What have you done to your Audi A4 B7 today?

[northpole]

DONE. Thanks again for the advice @northpole as I used a blowtorch to heat up the area and a clamp to squeeze it just enough to close the gap slightly. This worked and along with a new M10 bolt grade 8.8 and using the same clamp to ensure the arms were seated properly all good. I thought I took some more pics but must have forgotten as it had just started to rain and I was keen on putting everything away. And yes, it feels firmer and so much better, can't wait to tackle the other side... NOT.

You'll find that the other one might just come off without a problem... It was like that on mine, but you could be unlucky and run into the same headache. At least you got warned before hand about the arms balljoints stripping the bolt and the gap causing problems. At least you didn't mess up more than a bolt

 

[ttelracs]

You'll find that the other one might just come off without a problem... It was like that on mine, but you could be unlucky and run into the same headache. At least you got warned before hand about the arms balljoints stripping the bolt and the gap causing problems. At least you didn't mess up more than a bolt

100%

 

[swisstony]

Been on holiday so not done much to the daily or RS recently however I did on the RS do the intake upgrade ( which I have documented on the RS forum ) and an interim service. My first self service on the audi which I think went well . took my time and managed to drain 8.5 ltr which given it is around 9.5 litr per manual I thought not too bad. New sump plug and crush washer in and then fought with the oil filter. canister was ok getting out, 32mm socket on the top and out it came but getting the silly filter out was fun and games. Anyway quick check over the old and looked fine so clean one went in and then 5 litres at first. then 1 litre of Lucas Oil stabliser which is great for cold starts etc. Then the rest of the oil , warmed up the car and checked the disptick so now on full . Buttoned up the car and undertray back on after checking for leaks and all seemed to be fine. Spark plugs were all done as well. No need for air filter as swapped to new intake. Happy days.

 

[northpole]

@swisstony do I miss the all important and so often overlooked fuel filter and cabin filter? If you skipped them... just replace them mate.

 

[swisstony]

@swisstony do I miss the all important and so often overlooked fuel filter and cabin filter? If you skipped them... just replace them mate.

Forgot to add did the fuel filter but not bothered on the cabins filter as it was done last year so I guess it is fine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[northpole]

Forgot to add did the fuel filter but not bothered on the cabins filter as it was done last year so I guess it is fine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

depends on which type you put in... if you went for the cheapest option with the cabin/pollen filter... replace it, if you went carbon active or even better carbon active and germ killer type it can stay for 2 years... but remind yourself to do it next time around.

 

[boffin486]

Yep, the bolt came out finally, I'll remove the tie rod for the steering this evening after work which should help.

Hi there, just thought I'd stick my thoughts in (having been through this myself) in that I got the pinch bolts out on mine with lots of heat on the alloy around the bolt, molegrips (for turning/wiggling), Hammers (various sizes - a standard Land Rover Toolkit.....), a lot of perseverance & copious swearing.
I removed the Strut/spring assembly & fitted the new control arms at the correct angle before torquing up bolts to the correct torque - much easier to do off the car.
Before I put it all together again, I ran a rotary wire brush through the knuckle a few times (a lot of white alloy corrosion came out) before installing the new pinch bolts with a copious covering of aluminium based grease (DO NOT use copper grease - it will promote corrosion between the alloy & the steel bolts). Now, quite a few years later, I can still undo & remove the pinch bolts easily if required.

 

[ttelracs]

Good shout re: the aluminium grease.
I'll order some as I have no issue removing and replacing as it hasn't been in there long. Thanks.

 

[markthenewt]

Got new wings on now and got some plastic arch liners. Those mat ones that most have on are the cause of rusting arches so though id put plastic arch liners in. Gave her a full service again and also took her for her mot today. Passed with no advisorys and so it should the amount of money of spent on her. The mot guy commented on how well it sounds engine wise and how she looks for a 230k mile car

 

[Matt275]

Got new wings on now and got some plastic arch liners. Those mat ones that most have on are the cause of rusting arches so though id put plastic arch liners in. Gave her a full service again and also took her for her mot today. Passed with no advisorys and so it should the amount of money of spent on her. The mot guy commented on how well it sounds engine wise and how she looks for a 230k mile car

Where on the wings were yours going rusty? Was it at the very top of the arch on the outer lip?

B5.5 Passat and MK4 Golf like to rust there.

 

[markthenewt]

Where on the wings were yours going rusty? Was it at the very top of the arch on the outer lip?

B5.5 Passat and MK4 Golf like to rust there.

Yep all around the lip of the arch. Yes the golfs and passat in the same sort of year all have the same issue. Mine were bad but I've seen a lot worse driving around. I'm not embarrassed anymore when I pull up along side brand new audis lol

 

[Matt275]

For years I was always told it as due to a piece of sound / vibration insulation foam bonded to the inside of the wings on the MK4's and the B5.5's that would hold water and rot them out, but I've never seen the foam on any MK4 or B5.5, it's more just a thick layer of dirt that builds up.

