The car is a 2016 3.0T in Lava Grey. It did not come with the black optic option because there weren’t any 2016’s left on the lot with that option unfortunately. We got a killer deal on the 2016 as it was one of the only ones left on the lot so we ran with it.
I don’t really have any other stock photos of the car. The modding began very shortly after pickup from the dealership.
1st Phase
Wheels and Tires
Shortly after picking up the Q5, I started to follow this forum very closely and quickly learned that Mops is the person to reach out to if I have something I wanted to get. He was running a special on the Vorsteiner wheels so I ended up ordering a set of the VFF102’s in Carbon Graphite. The specs are 20x10 ET30. They required spacers though and I ultimately ended up using 12mm H&R spacers all around. There is a little poke but not enough to really bother me. Overall, it added a more subtle, stealthy look to the car. I’m considering changing these up so if anyone is interested in these wheels, let me know
Help me buy more from Mops! Suspension
Having had the Eibach Pro Springs on the 2011 A4 back in the day, I was relatively happy with the ride and the look. After consulting with Mops, I decided to go with the KW HAS setup. I got this installed at the highest point, effectively lowering the height about 1.5” all around. This is how the car should have looked from pickup. The ride quality is definitely a little firmer and more planted but not uncomfortable. I don’t find the ride to be bouncy at all but then again, I don’t have a car full of people all that often either. Really happy with this setup.
The 034 rear swaybar was installed at the same time as the KW HAS so it was the first of the 034 products that I have tried. Definitely more hefty and solid than the stock swaybar. Roll in the corners was significantly reduced but that would be as a result of a combination of the lowering and swaybar. Still, based on my prior experience with rear sways, these aftermarket bars have a significant impact and are definitely worth the money.
2nd Phase
Aftermarket RS Grill
I’ve always liked the honey comb look of the RS style grills and while there is no RSQ5 in this generation, they did create a grill that would give you that look. I ordered directly from JC Sportline. They did not have the grill in stock but they were still able to send me the grill in 7 business days. The packaging was great and they definitely took care to reinforce the stress points with additional protection. The problem was going to be installing this on a face-lifted Q5 Sline bumper. The grill was made to fit directly on a 2.0T bumper but I would have had to retrofit it to fit on mine. After thinking about doing it on my own, I decided against it and had a local shop install it in about 2.5 hours. It looks perfect and really gave the car a more aggressive impression. The problem was that there was not going to be an easy way to mount the license plate so… I didn’t.
3rd Phase
Ceramic pro
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we are accustomed to quite a bit of rain. I also live in an area where washing your car in the drive way is not allowed so the combination of those two factors means a dirty car for most of the year except summer. I looked up Ceramic Pro after reading about it here in the forums. Long lasting shine (never having to wax again), water repelling, and protective qualities were all advertised as benefits to applying Ceramic Pro. They took a full day to do apply the Silver service (warranty period of 5 years) and it was certainly not cheap but I came away very happy with the results. The installer kept saying how Audi’s paint is really high quality and the treatment just brought out the flakes to another level. The car cleans very easily now (simple spray of water removes most dirt and then dry using a microfiber cloth) and it looks great. Here are some of the photos right after pickup.
4th Phase
More 034 Motorsport Products
X-Brace was installed and definitely stabilized the drive quite a bit. In turns, the car lost the wobble and just felt more together. It gives you more of that “operating as one unit” feeling. Certainly a fairly big upgrade and well worth it to me. I had the Eurocode Alu Kreuz in my A4 and felt similar benefits as well.
Ecodes
After lots of thinking, I decided that I would dive in and get the Ecode headlights from Arjun. While the only difference I saw initially was the loss of the orange marker, I’ve grown to love the ecodes more and more. I hoped that would be the case because on the surface, this is a very expensive upgrade for something that didn’t bother me all that much before. However, the light output at night was noticeably improved and it just gave the car a much cleaner look. The car threw an error at first startup but is now gone after some VCDS coding. Very happy with the look of the front end now.
5th Phase
AWE Touring Exhaust
After much debate, I started to consider getting an exhaust. I didn’t want anything obnoxiously loud and I certainly did not want it to sound like a muscle car. The 3.0T is a great engine but it was very quiet – which is a good thing to a lot of people! It was so smooth and stealthy. After talking to Mops however, I was convinced that I wanted to try it. If I didn’t like the exhaust, I could sell it in a few years and recoup maybe 50-60% value. But after hearing my car with it in the Achtuning garage, I knew I wasn’t going to give it up early. It makes the driving experience so much more fun. I’ve always loved the exhaust note of the older 350Z’s and G35’s and while the AWE Touring exhaust is different, it gives me a small every time I hear the engine rev up. The exhaust without the non-resonated down pipes is perfect – not too loud, very well controlled drone. I got them with the black diamond tips. It works well with the lava grey!
6th Phase (this is getting ridiculous)
And more 034 parts
Added the 034 subframe mounts and intake hose. Subframe mount upgrade was subtle but it made the car feel more planted during acceleration. The intake install was easy, except when pulling out the air tube. That thing was stuck on pretty good! The sound from the intake is very subtle. You only really hear it when your foot is more than 50% on the pedal but you can hear the supercharger whine more. Overall, I just love how this car drives now. Each 034 part has made an improvement so I’d say that it has done its job.
