DG's Build Thread

[oesman]

Wanted to start a build thread of my own and document my thoughts and process. Maybe it will be entertaining or useful for others :).

2018 Audi S4 Goals

Having owned a 2017 A4 I'm excited to be back in the B9 platform. I loved that A4 for a daily driver and was thinking about a fun sedan and kept coming back to the S4. After a few weeks of hunting I was really excited to find a low miles (~19k) single owner example for a reasonable price given the current market. I really wanted an S Sport car with Victual Cockpit and was having a lot of trouble finding a well priced one.



I was seeing cars with three owners, 50K miles and from the rust belt for way too much. I came across my car at a non-VAG dealer that didn't seem to know anything about the car or any of its options. Funny enough they didn't even know where the factory toolkit was and instead salvaged a toolkit from what was probably an older A4 and threw it in the trunk leaving me with two kits. I imagine they didn't give a great trade-in value to the prior owner. They were selling it as a totally base car, but it was reasonably well optioned:

• Tango Red Exterior
• Rotor Gray w/ Anthracite Stitching Interior
• Technology Package
• S Sport Package
• Fine Nappa Leather
• Carbon Atlas Inlays

My first impression was how much fun this car was to drive despite the overall grown up nature of it and the A4 I had. However, I really wanted to get a bit more power out of it and get rid of all the chrome. Tango Red wasn't my first choice, but I do like red cars. Unfortunately the chrome just clashed so badly with the red I knew I'd have to wrap it. I also wanted to get more performance out of the S4 and decided I would throw on the usual bolt-ons and get a tune.

Current Goal

• 3.5s or better 0-60s
• 11.5s or better 1/4 mile

After a bit of clean up and ceramic coating the car really started to look good. I used the Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating after a paint correction. I also threw on black rings knowing I'd be removing all the chrome.

Adam's Graphene Coating Install Video

Routine Maintenance

Before I could begin modifying the car I wanted to establish a 0-60 and 1/4 mile benchmark. I also realized there was some outstanding maintenance since the car was right at 20K miles. Parts arrived and I got to work!



The following was performed:

• Engine Oil Change (video)
• Brake Fluid Flush (video)
• Engine & Cabin Air Filter (video)
• Windshield Wipers

Chrome Delete

I really can't stand the chrome. I decided to pick up an RS style grille and a black diffuser from ECS Tuning. I also used some 3M 2080 Gloss Black vinyl to wrap some of the chrome trim and the rear spoiler. You can see some of the process in the pictures. I'm a total novice at wrapping so we'll see how it holds up. I also completely de-badged the exterior of the car.



Stock Performance Numbers

The car felt pretty strong stock and the current weather at sea-level in Houston definitely favors performance. I purchased a Dragy unit to see what kind of performance I could squeeze out of my car after the routine maintenance. The results were pretty impressive stock:

12.55s @ 109.34mph - 1/4 Mile
8.06s @ 87.41mph - 1/8 Mile
4.32s - 0-60 mph
1.88s - 60ft

50F Ambient Temperature, 115ft Elevation, -678ft DA



I'll post my results with performance upgrades soon.

[HurrayFive]

Very crisp B9 example sir! Enjoy the upgrades. I ran a 4.3 0-60, and 12.7 @ 107 stock in my S4 & S5 coupe, and an 11.79-12.05 @ 114-116 tuned on 93, platform really opens up w/ just a tune and an IC, have fun with it!

[Diokhan]

1. I like your 3401

2. You should wrap the front parking sensors in your grill. Many forget those so you see lots of black grills with two gray dots.

3. I love the color. So nice to see among the white, black, gray, and silver ones.

[oesman]

Very crisp B9 example sir! Enjoy the upgrades.

Thanks! That's not bad at all, seems like pretty much same numbers I'm seeing here. May need some better tires in my case, it's on the ContiSportContact 5 right now, but I'd like to go to Michelin 4S, probably with some new wheels.

1. I like your 3401

Thanks, I like the 3401 polisher too. I've had it for over a decade, it's an absolute tank of a unit. Not sure how the quality has been since Flex got acquired, but I haven't heard of complaints.

