Hafstad's 2014 allroad

[Hafstad]

Hey there, I have recently picked up an B8(.5) AR and am super excited to share this journey with you all I have quite the fun short automotive journey that I'm gonna take you along on a ride for!

Current Build List
2014 Audi allroad 2.0T Premium
Airlift Performance 3P System w/Performance Struts- Setup by Driver's Gallery
BBS CH017 19x10 +20 Redrilled to 5x112
Conti DWS06 245/30
RS4 Avant Spoiler
Flatbottom Steering Wheel w/Paddle Shifters
034MS Rear Sway Bar
034MS Drivetrain Goodies
Integrated Engineering CAI (IEINCG1)
Magnaflow Touring Series Exhaust (#15369)
RSNAV S4 8.8"
Europrice Semi-Dynamic Modules (Thanks Alex!)
Thule Aeroblade Edge 7502 & 7503
Thule/"Audi" Roof Cargo Box 300L (8V0071200)
ECS Tuning Engine Beauty Cover (from the Q5 RIP)
Custom Interior trim and lighting
Ceramic Tint by Lux autostyling

Planned Build List
034MS Front Strut Brace
034MS X-Brace
P3 Vent Gauge(anyone have one they wanna sell me? )
New plastic trim around the car as previous owner was a blind parker
A very special audisport tribute wrap
BOSS kit and engine internals

So here's how the story goes, as the road to my allroad wasn't a easy one nor a straight one at that. It all came to pass through opportunities from good and bad situations.

My first car, was a 2008 Mazda 3 GT as it was the only "hot"hatch I could afford at the time. 'bout 19k all said and done.
She was a fun little torque-steering daily, all I was focused on was getting from one photoshoot to the other.


I made some mistakes, like following a gardening trailer in the lane next to me...


But the biggest mistake was leaving it behind and taking the fully insured Q5 Hybrid on a roadtrip, when hurricane Harvey came to town.

But it became a learning experience and a challenge to overcome and keep my mind off everything else, while the house was put together I dove into putting her back together


Thanks to the stupid short ram intake I had placed in it, no water had made it into any part of the engine, I spent hours taking it apart and then putting it back together, my desire to modify cars grew and I knew I'd never drive her again, at this time I started looking at this very forum to find my next car and from my experience with our family's Q5 I knew what I was getting, I was finally going to get an Audi. But first I had to finish the old gal and I sure did.


And just like that, she was gone...


So I headed up to Dallas to look at a new Hot Hatch, because I wasn't going to buy a car in the Houston area... I decided I wanted the A3 S-Line and I found one that was perfectly specced in the color I wanted (anything but gray, scuba blue preferred)
But as Murphey's Law goes... The A3 I looked at was a ticking time bomb, I had shipped my finger along the oil pan and it was heavily coated in oil so just to keep the dream alive and cling on to hope I took it to Audi Dallas to be PPI'd and unfortunately it was confirmed as such, but as luck would have it they had a Q5 at $19k which was 7k higher than my budget, but I looked on their site and it was listed as a Scuba Blue Q5 and I was alllll over it, they brought it around to test drive, only for it to be Monsoon GREY, well shit- I wasted all this time and the family is taking off for LA and I have to get back home in a new car or end up walking home...

So here we are; one dumb ass and his grey Q5 at -$17k later.
2012 Audi Q5 2.0T Premium Plus


Now this car was great, got her at 56k miles and loaded her up for her big trip across the country; dog and all my junk thrown in the back, really glad I didn't get that A3
Audi Central Houston quoted me $2800ish for new motor mounts and other things as I noticed the issues pretty quickly, I declined and got her serviced instead.
Once I got to LA I went to Audi Calabasas and they actually quoted me only $1200 for everything I needed done; no brainer and surprised the Cali-tax was cheaper than the H-Town one.
But unfortunately like all 2012 Audi Q5s this big girl enjoyed the flat bed a little too much; water pumps, turbo flanges, coolant leaks, etc.


Eventually the small maintenance turned the reliable daily to a project once the K03 finally failed... just as Covid came around... well, time for a K04 I guess!
But with time constraints with my new job and going back to college for an engineering degree it turned into; Throw the K04 on, tune her, then throw a 6x12 Enclosed trailer on her and drive her to Indiana!


