, go check it out). I wouldn't worry about taking off the front bumper if you decide to swap out the grilles, it's not that difficult and someone just posted a great DIY on here the other day, I wish I had something like that when I did mine.

[LoveMyA4]

I bit the bullet and ordered some stuff, I may have gone a bit overboard...

LOL, that's quite the rainbow of products you have there. Reading through this thread, I don't feel so bad about the amount of money I've been spending on my air suspension setup (which will be installed next month). It's comforting to know I'm not the only one spending all sorts of money on their car. I can't wait to see your car in the spring!

[Okan509]

oh hell yeah! I'm jealous.
and your comment made me crack up! lol

drop looks good, so much better! :)

[Campblett]

LOL, that's quite the rainbow of products you have there. Reading through this thread, I don't feel so bad about the amount of money I've been spending on my air suspension setup (which will be installed next month). It's comforting to know I'm not the only one spending all sorts of money on their car. I can't wait to see your car in the spring!

It really is amazing how many products are needed to properly detail a car. And each one smells even better than the last! LOL I know, I have sunk a ton of cash into this car over the winter (thats what being cooped up inside reading this forum will do to you). The Adam's stuff is actually very reasonable. For less than the cost of one detail (and I usually get my car detailed twice a year) I now have enough product to do it myself for probably a few years, so it was worth it to me (and I get to work on my own car, instead of someone else).

I can't wait to see your air suspension, It is my dream. Don't wanna burst your bubble, but just the cost of the air is more than everything I have into the car (including summer wheels)

I think I will call it quits once my new wheels get in. Gotta enjoy the car for a little while.

[Campblett]

oh hell yeah! I'm jealous.
and your comment made me crack up! lol

drop looks good, so much better! :)

Thanks Alex, I thought you would enjoy that lol.

[Okan509]

It really is amazing how many products are needed to properly detail a car. And each one smells even better than the last! LOL I know, I have sunk a ton of cash into this car over the winter (thats what being cooped up inside reading this forum will do to you). The Adam's stuff is actually very reasonable. For less than the cost of one detail (and I usually get my car detailed twice a year) I now have enough product to do it myself for probably a few years, so it was worth it to me (and I get to work on my own car, instead of someone else).

I can't wait to see your air suspension, It is my dream. Don't wanna burst your bubble, but just the cost of the air is more than everything I have into the car (including summer wheels)

I think I will call it quits once my new wheels get in. Gotta enjoy the car for a little while.

definitely cost effective, some of the product will last you more than a few years at 2 details per year, but some goes fast. Detail spray last a while between detailing (when washing), but I tend to use a decent amount cleaning product off the car and such.

haha, you say that now about the wheels, but you are only kidding yourself.

Thanks Alex, I thought you would enjoy that lol.

absolutely lol

[a2 4.0t]

[QUOTE=Campblett;9489911].


Nice pickup! I might give the quick sealant a try, the increased durability of a sealant is great during winter.

[LoveMyA4]

haha, you say that now about the wheels, but you are only kidding yourself.

+1, With 2 years remaining on your lease, there is no chance that you're calling it quits with the mods after the wheels. This threads will continue to grow over the next 2 years.

[Campblett]

+1, With 2 years remaining on your lease, there is no chance that you're calling it quits with the mods after the wheels. This threads will continue to grow over the next 2 years.

All of you are terrible influences on me, and my bank account hates all of you as well . This thread will for sure continue to grow, I am probably gonna stay away from any 'heavy' modding for a little bit, but I have a few 'light' cosmetic upgrades in mind for sure. I am gonna need to go to AA after being done on this forum, (AA=Audi's Anonymous).

I am a bit disappointed in that Adam's kit as it had said on the website when I bought it that it came with the swirl and haze remover and it did not. I was told that the swirl and haze remover has been discontinued and if I want a similar product I need to get their 2 stage paint correcting and finishing polish which is a bit of a drag. I think I will just use what I have for now, and if any major swirls remain I will go from there. Are there any other brands which have something similar to the swirl and haze remover which I can pick up locally? I would rather not have to do the whole shipping thing again for 2 small bottles.

[oh10a4]

All of you are terrible influences on me, and my bank account hates all of you as well . This thread will for sure continue to grow, I am probably gonna stay away from any 'heavy' modding for a little bit, but I have a few 'light' cosmetic upgrades in mind for sure. I am gonna need to go to AA after being done on this forum, (AA=Audi's Anonymous).

I am a bit disappointed in that Adam's kit as it had said on the website when I bought it that it came with the swirl and haze remover and it did not. I was told that the swirl and haze remover has been discontinued and if I want a similar product I need to get their 2 stage paint correcting and finishing polish which is a bit of a drag. I think I will just use what I have for now, and if any major swirls remain I will go from there. Are there any other brands which have something similar to the swirl and haze remover which I can pick up locally? I would rather not have to do the whole shipping thing again for 2 small bottles.

Welcome to every car forum ever :) You'll always feel a step behind and the urge to get more more and more!

[Calbee]

hahaha good luck buddy.

i remember when i called it quits after i did bags and my first set of miro 111s.. boy was i wrong