What have you done to your Audi A4 B7 today?

[norad97]

Sorry to hear that Rob, you will have to be careful with all the engine jobs you have planned.
I'm not really a back sufferer but still get leg aches and my left shoulder is giving me pain,
Yes getting old is no fun.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Sorry to hear that Rob, you will have to be careful with all the engine jobs you have planned.
I'm not really a back sufferer but still get leg aches and my left shoulder is giving me pain,
Yes getting old is no fun.

Unfortunately, my more daring lifestyle when younger has taken its toll on my back, but hey I'll carry on until I cant.
I just try and adapt to the situation, doesn't always work though.
Its the 60 in a few weeks, kinda feel 80 at the moment.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Getting the old bus ready for its annual health check.
Ordered 4 new tyres today with my pothole claim payout, and managed to source a set of 4 235/35 19 Continental Sport Contact 5p nearly new for £200 plus fitting so can't really complain. I just don't do the miles these days to justify over £600 for tyres.
Also a new set of rear drilled and grooved rear discs and pads, £78 for discs and pads inc shipping is very accpetable.
hopefully, all i need to get it through this year.

 

[Charlie Farley]

On with the 4 continentals today, alignment tomorrow, a big improvement already over the worn and damaged eagles F1's

 

[Charlie Farley]

On the tire front, the Continental Sport Contact 5p seem like a good option from my initial driving impressions.
I've seen a lot of negative reviews on them but most are 2wd fitments reviews, from my seat of the pants driving on the Quattro bus they are fine, maybe require a slightly different driving approach in the wet but just a learning curve really.
Maybe not as good as my eagle f1's when they were new but a massive improvement over the worn ones.
maybe a slightly hard rubber compound than the eagles.
I'm happy with them and at the price and the milage i cover now it's a no-brainer really.
happy days.

 

[norad97]

On with the 4 continentals today, alignment tomorrow, a big improvement already over the worn and damaged eagles F1's

Were did you get the tyres?

 

[Charlie Farley]

Just a random look on fleabay Richard, and found a nice chap selling them, only a 40 min drive so it all worked out really well, which makes a change.

 

[Jamsmoo]

Trying some q5 20s in an 8 meant they cleared the wishbone ,v skinny tyres tho


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[Charlie Farley]

Trying some q5 20s in an 8 meant they cleared the wishbone ,v skinny tyres tho


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They will be a nightmare on our pothole-ridden roads James, it's bad enough with 35's let alone even lower profile.

 

[Jamsmoo]

They will be a nightmare on our pothole-ridden roads James, it's bad enough with 35's let alone even lower profile.

These were 225 25 so more an elastic band than a tyre ,more experimental than consideration
I’d still love a set of the s8 Ronals in a 20 but fear I’d have to go very low stretched tyres


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[Charlie Farley]

These were 225 25 so more an elastic band than a tyre ,more experimental than consideration
I’d still love a set of the s8 Ronals in a 20 but fear I’d have to go very low stretched tyres


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I bet they were a tad on thin side..lol

I'm still considering going back to 18"'s with 235/40 just to stand some sort of chance with potholes, 19" with 235/35 is becoming just to risky around my area,
I had two impacts this afternoon in craters that were unavoidable due to the position in the road, its just madness.

 

[Charlie Farley]

New rear discs and pads appeared yesterday.
may fit them tomorrow if my back allows.

 

[norad97]

New rear discs and pads appeared yesterday.
may fit them tomorrow is my back allows.

View attachment 266426

I have Mtec disks on the front, very pleased with them.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Yes I have them on the fronts too and have found them to be very good .
Only changing the fitted rear mtec ones as near side has some deep scoring from a pad with some embedded debris.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Sun was out today, not in the mood to do the rear discs so went out for a nice drive in the west Sussex countryside to see a friend.
The first thing I noticed was the state of the roads, in the open countryside the roads are pretty good, only saw 1 pothole, I was amazed as in Surrey it's like an assault course.
Put the old bus through its paces a bit, She goes like a dream, really enjoyed doing some nice traffic jam-free miles for a change, I really can't fault the old bus.
Really flat around the corners no mad rolling etc and some decent power too, brilliant.