So now if anyone asks if you can tow a 6x12 loaded to the brim with a 2.0 Q5 the answer is "Yes" because she pulled it like a champ, with no issues for upwards of 16 hours a day (with small breaks to chill)
Indiana was like her natural habitat with all the snow and weather, but I did miss all the canyons of SoCal.
But like I said, she REALLY likes the flat bed, unfortunately this time I knew it would be her last ride, her engine had blown as soon as I lost power and saw that CEL throwing a rave.


But this leads to the moment we've been waiting for...
I went in to this knowing I needed a car *fast* I scoured the internet for a Scuba Blue allroad or A3 and I couldn't find any ANYWHERE in my area, so I ended up at Carmax of all places and I knew what that would entail, but they found a allroad in my budget with ~60k miles on it and of course... it was MONSOON GREY I accepted my fate, knowing that I only had one shot of them shipping it to Indiana and since it magically became available after I had ordered the A3 instead it was meant to be.
So I took her home and washed her up, I pointed out all the flaws with it and Carmax actually covered $6000 worth of repairs for headlight not functioning, water pump, purge valve, sunroof seal, and some other things I had read on here to take care of. (Thanks ya'll!)

So I got busy...

Roof box (from Q5, luckily it was also Grey) and Aeroblades


Wheels and Tires (ft. the exhaust box to the right)


Exhaust and my silly vanity plate!


Intake and the Beauty cover from the Q5 and also the mismatched DRLs, which Carmax is going to replace the yellowed one with a new one, Score!

I hope this wasn't too big a read, I took a very long time to put it all together, I hope you'll stick with me as I put this thing together and I would love to hear some input on the build and what you guys consider must haves, etc.
tl;dr: Long time lurker tells stupid story and shows off his new allroad in preparation of a new fun adventure in his wagon.

[rawatamit]

Super cool story! I just bought a B8 A4 Avant, but getting an allroad was another option. Looking forward to what you end up doing with it.

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[Rewagon]

Great start! Looking forward to seeing what you do with the wagon.


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[19birel]

Cool story and great start to the allroad journey! Biggest recommendation I would have is checking your cam phase adaption to determine how stretched the timing chain is, a '14 at 60k miles should be fine, but at the very least it will help you plan for the future knowing if it will need done sooner rather than later. Unlike your 2012 Q5, the tensioner isn't a ticking time bomb so nothing to sweat bullets over, just be aware!

Can't wait to see more!

[Dusty Mauve]

Thats a journy!
Your name looks very norwegian, and I see the flag in one of the pics. Norwegian descent?

Following along on the build :)

[Hafstad]

Super cool story! I just bought a B8 A4 Avant, but getting an allroad was another option. Looking forward to what you end up doing with it.

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Thank you, can't wait to get everything squared away!

Great start! Looking forward to seeing what you do with the wagon.


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Thank you so much, me too - lots left in the goody bag!

Thats a journy!
Your name looks very norwegian, and I see the flag in one of the pics. Norwegian descent?

Following along on the build :)

Yes! Born and Raised, family moved out here for work, health, and for me; studies at Purdue!

[Hafstad]

Cool story and great start to the allroad journey! Biggest recommendation I would have is checking your cam phase adaption to determine how stretched the timing chain is, a '14 at 60k miles should be fine, but at the very least it will help you plan for the future knowing if it will need done sooner rather than later. Unlike your 2012 Q5, the tensioner isn't a ticking time bomb so nothing to sweat bullets over, just be aware!

Can't wait to see more!

Hmmm. I don't know if I did this right, but I went into advanced measurements on VCDS and saw this:
After Idling and letting her warm up:

After Highway Driving:



I bring her in for her headlight swap tomorrow, I'll have them check her out. But otherwise I am very confused!

[19birel]

You did that correctly, general rule of thumb is to start thinking about replacement after -5, your at -6 so it's something I would plan to do sooner rather than later. Maybe you can get Carmax to foot the bill!

[Hafstad]

The new headlight assembly is in, no more Max Scherzer DRLs!

You did that correctly, general rule of thumb is to start thinking about replacement after -5, your at -6 so it's something I would plan to do sooner rather than later. Maybe you can get Carmax to foot the bill!

This is what I got from the Dealership, they just said to keep an eye on it as they have only ever had one AR jump timing.