Good tip on wrapping the parking sensors, I wasn't sure if it would affect them at all, I've never wrapped sensors before and was going to test it out. Have lots of vinyl left :).

I wasn't sure on the Tango Red color initially, but I've come to love it as well. Once I polished it up, coated it and got rid of the chrome it really popped. You're also right, most B9 platform cars I see are black/silver/grey/white. Seriously there are like two white and two gray color codes... I'm surprised there aren't two browns to choose from too, very boring. You do see some turbo blue and navarra blue on occasion and I do love those.

[K1196A]

I also unintentionally ended up with a Tango Red S4. To be truthful, I never wanted a red car and it probably still wouldn't be my FIRST choice. That said, when I went to the dealership to look at it and I saw it in the bright sunlight it was all over... especially so with the one I got because it came with the factory carbon and it just popped! Mine did come with the black optics package though so that saved me one step.

[Daaavid]

Nice find and even nicer garage. I've ran into your YouTube videos and they're great and super informative.

I'm also in the Houston area and the local Audi club have some great meets. Love to see your car in person sometime!

[oesman]

when I went to the dealership to look at it and I saw it in the bright sunlight it was all over...

Yep! Lucky to get it with the black optic package and the carbon. Thats a great looking combo and I can see why you fell in love with it once you saw it. For me it was more of a "I'll make this work" while picturing a chrome delete, but I love looking at it now.

I'm also in the Houston area and the local Audi club have some great meets. Love to see your car in person sometime!

Thanks man, really cool to hear you saw them! Is there a page for the Houston area club? Sounds fun :)

[Daaavid]

Thanks man, really cool to hear you saw them! Is there a page for the Houston area club? Sounds fun :)

I've sent you a PM. Some members are organizing a drive this weekend, too.

[034Motorsport]

Great looking car so far! We're big fans of Rotor Grey interior!

If you're looking for one of the most substantive performance tune options on the market, we'd love to help you out with achieving your goals! A sub 3.5 0-60 and 11.5 in the 1/4 mile should definitely be doable with an intercooler and our Stage 1 E85 tuning!

Let us know if you have any questions!

-Sean@034

[RatBustard]

OP, love the attention to cleanliness and detailing. getting bored with winter and waiting for mine to arrive - can't wait to waste hours cleaning it.

Great looking car so far! We're big fans of Rotor Grey interior!

Navarra with rotor grey was a really tempting combination for me.

[oesman]

Quick update on the progress!

P21S Polishing Soap

Our exhaust tips get really disgusting. I've seen a lot of you guys mention this problem and thought I'd share this product I've never heard of before. I wound up polishing my exhaust while the exhaust was off the car for some other work in progress ;-). I was pretty impressed with how well it worked with the included soft sponge. Some suggested using a more abrasive steel wool, pad, or terry cloth. I think this would have probably sped up the process. I also noticed squeezing out the sponge harder to keep it from being too wet was improving performance significantly.

Even with how bad mine looked I spent very little actual polishing time, no more than 10 minutes per side total. Not bad at all! I think if you clean the tips up really nicely with this or a similar product and then just maintain them a few times a year it wouldn't be much effort in the long run. With the exhaust on the car I plan on using a terry cloth with the polish instead of the included sponge. This way I can wrap the towel around the tips instead of cramming in the sponge.



034 Motorsport P34 Cold Air Intake

I wound up purchasing the P34 intake kit from 034 Motorsport. Was considering the carbon one, but really never been a big engine dress-up guy and didn't seem worth the extra cost to me. I'm sure some of you guys that are into it would disagree. I see the aesthetic in it, but I've always prioritized function and bang for buck over form to some extent.

The install is quite easy. I think anyone can do this themselves with minimal tool investments. You probably have everything already if you're handy. Not everyone has torx bits/sockets, but if you plan on working on these or similar cars they're pretty much mandatory. Germans love torx fasteners and you're starting to see more of them on American cars too. There are few small gotchas that I found through the process, but overall I'm very happy with the kit.

