Thinking of going diesel

[BahnStormer77]

wood trims are usually pretty straight-forward (although time-consuming) replace... have a dig around and you'll find some links to that in the maintenance sections....

from memory most of the heated seats models tended to have the faux-wood trim.... "senior exec spec"

2.7TDI was the replacement to the 2.5TDI engine: peak power is the same, but I think the 2.7 is actually LIGHTER and it was primarilly brought in for lower emissions and better economy - basically, it's company car-tax reduction (the honest way), so expect to find a fair few decent ex-corporate models... it MAY be PD, rather than VP style of TDI, but remaps generate exactlyt he same results (around 220bhp), it's a better engine, but you WILL pay more too...

Mine came with the "young rep spec": xenons, Bose, brushed Aluminium, black leather, non heated and sh!tloads of miles!

I really prefer the A4 interior to the A6.... but then I'm weird

 

[V6 Quatt]

I had a 2.5 Quattro,

You see alot with higher milage now. Is it a risk to re-map when the milage is around the 122k mark

My 2.5 isn't a quattro, but is lovely. I changed the timing belt a 80k with a stronger water pump also. It's going to be a preference thing I think, the 2.5 is easy to use but is heavier than the 1.9 or 2.0. As for the fuel pump I can't say as mine is fine atm with 122k on the clock.

 

[jase0851]

steer clear of the auto-box if you're thinking of any 200bhp+ remaps...

heated seats are also fairly rare on the Audi's.

heated seats are more common on the 330d, but then make sure you go for the higher spec 2003+ models... (201bhp vs 184bhp @ stock)

not sure on the 325d... they stopped those after the E36, didn't they?

320d needs to be the 150bhp 1995cc (post 2001), otherwise it's the gutless 130bhp with a max remap of 150bhp.... the 150 is remappable to about 180-190bhp...

for both the Audi's and Bimmers: ignore the wood trim.... I agree - look naff, but you can get a set off eBay for <£100 for the real stuff... £200-£250 if you're in a rush or want the higher step (brushed alu) stuff.... but the wood trim is very common on high-spec ex-exective car fleet models (more likely to have heated seats), so be prepared to get it with the naff trim and then replace it.... there's a lot of links to the the how-to guide on replacing the trim... it's a few hours work, but well worth it if you can buy a higher spec car that's within your budget.

heated seats are easy to retro-fit lost as long as youve got the heates seats as a starting point

 

[BahnStormer77]

I thought about it, but when I looked into it, I was looking for like-for-like replacements (i.e. with the electric lumbar adjsutment, etc) and I'm sure the the black leather ones like that were £600 for a pair and over a grand new?

I just figured it would be better to spend that money up front on the car, and buy those included (if you could find one) since you'd never get the money back on them, but a top spec car, with decent leather trim still might not sell because of the naff plastic-wood trim... which is good value to replace, 'cos it's a bit of cash (could of hundred quid) and a few hours, but can probably add more value to the car (and certainly make it more sellable).

I figure it's all about the profile (and age) of the people who can afford to buy high spec Audi A4's and BMW 3-series when they're new versus the profile of the people who still want them when they're 5 yrs old.

 

[vrbob]

*Bump*

Right guys i am back and have made the move to Diesel. It took a while as you can see to find a car i was happy to part with money for but last week i found one and this morning a nice guy came along and bought the S3.

i ended up sticking with Audi and and got a B6 A4 Avant 1.9Tdi Quattro Sport with the important for me Heated leather seats

Don't get the car till a week 2moro so for the next 7 days i am without a car but am sure i will survive. Am sure i will be back on here sooner rather than later with some questions for you boys once i have given the car a good inspection when i pick it up.

 

[henry74]

Sounds good - can't wait to see some pics! :icon_thumright:

 

[BahnStormer77]

VRBOB - nice one mate... great choice... there's a part of me that does always wonder if that would have been the more sensible option... they are down on power compared to the 2.5TDi, but they are much lighter (120kg) and more fuel efficient (PD diesel engine rather than the common rail VP style)..... if you feel you're down on power, you can get them remapped to 150-160bhp VERY easilly with very little chance of any downside* and probably even better fuel economy (!) and then with a new turbo, possibly a new clutch, 180-200bhp is usually possible.

