New B7 owner with some questions!

[steam2000]

Hello

I've just taken collection of a '57 Saloon in Silver and despite doing lots of research on these before, I have a host of questions that I hope you will be able to help me with!

1) A lot of the Silver ones that I saw for sale seemed to be Avus Silver with a blue/grey tinge however this one is more of a traditional 'Silver' and the colour code in the service manual is listed as "LY7W". Looking at the online sales brochure for this model it lists Avus Silver and Silver, metallic - I assume it's the latter? Were many released in this colour?

2) Is there an easy way of enabling Bluetooth with the original headunit or a way to find out if it is already enabled? I've read mixed things on this... would like to be able to play music from my phone via Bluetooth - is this possible or will I need an aftermarket headunit?

3) These engines obviously love to be revved, but is it safe to rev them to 8250rpm (and beyond)? This has had an MRC remap producing 436bhp but I have no idea what the limit has been set to - anyone that's had a Stage 2 remap at MRC able to advise whether they raise the limit or not? Also the MRC map seems to be full throttle and power in S mode but with S mode off seems to be less power and flaps shut - is this normal? Would be ideal if the non-S mode was still full power/throttle just with the flaps shut...

4) Oil temp - seems to be sitting in the 80's/90's on a normal drive and goes up to 100ish when driving more spiritedly - is this normal and is there an upper limit that should be avoided if on a spirited run/long drive?

5) Service intervals - I believe that Oil & Filter is every 10k/12 months, whichever comes first (pretty standard). However, can't find anything definitive on some of the more longer term elements such as spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter, pollen filter, gearbox oil, brake fluid, etc - anyone able to advise on these?

6) Brakes - not due yet but conscious that they are not cheap. Where are people buying discs and pads from? Are there good non-OEM alternatives for discs and what pads are owners using? I've used Mintex 1144's on performance cars in the past and they have been excellent.


No doubt I'll have some more questions but if anyone can help answer any or all of the above it would be much appreciated! Thanks

[highrise]

Hi,

I can maybe help with a couple of these:

2) I opted to keep the car as original as possible but added a Denison GBL3AI2 ( https://www.dension.co.uk/ ). It works well for calls and music. You have to remove the CD player but the installation is pretty straightforward. Happy to support, if you end up going that route.

6) In the process of replacing brakes at the moment:
Front discs and pads from Autodoc. (https://www.autodoc.co.uk/brembo/11804405 & https://www.autodoc.co.uk/brembo/7611764)
Rear pads from DemonTweaks ( Ferodo DS2500 Brake Pads )
The issue seems to be getting hold of the rear discs. The quotes I had from my indy garage were crazy. I ended up going with Reyland (http://www.reyland.co.uk/audi-rear/). There is a 28-day wait, so not arrived yet.

Good luck

[MTBear]

2) My car has the RNS unit without cd-changer. First I bought a Dension GBL3AI2 and installed it. Did just test it before I removed it an put it in my b7 2,0tfsi. Still there and working fine for over a year now. For my RS i bought a Re-stream https://re-stream.se/product/re-stream-dmc/ . Same same as the Dension and works fine for both phonecalls and music.

[12th]

3) The MRC map does up the rev limiter a little - I wouldn't be banging into it continually, but using the full rev band should be fine - I've had mine for 15 years and have always done so when having a little fun, with the obvious proviso that it needs to be properly up to temp before doing so.

Non-sport mode is horribly flat with the MRC map - when I have more work done, I'll be asking for what you mention - sport mode only closing the valves in the exhaust, if possible.

4) My oil temp doesn't go beyond 100 often, but mid- to high 90s is typical.

6) https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/brembo-b ... -10444170A They do offers sometimes, but this is still far less than Audi will milk you for.

Don't be frightened of finding a good independent - Audi are greedy and not always honest/competent. If you are prepared to say roughly where you are, you may get some good recommendations.