I was lucky on my B5.5 as the car was 10 years old so just got them done under the perforation warranty in time. Apparently VW then extended it to 12 years.
I now clean the wings inside periodically, and spray a load of Bilt Hamber Dynax inside the arch lip. It's like a spray wax that sets soft, and works / lasts very well.

I did manage to harvest a rust free NSF wing from my mums recently scrapped MK4 as my MK4 is also silver. Trouble is, my mums one at some point has had paint, my MK4 hasn't....I will swap the wing at some point, but how good the colour match is remains to be seen. Silver paint can easily be few shades out sometimes.
The turbo blew on my mums 1.9 TDi, and caused a nice diesel runaway then hydro-locked itself with oil. From driving fine til death was about 400 yards - tops.

Luckily was only yards away from Fleet services slip road on the M3 so managed to quickly pull in....and await the tow truck. Two young lads ran out from Starbucks with fire extinguishers...but it was just burning oil. As bulletproof as the 1.9's are, the sump was left dry, so the only choice was to scrap it sadly. 51 plate it was. Only about 52k on the clock, but I suspect it had had a few haircuts before we bought it. It was never a nice one as it turned out.

Managed to pick up a nice 2014 Golf MK7 1.4 TSi DSG from work for £5,000 this week. 2 owners, very good service history and only 45k miles...mum loves it bless her! Have to say, the 7 speed DSG gearbox is so smooth. It's in 7th gear by about 40 mph. Kicks down nicely. It's only an S model and has keep fit rear windows lol. A steal at £5k as they go for about £8-9k with that age / mileage on Auto Trader at the moment.

 

[northpole]

Well got in a little fender bender literally yesterday evening, it's not shocking but now need a new OS drivers wing and another os drivers side halogen headlight...wing needs to be in lz9y so if you know anyone breaking a b7 with some good wings (read without rust) please let me know.

 

[tr7]

Well got in a little fender bender literally yesterday evening, it's not shocking but now need a new OS drivers wing and another os drivers side halogen headlight...wing needs to be in lz9y so if you know anyone breaking a b7 with some good wings (read without rust) please let me know.

Audi A4 2005-2008 New Driver & Passengers Front Fenders Wings Painted Any Colour | eBay UK

Part: Driver's and passenger's side wings painted any colour. Make: Audi. Year: 2005 - 2008. Condition: New condition, painted, lacquered and polished. All our parts are security marked before being dispatched.

www.ebay.co.uk

£316 delivered, painted

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

£184 delivered, painted


I've fitted a pair before and was very impressed

 

[northpole]

Audi A4 2005-2008 New Driver & Passengers Front Fenders Wings Painted Any Colour | eBay UK

Part: Driver's and passenger's side wings painted any colour. Make: Audi. Year: 2005 - 2008. Condition: New condition, painted, lacquered and polished. All our parts are security marked before being dispatched.

www.ebay.co.uk

£316 delivered, painted

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk

£184 delivered, painted


I've fitted a pair before and was very impressed

Nice one but just need it ASAP... the time it takes them to supply me with a painted one takes longer than having my preferred bodyshop fix my original one and hand the car back.

Not sure what I'll do yet will but for now a used one seems the way to go. I did save the link.

 

[swisstony]

sorry to hear the news, not nice when someone bashes your pride and joy.

 

[northpole]

sorry to hear the news, not nice when someone bashes your pride and joy.

Yeah nice it ain't...but headlight is sorted, wing i made less dented so can drive around but want a replacement ASAP... I will go down a few scrappies further out this week until I find a good wing... buy ot take it home and put it on the same day.

 

[ttelracs]

I managed to replace the rear lower arm and drop link on the drivers side but I cannot, for the life of me, remove the balljoint in the hub holding the other lower arm so will be ordering a different removal tool.
Also the bolt holding the tie rod end in cannot be removed either and I've used a lot of heat and hammering on both. This car is putting up such a fight in stopping me improving it and I also noticed that my inner cv rubber boot has split too.

I also filled in the gaps in the rubber bushes with a PU 40 hardness to stiffen them up a bit, time will tell if it's worth the effort.

Cars eh, who'd have 'em???

 

[northpole]

Cars eh, who'd have 'em???

that isn't the problem, the problem is people like us that like to work on our own cars because we want to upgrade stuff, do maintenance and make the cars look and handle the best, all while keeping costs to an absolute minimum. Welcome to real car ownership mate

 

[ttelracs]

Once again you've nailed it.

