Building an A4 Show Car

[root_to_the_a4]

Hey Guys,

This is a thread regarding my A4 show car build. So far my car has an Air Lift Performance System, Upgraded High Performance Control Arms, Rotiform SPF 19"x9.5" ET 40 (rare sizing for this wheel because size was discontinued) on Continental DW 235/40, Kenwood Touchscreen/Bluetooth Head Unit, JL W3 12" Subwoofer, Carbonio Intake, Ceramic Breaks, and a bunch of small DIY projects pertaining to the appearance have been done.

Things to come: Unitronic Stage 1+ tune (Spring 2016), AWE Exhaust (Summer 2016), Plexiglass Trunk Display (Summer 2016), 3M Wrap (Fall 2016), Interior (2017)

My A4 has also been a test dummy for H&R Sport Springs (Definitely would recommend for someone daily driving their car who doesn't want to dump a grand into coilovers) For sale
Also owned a set of 18"x8.5" Rotiform NUE's (black) which have curb rash but are for sale.
Message for more details on parts for sale.

The finished product is still a long ways away but it's getting closer and closer to being done each month. This was not a build for speed (although a stage 1+ will give my A4 about 260HP when all put together, which is 60 added HP from the already quick stock 200HP). This build was executed for practicality and elegance, showing that class, style, and performance can come together to make a gorgeous build.

Please leave questions or comments.

Professional pictures coming soon to this thread or check out my profile to see some amateur photos.

[ignus99]

Not to rag on your build or anything, but don't show cars need unique parts on them instead of just a bunch of generic aftermarket mods that most people on this site get? Minus the air ride, seems like a pretty generic entry level build. I'm assuming "small DIY projects" are equivalent to plasti-dipping your grille and such.

Again, not ragging, just wondering if this is just the start and you're planning more unique things later?

[Danaldson]

Not to rag on your build or anything, but don't show cars need unique parts on them instead of just a bunch of generic aftermarket mods that most people on this site get? Minus the air ride, seems like a pretty generic entry level build. I'm assuming "small DIY projects" are equivalent to plasti-dipping your grille and such.

Again, not ragging, just wondering if this is just the start and you're planning more unique things later?

X2. Looking forward to pics.

9.5 et 40 are really high offsets. Especially being bagged. You need some spacers.


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[allstock]

X3 yeah, can't you make it transform or something?!


Just kidding, I'm sure it would look sweet in some professional pics. Just don't slap stickers on it and shitt.

[hagerty47]

How's the H&R suspension? I'm looking for a cheaper suspension to throw on for a bit until I have more money because my suspension is on the way out.


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[pw211]

Good list of modifications for a daily.

[root_to_the_a4]

Like I said guys it's still a work in progress. And if you know a4 builds it is actually a little different. Most people go APR tunes which I'm not. Also AWE exhaust is different from what's around me which is mostly poorly built custom exhausts. I'm only 20 and In school so my budget isn't unlimited. The offset is high and spacer are coming soon. It also has pretty meaty tires on it which are being changed out sometime this summer. The H&R suspension was really nice and great in the curves, sale is pending on the springs but it's first come first serve. And I'm very professional with my car. I'm pretty invested in shows as a booth car and a show car so there are only a few stickers on it. For a while it had a few sponsor stickers but those are gone now. I've been featured at Wolfsgart as the only static vehicle (before I was bagged) at the aired out in Winooski. It's a very clean classy build. I won't rice it out hahaha


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[root_to_the_a4]

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[root_to_the_a4]

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[root_to_the_a4]

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[root_to_the_a4]

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[root_to_the_a4]

How's the H&R suspension? I'm looking for a cheaper suspension to throw on for a bit until I have more money because my suspension is on the way out.


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Highly recommend H&R. Great product, great CS, and the ride was perfect. It definitely gives an aggressive look to the car, lowering it about 1.7"-2.0" in the front and 1.6"-1.8" in the rear. Inbox me if you would be interested. $175 for east coast and $200 for west coast, shipping included.


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[root_to_the_a4]

Not to rag on your build or anything, but don't show cars need unique parts on them instead of just a bunch of generic aftermarket mods that most people on this site get? Minus the air ride, seems like a pretty generic entry level build. I'm assuming "small DIY projects" are equivalent to plasti-dipping your grille and such.

Again, not ragging, just wondering if this is just the start and you're planning more unique things later?