Has the DRC been done yet, and the front oil cooler?

[12th]

2) I opted to keep the car as original as possible but added a Denison GBL3AI2 ( https://www.dension.co.uk/ ). It works well for calls and music. You have to remove the CD player but the installation is pretty straightforward. Happy to support, if you end up going that route.

Good luck

You're an Apple user? Do they do something similar for Android, do you know? I found the website rather unhelpful.

Cheers.

[steam2000]

Hi,

I can maybe help with a couple of these:

2) I opted to keep the car as original as possible but added a Denison GBL3AI2 ( https://www.dension.co.uk/ ). It works well for calls and music. You have to remove the CD player but the installation is pretty straightforward. Happy to support, if you end up going that route.

6) In the process of replacing brakes at the moment:
Front discs and pads from Autodoc. (https://www.autodoc.co.uk/brembo/11804405 & https://www.autodoc.co.uk/brembo/7611764)
Rear pads from DemonTweaks ( Ferodo DS2500 Brake Pads )
The issue seems to be getting hold of the rear discs. The quotes I had from my indy garage were crazy. I ended up going with Reyland (http://www.reyland.co.uk/audi-rear/). There is a 28-day wait, so not arrived yet.

Good luck

Thanks - the Denison seems like a good solution, although seems a shame to have to remove the 6CD changer. I'd still choose to remove it if I had to over not having Bluetooth, but would be interested to know if there are any alternative products out there that allow you to keep it. Also the Denison product page seems really old, maybe they just haven't updated it?! For instance it only references compatibility up to iPhone 4...

I'm not sure what OEM headunit I have. It just says Audi Navigation plus on it - is this the default one do you know?

As for the brakes, many thanks for linking those, really helpful. Those front discs seem really good value, especially when comparing with the link that 12th posted below - can't believe they're the same product?! The ones you linked reference the OEM part number though so must be the correct ones. Out of interest, why wouldn't you choose to also go for Ferodo DS2500 Pads for the front? Surely better than the OEM Brembo's?

Yeah I heard about the rear disc supply issues, thanks for linking the Reyland ones. Which ones did you go for on that page out of interest as there seems to be multiple options.

2) My car has the RNS unit without cd-changer. First I bought a Dension GBL3AI2 and installed it. Did just test it before I removed it an put it in my b7 2,0tfsi. Still there and working fine for over a year now. For my RS i bought a Re-stream https://re-stream.se/product/re-stream-dmc/ . Same same as the Dension and works fine for both phonecalls and music.

Thanks. Interestingly, the Re-stream product states "with CD-changer (CDC) support." so may not require removal of the 6CD changer. I will drop them an e-mail and enquire. Was it easy to install and did you go for 8PIN or 12PIN?

3) The MRC map does up the rev limiter a little - I wouldn't be banging into it continually, but using the full rev band should be fine - I've had mine for 15 years and have always done so when having a little fun, with the obvious proviso that it needs to be properly up to temp before doing so.

Non-sport mode is horribly flat with the MRC map - when I have more work done, I'll be asking for what you mention - sport mode only closing the valves in the exhaust, if possible.

4) My oil temp doesn't go beyond 100 often, but mid- to high 90s is typical.

6) https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/brembo-b ... -10444170A They do offers sometimes, but this is still far less than Audi will milk you for.

Don't be frightened of finding a good independent - Audi are greedy and not always honest/competent. If you are prepared to say roughly where you are, you may get some good recommendations.

Has the DRC been done yet, and the front oil cooler?

Yeah it's a real shame about the non-sport mode. I don't always want the car to be loud, but I don't want a massive drop in performance when in non-sport mode and that seems to be the case... must be a reason that MRC map it this way though. Something to enquire about if I decide to visit them in the future.

