Durability mods?

[fbg111]

Hi all, the B7 A4's are getting up there in mileage these days, and parts are wearing out. What are all the mods that can be done to replace stock parts with higher durability replacements that extend the longevity and reliability of the car, from small things like mounts and bushings to big things like transmissions and turbos? Which aftermarket parts are known for exceptional durability?

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

[Hugh@EuropaParts]

Change your cam follower... literally nothing else is an upgrade over stock. Maybe a metal belly pan...

[brandonpham]

Change your cam follower... literally nothing else is an upgrade over stock. Maybe a metal belly pan...

Poly snub mount also, probably more of what hes looking for over a metal belly pan. Any poly mounts would help, and the 034 density line motor mounts or any of their mounts really should help.

The GFB DV+ would also fall under the more durable category.

[Theiceman]

I imagine poly mounts of any kind would proide more harsh feel/ ride no ?

But as mentioned This is an Audi . Stock parts are about the best .. and deteriorate as you go aftermarket. Well except for the known issues of course . Tearing diaphragm on early DV which are mostly gone now I would imagine. Follower is follower, just keep changing it.

[brandonpham]

I imagine poly mounts of any kind would proide more harsh feel/ ride no ?

But as mentioned This is an Audi . Stock parts are about the best .. and deteriorate as you go aftermarket. Well except for the known issues of course . Tearing diaphragm on early DV which are mostly gone now I would imagine. Follower is follower, just keep changing it.

Not for me. The stock snub mount also deteriorates and is commonly replaced by a poly snub mount from ECS, 034, or wherever.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...WbtxoC-T3w_wcB

The 034 Density line mounts are a superb durable replacement for daily driving and highly recommended at higher mileage.

https://store.034motorsport.com/moto...b7-and-c5.html

The DV rips as mentioned, unless you have the piston revision. The GFB DV+ is the best application for longevity.

[fbg111]

Not for me. The stock snub mount also deteriorates and is commonly replaced by a poly snub mount from ECS, 034, or wherever.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...WbtxoC-T3w_wcB

The 034 Density line mounts are a superb durable replacement for daily driving and highly recommended at higher mileage.

https://store.034motorsport.com/moto...b7-and-c5.html

The DV rips as mentioned, unless you have the piston revision. The GFB DV+ is the best application for longevity.

Thanks, this is what I'm looking for. 034's thread on their Density engine mounts and JHM's thread on their HPFP gave me tbe idea for this question - those aftermarket parts appear more durable than their stock counterparts, surely there are additional examples.

How about bigger things like turbos, are there any with particularly good reputation for durability? How about bigger turbos that can operate at lower RPM for same boost?


2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

[Charles.waite]

An OEM BW k03 is your best bet. Nothing aftermarket will be as durable, turbo-wise.

[vce1232000]

OEM BW KO4 work for me

[fbg111]

An OEM BW k03 is your best bet. Nothing aftermarket will be as durable, turbo-wise.

Thanks, why a K03 instead of K04?

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

[Charles.waite]

Are you talking about performance mods? or stock? Because k03s and k04s aren't the same.

[Rulty]

It really depends. I like to replace things as they break with performance stuffs. I disagree with OEM being the best. I like sportier feeling cars and this car is way on the luxury side for me. I would do all of your mounts, check suspension, piston dv (gfb is not necessary, although I have it.), And cam follower replacement. I think other than that it's mostly performance stuff that you can upgrade for a sportier feeling. Oh check your timing belt too that's important.

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[Charles.waite]

Well a k04 isn't a direct swap. You'd need tuning as well as a modified s3 k04. Plenty of places sell that, but at more involved than just a straight bolt on part.

[Rulty]

I wouldn't go k04, any turbo replacement is just an excuse to go big turbo

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[vce1232000]

I wouldn't go k04, any turbo replacement is just an excuse to go big turbo

It all depends on what your ing for imo

[Rulty]

I agree I was just giving my opinion on upgrading turbos

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[Theiceman]

It really depends. I like to replace things as they break with performance stuffs. I disagree with OEM being the best. I like sportier feeling cars and this car is way on the luxury side for me. I would do all of your mounts, check suspension, piston dv (gfb is not necessary, although I have it.), And cam follower replacement. I think other than that it's mostly performance stuff that you can upgrade for a sportier feeling. Oh check your timing belt too that's important.

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you are gong through typical scope creep . your original post talked about durability of aftermarket parts vs OEM and OEM is way better , now you are talking about upgrades and mods to change the characteristics of the car..

[Rulty]

you are gong through typical scope creep . your original post talked about durability of aftermarket parts vs OEM and OEM is way better , now you are talking about upgrades and mods to change the characteristics of the car..

Not trying to scope creep but I don't think OEM is better than aftermarket. If anything I'd say 9/10 it's the other way around. In both feel and durability. And of course any aftermarket part is going to change the characteristics of the car.