I understand what you're saying and it is about thinking outside the box, you're definitely right. I try to do that the best I can but in the show car world you can't go too far outside the normal because if you have a tune from someone unknown, you're overlooked. So far my car has small diy details such as black chrome s-line badges, Audi tire valves, custom painted engine cover, audi logo door lighting, red painted calipers, and black leather wrapping around the red lit air lift management system and compressor display in the trunk.


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[root_to_the_a4]

Good list of modifications for a daily.

Thanks!


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[Noel Artiles]

I understand what you're saying and it is about thinking outside the box, you're definitely right. I try to do that the best I can but in the show car world you can't go too far outside the normal because if you have a tune from someone unknown, you're overlooked. So far my car has small diy details such as black chrome s-line badges, Audi tire valves, custom painted engine cover, audi logo door lighting, red painted calipers, and black leather wrapping around the red lit air lift management system and compressor display in the trunk.


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If I can give some advice it all depends on what you want brother. If you want a show winner vs show goer you need to have 1 of 1's. Most reputable shows look for craftsmanship vs # of parts. Details, details, details. A theme is important, unique parts as in completely custom vs off the shelf is important, presentation is important. If you can buy parts so can anyone else, making it harder to stand out. A show winner will have some of that but it will have a twist somehow. Buy quality parts, keep cleanliness and creativity in every aspect of the car (motor, exterior, interior, suspension, wheels, entertainment, and etc). A full build will hit on every section not just air, wheels, and a wrap. Also it will take time and a shit ton of money. Keep the up the good work.

[geebus]

If I can give some advice it all depends on what you want brother. If you want a show winner vs show goer you need to have 1 of 1's. Most reputable shows look for craftsmanship vs # of parts. Details, details, details. A theme is important, unique parts as in completely custom vs off the shelf is important, presentation is important. If you can buy parts so can anyone else, making it harder to stand out. A show winner will have some of that but it will have a twist somehow. Buy quality parts, keep cleanliness and creativity in every aspect of the car (motor, exterior, interior, suspension, wheels, entertainment, and etc). A full build will hit on every section not just air, wheels, and a wrap. Also it will take time and a shit ton of money. Keep the up the good work.

This man knows what he's talking about! ^^^

Cleanest and most unique (in a good way) B7 this side of the Atlantic and I don't think it's even close.

[Noel Artiles]

@geebus Thanks brother I appreciate the compliments, especially from a someone with an ultra clean B7 . I took some dope pics of her this weekend, as a fellow photographer I know you'll appreciate them.

[geebus]

@geebus Thanks brother I appreciate the compliments, especially from a someone with an ultra clean B7 . I took some dope pics of her this weekend, as a fellow photographer I know you'll appreciate them.

Excellent! Can't wait to see them. Will you be going to the European Experience in May? It's about as close to Florida as I'll get lol


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[root_to_the_a4]

If I can give some advice it all depends on what you want brother. If you want a show winner vs show goer you need to have 1 of 1's. Most reputable shows look for craftsmanship vs # of parts. Details, details, details. A theme is important, unique parts as in completely custom vs off the shelf is important, presentation is important. If you can buy parts so can anyone else, making it harder to stand out. A show winner will have some of that but it will have a twist somehow. Buy quality parts, keep cleanliness and creativity in every aspect of the car (motor, exterior, interior, suspension, wheels, entertainment, and etc). A full build will hit on every section not just air, wheels, and a wrap. Also it will take time and a shit ton of money. Keep the up the good work.

Thanks for the advice man! As much as I'd love to go custom everything it's way out of my price range unfortunately. I am a perfectionist so when work is done to my car I do demand the best quality work, which sometimes makes shops hate me but hey it needs to be perfect. Thankfully I've had some great mentors who have helped me out with narrowing choices down to what I can afford. I was working closely with a wholesale wheel distributor for a while and we were involved in some very pricy builds, so I know how expensive it gets. I am pretty involved in the car scene and am beginning to become better known to some of the big fish in the industry which has helped me get into some of the bigger shows on the east coast. Also my brother has also built two show cars that have been very well respected in the show car scene in the North East, so he's also been helping me out to understand what judges look for. But thanks for some specific sections because I haven't planned all of those projects yet but definitely need to address them before the bigger shows.


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[root_to_the_a4]

Excellent! Can't wait to see them. Will you be going to the European Experience in May? It's about as close to Florida as I'll get lol


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I will be there! I'm making the 21 hour drive for the second year in a row! I'll be there the 7-14 (I know I'm missing the last day of the show but I have school on the 16th).