The most impressive thing about this kit is definitely the sound. In the video I captured it at idle showing some nice whooshes emanating from the air box. However, the real treat is once you're accelerating on the street. Rolling windows down and moonroof open in third or fourth gear and then just applying enough throttle to hear the turbo spool up is going to put a smile on your face. It's also a screamer under heavy acceleration, but there is just something really perfect about the distinct spool up while not being overshadowed by engine roar or exhaust noise. Literally everyone I've given a ride to was like "how do I make my car do that?"

OP, love the attention to cleanliness and detailing. getting bored with winter and waiting for mine to arrive - can't wait to waste hours cleaning it.
Navarra with rotor grey was a really tempting combination for me.

Thanks man! I don't think any hours spent cleaning are wasted at all.

Great looking car so far! We're big fans of Rotor Grey interior!

Appreciate it! Great job on the intake kit, it definitely makes all the right sounds and is priced well. I'm sure you're selling a ton of these :).

[oesman]

Another update today, installed the ECS Tuning X-Pipe Resonator Delete kit and made a video of it. The install is pretty simple and I found the fit and finish to be high quality, I had no problem mating it up. The sound is more aggressive and deeper. The burbles and crackles/pops are more expressive. The burbles especially come come through a lot more than stock, including on upshift. Windows down and pushing the car hard it's a lot of fun.

Bad news is that the drone is real. As others mentioned these x-pipe mods generate a ton of drone from 2,000 - 3,000 rpm on any sort of moderate throttle. With the valves closed it's not bad, you can coast 80 down the highway with cruise control on. Then it's generally close to stock. Unfortunately the valves open when you speed up. This happens even in Comfort mode in D. You can hear them click open even free revving in park. This means you still hear drone at times.

EDIT: It was brought to my attention that Soundaktor actually amplifies noise. I forgot I still had mine on. I’ve only put like 1,000 miles on the car in the 3.5 months I’ve had it so I hadn’t bothered to code it out yet. A commenter on my video suggested it and it absolutely made a difference. I coded out soundaktor and the drone is probably 20% quieter with valves open and 30% with the valves closed. I stand by saying its a lot of drone, but this helps make it more livable. It didnt even cross my mind that soundaktor actually amplifies engine noise, i thought it was more synthetically generated based on rpm/tps. Daryll Harrison, Volkswagen Brand Public Relations Manager, says "The Soundaktor amplifies actual engine sound in the cabin of the car. It does not re-create nor utilize pre-recorded sound.”

This is a love it or hate it mod. If I had to sit in traffic every single day in Dynamic + S mode I would likely hate it because of the drone. I work remote and this isn't a big deal for me. Nearly every drive is an occasion to hoon around for me. But, I'll probably change things up at some point. Might play with the X-pipe, maybe weld in some high quality mini resonators.

[Trentimus]

I swapped my AWE Airgate w/o lid for a P34 because to be totally honest I hate the look of carbon fiber in the engine bay. I also hate how it hazes and discolors in hot areas. That all said, I didn’t have the same issue with the logo on the silicone piping, but holy crap was it hard to get on the turbo inlet. That all said - I love the OEM look and vibe, and somehow it sounds much more aggressive than the AWE. Maybe it’s all in my head, but it sounds louder to me.

I appreciated your review and it helped me pull the trigger on the trade. I also love that you mentioned price for Audi mods vs say a Mustang. I’d love to understand why are the mods so much more for our cars? Is it really just lower volume sales merits higher prices? I was blown away when I saw prices for exhausts and intakes. This P34 intake would probably be a $200 piece for a Mustang.

[oesman]

I swapped my AWE Airgate w/o lid for a P34 because to be totally honest I hate the look of carbon fiber in the engine bay. I also hate how it hazes and discolors in hot areas. That all said, I didn’t have the same issue with the logo on the silicone piping, but holy crap was it hard to get on the turbo inlet. That all said - I love the OEM look and vibe, and somehow it sounds much more aggressive than the AWE. Maybe it’s all in my head, but it sounds louder to me.