 

[northpole]

That all said i got the wing in the right colour and it will be put on today (by my own 2 hands ofcourse). Would have done it yesterday but as luck goes... it was still on the car so i had to remove it myself. PS if anyone in Suffolk is looking for a low mileage 2.0 tdi lump... the guy has got a 80k engine sitting in his garage it's up for sale as the car it came from had a broken gearbox. He didn't want to do the job and decided to break it... almost all parts are still on it. Apart from the wing and 1 door speaker as i was the first to get to him to get some parts...
The rest is still there... if you need somthing, PM me so i can pass his contact details on.

(yes he's selling the parts cheap as chips)

 

[ttelracs]

And another no joy evening trying to remove the balljoint from the hub.
The tools I got from Amazon didn't work and are being returned.

The one on the left, the removable 'hinge' in the middle started to bow and now has a slightly curve.
The one on the right the bolt seized when trying to turn and release it.

Another frustrating evening so I'll take it to a friendly garage and have them remove it.
*sigh*

 

[northpole]

I'll give you a tip: remove the drive shaft, take the sledge or clump hammer and hit the arm in a save spot... it'll come out and take the inner bush with it... once the ball joint is out... take the arm off the car... put it in a vice and tap the inner bush of the balljoint.

Than using that same hammer tap it back into it's place.

No need for fancy balljoint splitters.

 

[northpole]

Car is back to it's glorious self again... in the end I replaced the os headlight (had to joey mod it) and the os wing... took longer than expected but hey I wanted the panel gaps to be spot on... I didn't take any pictures as I just wanted the work done ASAP.

 

[Matt275]

That all said i got the wing in the right colour and it will be put on today (by my own 2 hands ofcourse). Would have done it yesterday but as luck goes... it was still on the car so i had to remove it myself. PS if anyone in Suffolk is looking for a low mileage 2.0 tdi lump... the guy has got a 80k engine sitting in his garage it's up for sale as the car it came from had a broken gearbox. He didn't want to do the job and decided to break it... almost all parts are still on it. Apart from the wing and 1 door speaker as i was the first to get to him to get some parts...
The rest is still there... if you need somthing, PM me so i can pass his contact details on.

(yes he's selling the parts cheap as chips)

Do you know what model he's breaking? Likely to have any B7 carbon fibre trims in it?

 

[northpole]

Do you know what model he's breaking? Likely to have any B7 carbon fibre trims in it?

Yeah i do but no it's one of the early 2006 cars no carbon fibre parts in the interior at all just the standard checkered aluminium livery... cloth seats concert radio with build in 6 cd changer

 

[tr7]

Carbon trims only came in S4, RS4 and DTM's

All threes of my B7's have it. Makes nice difference

There's a full set of RHD S4 carbon with ashtrays on one of the facebook groups. £300 ish

 

[northpole]

Although i do like the oem carbon trim i would never pay that for it... seriously not with the price of a roll of 3m carbn wrap these days as it gives you the exact same effect (it has to be done properly) Mine were badly wrapped black, I removed it to reveal some slightly damaged checkered aluminium strips... Not a problem I'll just go black edition and paint them satin black and seal them with a good thick clear coat.

Haven't done it yet as it has absolutely no priority, the car isn't a show car but a daily driver.

 

[northpole]

Replaced the front passenger door speaker with the oem one that came from the donor car. Finally I can crank the volume of music up without hearing that one speaker buckle as it was blown. And I put 2 new tires on the rear as the old ones where shot... should've done it months ago but was waiting for them to ware down a little more.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Its good to see you chaps are keeping busy with your B7's.
I'm hoping to be a bit more online and present now aswell.
I've been a bit pre occupied with setting up my upgraded aquascape system and restoring my old GT downhill mountain bike.
I need to keep in trim thee days so walking and off road with the GT help a lot, then chillout for a while watching the fish.
works for me, helps me get in the zone for everything else including the old bus.

 

[Jamsmoo]

Its good to see you chaps are keeping busy with your B7's.
I'm hoping to be a bit more online and present now aswell.
I've been a bit pre occupied with setting up my upgraded aquascape system and restoring my old GT downhill mountain bike.
I need to keep in trim thee days so walking and off road with the GT help a lot, then chillout for a while watching the fish.
works for me, helps me get in the zone for everything else including the old bus.

Lol [mention]Charlie Farley [/mention] Mtbs aquascaping and b7s ,I’ve got a old school cannondale mtb amongst others
GT is a great old bike brand
I’m down to one fish tank now ,it was as many as 6 at one point ,used to breed green terrors and severums (not cross breeding lol ) tried my hand at aquascaping but large fish aren’t suitable
Anyway I wanted to ask the offset of your Le Mans
Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ttelracs]

Soooo, I took the car to a friendly mechanic at the garage who said he'd charge me £20 to crack the balljoint.

