What have you done to your Audi A4 B7 today?

[swisstony]

Yep, red inlet manifold and red STi on the TMIC etc. The shape is Hawkeye, by far my favourite!
It's very unrefined, pretty agricultural if you like...you have to drive IT or it will drive YOU lol.
It doesn't like being reversed....it just wants to go forwards hahahah

It has DCCD (Driver controlled centre diff) which is another STi thing, it allows you to bias power to the rear more / lock the rear wheels...but that day I fishtailed out from a roundabout in the wet....left it in auto DCCD setting ever since. Auto setting is about 35% front and 65% rear...something like that.

silly me of course its a hawkeye..

I sold my classic a few years ago ( was only a UK ) but my wife has a very rare Type R sitting on the driveway. Imported in 2015 and it is only on around 60k. DCCD as well though I dont think she has ever tested it out It gets SORN the minute the gritters come out and just took the cover off this month and gave it a good going over checking everything. Full service is happening next month, fresh tyres on it last week and then it is ready for the car season. Need to find a bung for the exhaust as motorway trips are tiring with the short gearing and exhaust. She loves it and I am allowed to clean and fettle with it but not drive it Pah !!

 

[Matt275]

Man that's gorgeous! Never had a classic, only Blob then Hawk.
Rear turrets and rear wings ok?

 

[northpole]

Always wanted an sti classic model but the state they are mostly in put me right off... than the next best thing is the hawkeye model but same thing there either way too expensive or in such a bad state i didn't want it.

Ps I also think that eventhough they are rally machines Subaru could've put some more tech in them... especially for the prices they go for.

 

[swisstony]

Man that's gorgeous! Never had a classic, only Blob then Hawk.
Rear turrets and rear wings ok?

Oh yes solid that’s the beauty of an import
Clean as anything underneath as well

 

[ttelracs]

To be honest I tend to use quick detailers, great for pop but don't last long...but then it gets washed regularly. I do like Collinite 915 Marque D'Elegance topped off with Collinite 845 Insulator wax, a nice combo that lasts about 3 months. The car will then see a Garage Therapy reset shampoo and it all starts again.
I crack out the Rupes once a year, erasing any marring I've done over the year which really isn't any / much.

The scooby is a 2007 WRX STi Spec D....the D is for discreet. Probably only about 90 left on the roads now according to howmanyleft.co.uk
I flew to Scotland in 2012 to pick it up on 21k miles.
One of only 300 made, but sadly they aren't numbered. All are Crystal Grey in colour.
To the untrained eye it looks like a WRX as it has the WRX spoiler, silver Enkei wheels instead of gold, and black interior, no window tints.

To the trained eye it has the rear arch extensions "Widetrack" and the gold Brembo calipers....STi traits.
So it's a full cream 6speed STi, but in sort of WRX clothing....and in a world where you're judged by your spoiler...it makes for some very disgruntled competition lol
Fully forged and mapped to 340bhp, and a very nice 410 lb ft.
Now on 108k miles.

My son had a WRX until a couple of years ago and I remember working on the engine and brakes. Hated working on it, no room in the engine and I hated the Subaru warble but I could see the attraction.

 

[ttelracs]

I removed the throttle body and used the flap wheel to take a bit more material out on both sides of the throttle plate as well as a little knife edging. It runs so much better as feels a bit more torquey definitely pulls harder after 4k rpm. Clearing out all the oil sucked through the intercooler as well as cleaning the spindle allows the flap to move so much more freely which I think has mad a big difference in the way it revs.

The problem is that I'm not sure whether it's a proper improvement or whether it's now running as it should be if the throttle body was new. Either way, for the cost of some 60mm sanded flap wheels and an hour or so, I'm very pleased.

 

[northpole]

@ttelracs it runs as it should when new, I remember doing the exact same on a mk5 golf gti (bought to sell on) and after the cleaning it had so much more pull after 4k. This was a BWA engine.

 

[Matt275]

My son had a WRX until a couple of years ago and I remember working on the engine and brakes. Hated working on it, no room in the engine and I hated the Subaru warble but I could see the attraction.