I love the sound of the P34 intake so far too. It's very aggressive and the large side cutout they introduced shows off all the turbo sounds.

For the cost it's a combination of factors, but you nailed it. The cars aren't high volume like the Mustang. More expensive S/RS and higher model A cars also mean buyers have deeper pockets. It's likely manufacturers will try higher MSRPs to start off with. Ford is also more mod friendly.

Some of the big names work with Ford / Ford Performance (Ford Racing). Ford dealers will finance headers, an exhaust, intake, supercharger kit, whatever you want. When I bought mine they were offering everything dealer installed. I knew I was buying that car to turn it into a track toy so I'd be paying off the loan within a few months. So I told them I wanted to DIY my build. They told me "oh that's fine, use it like a super low interest credit line to buy parts now!" The aftermarket support is extreme.

I would wager that a higher percentage of first and secondary Mustang owners mod their cars. Many S/RS car owners are enthusiasts and may mod their cars. Yet, even base model Mustangs are often modified. When I had a B9 A4 daily I remember some A4 owners scared of aftermarket wheels. Afraid it will hurt "resale value." Refusing to believe you can store your original wheels/tires and put them back on when selling. "The dealer will know when I trade in!"

Also Audi sells cars in a "cars by the foot" model outside of a few special cars like the R8. Meaning you pick how many feet of Audi you want and how much horsepower. Each generation refines the car a bit. Many got their A4 by virtue of "I wanted a comfy luxury car that wasn't a huge SUV and didn't suck down fuel by the barrel." Ford has a sales model with more rigid demographics for each car. If you buy a Mustang you're almost certainly into cars. You may not be a serious enthusiast, but you bought a Mustang. Unless you run a rental desk with convertible base models for tourists, you're into cars. As a result there is a ton of customers and money in the aftermarket. This drives competition and helps keep prices down and the quality up for mods.

Thank you for attending my TED talk :-).

[oesman]

Time for another update on my progress. I have replaced the valve springs in my active exhaust which were occasionally rattling, especially during startup. They were also throwing several codes. Swapping springs is a pretty easy solution and my codes haven't come back and I've driven to Dallas and back. I'm not the first to figure out this method, DuntLed_Racing has a great post on this on our forum.



There is a defined process in the manual to remove the actuators. They have you drop the rear exhaust hangers. Then pop out the other hangers as needed to get clearance. I'm surprised so many dealers are swapping the whole exhaust. Even if the dealer doesn't want to buy Mopar springs, they could swap in an OEM spring or replace the whole actuator. That is still cheaper than a whole exhaust.

The new part number from Mopar is: 68319331AA

Speaking of exhausts; I have gotten used to the X-Pipe at this point and with the valves closed it's not a big deal on the highway. It does sound pretty good cruising around. I'll still consider a better solution (full exhaust) down the road.

I also decided to throw some new wheels on the Audi with Mops' help from this board. I opted for Rohana RFX11 wheels in brushed titanium finish.



Wheels
Model: Rohana RFX11
Finish: Brushed Titanium
Size: 19x8.5"
Offset: ET35
Bolt Pattern: 5x112
Center Bore: 66.56
Poke: 73mm (+11.4 mm)
Inset: 143 mm (+1.4mm)

Tires
Model: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Size: 255/35ZR19
Load/Speed: XL 96Y

This setup keeps the speedo pretty close and the 255/35ZR19 tire is more affordable with more tire choices than a 245 factory width. Weight wise my combo came in right at 50lbs while the factory 18" wheels (5 split-spoke) with Continental 5 tires were at just over 51lbs. So while not a massive savings at least there isn't a weight penalty. It is around 1% speedo error.

[oesman]

Bad news today guys, got rear-ended while sitting at a light.



Hopefully insurance can sort it out, bit worried that the quarter panel took a hit. Ideally this isn't going to end my S4 journey. Sadly the other driver wasn't insured or licensed, but I'm hoping uninsured motorist covers it and at least saves me the deductible and hopefully doesn't raise my rates quite as high as collision coverage.