3 hours and £90 later it was done and because it came out with the 'sleeve' the mechanic said he wouldn't be able to out it back as it is and would need to put the new one in.
This necessitated getting the bus back home get the new part, bus it back and have him replace it. In the end he needed a puller to push the balljoint out after removing the hub from the driveshaft and the new lower arm I fitted. Even then he had to grind down the sleeve at the bottom to allow it to get back into the hub before being hammered into position.

My only solace is that he said it was one of the hardest he had ever had to remove and some pics attached showing the pain.

This evening, I managed to replace the other lower arm as well as the drop link in about 90 mins just using the pickle fork, some heat and lots of hammering.
Even with a very quick drive round the block it feels so much tighter, but it had to as the state of the bushes in the arm removed is so poor unsurprisingly. Pics attached of the mechanical shenanigans.

I've ordered a puller similar to the one the mechanic used to remove the balljoint and think I'll be able to do it so much more quickly next time. Still no joy with the tie rods but they can wait.

 

[northpole]

@ttelracs jup kinda reminds me of the crap i had to deal with during winter time... thing is i couldn't get the car to a garage at all as how i took it apart driving it would have been an ask for more problems... so i just endured the elements and sorted it out myself.

@Charlie Farley if it wasn't for me getting into a fender bender you wouldn't have seen any updates as this period in time means I only do stuff that is really needed. Last thing i will leave until they don't pass the MOT anymore is the rear shock absorbers... i want oem s-line sport shocks but the price of the dealer makes me want to ask them if they lost the plot... i found them cheaper already but need to ask my friendly MOT garage if they are willing to put them on for me, if not than I'll ask around to find a garage that'll take on the job with me providing the parts.

I'm not in the right space of mind at the moment to be dealing with getting stuck with bolts and nuts that are giving me hell to come off. Swapping that speaker over made me want to kill the previous owner as the bottom screw he put in wasn't the right one and i had use a dremel to cut the head off, to be able to remove the doorcard.... that added an extra hour to a max 10 min job ( had to be carefull to not damage the doorcard or the door itself on the inside, which i succeeded in doing so). It's all sorted now.

Just those 2 rear shock absorbers are left on my todo list...

 

[Charlie Farley]

Lol [mention]Charlie Farley [/mention] Mtbs aquascaping and b7s ,I’ve got a old school cannondale mtb amongst others
GT is a great old bike brand
I’m down to one fish tank now ,it was as many as 6 at one point ,used to breed green terrors and severums (not cross breeding lol ) tried my hand at aquascaping but large fish aren’t suitable
Anyway I wanted to ask the offset of your Le Mans
Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi James, pretty sure they are ET46, but will check over the weekend if you need definite confirmation.
They are A6 19"'s

 

[Jamsmoo]

Hi James, pretty sure they are ET46, but will check over the weekend if you need definite confirmation.
They are A6 19"'s

Thanks mate ,no bother ,I’m looking at some 19s 8.5 with a 48 et


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Charlie Farley]

yes , mine are 8.5 aswell, but the bonus with the early a6 (c6) lemans is that they have the B7 57.1 cb , newer ones need spigots, same with many of the newer b8's

 

[Charlie Farley]

It's becoming harder these days to find a good set of undamaged 19" lemans, most have been welded, cracked and buckled, and generally abused.
That said they are around if one looks hard enough and are willing to pay through the nose for them.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Nope , they are ET48

 

[Charlie Farley]

Soooo, I took the car to a friendly mechanic at the garage who said he'd charge me £20 to crack the balljoint.

3 hours and £90 later it was done and because it came out with the 'sleeve' the mechanic said he wouldn't be able to out it back as it is and would need to put the new one in.
This necessitated getting the bus back home get the new part, bus it back and have him replace it. In the end he needed a puller to push the balljoint out after removing the hub from the driveshaft and the new lower arm I fitted. Even then he had to grind down the sleeve at the bottom to allow it to get back into the hub before being hammered into position.

My only solace is that he said it was one of the hardest he had ever had to remove and some pics attached showing the pain.

This evening, I managed to replace the other lower arm as well as the drop link in about 90 mins just using the pickle fork, some heat and lots of hammering.
Even with a very quick drive round the block it feels so much tighter, but it had to as the state of the bushes in the arm removed is so poor unsurprisingly. Pics attached of the mechanical shenanigans.

I've ordered a puller similar to the one the mechanic used to remove the balljoint and think I'll be able to do it so much more quickly next time. Still no joy with the tie rods but they can wait.

I did all the front end a while back and my bushes were totally shot after 100K miles, this was one of the better looking ones...

 

[ttelracs]

I did all the front end a while back and my bushes were totally shot after 100K miles, this was one of the better looking ones...

View attachment 278279

Looks very familiar, could've been mine.