What have you done to your Audi A4 B7 today?

[Charlie Farley]

always something... but they look better than i expected although i prefer them like this...

I’m not a big fan of diamond cut these days, been there before , if they get curbed of scuffed it’s a bigger fix than being one OE colour that can be matched easily and fixed.
Also done the black alloys on the old bus and it’s wasn’t my cuppa to be honest even with a lighter edged profile.
But personal preference allways comes in to play .

 

[Charlie Farley]

Sometimes change is good , I’ve allways been a silver wheel person , tried a few other colours but never really grew on me.
But these rotas in the colours now I really like , if it had been Matt or satin I’d not been so keen on the colour but in the gloss finish they really look nice in the daylight.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Thinking Red or yellow for the calipers whether that’s refurbishing my current 18z’s or in 8 pots .

 

[Charlie Farley]

Done Red before so maybe time to give Melow yellow a go.

 

[northpole]

yeah i've only gone for blue and red calipers... and i did the silver wheels so often i'm done with them... gun metal or black (either gloss, satin or matt) preferably with a chrome lip but i do agree with the diamond cutting... any curbage looks really horrible on them. ( but it also does on normal wheels) that all said if i was to run into a set of rotas in need of a refirbishment the'd be 2 tone... wheel silver on the flat bits and outer rim, and gloss black on the spokes and the center with the chrome ringed black audi center just to keep things in balance.

but that is a big IF because i'm not actively looking for them.

 

[B7Tourer]

They look really fab Rob; are the centre caps not 60mm? I'm not a fan of Diamond cut also; I like silver/grey or that kind of 'gunmetal' too

 

[Matt275]

Stunning wheels Rob, MAD Alloys?

 

[Charlie Farley]

They look really fab Rob; are the centre caps not 60mm? I'm not a fan of Diamond cut also; I like silver/grey or that kind of 'gunmetal' too

Thanks chap, yes I do rather like them .
The center caps I was sure were 68mm and that what I ordered but turns out after a check with my vernier they are 70mm , bit of a pain but not the end of the world.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Stunning wheels Rob, MAD Alloys?

No, I went to the guys in Badshot lea, the alloy wheel clinic, really nice guys with a quick turnaround and faultless finish.
£300 all in, tyres off, stripped , powdercoated and tyres refitted etc , very happy .

 

[northpole]

very decent price, and the finish is perfect

 

[Charlie Farley]

Agreed, now my go to for refurbishing.
My normal guys just kept on whacking the price up and some of the finished work was less than ideal so won’t be getting any more business from me.

 

[Matt275]

No, I went to the guys in Badshot lea, the alloy wheel clinic, really nice guys with a quick turnaround and faultless finish.
£300 all in, tyres off, stripped , powdercoated and tyres refitted etc , very happy .

Ah yeah I know where you mean, turning off that sharp bend and the road is crazy narrow!

Look forward to seeing them in the flesh, they look wicked

 

[Charlie Farley]

That’s the place, down a lane or dirt track for a better description….

 

[Charlie Farley]

One of those lanes you pray another vehicle isn’t coming the other way.

 

[Matt275]

That’s the place, down a lane or dirt track for a better description….

I went there about 2 years ago....

I had seen a set of refurbed alloys on Ebay for my B5.5 Passat, the pictures only showed the 4 faces and to be fair they looked good. So I decided to go and have a look at them....in Harrogate! At the time there wasn't many 15" Michigan alloys around for the Passat (not that had been refurbed anyway)

When I got there yes they looked fine at first, but then I saw that all 4 had these sort of dotted lines around the outside of the barrels. I'd never seen it before and I honestly thought the wheels had been somehow "cut n shut" if there is such a thing for alloys. The guy selling them couldn't offer any explanation or ideas.

Being a Sunday, I had nobody to call or whatsapp pictures to, so I ended up walking away from the wheels - ah well, how it goes sometimes, and that day saw 63 MPG on the MK4 Golf so I wasn't overly fussed....was a day out at least, just had to write off the fuel / time really and move on.

