Xander's Allroad - Introduction, Progression & Updates

[xander3zero]

Xander's Allroad

Car and Options:
2013 Audi Allroad in Monsoon Gray Metallic
Premium Plus Package with MMI Nav+, Bang & Olufsen, Sport Package and Advanced Key

Current Modifications:

Performance:
aFe Pro Dry Air Filter
ECS Complete Drivetrain Mount Kit

Interior:
Hardwired Passport Escort Max II Radar Detector

Exterior:
12.5mm/17.5mm Front/Rear Wheel Spacers
Suntek CXP 35% on Side Windows and Rear Windshield

Hello All!

I've decided to start a dedicated thread in which I will detail the progress and updates to my new (to me) B8.5 Allroad. I'm sure that not many of you know me, so I will begin with a bit of an introduction.

My names Alex, I currently live in Rhode Island, and have been a member here on AZ for a few years now. My first Audi (and first car) was a 2006 A4 Quattro with a 6MT gearbox. I bought it a couple years ago when I first joined AZ, and racked it up to just about 125k miles. The B7 A4 was pretty good to me, with the usual highs and lows, that most B7 owners experience. I was pretty active within the B7 forums and tastefully modded (I think) my car with items such as coilovers, exhaust, suspension/drivetrain goodies, interior/exterior mods, etc. Here are a few pictures of my B7:

As I aged I began to like the coilovers and exhaust less and less as I live in New England and the car is my daily driver. I graduated from URI in 2015 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Soon after I graduated from URI I began my career as a ME. I continued to put the miles on my B7 but secretly started to consider another car. At first I considered B7 S4s, then B8 S4s, then B8 S5s... then winter hit and my search concluding for the time being. This spring I really started to realize the I needed something more practical as I am an avid surfer and shooter, and my hobbies demanded a more practical car. With this in mind I began looking for clean B8 Avants, which I searched and searched for months without any luck of finding a decent deal nearby. I don't even know how it happened but overnight I went from wanting a B8 Avant to wanting a B8.5 Allroad. I guess it was due to the overall updated look, technology, and recent progression in the reliability of these cars that Audi has made.

At this point I made up my mind that I was going to broaden my search to the entire nation. I had never bought a car sight unseen before so I did my research on shipping, 3rd party inspections, everything you would need to know to buy a car out of state and sight unseen. After a short time I found the one I was looking for. 2013 Allroad Premium Plus in Monsoon Gray metallic with Navigation, Bang & Olufsen, Advanced Key, and most importantly Sport Package. Monsoon Gray was my favorite color as I love the contrast of the darker wheel arches on the lighter gray paint. The Sport Package was an absolute must have with the sport seats and 3-Spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters. Added on top of my favorite color, with all the right options, was low miles, very well maintained at an Audi dealer and a price several thousand below book value.

I began to turn some stones immediately, contacting the dealership (in Texas) and doing some research. After a couple of emails with the sales person I located a 3rd Party car inspector who inspected the car top to bottom and gave me a full report of the cars condition. After being incredibly pleased with the results I began the buying process. The dealership sold cars out of state regularly and they were pretty good about helping me through the process and overnighting paperwork for me to complete. Fast forward a couple weeks and the delivery truck rolled up:

You can't tell from the picture, but I had never seen a car so dirty. It was covered from whatever filth is on the way from Texas to Rhode Island, so after a quick inspection to make sure no damage occurred during shipping, I decided to clean the car top to bottom, inside and out. Not typically something I had expected to do the first day I got my new car, but it was absolutely necessary! After a couple hours this is what I was left with:

So that's it, this is my thread where I will detail any progress or updates with my car. I'm not calling it a build thread because I'm really not planning on doing anything drastic to the car, but my future plans include some minor modifications such as 034 drivetrain upgrades (diff. mounts, sway bar, trans mount), and possibly some others that won't impede on the practicality of the car. Honestly, I am blown away with the level of refinement of this car and every second I have spent driving it since I got it has been sheer joy.

I'm looking forward to performing my own maintenance as I did with my B7, and keeping it clean and healthy while it takes me surfing, shooting, road tripping, and of course, to work. I am sure I will miss the manual transmission of my B7 but I am loving the 8 speed in the Allroad and the car is just so quiet and comfortable to drive that I cannot believe its mine. I spent countless hours over the last 6-8 months looking at cars and now the wait has finally payed off.

I'm hoping to get back to being active on the forums here, and I hope to contribute my knowledge to the new and growing Allroad community. There is so much information here on AZ that helped me research new cars, and all that is made possible by the community, so my goal is to try and give back to the people here any way I can help. I am going to try and update this post or add to this thread with any maintenance or modifications I do as well as more pictures to keep the thread going.

Thanks everyone for reading, and I'm looking forward to enjoying my new home in the B8 Forums! I'll finish up with a quick shot of my new Allroad at the sea wall in Narragansett, RI.