P.S. ya love to see it

[19birel]

I'd read up on the timing chain stuff in the big thread we have on here. Is your car gonna skip time tomorrow? No, but the info in there should help you decide when the right time to replace it is. I wouldn't wait until you reach the max of 7 threads, but by the same token it's not something that needs attended to now.

Those new lights look very fresh btw!

[Hafstad]

I'd read up on the timing chain stuff in the big thread we have on here. Is your car gonna skip time tomorrow? No, but the info in there should help you decide when the right time to replace it is. I wouldn't wait until you reach the max of 7 threads, but by the same token it's not something that needs attended to now.

Those new lights look very fresh btw!

Yeah, I’ll probably schedule a timing service in the spring after the Q5 is all buttoned up and either sold or kept.
And thanks man! Nothing better than freemium lights!
Now the next update should be after the detail, paint correction, coating, and ceramic tint on Thursday. Things are moving fast!
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[Rewagon]

I hope you can update when you get the RSNAV. ordered the same 8.8” unit for myself and I’ll be a month or two behind you. Good luck!


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[Hafstad]

I hope you can update when you get the RSNAV. ordered the same 8.8” unit for myself and I’ll be a month or two behind you. Good luck!


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Updates! Better late than never, I got her detailed and tinted as well as moving over some accessories from the old Q5.


Detail and 5Y Ceramic Coating done.
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New Tint installed, opted to not do the windshield as I do a lot of long distance driving in the dark and visit Cali.
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The next thing I worked on was a quick oil change and then installed this little guy…
RSNAV S4
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Doing the install on a concert system was actually extremely easy, I didn’t even need radio tools!
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Only real annoyance I had was the trim swap for the bezel around the new larger screen, but I ended up just brute forcing it and making it work.
Finished Product:
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I also updated the steering wheel to a flat bottom with paddle shifters, will add more photos later!
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Stay tuned for more updates!


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[19birel]

Nice choice on the flat bottom wheel! one of my favorite interior mods I've done, make such a difference!

The RSNav system looks fresh too, that's something that has been on my radar for a while now. All the positive reviews have me thinking that it's in my car's future once I'm over the hill of high mileage maintenance haha

[Hafstad]

Picked up two sets of new wheels!
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Some S5 Peelers
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And some RS5 Rotors!

Other updates include;
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Bags arrived, now loaded up in the trunk ready to be brought to the shop for install.
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And a new OEM snowboard/ski rack.

Next update should be LOWROAD(bags install) as well as 034 drivetrain goodies + RSWB and Macan brake upgrade + rear carriers upgrade following after that.

P.S. my 20x8.5 +35 Silver Rotiforms are for sale!


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[jbrentd]

Looking good! Peelers are still one of my favorite OEM wheels. Did you ever do anything with your timing chain? I just got a 2013 and need to check mine in vcds.

[Hafstad]

Hey there, it's been awhile, I have quite a bit of stuff to update on the build, will share them chronologically.

• December 2022
  The time has finally come to get this boat on bags, I optioned for the Airlift Performance 3P system and had a "local" shop install the system as doing this install in my crammed garage with -10F weather was not an option.
  Bagriders hooked it up with a good price on a kit and I grabbed the discontinued Avant spacers from a buddy on discord.
  Price of install? My Rotiform LAS-R set and cash on the side. My car slammed on the ground? Priceless.
  
  Above is the setup after the install, which wasn't exactly what I asked for, but I trusted their layout and their expertise, behind the manifold in the wheel-well is the second compressor, which at this time is not currently connected to the system in any way.
  I was pretty happy with the process overall, they finished it in one day and sent me off so I could get home before the big winter storm we had on the way here in the midwest.
  They also installed the 034 Drivetrain goodies and rear swaybar while they were at it.
  
  How she was looking after the install, on rotors and bagged, what a looker!
  The Before and After is CRAZY
  
  
  
• January 2023
  January is when I found out I'd be on disability for the foreseeable future due to a aggravated back injury and a hospital stay I had in December of the previous year, so I went to show the boys the new setup up in Detroit. (@havana_allroad and @Spec.mi on instagram)
  
  I also at this time received the tires I was going to run on my S5 Peelers, Continental DSW06s and the news that the wheels were also done being repaired and refinished.
  
  They looked amazing on the setup, 19s tucked make me feel some sort of way...
  