I took the photos the next day to alloy wheel clinic who straight away said it looks just like chain marks, so probably fine to buy and so on. That explained it....where whoever refurbed them used chains to hang them up. Pretty sure they were painted rather than powder coated.

So a few months later I continued my search and a set (or should I say so called set) popped up at Pro Alloys in Melksham.
All of their advert photos seem to show only one wheel. I messaged them and they said yes come down and have a look at the set....so off I went.

Got there, the guy sat me down in reception and vanished for about 20 minutes. Thinking I'd been forgotten, he appeared and said he was very sorry but they only actually had one Michigan alloy! Gutted as the quality of their work is brilliant. They usually only show one wheel even for their full sets he said, and the advert I replied to was for a set of 4 etc.

He did a deal and said if I get all 4 alloys to him, he'll refurb all 4 for half price, so that's what I did in the end. The wheels are so nice, delighted with them. Really nice guy down there who stuck to his deal as it was their genuine mistake. They charged me £130 for 4 powder coat refurbs, and trust me, they are very nicely done.

Yes there was fuel costs going to Melksham 3 times, approx £60, but still happy at the end of the day. The Golf is so good on fuel on a 60 MPH run, yesterday I went down the M3 to Southampton, along to Portsmouth and back up the A3 and got 66.7 MPG - not bad for a 25 year old 1.9 AJM TDi. It does have the super long ratio 6 speed gearbox which helps.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Just ordered another set of centre caps , this time I’ve checked and they are 69mm not 68mm so that will deal with that problem.

One of those lanes you pray another vehicle isn’t coming the other way.

 

[Charlie Farley]

I went there about 2 years ago....

I had seen a set of refurbed alloys on Ebay for my B5.5 Passat, the pictures only showed the 4 faces and to be fair they looked good. So I decided to go and have a look at them....in Harrogate! At the time there wasn't many 15" Michigan alloys around for the Passat (not that had been refurbed anyway)

When I got there yes they looked fine at first, but then I saw that all 4 had these sort of dotted lines around the outside of the barrels. I'd never seen it before and I honestly thought the wheels had been somehow "cut n shut" if there is such a thing for alloys. The guy selling them couldn't offer any explanation or ideas.

Being a Sunday, I had nobody to call or whatsapp pictures to, so I ended up walking away from the wheels - ah well, how it goes sometimes, and that day saw 63 MPG on the MK4 Golf so I wasn't overly fussed....was a day out at least, just had to write off the fuel / time really and move on.

I took the photos the next day to alloy wheel clinic who straight away said it looks just like chain marks, so probably fine to buy and so on. That explained it....where whoever refurbed them used chains to hang them up. Pretty sure they were painted rather than powder coated.

View attachment 280998View attachment 280999

So a few months later I continued my search and a set (or should I say so called set) popped up at Pro Alloys in Melksham.
All of their advert photos seem to show only one wheel. I messaged them and they said yes come down and have a look at the set....so off I went.

Got there, the guy sat me down in reception and vanished for about 20 minutes. Thinking I'd been forgotten, he appeared and said he was very sorry but they only actually had one Michigan alloy! Gutted as the quality of their work is brilliant. They usually only show one wheel even for their full sets he said, and the advert I replied to was for a set of 4 etc.

He did a deal and said if I get all 4 alloys to him, he'll refurb all 4 for half price, so that's what I did in the end. The wheels are so nice, delighted with them. Really nice guy down there who stuck to his deal as it was their genuine mistake. They charged me £130 for 4 powder coat refurbs, and trust me, they are very nicely done.

Yes there was fuel costs going to Melksham 3 times, approx £60, but still happy at the end of the day. The Golf is so good on fuel on a 60 MPH run, yesterday I went down the M3 to Southampton, along to Portsmouth and back up the A3 and got 66.7 MPG - not bad for a 25 year old 1.9 AJM TDi. It does have the super long ratio 6 speed gearbox which helps.