Yep, I've done rocker cover gaskets and spark plugs over the years....not the easiest job in the world!

 

[northpole]

Yep, I've done rocker cover gaskets and spark plugs over the years....not the easiest job in the world!

it's a boxer engine and the heads are down low... and all the other stuff needs to come off first... but once that is out of the way, the reward is a smoother running engine, that doesn't leak oil and if tuned properly it is hard not to like the driver focussed experience and the handling let alone the way it puts down the speed. A Subaru WRX STI 23B is one of my altime favourite models, as they look good and stylish even today.

 

[swisstony]

it's a boxer engine and the heads are down low... and all the other stuff needs to come off first... but once that is out of the way, the reward is a smoother running engine, that doesn't leak oil and if tuned properly it is hard not to like the driver focussed experience and the handling let alone the way it puts down the speed. A Subaru WRX STI 23B is one of my altime favourite models, as they look good and stylish even today.

Because of the layout of the boxer engine and to keep the centre of gravity low down this means that all the ancillaries, crossover pipe, inlet manifold, throttle body, intercooler etc are are all on top making it a) a very messy and open engine and b) a blooming nightmare to work on. Try changing a spark plug on one of these, especially the right hand bank .

The 22B is the all time benchmark however they are stupid money now. I am remember when you could buy one for £35-40K, had a few friends who did buy them but if they had kept them they would be worth £300-400K now, not a bad return for your investment. Close behind is the P1 but as they are UK prodrive versions they all suffered from rust unless kept in a garage . And then this version, the Type r. Was £6500 when we got it, now around £34K ... amazing. Anyway gone off topic as I could talk scoobs all day and this is the B7 section lol

 

[northpole]

Lol it would be a good addition to the fleet but as said I would NOT put down any of the asking prices for them way to spartan and unpleasant to work on.

But the B7's? They are made to be messed with by the owners especially the 2.0T quattro's.

 

[Matt275]

Here's my 2.5 block at 85k miles, after forging it on 45k miles
Nice crack from cylinder 1 to the water jacket....man you've never seen white smoke like it! Rare, not un-heard of so of course happened to me.

Had to get both halves of new block new from Subaru....then got it rebuilt...again.
Saved the Manley rods, and ARP head studs, but needed new Mahle pistons as my old block was honed out to take an oversized Mahle on the first build, new Mahle bearing shells and Cossie head gaskets.

The ACT clutch from the first build is still going strong, heavy pedal though! Very strong springs in it. £50 says that it will now start slipping hahahaha
You just have to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in when you drive it....you will leave some fillings behind...but that's just how it is lol

 

[northpole]

loosing any fillings or dislodging any of the backbone sections is a no go zone for me! If it was mine it'll have to get either really expensive fully adjustable coilovers(inbound and rebound adjustable) or i'd just put it on air susspension... gone are the days that I enjoy a seriously stiff suspension, nope comfort is the way forward. Hence the reason why i haven't lowered my avant... I will just get some lowering springs but only for the front to remove the reverse rake. did some measuring and any 40mm lowering springs for the front will see it sitting level. But being me I'll get a full set of shocks with matching springs (just not sure on the brand i'll go for as i've had some good budget ones before that handled as good as billstein b8's, but this was on my vectra c. That all being said, i'm in no hurry to lower it, the S-line sport shocks and springs are just fine comfort wise, it's just the reverse rake i dislike.

I got enough planned to do first so the looks are on a back burner at the moment.

that all said i did polish the headlight lenses yesterday, they came up quite good but they'll be replaced rather sooner than later.

 

[northpole]

yeah suns out... car washed... looking nice and clean...

