My minor modding thread

Tuffty's new look! :D

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Nothing much to report... fitted a set of 235/40/18 NS-2r's to the rear as I managed to clip a kerb taking a chunk out of the front nearside tyre... I will replace the fronts with 235's once they are past their sell by date... the added tyre wall should give me a bit more protection against our lovely roads while the extra width will help with grip (not that it seems that problematic)

Talking of the roads.. it would appear that they have yet again managed to damage my suspension...

Nearside camber plate bearing has popped up :/
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..compared to the off side...
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Had enough of them now tbh... they seem very fragile and considering my car spends 99% of its time on 'normal' roads I am just going to put my old LCR top mounts back on... I am fairly sure that going back to something a little more capable of resisting the joy of out crater strewn roads would be much more preferable to the 10th of a second I might gain on my journey to Bills at the weekend :)

I also found a small air leak at the throttle body adaptor plate such had that off and resealed it... changed the oil a couple of weeks ago after a 12 month stint (some 4000 miles) and gave the engine bay a little wipe over...

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I have been building a small list of things to do but finding the time and to be honest the motivation is proving to be a problem... its not that I am bored of the car, far from it but after some 8 years of ownership, ups and downs, modding and lets face it expense I am just happy to enjoy the fruits of my labour for a while and pursue my other hobby...

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<tuffty/>
 
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Beautiful pictures.
 
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What type of lense did you use for the moon shot? Obviously a ridiculously zooming one, but curious as I have this on my wish list

Sent from my XT1572 using Tapatalk
 
fanta said:
What type of lense did you use for the moon shot? Obviously a ridiculously zooming one, but curious as I have this on my wish list

Sent from my XT1572 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Canon 100-400L MkII with a Canon 2x MkIII Extender... I use my 50D body for moon shots as the crop sensor makes the 800mm focal length the equivalent of 1280mm (1.6 x 800)

IMG_20160317_135648.jpg


I have used my full frame 6D body before but you don't get as close..

There are cheaper alternatives... lots of people have started using the Tamron 150-600... the Kenco extenders are a bit cheaper too at around £100 for a 2x so you could get 1920mm on a Canon crop body for cheaper than I have paid for my Canon glass...

<tuffty/>
 
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The moon is a bit of a ****** to shoot sometimes... moves faster than you realise...

I use either live view or occasionally EOS Utility on my Mac Air...


Manually focusing can be a challenge as at this focal length and you have to wait for tripod shake to stop too... biggest issue is by the time you have zoomed in on live view and let the shake subside to check focus the moon has moved well across the frame... the 100-400L isn't fast enough with the 2x extender on to support AF... at 400mm + 2 x TC my minimum aperture is f11...

I ended up making a support bracket to brace the body and the lens... has made the whole rig more stable and gives me a much better keeper rate due to being able to focus more quickly...

IMAG1774.jpg


<tuffty/>
 
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I can relate to getting distracted by camera stuff and spending loads on that :) Now I'm back to the car though hopefully!
 
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<tuffty/> said:
... I am just going to put my old LCR top mounts back on... I am fairly sure that going back to something a little more capable of resisting the joy of out crater strewn roads would be much more preferable to the 10th of a second I might gain on my journey to Bills at the weekend :)
...
<tuffty/>
Click to expand...

My `supposed` LCR top mounts need replacing after approximately 5 years/20k miles and considering my options.

You would still go LCR over powerflex?
 
Not seen them close up so couldn't really say... they are cheaper to buy than the LCR and should be as stiff... would certainly consider using them if I needed to replace the LCR though

<tuffty/>
 
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With ADI looming and various other things taking up my time these days I finally got around to making a start on the winter detail...

Would appear that the past year has not been kind... picked up a few scratches on the way...
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There were a few more dotted about so looks like I have a bit of work to do... snow foamed and washed the car first... ****** wheels are still a nightmare so will attack them separately at a later date...