Hi Matt, I have also seen that very same effect and never really found out what it was, good to know for future reference.

 

[northpole]

yes some places use a chain to hang the wheel up on when they apply the powder and they always have that chain shadow around them. The place I use actually uses a contraption that has adjustable metal rods ( for different pcd's) so you don't get any weird marks on the wheels. but their prices have gone up, thanks to the economy.

 

[Matt275]

Hi Matt, I have also seen that very same effect and never really found out what it was, good to know for future reference.

I think if it was a Saturday I may have stood a bit more chance in contacting a wheel place and ask if I can send them photo's to get their opinion....If I'd have known it was just chain marks, and given the age of the Passat I reckon I'd have gone for them....we live and learn lol

But all came good in the end

 

[Matt275]

Quick wash today, finished an hour ago and already has a layer of this yellow dusty stuff that's everywhere at the moment....grrrrr!!!

 

[Charlie Farley]

Looks immaculate as per usual Matt
That dust is a combination of very high Uk pollen levels and sand dust from the warm plume of air that is now moving away from the uk.

 

[Matt275]

Thanks Rob!

 

[northpole]

lol i just got the dust off a few hours ago but didn't touch the wheels yet... dust is already collecting and with mine being black... well it's very noticeable. wheels will be done another day... when i wash the car properly.

 

[Charlie Farley]

I was about to go out in the garage for a while and swap over the cat for the decat pipe, have another look at the steering rack adjuster and think about the hybrid turbo installing, then decided to abort everything, sit out in the garden and just chillout.
I'll make an executive decision in the morning now about whether to mess around with the old bus or wait until Monday.
I've acquired another rear bumper with valance fitted , s-line one same as what was factory fitted , may go over an collect it this afternoon, just for a run out.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Nope, can't be dealing with weekend drivers around fleet today, so staying put in my garden chair with a long, cool drink.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Have found myself looking at 2 wheel machines again over the last few days, which is always a mistake...lol
Allways been very partial to an SP1 , ooooh yes please.
not silly money either.

 

[northpole]

Ooo, nice bike, I got a weak spot for the Yamaha R1, preferably clad in carbon with some nice contrasting chrome bits....

 

[trmarqu]

Howdy from Texas! Do you accept Yankees here?

Been following along with y’all for a bit. Just bought a 2008 Dolphin Grey Avant Sline a few months back for cheap, since it needed a new clutch. Came with all the goodies (APR stage 1, exhaust/hfc, rims, etc). Spent a good 60hrs in my driveway getting the clutch and brakes done while dodging the mild rust on the car.

Excited to share the journey with y’all and see what you’re up to!

Recently did the cam follower and N80. Thankfully no hole in my follower, but there was some ominous scratches on the backside and my cam was visibly scratched. Seems like there may have been a problem in the past.

She also just got totaled due to hail damage…going to try and fix it myself and hopefully have a little fun money left over for a JHM stg 2/HPFP.

Cheers!


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[Charlie Farley]

Ooo, nice bike, I got a weak spot for the Yamaha R1, preferably clad in carbon with some nice contrasting chrome bits....

He just messaged me that it is sold.
Oh well, that's a shame, but that saves me some pennies, which I can spend on the old bus.

 

[Charlie Farley]

On a totally different note, the old bus has a case of squealing brakes which is a pain in the backside.
In the last 11 years and all the various types pads etc it's not been an issue that has affected the car, only since fitting the new Brembo pads.
I used plenty of brake pad anti-squeal grease as per normal, but still making a right old squeal.
May have to look at the problem tomorrow when I swap alloys over.
Maybe it's just the compound Brembo use , they do seem a very hard pad with very little dust.

 

[Dan_G]

100 miles down into the West Country today. Motorway, A303 and then across Salisbury plain.
Roof down all the way. Faultless.

Saw a lovely blue DTM at one point too.