I still have some videos in the can that I'll release regardless as there is some good stuff there people may find useful.

[Diokhan]

That's a bummer! Had that happen to me a couple years ago - same situation. For me my rates did not increase and I was able to file for restitution to get my deductible amount back. It was certainly a headache and I'm sorry you have to deal with that too.

[QuickHandCam]

Every time I've been hit my insurance never went up. Hopefully it's the same for you.

Let's hope for a speedy recovery for your beautiful car!

Sent from my SM-G988U using Audizine Forum mobile app

[rlme36]

That sucks. Not sure if TX has the ins law but worth checking into. Loss of Value after an accident, which would be a check to compensate for XX $'s assumed loss of value of the vehicle due to being in an accident. In your case may be moot since the other party doesn't' have an Ins to go collect from.

[gapband]

Uninsured and unlicensed?! Damn, I'd be pissed... I'm sorry you have to go through that. Glad you're okay though!

[oesman]

Thanks guys! Appreciate all of your kind comments. Ultimately the fact that everyone is ok is the most important part. I'm still getting quotes, but it's a pricey fix for sure. Though I doubt it would get totaled now that I have seen some of the numbers. Hopefully she'll be back on the road soon.

That's a bummer! Had that happen to me a couple years ago - same situation. For me my rates did not increase and I was able to file for restitution to get my deductible amount back. It was certainly a headache and I'm sorry you have to deal with that too.

Yea I'm hoping my rates don't increase. Texas does not have protection from rate hikes for not-at-fault accidents. It's basically up to the insurer's policies/formulas. Im told my insurer usually does not raise rates for this. While this is definitely a good thing, a problem with this is if you change carriers it will immediately come into play. So this is a bit of a "vendor lock" kind of like free windshield repairs.

You think "great it doesn't affect my rate" and get a bunch of rock chips fixed for free instead of paying $50 out of pocket. Then when you shop rates you realize all those get put on your CLUE report with no notes so the other insurer just sees a bunch of comprehensive claims. Now you can't leave your carrier and watch your rates slowly creep up until those things fall off your report. Always pay cash for those windshield rock chip repairs! It's a total scam by the insurer to hold your account hostage. I realized that after I did one and pulled my report, told a few friends who thought i was nuts. Just the other day one of them told me I was right and he couldn't change carriers because he had 6 comprehensive claims.

I'm trying to get them to file it as uninsured motorist straight away rather than dealing with reimbursements. They're pushing hard to get me to agree to use my collision coverage instead, because they know it's a pain in the ass later to get your deductible back or rental reimbursement. Plus paying it under uninsured motorist coverage opens them up for diminished value claims where collision coverage doesn't.

That sucks. Not sure if TX has the ins law but worth checking into. Loss of Value after an accident, which would be a check to compensate for XX $'s assumed loss of value of the vehicle due to being in an accident. In your case may be moot since the other party doesn't' have an Ins to go collect from.

Texas does have a concept of diminished value, but most insurers refuse to acknowledge it's a thing. Everyone I know had to hire their own appraiser, collect a bunch of quotes, and usually threaten legal action before they get a reasonable offer. In my case I'm pushing for them to use my uninsured motorist coverage which should cover rental reimbursement, deductible and is open to diminished value claims in Texas. The important part is that it has to be an uninsured motorist claim, otherwise you're right you have to go after 3rd party, can't go after 1st party.

[rlme36]

That's a new bumper cover and pull on the rear quarter kind of deal (plus any broken trim/lights), just go to a shop that isn't into to production work aka slap on bondo to get it out the door.

[oesman]

That's a new bumper cover and pull on the rear quarter kind of deal (plus any broken trim/lights), just go to a shop that isn't into to production work aka slap on bondo to get it out the door.

Yea, hopefully no alignment issues, but I didn't notice anything weird. Had a bit more wind noise though, but could just be the weird aerodynamics of the ripped up bumper making noise. I'm going to use these guys, the only Audi dealer that has their own collision center in my area is booked out until July and doesn't have quite as stellar of reviews. My guess is it will be somewhere between $6 and $10 grand.