 

[boffin486]

Sun was out today, not in the mood to do the rear discs so went out for a nice drive in the west Sussex countryside to see a friend.
The first thing I noticed was the state of the roads, in the open countryside the roads are pretty good, only saw 1 pothole, I was amazed as in Surrey it's like an assault course.
Put the old bus through its paces a bit, She goes like a dream, really enjoyed doing some nice traffic jam-free miles for a change, I really can't fault the old bus.
Really flat around the corners no mad rolling etc and some decent power too, brilliant.

Yep, every so often it feels real good to exercise the old jalopy the way it was intended : an excellent & rapid road eater........

 

[Rob Avant]

Finally got some rubber on the superturismo’s…

 

[Charlie Farley]

Finally got some rubber on the superturismo’s…

Looks brilliant Rob, looks very familiar too.
What tires did you go for in the end?

 

[Charlie Farley]

Dodging the showers and fitted the new rear discs and pads, nice easy and problem free job for a change.
old mtec ones are still very serviceable to be honest and pads have lots of wear left so if any ones wants them drop me a line.

 

[Charlie Farley]

On a more concerning note, whilst I had the front wheels off to do front pads I noticed a lot of grease splatters all around the inside of the rim again, after further investigation, the culprit was soon identified.
The outer cv joint boot is leaking, now these are the new Apec ones and only a few weeks old, bonkers situation.
The boot is not torn but is just not fitted tight enough around the joint, needless to say, I will be having words tomorrow with someone.
I cleaned off the gloop and there was a lot to be honest , not sure how that would have affected the joint so early in its usage, pics are after I cleaned up the area, but just the slightest movement and it's leaking out.

here is what they say about their products, I'll be quoting some of those bits back to them.

OE quality with every purchase. These include:

• Appearance Inspection
• Allowable Slippage Testing
• Circumferential & Shaft Clearance Testing
• Pull Out Force Testing
• Strength Testing
• Salt Spray Testing
• Twist Torque Testing
• Twist Angle Torque Testing
• Durability Testing
• Boot Expansion Volume Testing
• Boot Heat Resistance Testing
• Boot Cold Resistance Testing

In the unlikely event that your product falls short of Apec quality and breaks, every part we supply is supported by a 3-year warranty to protect your purchase.

I think my one missed some parts of that.

 

[Rob Avant]

Looks brilliant Rob, looks very familiar too.
What tires did you go for in the end?

235/35 P Zero R02. Had the same on the old wheels and really liked them. Not cheap but worth the investment. Just need to get Hunter four wheel alignment done now

 

[Gmac]

On a more concerning note, whilst I had the front wheels off to do front pads I noticed a lot of grease splatters all around the inside of the rim again, after further investigation, the culprit was soon identified.
The outer cv joint boot is leaking, now these are the new Apec ones and only a few weeks old, bonkers situation.
The boot is not torn but is just not fitted tight enough around the joint, needless to say, I will be having words tomorrow with someone.
I cleaned off the gloop and there was a lot to be honest , not sure how that would have affected the joint so early in its usage, pics are after I cleaned up the area, but just the slightest movement and it's leaking out.

here is what they say about their products, I'll be quoting some of those bits back to them.

OE quality with every purchase. These include:

• Appearance Inspection
• Allowable Slippage Testing
• Circumferential & Shaft Clearance Testing
• Pull Out Force Testing
• Strength Testing
• Salt Spray Testing
• Twist Torque Testing
• Twist Angle Torque Testing
• Durability Testing
• Boot Expansion Volume Testing
• Boot Heat Resistance Testing
• Boot Cold Resistance Testing

In the unlikely event that your product falls short of Apec quality and breaks, every part we supply is supported by a 3-year warranty to protect your purchase.

I think my one missed some parts of that.View attachment 266610View attachment 266611View attachment 266612

Yeh, something has definitely missed some of those tests! Not great, and pretty annoying. I’d say you’ve a good case for a complete replacement being sent out. Good luck.

 

[Charlie Farley]

The old bus is in for its annual health check this afternoon, just hoping they won't make a deal out of it.