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[root_to_the_a4]

Instead of being like everyone else and putting an RS4 grill on, I had a custom paint job done to the OEM grill. Also had the entire front nose (fenders, hood and bumper cover sanded and painted)


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[Copen-cisco]

Here is a mod for you: Clear corner

[Danaldson]

Ill recommend Blacking out your window trim. It doesn't flow with anything now that you painted the grille surround. I also have painted my Oem Grille but left the surround.

[Brillo]

Out of curiosity did you paint the calipers or powder coat them? Did you polish them before painting/coating?
IMHO a perfectionist would polish and powder coat - not cheap to do of course.

[root_to_the_a4]

Wow do you all just sit on here to hate? First off the chrome does go with my car if you saw it in person there is still chrome on the rear and the interior of the car but thanks for your opinion. Next question, no I did not powder coat my calipers but from what everyone has told me they look like they are powder coated. And I've been complimented and asked to do them for other people. And again I state this is not the finished product! The car still has a long way to go but I'm a broke college student so you'll will have to wait. All of you are so damn impatient!


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[root_to_the_a4]

Out of curiosity did you paint the calipers or powder coat them? Did you polish them before painting/coating?
IMHO a perfectionist would polish and powder coat - not cheap to do of course.

They were cleaned, sanded, and then air blasted to remove all dirt and dust. They were not powder coated, but according to all the people I run across at shows, they look powder coated (their words not mine). They've also lasted almost 3 years with no chips. I used high temp paint and let each coat cure with a heat fan. I don't remember how many coats exactly but at least 3. I then used a clear coat gloss that was also cured with heat fans.


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[DanKing]

Joey mod.

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[L'Audi]

Wow do you all just sit on here to hate? First off the chrome does go with my car if you saw it in person there is still chrome on the rear and the interior of the car but thanks for your opinion. Next question, no I did not powder coat my calipers but from what everyone has told me they look like they are powder coated. And I've been complimented and asked to do them for other people. And again I state this is not the finished product! The car still has a long way to go but I'm a broke college student so you'll will have to wait. All of you are so damn impatient!


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In other words, you came here to have your ego or d!ck stroked... For free? I've read through the comments and saw nothing but constructive criticism and legitimate questions, both of which you welcomed in your thread intro.

[Brillo]

OK, thanks. They look very good. In your picture (post #10) are those the wheel weights visible on the inside of the wheel? If so, it appears to be a lot of weight. I'm also curious as to whether you show car guys remove the wheels occasionally and clean the inside of the wheels - you know, the place where massive quantities of grease, mud, and brake dust collect? I have to admit that about once a year I remove my wheels and scrub the inside surfaces. It allows me to check the inside of the tires as well.

[1killera4]

Nothing about that car says "Show Car" to me. Just sayin'

[geebus]

Wow do you all just sit on here to hate? First off the chrome does go with my car if you saw it in person there is still chrome on the rear and the interior of the car but thanks for your opinion. Next question, no I did not powder coat my calipers but from what everyone has told me they look like they are powder coated. And I've been complimented and asked to do them for other people. And again I state this is not the finished product! The car still has a long way to go but I'm a broke college student so you'll will have to wait. All of you are so damn impatient!


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There was absolutely no reason to freak out like a 10 year old. Nobody had said anything hateful but now that you acted like a baby, don't be surprised if the floodgates open.


Ps, nobody gives a shit if you're broke. Lol

[pw211]

Can we just change the title to "Putting parts on an A4"?

If I were you OP, take a step back and try to plan the car out. It seems like you're just tackling little changes here and there that don't go together. (i.e. black rings, but chrome trim and window trim, then blacking out grille trim but leaving window trim again?)

Decide how you want the car to look. What's your theme? What colors/finishes do you want on the car? Then work toward that goal.

[QuattriumMT6]

Can we just change the title to "Putting parts on an A4"?

If I were you OP, take a step back and try to plan the car out. It seems like you're just tackling little changes here and there that don't go together. (i.e. black rings, but chrome trim and window trim, then blacking out grille trim but leaving window trim again?)

Decide how you want the car to look. What's your theme? What colors/finishes do you want on the car? Then work toward that goal.