[oesman]

Sadly no news on the car repair. Apparently State Farm sucks. Claim disappeared off the website and my claims person has her phone set to DND so all calls go to voice mail and she wont answer emails. Next step is complaining to the Texas Department of Insurance I guess.

Good news is that I do have a video out for those of you looking to try out the ECS tuning intercooler and charge pipes. I found this to be a pretty good kit overall, though I think the charge pipes aren't strictly required. Maybe worth getting them if you need new ones. The intercooler itself is very well made and fit and finish was great. Looking at some other user's calculations it is actually one of the larger intercoolers and so far my Dragy runs show really consistent performance.

[rlme36]

Nice clean video of the steps to install the intercooler.

will definitely reference when i go down this path.

thanks,
rob

[oesman]

Hey gang, finally after a long wait I got my car back from the body shop. It only took two months and lots of frustrating conversations with State Farm who really didn't want me using Uninsured Motorist coverage. Overall insurance paid out around $11K and I paid about $250. There were some other costs, but I'll get into that stuff in a future post/video. I still intend to claim loss of value, which Texas allows when using uninsured coverage so hopefully it will cover some of those other costs. Overall the car looks great, there's one little imperfection they're going to fix up for me, but I'm happy to have it back.



In other news I posted a DIY video of the RS Style grille installation in case anyone is thinking about this mod. Overall it's not too bad, I would highly recommend doing it at the same time as an aftermarket intercooler. No special skills are required to do this, but it does need patience. I also think it's best to get this grill from Aliexpress as the cheapest option or even some of the eBay sellers with US stock. Hopefully this will be helpful for you guys.

[RatBustard]

Hey gang, finally after a long wait I got my car back from the body shop. It only took two months and lots of frustrating conversations with State Farm who really didn't want me using Uninsured Motorist coverage.

nice to have it back.

for what it's worth, I've heard nothing but horror stories about State Farm lately. I had them for close to 15 years and noticed a significant drop in customer service while always getting more expensive. ended up dropping them and moving to Progressive several years ago, which has been much better so far. additionally, we have a friend dealing with State Farm now on a claim, and State Farm is fighting it hard.

[oesman]

Car looks great!

Thanks!

nice to have it back.

for what it's worth, I've heard nothing but horror stories about State Farm lately. I had them for close to 15 years and noticed a significant drop in customer service while always getting more expensive. ended up dropping them and moving to Progressive several years ago, which has been much better so far. additionally, we have a friend dealing with State Farm now on a claim, and State Farm is fighting it hard.

Yea it definitely feels good. Sorry to hear about your friends state farm troubles, hopefully they work it out. Such a nightmare to deal with.

[JimmyS3]

Car looks great!

[QuickHandCam]

Glad to see it's back! I was just thinking about you and this car this morning on my commute to work. Had some free time at work and decided to check Audizine... Sure enough, an update!

I'll probably check out that video later today.

For the grille, I'm still undecided on Chrome or Blacked out (Navarra blue exterior). Opinions?

[oesman]

Glad to see it's back! I was just thinking about you and this car this morning on my commute to work. Had some free time at work and decided to check Audizine... Sure enough, an update!

I'll probably check out that video later today.

For the grille, I'm still undecided on Chrome or Blacked out (Navarra blue exterior). Opinions?

Thanks for thinking of me :). I know what you mean with that Navarra blue (great color btw). It's always a worry that the car will look too muted, but it's still a bright enough color where a murdered out look may not work great either. It's one reason I don't regret not getting black wheels for mine. I think the titanium color wheels still add enough pop with the blacked out mirror caps, trim and rings. So for your blue I think one thing to consider is keeping the chrome rings. I think they would balance out the black grille against the blue, but at the same time get rid of the excess chrome around the rest of it. I think there is also a black rs grille with a chrome trim around it, that may also be a cool look. I definitely don't like too much chrome though, even on a dark colored car. Also like with my car I think the color of your wheels will matter. May look too muted with dark wheels.