 

[Charlie Farley]

A303, a sunny day bank holiday weekend, and you had no traffic probs, you were very lucky indeedy.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Howdy from Texas! Do you accept Yankees here?

Been following along with y’all for a bit. Just bought a 2008 Dolphin Grey Avant Sline a few months back for cheap, since it needed a new clutch. Came with all the goodies (APR stage 1, exhaust/hfc, rims, etc). Spent a good 60hrs in my driveway getting the clutch and brakes done while dodging the mild rust on the car.

Excited to share the journey with y’all and see what you’re up to!

Recently did the cam follower and N80. Thankfully no hole in my follower, but there was some ominous scratches on the backside and my cam was visibly scratched. Seems like there may have been a problem in the past.

She also just got totaled due to hail damage…going to try and fix it myself and hopefully have a little fun money left over for a JHM stg 2/HPFP.

Cheers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everyone is more than welcome, except spammers that is...

Good to see you have been following for a while and now jumped on board fully.
I look forward to your future threads etc , and your hail damage repair report.

 

[norad97]

On a totally different note, the old bus has a case of squealing brakes which is a pain in the backside.
In the last 11 years and all the various types pads etc it's not been an issue that has affected the car, only since fitting the new Brembo pads.
I used plenty of brake pad anti-squeal grease as per normal, but still making a right old squeal.
May have to look at the problem tomorrow when I swap alloys over.
Maybe it's just the compound Brembo use , they do seem a very hard pad with very little dust.

My front pads squeal when I push the pedal, I think it happens with performance pads, but it does warn pedestrians when I'm turning slowing down.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Hi Richard, i'll keep that in mind, I have to say, though , I've been out this evening and they were quiet, unlike this morning when it was pretty loud all the time.

Are you still looking to do your engine work? just let me know when you need to use the tools.

 

[B7Tourer]

Quick wash today, finished an hour ago and already has a layer of this yellow dusty stuff that's everywhere at the moment....grrrrr!!!

Lovely looking S-Line Matt, credit to ya! Are those headlights new or polished; I had mine polished - huge improvement but, I'm still thinking of getting new.

Howdy from Texas! Do you accept Yankees here?

Welcome!

On a totally different note, the old bus has a case of squealing brakes which is a pain in the backside.
In the last 11 years and all the various types pads etc it's not been an issue that has affected the car, only since fitting the new Brembo pads.

I got a bit of squeal (which I've never noticed before) from the new Borg Beck discs, pads and callipers; but after bedding in that's disappeared.

 

[Matt275]

Thank you B7, I make a real effort to keep it nice and it really is a tidy one.

Nope, not new or polished...the previous owner had clip on headlight protectors from new, they have done a great job at keeping the lenses mint. I took them off in Sept 2023 when I got the car, but may pop them back on.

Whenever I wax the car I do also wax the headlights, just for some extra UV protection.

My Mk4 Golf has also had protectors since new (was my mums) I keep those ones on, and the glass headlights on that are flawless. The only thing that lets the headlights down on the Golf is the halogen bulbs....like two yellow candles - old school lighting at it's finest!

Last year I did polish my Passat B5.5 headlights, but the proper way with multiple grade wet / dry sandpapers from 600 then backing out to 2500 or even 3000 grit then a final Rupes machine polish. I took about an hour or so on each side....they came up amazing and have stayed nice. Those headlights are 21 years old, but you'd think they were made yesterday.

 

[northpole]

I'm actually going to replace the lenses on mine with new ones... but am planning on some more headlight mods since they are the halogen units... I'm still waiting for the right legal led projector swap that will be legal to run (it's a complete lamp swap but still can't get a definitive answer on it)

 

[Jamsmoo]

Winter took its toll on the bbs lips ,will be removing the centres and giving the lips a refresh , trying out the Audi wheel gel and going with the Bentleys in the mean time

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[Jamsmoo]

Winter took its toll on the bbs lips ,will be removing the centres and giving the lips a refresh , trying out the Audi wheel gel and going with the Bentleys in the mean time

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