^agreed. Also I'm broke as well and have been out of college for almost 10 yrs. thanks to student loans. For the most part I come on here to admire other rides and take ideas from theirs and try to make it work on mine. Car looks good regardless. Wheels on point. Stance on point. As others have chimed in, show car points are in the smaller details (i.e. Custom this, DIY fabricated that, etc). GL with the rest of your project. Still looking forward to seeing the final product. 👍🏾

[Hugh@EuropaParts]

Building a show car is a journey that many take yet few ever finish, we have one vision and follow current trends until a new trend hits us in the kisser. When I first got my B7 (7 years ago, get off my lawn) the stance phenomenon was just starting. There weren't many cars on bags, most were still on coils or springs. Sure, there were cars that were hammered but it wasn't like it is now. If you attend any local show you'll see that about 50% of cars are bagged now-a-days. When I first started the car was a daily, a tune, a set of coils, and some wheels eventually became what it is now. One thing I learned is that doing mods for the sake of doing mods is a waste of time and money. As Patrick stated above (yes I called you Patrick Pat... want to fight about it?) you need to think of a theme. My theme has ALWAYS been OEM+, less is more, and still is.

My best piece of advice is to make a list... I was told to make a list by one of my friends when I first got the car and it was the best thing I did as far as planning what I wanted out of the car. I had a list of things that I needed/wanted and whenever the opportunity came to knock one off I did. I waited and waited until certain things were available at a good cost and jumped on it. I highly recommend saving about 3k and having it as a "mod budget". This way when you find a set of bags, wheels, or interior that you have on your list you can pull the trigger without paying retail.

TL;DR I've been building my car for 7 years, make a list of parts, save money for a "mod budget" and tell JJ to stay the hell off my lawn.

[geebus]

Building a show car is a journey that many take yet few ever finish, we have one vision and follow current trends until a new trend hits us in the kisser. When I first got my B7 (7 years ago, get off my lawn) the stance phenomenon was just starting. There weren't many cars on bags, most were still on coils or springs. Sure, there were cars that were hammered but it wasn't like it is now. If you attend any local show you'll see that about 50% of cars are bagged now-a-days. When I first started the car was a daily, a tune, a set of coils, and some wheels eventually became what it is now. One thing I learned is that doing mods for the sake of doing mods is a waste of time and money. As Patrick stated above (yes I called you Patrick Pat... want to fight about it?) you need to think of a theme. My theme has ALWAYS been OEM+, less is more, and still is.

My best piece of advice is to make a list... I was told to make a list by one of my friends when I first got the car and it was the best thing I did as far as planning what I wanted out of the car. I had a list of things that I needed/wanted and whenever the opportunity came to knock one off I did. I waited and waited until certain things were available at a good cost and jumped on it. I highly recommend saving about 3k and having it as a "mod budget". This way when you find a set of bags, wheels, or interior that you have on your list you can pull the trigger without paying retail.

TL;DR I've been building my car for 7 years, make a list of parts, save money for a "mod budget" and tell JJ to stay the hell off my lawn.

I'm older than you so YOU STAY OFF MY LAWN!

[pw211]

I'm younger than both of you BUT I STILL RESPECT AND AGREE WITH YOUR OPINIONS

[Hugh@EuropaParts]

I'm older than you so YOU STAY OFF MY LAWN!

I'm younger than both of you BUT I STILL RESPECT AND AGREE WITH YOUR OPINIONS and will stay off all the lawns

This is why you have the respect of the OG's

[geebus]

I'm younger than both of you BUT I STILL RESPECT AND AGREE WITH YOUR OPINIONS

This is why you have the respect of the OG's

What Humberto said

[root_to_the_a4]

No I posted on here to share my car but what I've learned is that your a bunch of old crusty men who complain when you don't like something. My car is very much so a show car. I'm featured in the two biggest Audi/VW shows in the northeast and been a BOOTH car at numerous shows. So tell me how I'm not a show car. My car is MY CAR and I'll do what I want. If you're here to hate then go sit on your thumb and shut up. It's going one step at a time and honestly blacking out the chrome around the windows in the most ricer thing I've seen so I'll keep it chrome for now. All of you need to realize this is a hobby, and at the end of the day it's my car. These threads are meant to appreciate a car not just shit on the owner and car.


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[root_to_the_a4]

Paint the front chrome cleans up the look of the front while keeping the rest classy. Just cause I paint one little thing doesn't mean the whole car doesn't match I'm respected by many veterans in my area so I really do not care about any of your opinions


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