[Daaavid]

Great video on the RS grille install; I just got my car back from the body shop as well after someone backed into it in the parking garage so I had the opportunity to replace my rock chipped RS grille with a new one. If you are seeking diminished value independently, now is a great time to start benchmarking vehicles in similar condition as the market is high, too.

Since your vehicle did not come with the Black Optics package, I'm sure you noticed that the parking sensors on your grille are a lighter gray color. You can use a bit of acetone or paint thinner and remove the light gray and have it to a black like the OEM Black Optics for a full OEM appearance.

[oesman]

Great video on the RS grille install; I just got my car back from the body shop as well after someone backed into it in the parking garage so I had the opportunity to replace my rock chipped RS grille with a new one. If you are seeking diminished value independently, now is a great time to start benchmarking vehicles in similar condition as the market is high, too.

Since your vehicle did not come with the Black Optics package, I'm sure you noticed that the parking sensors on your grille are a lighter gray color. You can use a bit of acetone or paint thinner and remove the light gray and have it to a black like the OEM Black Optics for a full OEM appearance.

Great tips David. Sucks about your car, but glad you got it back too. Definitely is a good time for diminished value. I've already done some searching myself. Just comparing trade in prices, once you tell them it's been in one accident and repaired it's a pretty big hit. Not just a grand or two like I thought.

Awesome tip on the parking sensors, will have to do that next time I'm pulling the fascia off for something. May just stick a vinyl over for now.

[Daaavid]

Great tips David. Sucks about your car, but glad you got it back too. Definitely is a good time for diminished value. I've already done some searching myself. Just comparing trade in prices, once you tell them it's been in one accident and repaired it's a pretty big hit. Not just a grand or two like I thought.

Awesome tip on the parking sensors, will have to do that next time I'm pulling the fascia off for something. May just stick a vinyl over for now.

I had a run-in with insurance already regarding DV even before a year of ownership on my 2019, and boy did it tank my car's value after it hit the history report! If you're looking for assistance on how I did my DV claim independently, feel free reach out to me via DM. I managed to get thousands. For starters and thanks to COVID, so many online retailers (e.g. Carmax, Carvana, Vroom, etc.) can quickly appraise your vehicle and you can benchmark it easily through their database without stepping foot inside a dealer and wasting time.

[oesman]

Back with another video today. I've been wanting to add remote start to the S4. It's so hot out in Houston when you're at the store or parked outside and remote start really helps. Plus I'm childish and enjoy hearing it start, hah! I decided to go with 12V Solutions because its a product that I used already for my brother's car. The install is extremely simple on our cars and I like that it's 100% plug and play with no splicing or soldering. The only real downside is being down a key. You could get a third key made, but it's fairly pricey. This company also offers long distance remotes and an app if you need the range. They also have discounts fairly frequently, I snagged this kit for $480 on sale.

https://www.12volt.solutions/product...mote-start-kit



Hopefully this helps some people see the process if you're considering one of these systems.

[AldermanToffee]

I would really, truly love remote start for the winter months. It scares the absolute shit out of me in the event the car has dumped a load of coolant, or some other issue though, that I’m not able to check on when starting the car.

[oesman]

in the event the car has dumped a load of coolant, or some other issue

Can't say that a part of me doesn't feel the same every time I use remote start on any car. I guess at some point you have to trust the build, but also your car is pretty far beyond what most have done here. Cars like that obviously need more oversight. I'm sure I'll start worrying more the further I get. For now this is nice in the Texas heat :).

In other news I had a bad diverter valve that was misbehaving. It's a very easy swap and took just a few minutes to complete. I don't know why it failed so early, but hopefully the new revision I installed will hold out better. If not I'll have to look into aftermarket solution and a block-off plate.



I also had a chance to finish making my ECS Tuning Diffuser installation video. I installed this diffuser at the same time as my ECS X-Pipe but just hadn't gotten to the footage. For me this diffuser fit perfectly and I was very happy with it. Unfortunately when I was recently rear-ended the diffuser was destroyed. When I was working with the body shop the diffuser became unavailable with lead times out in October, just in time for this video, and I had to get the carbon fiber version.