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[Charles.waite]

Yea but Spending $3k on a K04 setup would in NO way be considered a "durability" upgrade. You can try to justify it to yourself (or the wife) that way, but realistically when you add 50% more power to an engine, you're going to have issues, unless the engine is a VERY healthy baseline example.

Not to mention that K04s are well known to bend/break rods on bad tunes.

[Rulty]

Well that kinda comes down to the tune then not the actual k04. In theory wouldn't the k04 work less to put out the same power that a k03 would so it would last longer? I mean it really boils down to there is an exception for every rule kind of thing. Of course more power makes your engine more prone to failure. But by design there are aftermarket parts that are tougher to break. Actually while typing this I feel like this is kinda silly to argue about.

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[Theiceman]

Not trying to scope creep but I don't think OEM is better than aftermarket. If anything I'd say 9/10 it's the other way around. In both feel and durability. And of course any aftermarket part is going to change the characteristics of the car.

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scope creep is almost never intentional .. poster above mentioned after market parts . I can tell you just about all poly bushings provide a harsher ride. But I will bow to the experience of the Audi crew and poster above and give that one an exception.

However I think you are in dream land if you take any Audi part with 4 rings on it and tell me an equivalent part from an after market supplier ( usually made in china) is built to the same specs and will be more durable than an Audi OE part.

This board is full of stories of guys getting aftermarket parts that are FAR less durable than OE. thermostats, sensors, PCV valves, you name it .. they are always cheaper aftermarket for a reason . Anyway i'm out of this thread as you are all over the map ..

have fun . :)

[Charles.waite]

Well that kinda comes down to the tune then not the actual k04. In theory wouldn't the k04 work less to put out the same power that a k03 would so it would last longer? I mean it really boils down to there is an exception for every rule kind of thing. Of course more power makes your engine more prone to failure. But by design there are aftermarket parts that are tougher to break. Actually while typing this I feel like this is kinda silly to argue about.

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I mean, maybe, but working a turbo slightly less hard isn't going to make it last longer. And since the OEM S3 k04 wont work out of the bot, you have to buy it in a kit to make it work. Which means $3k or so. If you're getting it to run stock boost its a total waste of money. A stock K03 at stage one will last well over 100k miles so the route you're suggesting makes zero sense in accomplishing the goal you're looking for.

[Rulty]

Uhm well I have h20 motorsports roller follower and I pulled it after about 20k miles and it has zero wear....I'd say thats better than OEM as some replace every 10k miles

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[Rulty]

I mean, maybe, but working a turbo slightly less hard isn't going to make it last longer. And since the OEM S3 k04 wont work out of the bot, you have to buy it in a kit to make it work. Which means $3k or so. If you're getting it to run stock boost its a total waste of money. A stock K03 at stage one will last well over 100k miles so the route you're suggesting makes zero sense in accomplishing the goal you're looking for.

I don't understand this thread anymore! But yes running k04 on stock boost is a great waste of money and is a silly thing to do. I hope you don't think I was planning on thateither way I think this thread should go to bed because it's not making sense any more lol

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[danbfree]

There are also things like the brake booster pump, if you have a tip, that there are newer versions of that are better too.. And as far as turbo, no a bigger turbo won't work less hard unless you tune it for less boost, it simply add more volume of air at the same boost levels compared to a smaller turbo hence adding more pressure on the engine.

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[fbg111]

Please don't put my thread to bed guys :). Really appreciate the debate and different opinions here, it's helping me a great deal get up to speed on this topic much quicker than digging around for this info on my own.

At some point I'll collate everything I've learned here and elsewhere and repost it, as I think it could be useful to other B7 owners.

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

[Rulty]

Well more so the argument. It depends what you want. Best advice I can give is pick fast,reliable,cheap. Pick two.

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[fbg111]

Btw, when I say "aftermarket" I don't mean cheap Chinese stuff of questionable quality, I mean parts designed and manufactured by 034, ECS, JHM, etc - stuff designed and made by Audi enthusiasts and track guys for themselves with higher tolerances than even OEM in some cases.

034 gave me a tour of their facility recently and it's very cool - two CNC machines, a 3D printer, CAD workstations, a dyno and other stuff where they design, build, and test their own parts, and then dogfood in their own race entries. I'm assuming JHM, etc have similar setups.

That's the kind of aftermarket stuff I'm interested in. One of the benefits and reasons for purchasing a cheap B7 is spending the $ you saved on a high-quality aftermarket upgrade. In some cases I'll just use OEM, like it sounds like the OEM K03 is probably the way to go for what I want, but other examples given in this thread and elsewhere suggest there are aftermarket alternatives better than the OEM baseline.

Thx for the input all!

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

[Charles.waite]

There are also things like the brake booster pump, if you have a tip, that there are newer versions of that are better too.. And as far as turbo, no a bigger turbo won't work less hard unless you tune it for less boost, it simply add more volume of air at the same boost levels compared to a smaller turbo hence adding more pressure on the engine.

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Manuals have the same pump. The b5/b6 manuals didn't though.