 

[Matt275]

As above

 

[swisstony]

Didnt have the chance to do anything car related this weekend as the good lady wife has had me occupied in the garden. Full on spring time maintenance and putting up around 20,000 summer lights it seems. Oh well may do some car stuff next weekend

 

[B7Tourer]

Rear left calliper, finally seized, at the supermarket - impossible to go backwards and forwards and the good AA man stripped it and temporarily hobbled it by using a tool to clamp the hose and taking one pad out. He followed me home slowly. Obviously he needed that tool back. I remembered I had something similar, and we fitted it, topped up fluid. Works really well with no leaks (for absolutely essential careful driving and can't use the handbrake; in gear parked the old fashioned way right now) until I get to the garage Tuesday. AA have pre-agreed to cover the costs, minus pads.

In other news finally got around to properly sorting ICE niggles. My reverse camera is alive I discovered (though I have a spare). Just the numpty auto electrician badly wired it. It needs a new relay though since the image is corrupted. Finally got working Dab+, afer a long while, with a new dongle and it's not bad too. Sorted the steering wheel voice and phone buttons, after the software somehow got lost, by re-programming. General software updates for Wireless 5Ghz means Android Auto, works better than ever now. I will be doing all my own auto electrics from now on and stop being a lazy b.

An oil/filter service due soon and new discs and 3 more callipers all round; will be next when I have time to get North to my brothers, in a couple of weeks.

 

[northpole]

Oww I topped up the motor oil i didn't check it for the last 3 months because I was lazy... it was just above minimum on the dipstick.

For a petrol engine I'm quite appalled by this. But hey in June it'll get a service again .

 

[Charlie Farley]

Oil consumption and leaks are just life with a petrol B7.
If you are not loosing through burning then more likely a small leak , best keep an eye on it.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Didnt have the chance to do anything car related this weekend as the good lady wife has had me occupied in the garden. Full on spring time maintenance and putting up around 20,000 summer lights it seems. Oh well may do some car stuff next weekend

I think pics are required chap.

 

[northpole]

Oil consumption and leaks are just life with a petrol B7.
If you are not loosing through burning then more likely a small leak , best keep an eye on it.

not loosing any oil, engine is in good state had it checked by an audi specialist, it's just the way they are... as i said i'm appalled by the usage... before it was worse but it had a leak on the level sensor and the camcover gasket... I replaced both with new items and made sure they didn't leak.. so there are no leaks... I'll just have to keep my eye on it.

 

[Charlie Farley]

What pcv revsion are you running?
Not all leaks are visible in the same way.

If you dont push the engine hard then you'll get over stated audi consumption specs, but yes they ar not really oil usage freindly.

 

[northpole]

It's the oem one that is specific for my NA engine. ALT code... yes I got a non turbocharged engine and yes the usage is annoying me but I've read worse is normal with these ALT engines. 750 to 1 liter on 3k is normal. And to be fair that is about the mileage I did but only had to topup about 650 cc. Would be more if I filled it to max.

 

[swisstony]

I think pics are required chap.

I will do but maybe not in this section LOL

 

[Rob Avant]

Didnt have the chance to do anything car related this weekend as the good lady wife has had me occupied in the garden. Full on spring time maintenance and putting up around 20,000 summer lights it seems. Oh well may do some car stuff next weekend

Same here! Been off all weekend for a change and done nothing but gardening... 3 runs to the tip in the Golf full of hedge trimmings and all the ****** ivy that had grown over everything

 

[boffin486]

Thanks chap , yep hopefully will be ok , wasn’t really planning on having a heart bypass to be honest , just came out of the blue last week, something to do with a damaged artery , not a blockage and it’s been recommended to bypass it all together so I’ll be go to go for another 25 years.
Cheers
Rob

 

[boffin486]

Thanks guys, just about to wheeled off for this bypass op,
Will catch up in a few days

Hi Rob, sorry, been catching up on things here. The very best wishes and hope all is good with you now? A quick scrub up with a wire brush & Dettol fixed you up fine.......right?
I know just how you feel, I had to retire early around this time last year as I had a stroke & couldn't whizz about quite like I used to as it affected my balance. This, however, was made worse a few months later when I went for a routine scan of my knee to be told I had a severe aneurism requiring an artery bypass behind the knee. I was told, if I had left at around 3 weeks longer, I'd have lost the leg below the knee!
After an emergency op (next day, that apparently took 8 hours.....) I am still able to perambulate on my own two legs.
I hate getting old...........