7th Phase (gonna go for 10!)
G2 Caliper Paint and 034 Transmission Mount
I love my wheels but always thought that it was a bit of a let down whenever I looked at my calipers and rotors. The 3.0T has Brembo front brakes and while they are not as nice looking as the SQ5 ones, there was potential. After watching some youtube videos, I decided to give it a shot. I ordered the G2 Caliper paint kit from Amazon for about $40, some more jack stands and away I went. The total time from start to finish was about 4 hours. You do spend quite a bit of time getting all car up on stands, taking the wheels off, and finally taping and preparing the calipers for paint. Painting was easy enough. I bought some better brushes from Amazon for about $5 so that gave me a bit more comfort that the hairs were not going to get stuck on the caliper. The paint is fairly thick and naturally leveled itself. The result was a surprisingly smooth, glossy and bright red. It completely changed the look of the car I think - at least to me. Totally worth the time and effort.
I also installed the 034 Transmission Mount. Install was very easy. Blue loctite and 20nM and it was done. Even for a newbie like me who doesn't really know most of the technical aspects of cars could do it in about 10 minutes. The impact was immediately felt. Much like the subframe mounts, the change in the ride was subtle but noticeable. I can't help but feel that this is how the car should have arrived, stock. Acceleration is smoother and feels much more seamless. Not that the shifts were all that bad to begin with but this really made the ride feel more refined. In Dynamic and Sport mode, the car was now more fun to drive and felt more together under acceleration. For $75, you get a lot of bang for your buck with this upgrade.
8th Phase
EPL Stage 1 - 91 Octane Tune
This took a while. I bought the EPL tune when they were on that crazy special and the cable + pulley has been sitting in a box for the past 2-3 weeks. I wanted to wait until the 5K service was done. Well, I took the car in, got the service, turns out no recall work was necessary so the tune was next. The flashing process was easy but I would be lying if I said that I was not nervous about it. The car threw several alerts during the flash process (but this is to be expected). When it came time to turn the car off and start the ignition 10 seconds later, I was already expecting an issue. But that was not the case. The car turned on fine, I turned off the TPMS code through MMI and the car was on its way. It took less than 10 minutes to flash at home. I'll be driving the car a bit this weekend to try it out but I suspect the car will need a "break in" period before it normalizes. Very excited for the boost in power. The 3.0 was already hoppy but it could definitely use a bit more umph. I will report back with changes throughout the weekend.
Quick update after about 50-60 miles of driving: The Q is really responding to the new found power now. The power delivery is smooth and very apparent from about 2,300RPM onwards. The boost in power is pretty huge when I want to step on it. Normal city driving has not really changed all that much because I don't usually get up beyond 2,100RPM (I usually drive in individual mode and auto). When I put it in Dynamic and Sport however, the tune is very evident. Taking the car on the on ramp is so much more exhilarating than before. It is a bit of a problem though because now I drive in Dynamic and Sport mode more often than I should ;) Though tuning the car for the first time was a bit scary, I think the upgrade was worth it. The ability to flash at home and go back to stock whenever you want is also very convenient. EPL seems to have a very good product here.
9th Phase
New wheels and EPL Stage 2 - 91 Octane Tune
When Mops indicated that he was going to get some new wheels, I messaged him pretty quickly about his BBS LMR's. His and Martin's SQ5's were my favorite on the forum and it had a lot to do with the BBS. These wheels are classic but just looked so good on Mops' car that I couldn't help but wonder how it would look on a lava grey. Mops really is the best guy around here to work with. He was very accommodating and communication, as always, was excellent. The wheels were so well taken care of that when I got them delivered, they looked practically new. Though I was a bit uncertain whether silver wheels would contrast against the darker lava grey too much, I'm glad I listened to Mops and let them be (I was considering having them refinished in a BBS Diamond Black like finish). I find myself turning around to check the car out way too often now. I guess that is an indication of how much I like these wheels.
The wheels are 21x10 and I chose to outfit them with Continental DWS06 295/35/21 ultra-high performance all season tires. Seattle simply rains too much to wear summers all year long. I was very happy to see that the ride quality with these 21's are every bit as good as the 20x10 set I was running before. No harsher and not any more noisy either. Just so stoked with how the Q sits now.
While at Achtuning to get these wheels mounted, balanced and installed, I also got them to install the pulley provided by EPL and flashed to Stage II on the same day. The change in power was not as apparent as Stage I (which is to be expected) but I now feel more of a difference in city because that power delivery occurs "earlier" in the range. I wouldn't say the improvement is dramatic though. I asked Chris for a 91 octane tune since I only get up to 92 around here. It has been about 4 days since the flash so the car should have adjusted by now. Anyway, time to just enjoy the car now.
Parts waiting on install
None as of now
Future Mods
I have none planned as of now. Maybe when 034 releases their intake I will consider it (depending on cost).
Front tint is being considered too but while it is legal in Washington, it is not in Vancouver and I go up there about once a month. I'd rather not give them any reason to pull me over but we'll see. No denying that front tint gives the car a more complete look.
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Originally Posted by tcm glx
There are so many options for wheels here though that is really is difficult to commit to just one. 
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