[Charles.waite]

Btw, when I say "aftermarket" I don't mean cheap Chinese stuff of questionable quality, I mean parts designed and manufactured by 034, ECS, JHM, etc - stuff designed and made by Audi enthusiasts and track guys for themselves with higher tolerances than even OEM in some cases.

034 gave me a tour of their facility recently and it's very cool - two CNC machines, a 3D printer, CAD workstations, a dyno and other stuff where they design and build their own parts. I'm assuming JHM, etc have similar setups.

That's the kind of aftermarket stuff I'm interested in. One of the benefits and reasons for purchasing a cheap B7 is spending the $ you saved on a high-quality aftermarket upgrade. In some cases I'll just use OEM, like it sounds like the OEM K03 is probably the way to go for what I want, but other examples given in this thread suggest there are aftermarket alternatives better than the OEM baseline.

Thx for the input all!

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

Ahhhh you mean that sort of aftermarket. Thats different from what I wasn't thinking you meant.

Mounts are always a good thing to go aftermarket on. 034 Density line is generally well regarded. Whiteline and Powerflex make poly bushing lines for our cars for the front sway, some control arms, snub, etc.

Silicon intake hoses aren't a bad idea as well as a DV+. Trans and diff mounts can help tighten things up a lot and firm up driveline response and shifting feel. Bronze brake caliper bushings are also common upgrades for the front brakes, ECS and Tyrolsport offer competing products there. I'm trying to think of other stuff, but thats waht I've got off the top of my head.

[fbg111]

Ahhhh you mean that sort of aftermarket. Thats different from what I wasn't thinking you meant.

Mounts are always a good thing to go aftermarket on. 034 Density line is generally well regarded. Whiteline and Powerflex make poly bushing lines for our cars for the front sway, some control arms, snub, etc.

Silicon intake hoses aren't a bad idea as well as a DV+. Trans and diff mounts can help tighten things up a lot and firm up driveline response and shifting feel. Bronze brake caliper bushings are also common upgrades for the front brakes, ECS and Tyrolsport offer competing products there. I'm trying to think of other stuff, but thats waht I've got off the top of my head.

Good list, thank you!

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport

[vce1232000]

Hawk HPS pads works for me for an upgrade to the braking system

[danbfree]

Manuals have the same pump. The b5/b6 manuals didn't though.

The brake vacuum booster pump? Interesting, I had heard it was only on tips so definitely more applicable to everyone... Not sure when they got revised but mine leaks on my late '06 with less than 100k and is the older rev, so OP may be interested in knowing this too... So just like the DV, Audi definitely updated a number of OEM parts.

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[danbfree]

scope creep is almost never intentional .. poster above mentioned after market parts . I can tell you just about all poly bushings provide a harsher ride. But I will bow to the experience of the Audi crew and poster above and give that one an exception.

However I think you are in dream land if you take any Audi part with 4 rings on it and tell me an equivalent part from an after market supplier ( usually made in china) is built to the same specs and will be more durable than an Audi OE part.

This board is full of stories of guys getting aftermarket parts that are FAR less durable than OE. thermostats, sensors, PCV valves, you name it .. they are always cheaper aftermarket for a reason . Anyway i'm out of this thread as you are all over the map ..

have fun . :)

Look, some brands of aftermarket are the actual OEM supplier without the Audi markup. You DO have to do your research though but you are definitely paying a lot for not bothering to research by buying OEM exclusively for replacement parts. And please don't take this personally, but anyone who mentions "China" as automatically bad quality doesn't exactly make a sound argument. In any case, you don't have to be upset that others don't agree with you, if you don't mind and can afford to spend actual Audi branded parts, that's great! Some of us have more time then money to take the time and determine which aftermarket brands are worth saving money on. For example, due a new DV I saw cheap straight up counterfeit one eBay that was $25, a good aftermarket brand was $50 while OEM was $140. Apparently Pierburg actually makes parts for Audi so spending $50 instead of $140 would be safe.

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[fbg111]

Look, some brands of aftermarket are the actual OEM supplier without the Audi markup. You DO have to do your research though but you are definitely paying a lot for not bothering to research by buying OEM exclusively for replacement parts. And please don't take this personally, but anyone who mentions "China" as automatically bad quality doesn't exactly make a sound argument. In any case, you don't have to be upset that others don't agree with you, if you don't mind and can afford to spend actual Audi branded parts, that's great! Some of us have more time then money to take the time and determine which aftermarket brands are worth saving money on. For example, due a new DV I saw cheap straight up counterfeit one eBay that was $25, a good aftermarket brand was $50 while OEM was $140. Apparently Pierburg actually makes parts for Audi so spending $50 instead of $140 would be safe.

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Agreed that Chinese is not necessarily bad, some of their manufacturers can and do make stuff as high quality as the best in the world. I think the trick is there's wider range of quality coming from China and you really have to do your due diligence to know what you're getting.

And good example on brand markups vs whitelable stuff from the actual OEM, always worth checking if you can get the same or better part without the brand markup.

2006 B7 A4 S2.0T | S-Line | Sport