 

[swisstony]

Same here! Been off all weekend for a change and done nothing but gardening... 3 runs to the tip in the Golf full of hedge trimmings and all the ****** ivy that had grown over everything

I know that needs must and as the growing season has started there was a lot to do but makes me a sad lad when I cant least fettle a little bit with at least one car !! And I havent started on fence maintenance/painting, decking maintenance etc.

And next weekend I had a few things planned like using lanoguard to underseal two cars, doing some light upgrades but now just found out I have been volunteered to go and fix a mates shed... ******.

 

[northpole]

but now just found out I have been volunteered to go and fix a mates shed... ******.

yeah my answer would be F- that, I got stuff to do... I used to be very nice and help people out all the time but I sat back one day and noticed that everytime I would need some help, every single one of them would have other things to do, or would come around to only talk and not do alot.... one for instance helped me when I moved he only helped for 1 hour (said he'd help me all day) and than what really made me angry, said he couldn't lift heavy stuff... now the worst bit of that is he was able to help pull an engine out of one of his cars a week prior to me moving, purely done by hand (front didn't come off so had to be hoisted but he was to cheap to get a hoist for a day)... Yeah i literally rebuild the engine for free.... anyway that for me was the trigger to tell people where to stick it. See i don't except money when i help someone, it means i'll do it without expecting anything back, but do expect it to be a 2way street, when I need an extra pair of hands... I do still help people when i decide to do so, but no-one will make that decision for me period end of story... unhappy wife happens sometimes but I do as I please and want, not what others( including her) decide for me. Needless to say(but i will do it anyway) my circle of friends has gone down a lot, and the ones that still think they can ask me for free labour, lol that doesn't happen they get a hard NO I'm not helping and if they ask again they get a response I can't put up here without it being blocked and me ending up with a warning.

I suggest to everyone reading this to do the same, you'll soon see who the genuine people in your circle actually are.

 

[ttelracs]

Nothing done really apart from another thrash to Liverpool and back on Saturday.

One thing I have noticed from these trips is that the car seems to run so much better after each drive and I do take the opportunity to give it the beans and bounce it off the rev limiter a couple of times in 2nd and 3rd gear plus keeping it in 5th for a good 30 mins whilst at about 4k 'ish rpm every hour. It doesn't harm the mpg overall too much but I think it really does help clear out carbon and other rubbish plus helping to burn off any oil and contaminants in the cat.

I'm a firm believer that cars need a good thrash every now and again, especially our German ones which have been designed to cross continents and sit on the Autobahns at three figures for hours on end without issue. Nipping to the shops and being restricted to 70mph on our roads only do our cars harm in the long run. At least I don't have a proper high performance car which would need a racetrack or private road to get a proper thrashing into the upper rev range.

 

[northpole]

@ttelracs You know that in Germany the speeds are in KMH so 70mph is doing triple digits in KMH... just shy of 140KMH. Which is more than normal motorway speeds in general in almost all of Europe? Most are limited to 120 KMH just a few motorways in Europe ( the toll part in France on the A1 and a few roads in Italy) and most of the Autobahn is unlimited speeds ( but not all of it, once you see the speed limits are on if you speed the fines are eye wateringly high so best not to ignore them)

 

[Gmac]

Got the honeycomb fog light surrounds on yesterda. Very pleased with them. Delivered from aliexpress for £36. Great fit and finish.

 

[ttelracs]

@ttelracs You know that in Germany the speeds are in KMH so 70mph is doing triple digits in KMH... just shy of 140KMH. Which is more than normal motorway speeds in general in almost all of Europe? Most are limited to 120 KMH just a few motorways in Europe ( the toll part in France on the A1 and a few roads in Italy) and most of the Autobahn is unlimited speeds ( but not all of it, once you see the speed limits are on if you speed the fines are eye wateringly high so best not to ignore them)

Yep I know that as my son drove to Bosnia a coupe of years back in the company CT200h and maxxed it out on the derestricted part of the Autobahn for miles, I think he managed 119 mph. I know France is very hot on fines on their Autoroutes but I had to double check the 140km/h as it about 112km/h for 70mph.

