Once, I got it home, the car spent some time in the garage, getting it shined up and ready for winter. I am a bit of a detailing nut (spend just as much time on the Autopia forums as here), so this was just the beginning...a light polish with Menzerna SI1500 and then Menzerna Powerlock to seal it in for the winter. Winter shoes going on after this were Hartmann HRS4 + Michelin Alpin PA3:
Christmas eve snow at my parents' house (don't worry, it spent almost every other night indoors):
After that, it went on a road-trip to Ottawa for skiing, this picture taken at an OnRoute rest stop along the highway. Coming from the GTI, I was prepared for some comparatively horrendous gas mileage, but I got about 23 MPG (10L/100 km) driving reasonably on that road trip (in the winter!). Driving on the highway with the RS is fantastic, and it is definitely a quiet/solid ride and surprisingly compliant (credit to the DRC suspension, which is still working):
Come spring, I started doing a little more work on the car, including:
- changing differential and tranny fluid (Motul Gear 300)
- new fuel filter
- changing power steering fluid
- brake bleed
- new air filter + cabin air filter
Engine bay is nice and tidy!
I also noticed a couple of cosmetic shortcomings on the car that I wanted to take care of, including replacing the bottom trim pieces of both front doors (had started to delaminate from metal backing) and the rear matte silver trim strip on the bumper (minor pitting). Oh yeah, I also installed some LED taillights from ECS Tuning to give a bit more modern look:
With the coming of Spring, I also set about giving the car a thorough detailing in and out. Though Phantom Black looks quite stunning, it does show swirls, RIDS and other defects much more readily than most other colours. So, I set about doing a 30+ hour detail:
1. Wash with Dawn and various other cleaners to strip old wax, including in all door jams, and paintwork in trunk and engine bay
2. Decontaminate with CarPro's Trix (tar and iron remover)
3. Rinse and dry
4. Clay bar
5. Compound with Meguiar's M101
6. Polish with Menzerna SF4500 --> compounding and polishing happened in all door jams, paintwork in trunk, and behind rear license plate
7. Alcohol wipedown with Menzerna Top Inspection to remove polishing oils
8. 2 coats of Menzerna Powerlock sealant, including door jams and paintwork in trunk and engine
9. 1 coat Lusso Oro paste wax
10. Aquapel on windows and Klasse AIO on all other windows
11. Interior detailing with 1Z einszett Plastic Deep Cleaner, 1Z einszett Cockpit Premium, and Leather Master leather Protection Cream
Results:
Now, one of the last things (so far) that I wanted to address was the steering wheel. The wheel that comes with the North American RS4 was a far cry from what came stock on the EU RS4, and compared to what my 2007 GTI and my 2012 GTI came with, it felt like the steering wheel from a bus! So, after much looking around and considering of options, I decided to order a custom wheel from Carsdream in Germany, a company that does custom interior leather work on european cars. The price was quite reasonable, the work outstanding, and it allowed me to use my existing airbag and steering wheel controls. The wheel just arrived yesterday and I installed it last night. It is much better than the old wheel with a thicker diameter and much more obvious contouring. The flat-bottom also allows easier ingress and egress:
So, that's the story so far! It's been a great 8 months, and I am loving the RS4! The Mrs. and I have a baby on the way, and I am trying to figure out the best baby seat to fit in the back for when we take the RS instead of the GTI...gotta make sure the kid is raised right with the sound of a high-revving european V-8 in their ears as they ride along!
Thanks to the great community here at RS246, it's been a great experience so far, and the resources here have been invaluable for maintenance questions, the occasional rant, and ideas/inspiration for new tweaks to the car to make it even more "perfect"!
- got any more photos?
