B7 mods, how well do they really work or are they just a problem waiting to happen?

[Charlie Farley]

As in the title really guys.
I have spent a fair bit of time reading through the large amount of threads with regards to B7 mods inc ecu mappping , suspension mods wheel upgrades ,audio and sat nav etc etc etc, and the list goes on.
Whilst i would like to try several of these in the near future once my warranty has expired, after reading threads on them i cant help wondering wether they really are worth it, or the expense.
Some clearly are with very few side effects or problems to be encounter afterwards, the RS4 ARB seems to be a very worthwhile upgrade, but what about coilovers etc and other suspension mods.
It seems that coilover and other suspensions mods lead to other issues soon after, also ecu mapping problems sem to be a very common .
As much as i love improving things i cant help thinking that a lot of the mods just turn what is a great car into a more problematic and less reliable one.
what are your thoughts on this, are they worthwhile and cost effective or just a bag of problems waiting to fall apart.

rob

 

[Av4nt]

cosmetic mods you cant go wrong with. Tuning I would say depends on waht engine you have and how high the mileage is and how much mileage is on turbo/clutch etc. Some B7 engines are much stronger than others. that being said its always going to be a gamble whatever you run

 

[DieselJake]

All depends which route of spending you go down, if you cheap out on things and buy second hand there's always higher risk of things cocking up, same with getting Bob from down the pub to remap your car or fitting parts yourself and hoping for the best. As said aesthetic stuff is generally fine, can't go wrong with a new set of springs, dampers and wheels (can go wrong if second hand... ask how I know).

 

[jdp1962]

All depends which route of spending you go down, if you cheap out on things and buy second hand there's always higher risk of things cocking up, same with getting Bob from down the pub to remap your car or fitting parts yourself and hoping for the best. As said aesthetic stuff is generally fine, can't go wrong with a new set of springs, dampers and wheels (can go wrong if second hand... ask how I know).

I agree totally. You have to be sensible, and take account of the condition of the car, the quality of the parts being fitted, and the knowledge and know-how of the person fitting them.

 

[ESD1711]

Its a very personal thing to be honest and different people do things for different reasons.

Some of what gets done on here is fixing a problem which Audi haven't addressed (i.e uprated balance shafts on the 2.0tdi)

Some of what gets done on here is upgrading a car to have equipment which the car really shoulda left the factory with (i.e - the fact an S-Line can leave the factory without a trip computer is a disgrace)

And some of what we don on here is just to make the car our own. There are no shortage of A4's out there on the road - making yours stand out from all the others is a rewarding feeling..... even moreso when people acknowledge that there's something different about yours but cant quite put their finger on what it is.

These cars have their own flaws right out the box, be it as major as engine failure or as minor as a crappy alarm siren. At the end of the day - these cars are hurtling towards being 10 years old not so far from now - there's always going to be problems.

Make your choices wisely and do the research and theres no reason why a modified part should give you any more grief than a standard one.

 

[OCDetails]

Personally I think so long as the cars not been thrashed proior to your ownership And has been very well maintained I would see no problems in remapping. Live dyno remapping would be your best bet though rather than a generic map.

Suspension mods... I've delt with both cheap and cheerful and expensive setups. I found that £200 Raceland coilovers that I bought off my mate after 2 years of them been on his b6 did a better job and the ride was much better than my recent purchase of coilovers. With these cars been so heavy I don't think any suspension will be wrong for the car over the OEM ones.

4 mods I would suggest are interior lights, exterior lights, engine and gear box mounts and 19"wheels

 

[razza1]

If done right, they work well

 

[martynash]

Its a very personal thing to be honest and different people do things for different reasons.

Some of what gets done on here is fixing a problem which Audi haven't addressed (i.e uprated balance shafts on the 2.0tdi)

Some of what gets done on here is upgrading a car to have equipment which the car really shoulda left the factory with (i.e - the fact an S-Line can leave the factory without a trip computer is a disgrace)

And some of what we don on here is just to make the car our own. There are no shortage of A4's out there on the road - making yours stand out from all the others is a rewarding feeling..... even moreso when people acknowledge that there's something different about yours but cant quite put their finger on what it is.

These cars have their own flaws right out the box, be it as major as engine failure or as minor as a crappy alarm siren. At the end of the day - these cars are hurtling towards being 10 years old not so far from now - there's always going to be problems.

Make your choices wisely and do the research and theres no reason why a modified part should give you any more grief than a standard one.

All of what ESD1711 says here is good solid advice.
I think the trick is do what you like most without over stepping the reliability mark.

Good luck


Marty

 

[NOZ]

As echoed before you can't go wrong with cosmetic mods, individuality is what makes the world go round, whether others like it or not it's a personal choice and I'm a very firm believer in the saying "you get what you pay for",don't rush things take your time make the right choices and don't be afraid to ask this is what this forum is all about, because someone somewhere will have made the choice on the decision your about to make and could potentially change the course of your actions be for better or worse 😀View attachment 36870 but above all its your car and do as you see fit good luck