Clay bar'd the front wings and bonnet first then used 3m Fast Cut Plus on the scratches and this worked to a point but my pads have seen better days and all my spot pads had turned to dust making it difficult to get into the curves of the wing properly so there is still the faintest of marks to get out once I order some more spot pads... finished off using 3M Ultrafina and sealed off with Carlack Acrylic
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Then moved onto the roof... this was a bit dirtier...
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...but a couple of passes with Ultrafina and a dose of Carlack Acrylic all was sorted :)
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Ordered some more pads so when they arrive I can crack on with the doors... going to try and do a panel each evening to get it done...

Will have to remove the front bumper though to sort that out... I may even have to resort to wet sanding to calm the stone chips down a bit but we shall see...

<tuffty/>
 
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I need to do a proper decent clean like this but wouldn't know where to start. Any pointers? Gear to buy etc?
 
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audi upgrades
Sam_ said:
I need to do a proper decent clean like this but wouldn't know where to start. Any pointers? Gear to buy etc?
Click to expand...

I am no expert by any stretch so will just list the stuff/process I use for mine... I am quite lucky that despite a couple of flaws my paintwork is fairly good... its suffering more from some shoddy repair/remedial work which was out of my control and will be addressed once I have saved enough to go for a full respray but thats a little way off yet..

Anyhoo... basic approach is...

Snowfoam car (prewash)... I then use Angelwax Revelation fallout remover all round the car a panel at a time to prevent it drying off... apply, leave and then rinse off etc... then wash car using either twin bucket method or in my case I use an old Flash car wash thing which is good for a constant stream of fresh soapy water and a bucket to rinse the lambswool mitt off...

I then claybar the panels... I use Bilt Hamber regular clay bar as this can be use with a water spray to lubricate rather than having to spend out on quick detailer...

Once a year I will go over the panels using a DA (a Kestral DAS-6) and 3M Ultrafina polishing compound and 3M blue waffle pads to re-gloss the paint work... the combination of clay bar and machine polish will remove the protection of course so once done you will need to re-apply your protection system... I use the 150mm pads on large flat surfaces and the 80 spot pads on curves or smaller panels.

I currently use the Carlack Acrylic system
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000007.pl?WD=carlack&PN=carlack-acrylic-kit-cat1.html

I do a full detail once a year and top up the protection with Carlack Long Life once a month...

I use Autoglym Glass Polish (not fast glass) on the windows then use Carlack Long Life once clean... I use Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber care to dress the engine bay, tyres and external plastics as this seems to last longer the the 303 aerospace protectant I used to use and costs loads less (pretty much a third of the price)

Wheels I am still struggling with currently.. I have Angelwax Revelation, Bilburry and a fairly cheap bulk detailing wheel acid that all contribute to cleaning my wheels but as yet not found a decent way to protect them to a point that its a simple apply cleaning product, agitate and rinse... the pads fall out seems too aggressive and I have tried gtechniq C5 wheel armour... expensive but still seems to struggle..

...thats mostly the outside of the car covered... I've yet to do the interior ;)

<tuffty/>
 
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Car is looking good PT, I realise it's not currently meeting your exacting standards, but to the rest of us, it's beautiful!

Glad to see you feeling the love for it a little again too. it's all to easy to lose the enthusiasm with these things. We all need a little boost every now and then to get back on it!

Sad that I won't be seeing you at ADI this year. It'll be the first one I've missed in about 5 years
 
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I use mostly P21S for wheel cleaning, spray on and let it do the magic. This takes mostly all dirt off without damaging wheels, the last bits I use bilburrys or a spunge. And I use Svisswax Autobahn for sealant.

Claybar is a must before polishing, but I dont use claybar I use claymitt, as you can just wash it and reuse again and again, if you loose it on ground just wash it, particles dont glue into it like a claybar will do :)

500x374
 
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<tuffty/> said:
I use Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber care to dress the engine bay
Click to expand...