*unless of course you ride the clutch on hillstarts / slide it out too slowly when accellerating hard...

TBH, 150-160bhp is fast enough for most reasonable driving and given that 160bhp in a 1.9TDI is gonna feel pretty close to an unmapped 2.5TDI quattro (due to the weight difference) and will be quicker than any of the non-Quattro 2.5TDI's (non-Quattro 2.5TDI is 163bhp still 100kg's heavier).... plus you'll still be in the government's good books on the emissions stuff and be getting much better economy if you're not booting in!

 

[vrbob]

Cheers Lostbok,

Was hoping i had made a good decision as i was erring towards the 2.5 but couldn't find one sensibly priced with all the bits i wanted.

Defo gonna get some sort of remap and have been reading chip n spins ST3 tuning module thread as that looks like a good deal.

May also have to quiz you over some of your retro fitted kit as i really like the look of your RNS-E and FBMFSW. Also what do you mean by full DIS what different options were there??

 

[vrbob]

oh and of course will get some piccies up once i have acquired the car next sunday.

 

[BahnStormer77]

top tip: get the mapping done with a dyno run: that way you have an objective number on whether the car's pulling to spec before you start tinkering and also a decent idea if it's pulling badly afterwards.... (before you've done too many miles and untold damage)....

and for £250*, it's a good price!

*only available at the quarterly rolling road days - next one at end of Sept...

 

[vrbob]

Yeah wouldn't mind getting a RR done first just to see how the car is performing standard.

Still looking at differnet mapping companies so any suggestions welcome.

Lostbok what is full DIS you have in your sig???

Lastly just to annoy me as i still have not got my car yet my Dad went out yesterday and bought a B6 A4 Avant 2.5Tdi Quattro SE which is very nice to replace his aging B5 1.8se. The only thing is that it didn't come with the black wallet and owners manual (the service book was there but those were not). Any ideas of where to get one??

 

[no_idea]

The owners manual and the black wallet often come up on ebay. To be honest I would check the price with your local Audi dealer I don't think they are to badly priced.
The full dis gives you average mpg, average speed, journey time, current mpg and miles left in tank. There are two memories one that resets itself and the other long term that you can reset if you want. This was fitted standard on the se spec but an option on the sport models. It can be easily retro fitted.

 

[BahnStormer77]

VRBob, "Full DIS" = means having the extra little computer module behind the DIS screen and toggle switch on the wiper stalk, so you can get the various trip, avg MPG, instant MPG, etc readings, not just the "miles remaining" information.

"Full colour DIS" is being planned, but donor cars for the TDI full colour unit are as rare as hen's testicles... S4's came with them as standard, but TDI / petrol aren't compatible as the LCD module also contains the engine immobilser coding and apparently they're different between petrol and TDI. **sigh**

 

[vrbob]

Cheers Lostbok,

I am pretty sure the car i bought has the DIS already as i checked the average MPG with it.

Full colour DIS would be cool

Defo like the idea of RNS-E too and maybe the FBMFSW what sort of cost are involved in those to retrofit??

 

[no_idea]

VRBob, "Full DIS" = means having the extra little computer module behind the DIS screen

I didn't think there was an 'extra little computer module behind the DIS screen'. What is this? I thought that as long as the red screen was there then full dis can be retro-fitted and I was on the understanding that all B6s had the red screen. Please someone advise otherwise.

 

[paul20v]

Nor did i , thought it was new stalk plug and play and coding .

 

[Dazmo]

No problems with mine so far apart from a little more black smoke.

 

[no_idea]

Nor did i , thought it was new stalk plug and play and coding .

That was all I had to do when I did mine (oh and the washer bottle sensor)

 

[BahnStormer77]

no_idea... it's not really "behind" the screen, but there's a little block like an elongated fag packet that does the avg mpg, etc... get sinstalled under the dash as part of the DIS somehwere behing the dials when they do the DIS upgrade.... I wasn't watching what was goign on THAT closely...