I wound up having it painted black so that it matched the rest of the chrome-delete I was working on. They also painted the mirror caps and front fog light grilles that I had wrapped. I'm sure some people will think I'm insane for painting the carbon fiber, but I really don't have any other exterior CF accents and i like the black on red look. Both the diffusers were well made in my opinion, but the plastic one is just a hell of a deal too at just over $200. I think the carbon fiber diffuser is more aggressive looking, the way it's molded it has sharper angles somehow. It's very aggressive and I really like it especially once you paint it black, it could look like a fancy package audi offers, more OEM+ than just screaming aftermarket to those that don't know.



I also switched to E85 (video will be coming) and was able to post some of my best times yet on the 034 E85 Stage 1 tune. You can see it at the end of the diffuser video. I ran a [email protected] and 3.46s 0-60.

[Speedster00]

Hey Dimitry. Fellow Houstonian S4 and ACH memeber here....what made you go with a factory diverter replacement? I know aftermarket DV's dont provide performance gains, but Ive heard they provide more noise.

[oesman]

Hey Dimitry. Fellow Houstonian S4 and ACH memeber here....what made you go with a factory diverter replacement? I know aftermarket DV's dont provide performance gains, but Ive heard they provide more noise.

Hey, always a pleasure to see someone here from Houston. I went with the factory as a lot of the other ones seem to throw codes for people and work for others. I think the third option is to block it off and setup a traditional BOV setup.

[oesman]

Got a few updates for you guys, I know it's been a minute, but I've been working up my Stage 3 build with 034Motorsport with a TTE 710 turbo and a whole lot of other goodies. At this time everything is installed and I'm just going through the video editing, checking over everything as well as doing some testing and data logging. The car is extremely fun to drive and I'm very excited to start sharing more of the build with everyone here. Hopefully my guides are helpful or at least amusing :).

To kick things off I made a pre-stage 3 video which shows the installation of a Forge Motorsport Turbo Blanket.



This blanket served me well with the stock turbo and it's fairly easy to install with the turbo on the car. If you're looking for a cheap and easy solution then you might consider this blanket. One thing to consider is that the blanket will rub on the wastegate actuator and it's important to bend it out of the way as the blanket burns in so it makes little to no contact. Otherwise it may throw codes if the actuator snags on the blanket.

Then to prep for my Stage 3 install and convert to E85 I decided to install a Fuel-It! Bluetooth Flex-Fuel Analyzer and GM sensor which is a pretty common mod here.



Many people have covered it, but I figured a more detailed video wouldn't hurt. If you're curious about going to E85, especially for Stage 3, this is an important and easy to do mod that virtually anyone can tackle.

I also decided it was time to start tackling the driveline slop and installed the 034Motorsport Street Density Transmission Mount and Transmission Mount Insert. I would consider this part of my Stage 3 build.



This is an overall easy install and I think it's something most people could tackle. It's a bit harder to do the mount itself on jack stands, but it is definitely doable. The insert itself, which is the most popular mod, is quite easy to do even on jack stands. Based on conversations with the team at 034 the insert makes the biggest difference and the mount itself is more of a finishing touch. I could definitely tell how much stiffer the mount was. Overall I didn't really notice any NVH above what my X-Pipe has been generating.

For my final update of the day I just finished producing the install video of the 034Motorsport HPFP upgrade kit which is going to be necessary for those of you wanting a bigger turbo or to run the "+" files from 034.



I think this is a project that most people with some experience modifying cars could tackle on their own. The biggest thing is to make sure you don't damage any lines or the HPFP itself. It's good to apply some common sense and general mechanical skills when doing this installation. I found that the new HPFP internals may be a bit louder than stock when idling, but you won't hear it driving around and especially not when enjoying all the extra power.

I'm going to have a ton more of these videos coming out, it's going to be a whole Stage 3 build series, including a step-by-step turbo swap, so stay tuned!