But I do know that thrashing my beast with a small 'b' in third and fourth gear does it some good and makes me feel like a driving GOD as not much else does apart from GT on the PlayStation these days.

 

[northpole]

Oww yeah I made a mistake 1.6 km in a mile duh... but still 70 mph = triple digits in kmh

 

[northpole]

Today I heard a knock everytime i started pulling away or slowed down... coming from OS front... sun was out..jacked up the car and found the arb link lost its bolt... now when I put it on in winter time it was hard to get it on... maybe I didn't drive it in all the way but I didn't want to break anything. Got a replacement bolt and put it on... problem sorted. Than I modified the battery on the original alarm siren to be external did all the work but haven't put it on yet... couldn't be ***** that will wait until another day. Because I also cleaned the roof liner, all the a b c styles and seats with a carpet cleaner and a brush.. now the lot is nice and clean no more dirty marks or streaks(all from previous owner by the way) just need to attack one spot on the floor behind the front passenger seat. And than the while interior is spotless and looks like a new car.

 

[northpole]

I just tried something that surprised me actually worked... I put the smallest amount of t-cut on a microfibre cloth and rubbed the aluminium roof rails with it.... to my surprise not only did it remove all the white marks they now shine like new... but it started to rain so i stopped was meant to wax the car but the weather decided differently, it's now raining in my neck of the woods. This also means that i shan't be putting the oem alarm siren(with the external battery mod) on today... it needs to be dry so i don't have to run in to try and keep the interior parts dry.

 

[ttelracs]

I just tried something that surprised me actually worked... I put the smallest amount of t-cut on a microfibre cloth and rubbed the aluminium roof rails with it.... to my surprise not only did it remove all the white marks they now shine like new... but it started to rain so i stopped was meant to wax the car but the weather decided differently, it's now raining in my neck of the woods. This also means that i shan't be putting the oem alarm siren(with the external battery mod) on today... it needs to be dry so i don't have to run in to try and keep the interior parts dry.

Interesting to note the T-cut on the roof rails. It was raining here in Pinner again until about 10 mins ago too.

 

[Matt275]

I just tried something that surprised me actually worked... I put the smallest amount of t-cut on a microfibre cloth and rubbed the aluminium roof rails with it.... to my surprise not only did it remove all the white marks they now shine like new... but it started to rain so i stopped was meant to wax the car but the weather decided differently, it's now raining in my neck of the woods. This also means that i shan't be putting the oem alarm siren(with the external battery mod) on today... it needs to be dry so i don't have to run in to try and keep the interior parts dry.

I wonder if this would work on my chrome trims around the doors / windows etc. You know how they get all spotty / blotchy in the end....mine could really do with a spruce up.
I do have mild and medium metal polishes and a standard ally or steel Autosol.....can't remember which.

 

[northpole]

I wonder if this would work on my chrome trims around the doors / windows etc. You know how they get all spotty / blotchy in the end....mine could really do with a spruce up.
I do have mild and medium metal polishes and a standard ally or steel Autosol.....can't remember which.

I tried the t-cut for the hell of it simply because it is less abrasive than metal/aluminium polish... and if it worked with that little amount I used... nothing heavier is needed.. I just dabbed a corner of the microfiber cloth with the t-cut bottle upside down, than covered both rails with that amount, and buffed it off with the dry bit of that microfiber cloth...by hand nothing and without to much effort or pressure.

So if you'd ask me the other stuff will be to abrasive and could make it worse.

 

[swisstony]

I wonder if this would work on my chrome trims around the doors / windows etc. You know how they get all spotty / blotchy in the end....mine could really do with a spruce up.
I do have mild and medium metal polishes and a standard ally or steel Autosol.....can't remember which.

I have tried t-cut before on those window trims, nothing seemed to shift it. Your mileage may vary but in the end I did a chrome delete