 

[Rob Avant]

Always fun getting on the ramp…
Front was out a bit but the backs all good.
Not bad considering I’ve not had it done for years

 

[Jamsmoo]

Always fun getting on the ramp…
Front was out a bit but the backs all good.
Not bad considering I’ve not had it done for years

Basford ? Same place I go (with wooden blocks in the boot ) sent my son there with his lupo a couple of weeks ago after we slammed it on ap coilovers again with my homemade wooden ramps


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[Rob Avant]

Basford ? Same place I go (with wooden blocks in the boot ) sent my son there with his lupo a couple of weeks ago after we slammed it on ap coilovers again with my homemade wooden ramps


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Yep lol. Used to live nearby by so been coming here for years. Had to get the wooden planks out to get up and off without destroying the splitter

 

[tr7]

Went and collected this

DTM great spec car that was hidden locally to me and my daily B7 Avant

 

[Charlie Farley]

That pic is a really good example of how the different front bumper styles change the whole front-end look.
Also how the clear corner headlamps look much sleeker than with the amber lens, small changes can make a big difference.

 

[Gmac]

Yeh very true Rob, the dtm is calling out for a hex mesh grill and I keep looking at mine and wonder about doing the amber lights, looks like a fair amount of work, for a daily.

 

[Charlie Farley]

View attachment 266676

Went and collected this

DTM great spec car that was hidden locally to me and my daily B7 Avant

You must a very nice collection of B7's now chap, good stuff indeedy.

 

[tr7]

Yes I have a few now. TFSI Avant is gone. Though also have an S3 at the moment.

Much prefer the DTMs. Feel way more special imo

 

[B7Tourer]

Been away a while, with work, but great to see all the developments keeping our cars alive, especially the Robs

Not really done a lot to my trusty old Avant - it's been running like a dream, since the KMB oil pump mod (245,000 now) - still need to refresh the bushes all round, hopefully this month (about a grand). And new lights, could polish them but I reckon a new halogen set aren't too much and a better solution. Insurance approved new wings and paint job have held up without issue. But the one single piece of kit that has been stellar has been a Motorola MA1 wireless Android Auto dongle. I've had wireless AA for some time but changes by Google have made it more unreliable for pure wifi connection, from my aftermarket OEM 'lookalike' Android Head Unit. Now with the dongle, it's 100% reliable and automatic again. It was plug and play, no settings, no app and it's 5GHz too so the quality is as stellar as a USB connection. Sits hidden in the glove box. New cars, including Audi have only been optioned or standardised with wireless AA, from MY22/23 really - so I reckon the old gal, is holding her head high still.

But none of that's anything to compare to you guys dedication. Good work fellas!

 

[S4cabriolet]

Car is in the garage having the timing chain tensioner replaced.
One was indeed broken.
At £3k plus all the extra things I’m having done it’s still cheaper than buying a “new” s/h car.
I still love it to bits.
Hopefully will have another few years worry free motoring.


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[Charlie Farley]

Sometimes it does pay to stay with a car you know and enjoy even if it means extra expense, change is not allways the best plan.
best of luck with it and enjoy.

 

[B7Tourer]

Sometimes it does pay to stay with a car you know and enjoy even if it means extra expense, change is not allways the best plan.
best of luck with it and enjoy.

Once you get through the 'pain' barrier of the majors, it makes even more sense. We all have envy and longing from time to time of that 'upgrade' model; my mate has just bought a lovely, super-low mileage B8.5, for little money, fully loaded. I did have a momentary twinge thinking of my standard rep-mobile S-line Avant, the money I've spent on it would have got me a much better model. But she is 95% sorted now, bought and paid for even so, and has never missed a serious beat, over a good stretch of Europe and here. Stills looks elegant, comfortable and quiet and still shiny when cleaned; and I know every inch of it's safe handling and reliable smooth power. Modern ICE tech makes it just as tractable as a much newer car. And the B7s still look the best of the bunch to me, rare enough now to turn heads - often get complimented. So I go the other way, at 245K I don't worry about keeping the mileage down, I just want to see how far she will go on and on, now. And we still both have that bucket list, Autobahn drive to do one day, before they close that freedom off too

 

[Jamsmoo]

Little mod I’ve been after for about as long as I’ve owned b7s


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[Charlie Farley]

Little mod I’ve been after for about as long as I’ve owned b7s


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Welcome to the club James, that makes about 5 B7 owners that I know of with the rs4 fbsw retro fitted, nice one.
Looks in nice cond too which is allways a bonus as most are well worn.
They are so much nicer than the large OEM ones.
Also a nice alternative to the other offerings that can be fitted , just a nice clean and simple setup without shed loads of buttons for everything including making an expresso..lol

 

[Charlie Farley]

Worth at least another 10 BHP ..

 

[Jamsmoo]

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[Charlie Farley]

Not that it will make any real difference, don't forget to change the steering wheel coding to that one.