Really need some help

[IntJetSet]

Hi, Some of you will have seen my 'new S4 owner' post....new to the forum as well....

....I was just outside sorting out a few things on my car, sorting the jet direction on the screen wash, trying in vain to work out how to access the drivers side headlight cluster to change the front parking light bulb...and also cleaning the chrome ends on my exhaust pipes. Sounds odd I know but I like them to be shiny and when the guys clean my car they don't go anywhere near them (because they might be hot etc)

To my suprise I found (sort of stamped, sort of imprinted) a miltek logo on each exhaust pipe. I was suprised as I thought my car was stock, naievely as I don't know much about them and I am learning as I go along.

To some this might be a joyous moment but I'm worried about a couple of things before I get too chuffed about it. E.G. I didn't know it had been done so how am I going to know if anything else has been done, ECU for example. What, if anyhing, should I be telling my insurers. How do I know or work out how much of the exhaust system has been replaced?

I bet someone on here knows the car! It's certainly only been modded in the right areas, RNS-E fitted replacing symphony, miltek, RS4 rarb. That's what I've established so far anyway. Any help regarding how to tell if any other mods have been done, what to say to insurers and how to establish what level of exhaust replacement has been done is greatly appreciated. At the moment the insurers think it's totally stock?!?!?

[goose]

Hi InkJet, and welcome (i'm new too! )

With regards to working out exhaust you have.. the only bit you can really do without a ramp is get on the floor and have a look to see if you have "resonated" or "non-resonated" from the cat-back.

Is fairly straight-forward.. if it has centre silencers like this:-

http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/millte ... ek-128.jpg

then you are res.. if there is only straight pipe where the centre silencers should be, then you are non-res.

am pretty sure thats right

as for cats or downpipes, i think you need her up in the air to look for the milltek stamps welded on. and re-maps.. lord only knows, sorry.

would defo tell your insurance about the milly tho, just to be on the safe side

I hope this helps

goose

[xyber]

Headlights. 2 screw, 4 bolts

Have a look at the passenger side to get an idea first.

Remove 2 screws from the slam panel

Remove 2 torx bolts from top rear of the light

LOOSEN 2 lower rear torx bolts and slide the light out

Drivers side needs the snorkel removing for better access


If you have milltek downpipes you will not have any cats just before the H-pipe in the centre of the car. But if you had them you'd know it so probably not

[IntJetSet]

Guys thanks for the info on the exhaust, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and put it into MRC (just down the road as it happens, result) or RSD in daventry and ask them to go over it. They'll be able to tell me if the ECU is done and get it on ramps to look at the exhaust. I might rolling road it too whilst I am there. I don't know my arse from my elbow when it comes to cars generally and I think this is being highlighted everytime I find something new or different on the car. It's time to accept my limitations!

All I know is it's really very fast and that it's very loud. At about 3-4k rpm the torque pick up is immense all the way to 7k rpm.

Re the light swap, I saw that the snorkel would need to come out first. I wasn't sure if I could do this without causing some damage (told you, arse - elbow) so I have left it for now and will have another go tomorrow.

[HYFR]

Take it MRC

you cannot go wrong !

[marv]

For what it's worth, it's possible to change the sidelights without removing the whole headlight assembly. It does help if you have small hands though!

[SSS]

It's certainly only been modded in the right areas, RNS-E fitted replacing symphony, miltek, RS4 rarb.

I'd be bloody happy with that, you've got a couple of grands worth of good freebies there!

[IntJetSet]

...I took some photos but can't upload them???

I'm sh!t with a camera and haven't got any ramps (basically crawling around on the floor outside the flat, my neighbours think I'm an idiot anyway but no need for me to confirm it) but looks like standard cats (wide flatish cats with ridges in them) and then normal exhaust pipes that narrow from the cats to the centre of the car, then two larger sections either side in sort of the central final third of the system (meaning resonated?) before going off to the final section of the system.

Not necessarily a bad thing but am so tempted to go non-res now. This is my first 'proper' car so it sounds awesome to me but if it could sound better.....might be worth the few £'s to sort it. Does the exhaust do much performance wise on it's own? MRC quoted £550 for custom map but stated realistically only 10-15 psi gains expected. Most improvement would come in the torque curve, which is probably more important.

I'm going to call the previous owner and speak with him, found his number on some of the receipts. Should help me narrow down what work has already been done which would save me doing anything again unnecessarily.

[BlingBling]

Cartback will do zilch for performance. I also would not recommend a remap unless you do something about the pre-cats.

[IntJetSet]

Sounds like it's an all or nothing job then. I'm new to these cars so not going to rush into anything. 45k miles on a 53 plate so going to get it properly health checked first and then might see about some more toys for it in the summer

[R33]

There is a nice little guide here on how to change the daytime running light bulbs. The side lights are in the same enclosure but are just a little more tricky to get to but I managed it even with my large hands! It's a pretty easy job, altough I replaced my side lights and DRL's with LED bulbs and added resistors to them to stop the bulb out warnings.

http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/audi-rs/ ... -drls.html

[IntJetSet]

Had a right result today; I spoke to the guy who owned my S4 before me for about an hour and a quarter and now I am confident I have an absolute belter of a motor. Rather than having been ragged, it has been poured over with glowing affection. It has won a couple of concours events (two at Audi Driver International and one somewhere else).

Found his number on some old receipts and the guy was an absolute legend. He's done all sorts, miltek and had the outlets matched snug to the rear valance by miltek themselves (cat back resonated), RS4 RARB, changed the aux rads and hoses (although I think they need doing again), Aluminium interior to match silver paint work, (swapping out horrible wood interior) and RNSE replacing symphony. More importantly, he didn't map it, he didn't do filters etc which means I have scope to play.

He wanted to keep it more or less OEM looks and performance for the concours events. Being new to S4's and new to this type of performance this hasn't half put my mind at rest.

[goose]

Thats a right result inkjet all the right mods!

Sadly I think mine is the other way round.. every time I hear a knock or clonk I sh1t myself. Am also pretty convinced it's a had a pretty sure its had a drivers side ding, as ive discovered some over-spray around the b pillar

goose