 

[BahnStormer77]

vrbob - plrices at HazzyDayz website (vwcruise.com).... negotiable if you're getting multiple (related) things done at one time... e.g. if the wheel is off.... AND you want cruise control / DIS done at the same time...

 

[vrbob]

Will check out the prices cheers.

Had a quick looksie on ebay for RNS-E units and they all look very similar but some say A4 others A3/S3 etc plus none really seem to mention models eg b5,b6,b7 etc so are they all the same and just fit in the double din section?? Also the fitting looks quite sraight forward like fitting a normal car stereo am i mistaken or is it actually a job for a trained individual??

*edit*I think the car i am getting only has a single din unit at the moment so of course i now also need to know how easy it is to upgrde it to double din and where do you get the kit from?? If its not that easy how well do those after market single din with slide our screen sat nav units work and are they compatible with the DIS?

Lastly just been helping my dad clean up his new 2.5 and his Alu roof rails and trim around the windows is a little tarnished what might be best to get them shiney silver again??

 

[quattrojames]

I can't help you on the RNS-e, but I'm sure there are plenty on here who can!

I have always found Auto_glym SRP does a good job on the rails, but Autosol is supposed to be better again, but I've not tried it.

 

[no_idea]

Will check out the prices cheers.

Had a quick looksie on ebay for RNS-E units and they all look very similar but some say A4 others A3/S3 etc plus none really seem to mention models eg b5,b6,b7 etc so are they all the same and just fit in the double din section?? Also the fitting looks quite sraight forward like fitting a normal car stereo am i mistaken or is it actually a job for a trained individual??

*edit*I think the car i am getting only has a single din unit at the moment so of course i now also need to know how easy it is to upgrde it to double din and where do you get the kit from?? If its not that easy how well do those after market single din with slide our screen sat nav units work and are they compatible with the DIS?

You will need one specifically for an A4 the difference is the shape of the face plate. It is made to fit the shape in the consul. The B6 & B7 ones are the same. Try and get the newest version you can. The later ones had a more reliable DVD drive.
Have a look over on www.audiforum.us There is all the info, part numbers, fitting guides from single din to double din etc. etc.
It will then need coding with VagCom or similar. Plenty of people on here have got one. I am sure if you don't want to invest in one yourself somebody will be near by to help out.
This is one mod. that is well worth doing in my opinion.
Good luck

 

[BahnStormer77]

early B6's had RNS-D (CD, smaller screen and missing some other features: SD cards?)

Just get a pro to do it: will cost £700-£900 for RNS-E, DVD and the conversion cages and VAG-com software update to get teh directions to come up onto your DIS and for the MFSW (if you have one) to link to the RNS-E.

A decent 2nd hand RNS-E is around £350-450 normally, plus DVD (£100-£200 for the legal single/twinpack), plus DIN conversion cage (£35?) and wiring loom (£30?).

Also you'll need to trim / replace your AC unit as it has to sit lower in the dash.

Well worth doing, transforms the car!

 

[vrbob]

Defo wanna do the RNS-E retro fit there is a guy on Ebay offering to supply and fit RNS-e for £550 so i have emailed them asking what the extra cost would be to convert to double from single DIN.

I would be happy to try n do it myself if there is a good guide for both the single to double conversion and the fitting of the RNS-E unit itself. I have found on Ebay the actual RNS-E units for about £475 inc P+P and the double DIN cage itself for about £55 inc P+P. I think i would also try to use my original climate control unit as it has the heated seat control on it and just file it down to fit the smaller space. Then all i would need is someone reasonably local with VAGCOM to program it for me.

Lastly would the single DIN Concert CD player and Single DIN cage be worth anything?

 

[no_idea]

In my opinion you have to do this yourself. You will get so much satisfaction from being able to say 'I did that'. It is the easy way out to pay someone else to do it, no satisfaction in that at all. Just make sure you do your research get it clear in your head and allow yourself plenty of time. If you get stuck just ask, there are plenty of people on here who can help.
Go on go for it.