Way above my level of detailing mate but wondered if you've tried the Autoglym bumper care to dress the engine bay,I find that gives it a good shiny coating and seems to last for ages.
 
tcg said:
Way above my level of detailing mate but wondered if you've tried the Autoglym bumper care to dress the engine bay,I find that gives it a good shiny coating and seems to last for ages.
Click to expand...

Can't say I have...

I used to use this...
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/303-aerospace-protectant-cat19.html

Needless to say while its good on first use it doesn't seem to last long and is pretty expensive for what it is... the large bottle I bought didn't last very long due to having to re-apply to keep the finish... I stumbled on the Autoglym stuff when a friend had a bottle kicking about and I used it on my tyres... tried it in the bay as I had run out of 303 and was amazed at how well it worked so not used anything else since...

<tuffty/>
 
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Do find with the bumper care to be great on all external plastic/rubber trims,especially the door blades and grills but have to keep the bottle indoors as when I first started using it I left the bottle in the garage and the cold temps seem to ruin it.

My girlfiend's last car,a shakin' that **** Megane had the grey plastic bumpers that fade and that stuff restored them like new and it wipes off paintwork without any residue.
 
Managed to get a little more of the pre-winter detail done yesterday... spent an hour on the passenger door removing micro marring and adding protection...

I tried to get a decent pic of the marring with the phone but didn't really work so will try using the DSLR next time... note that the picture below was the paint work in its pre detailed state... I have not touched the panel since the original wash posted above...

20161005_124053_HDR.jpg


Looks ok there so I dusted the panel off, wiped it over with quick detailer and proceeded to claybar the upper half then the lower half...

Despite looking clean and shiny the claybar does not lie :)

Upper half..
20161005_131057.jpg


Lower half...
20161005_131436.jpg


Was quite surprised...

I then did a pass with 3M Fast Cut using a 3M yellow polish pad... had to work a scratch just above the door handle using a stiffer green pad and fast cut then glossed over using 3M Ultrafina and a 3M blue waffle pad.

Topped off with the Carlack shizzle I used and job done...

Not got a picture of the finished job but all the marring has gone and thats another panel sorted...

<tuffty/>
 
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<tuffty/> said:
Managed to get a little more of the pre-winter detail done yesterday... spent an hour on the passenger door removing micro marring and adding protection...

I tried to get a decent pic of the marring with the phone but didn't really work so will try using the DSLR next time... note that the picture below was the paint work in its pre detailed state... I have not touched the panel since the original wash posted above...

20161005_124053_HDR.jpg


Looks ok there so I dusted the panel off, wiped it over with quick detailer and proceeded to claybar the upper half then the lower half...

Despite looking clean and shiny the claybar does not lie :)

Upper half..
20161005_131057.jpg


Lower half...
20161005_131436.jpg


Was quite surprised...

I then did a pass with 3M Fast Cut using a 3M yellow polish pad... had to work a scratch just above the door handle using a stiffer green pad and fast cut then glossed over using 3M Ultrafina and a 3M blue waffle pad.

Topped off with the Carlack shizzle I used and job done...

Not got a picture of the finished job but all the marring has gone and thats another panel sorted...

<tuffty/>
Click to expand...

My car needs similar treatment badly!
 
<tuffty/> said:
Went out this evening to code up the RNS-E...

First thing to do was to code the unit for the A6 (<2004) as this is the one closest technically speaking... I also soft coded features relevant to the setup I was looking for...
In VCDS you need to go into the (56) radio module... (07) Coding and enter a soft code based on the following...