  My RS4 Avant spoiler also arrived at the end of January!
  
  
  
• February 2023
  It's just my luck, this month began with me running down a wiring fault with the airlift system install; when the new manifold from airlift didn't fix the issue, I dug into it.
  
  Now my degree might be in Electrical Engineering, but when it comes to messing with cables that other people have ran and connected I get sketched out, especially with a car battery being the power source, but after digging through the harness, trying multiple fuses, using my multimeter to check continuity and it was showing good numbers on everything, etc. I would come to discover that the red power cables were not properly installed(see third photo) on the accessory power terminal thing, so they had been arcing and had melted the plastic bolt causing them to be insulated and no longer giving power to the manifold, which was the problem I was having. Now I could have bitched at the previous shop and complained and everything, but instead I called up Jon at Driver's Gallery in Valparaiso, Indiana and headed there to have him fix what he could.
  
  Not only did Jon fix the fustercluck of wiring, he also redid that setup and added carpeting/woodpaneling to make it A LOT quieter, almost silent in fact, which was a huge difference to the rattle machine it was beforehand. The last photo is what I assume Jon saw when he got to it, I won't even bring up the other haggard stuff Jon found in there, let's just say it was a hackjob. So if you ever want an air install done, go to Driver's Gallery, they will treat you right and get you done, I also would have paid A LOT less... Thanks so much!
  
  After the airlift fiasco it was time to tackle some aesthetic and QoL updates.
  Added the Sportsline allroad badge and Puddle Lights.
  Added Carbon Fiber interior trim and Rennline phone charger.
  
  
  I also started my interior overhaul project in Feb, which included adding the B9-style interior LEDs.
  Here's what it looked like when finished, most people who have seen it in person actually really liked it, which was nice, I guess it's only tacky if done incorrectly. I also added the RSNAV USB harness to a better spot, the MMI tray in the glove box for easy access.
  
  
• March 2023
  Not much was updated in March, having completely blown up the interior with a bad back the previous month I didn't update much, but I did go on a 6000+ mile road trip across the US, which I'm currently still posting on Instagram under the hashtag: #lowroadcrosscountry if you wanna follow along.
  Here are some highlights!
  
  
  
  
  I did add the DeAuto LED Foglights though...
  

Part 1 of 2

[Hafstad]

• April 2023
  In April I returned to Indiana after the trip to escape the cold weather and finally met up with my allroad and license plate twin(@audiswagon on instagram), I sold him my RS5 Rotors but at least they're in good hands!
  
  
• May 2023
  In May I took the money from the RS5 Rotors sale and grabbed my buddy Vinny's old BBS CH017s from the new owner of his allroad.
  
  
  Then of course I went to the Mecca of VAG car meets. Alpine Volks Fair, was nice to meet a lot of you for the first time!
  
  
  
• June 2023
  Nothing happened in June other than these photos.
  
• July 2023
  Retrofitted Sports Seats w/help from Vinny. Crazy how much you can fit in the back of an allroad. Also installed dashcam w/rear camera and fixed my backup camera!
  

Stay tuned for the next updates, 400mm brakes + bigger calipers, a new set of BBS wheels, and more of the interior and exterior upgrades

[Rewagon]

So.. much.. content. First, sorry about your back. That’s rough but makes all your work that much more impressive. Love everything you’ve done to the Allroad. I am partial to the S5 Peelers which look great on the B8/B8.5 platform. I also got the S4 8.8” and really glad I went with that system. I’ll look forward to more updates. Thanks for sharing your build.

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[19birel]

Wow awesome update! Anymore pics of the ambient lighting inside or info on where you got it?

[Circuit]

Sub!

[Hafstad]

Wow awesome update! Anymore pics of the ambient lighting inside or info on where you got it?

I can scrounge up some more photos for ya, I think I got them off some auto glam website, all the lights and command box is in Chinese though, it is nice that I can control both brightness and color via the steering wheel buttons though!

- - - Updated - - -

Place holder reply for my next update here in the next couple of days, it's a big one!

[19birel]

I can scrounge up some more photos for ya, I think I got them off some auto glam website, all the lights and command box is in Chinese though, it is nice that I can control both brightness and color via the steering wheel buttons though!

I'll have to look into those, I'm a sucker for ambient lighting- I have LED strip under the dash and seats that nice, but those door strips would really tie it all together