0?xxxxx: Model
1 - Lamborghini
2 - Audi A3 (8P)
3 - Audi A4 (> 2004)
4 - Audi A4 Cabriolet (> 2004)
5 - Audi A6 (< 2004)
6 - Audi TT (> 2007) (sw US 0150+, EU 0500+)
7 - Audi R8 (sw US 0150+, EU 0500+)

0x?xxxx: Diagnostics for front speakers
0 - activ
1 - inactiv

0xx?xxx: Sound characteristics
0 - linear
1 - Audi A4 (> 2004)
2 - Audi A6 (< 2004)
3 - Audi A4 Cabriolet (> 2004)
4 - Audi TT (> 2004)
5 - Audi A3 (8P)
9 - Bose Soundsystem

0xxx?xx: Telephone/telematics
1 - no telephone (supply voltage for microphone actively)
2 - Mobile phone preparation (Temic - Speisesp. Microphone inactively)
3 - Mobile phone preparation (Cullmann - Speisesp. Microphone inactively)
4 - Mobile phone preparation (Nokia - Speisesp. Microphone inactively)
5 - Telematics Europe (supply voltage microphone inactively)
6 - Telematics US (supply voltage microphone inactively)
7 - Base plate diagnostic capable with comfort control

0xxxx?x: Options I
1 - default
2 - Digital-Radio
3 - Satelite-Radio
4 - Satelite- and Digital-Radio
5 - AUX in (Euro sw 0650+)
6 - AUX in and DAB (Euro sw 0650+)

0xxxxx?: Options II
1 - default
2 - TV-Tuner
3 - CD-Changer
4 - TV-Tuner and CD-Changer
5 - Multifunction Steering Wheel
6 - TV-Tuner and Multifunction Steering Wheel
7 - CD-Changer and Multifunction Steering Wheel
8 - TV-Tuner, CD-Changer und Multifunction Steering Wheel

I used the following soft code... 0510153 which makes up the following softcode:

0
5 - Audi A6 (< 2004)
1 - inactiv
0 - linear
1 - no telephone (supply voltage for microphone actively)
5 - AUX in
3 - CD-Changer


I then coded the dash to allow use of the DIS...
Module 17 (Instrument cluster) -> Adaptation -> Function 10 -> Channel 62
+01 - Radio
+02 - Telefon
+04 - Navigation
+08 - Telematics

I used 01 + 04 + 08 = 13 to softcode as this allows the DIS to display the radio/track etc, navigation and 08 because FIS Control is coded as telematics

While there I also coded out GALA as it drives me nuts...
Module 17 (Instrument cluster) -> Adaptation -> Channel 008 (GALA)
000 - GALA off
001 - Charakteristics 1
002 - Charakteristics 2
003 - Charakteristics 3
004 - Charakteristics 4
005 - Charakteristics 5
255 - GALA via microphone (Bose AudioPilot)

I set this to 000

I have not checked the navigation display in the DIS as not had time to go out for a drive but all the other stuff works as expected...

Only problem I have had so far is the driver of my Andy Mac Stealth Sub... its been in service for over ten years (first in my A4 and then in the AMSS in the S3) and has finally given up the ghost...

Sub bass is a little farty now so I have dropped the levels down on it so its barely audible until I can source a replacement driver

<tuffty/>
Click to expand...
.
I just bought an rns-e off @scaramanga in the classified section and hoping to install this weekend do you need the full version of vcds to code it? Or will the lite version work?
 
tbh I could do with one at some point anyway but if I can leave it a bit that would be better il probably have a few more questions on this at least I don't have to cut it as it was already modified for an 8l
As always tuffty cheers
 
I know that feeling.. well its mostly the money lacking for me lol..... and don't forget that respray ;)
 
Last edited:
lol.... respray is a little way off I think... I can get the money together if I put my mind to it but tbh its more a reluctance to spend any more money on the car at the moment...

Will see how I get on over the Christmas period... I might make a start on the box and see how things go..

<tuffty/>
 
I guess your now just enjoying the fruits of your labour. With all the time and money you've spent on the car over the years you're probably happy to just sit back and enjoy it for what it is for a while....

Would love to see it in the flesh sometime, I hope to make all the audi shows next year so fingers crossed!!
 
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W12 in an S3 .... cudos
and here I am thinking they are a pain to work on with only 4 cylinders :p
 
don't tell me you'd replace her with something that slow (but very beautiful)
Oh, and we'd need another minor modding thread :)
 
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