DRC yes - replaced with fully adjustable Bilstein B16's. Oil cooler - no. Are high-ish oil temps a sign that it could be on its way out? There are no leaks or anything, car is bone dry underneath but even after just a short spirited drive the other day from memory the temp was up to 101 degrees - I'll have to keep an eye on it. I've read that replacement options are either Forge or Radtec - are they as good as each other or is there a preferred option amongst owners?

I'd always lean towards choosing an indy to be honest, especially for any big jobs - I'm in the south of the UK.

The brakes you've linked seem crazy expensive compared to the ones that highrise linked above - are they the same product?


Thanks all for your help/advice!

[12th]

RE brakes - not sure, although I think that link is for a single disc, and the one I linked to is for two, I think. As I say, they do flash sales, as it's still more expensive. Audi would be asking £1,400+, I believe, for parts alone.

I had a Forge cooler fitted - cheaper than an OEM replacement, and shouldn't corrode like that would. The oil cooler is hidden away under the front, and is a known weak point. Some of the joined parts are of different metals and therefore corrode - worth getting it checked out, as failure can be catastrophic. I think your temps on their own are nothing to worry about.

I think the non-sport mode is so-calibrated to make sport mode feel better by comparison. I never use non-sport.

[MTBear]

2) My car has the RNS unit without cd-changer. First I bought a Dension GBL3AI2 and installed it. Did just test it before I removed it an put it in my b7 2,0tfsi. Still there and working fine for over a year now. For my RS i bought a Re-stream https://re-stream.se/product/re-stream-dmc/ . Same same as the Dension and works fine for both phonecalls and music.

Thanks. Interestingly, the Re-stream product states "with CD-changer (CDC) support." so may not require removal of the 6CD changer. I will drop them an e-mail and enquire. Was it easy to install and did you go for 8PIN or 12PIN?

I think you have to remove the cd-changer even with re-stream. Its using the same pins in the quadlock socket. In the 2,0 tfsi I had to remove the ipod interface, using the same pins as cd-changer.
Its easy to install. In the RNS unit (navigation) there is a 12pin connector to remove from the quadlock. 2 wires from this connector must be moved to the new connector from re-stream, else the bose sub is not working. This is the same for Dension to.

[steam2000]

RE brakes - not sure, although I think that link is for a single disc, and the one I linked to is for two, I think. As I say, they do flash sales, as it's still more expensive. Audi would be asking £1,400+, I believe, for parts alone.

I had a Forge cooler fitted - cheaper than an OEM replacement, and shouldn't corrode like that would. The oil cooler is hidden away under the front, and is a known weak point. Some of the joined parts are of different metals and therefore corrode - worth getting it checked out, as failure can be catastrophic. I think your temps on their own are nothing to worry about.

I think the non-sport mode is so-calibrated to make sport mode feel better by comparison. I never use non-sport.

Thanks. Yes makes sense to go Forge in that case. I think they're about £1000 but at least you know it should be a 'fit and forget' part and far superior over the OEM one.

I think you have to remove the cd-changer even with re-stream. Its using the same pins in the quadlock socket. In the 2,0 tfsi I had to remove the ipod interface, using the same pins as cd-changer.
Its easy to install. In the RNS unit (navigation) there is a 12pin connector to remove from the quadlock. 2 wires from this connector must be moved to the new connector from re-stream, else the bose sub is not working. This is the same for Dension to.

Ah ok thanks, that's a shame about having to remove the OEM CD-changer but it is what it is. I'll do some more research and will reach out to re-stream - thanks!

[highrise]

Out of interest, why wouldn't you choose to also go for Ferodo DS2500 Pads for the front? Surely better than the OEM Brembo's?

Because they have the sensors and I'm being a bit nerdy about having the stock wear sensors working. They were currently disabled and it was bothering me.
Also, I think from memory the Brembo's pads were a good price.

[delroyx]

Regarding enabling bluetooth:

When I got my RS4 a few years ago, I looked into this. From memory there is a BT module which plugs in the rear. This includes a mic & once fitted needs to be activated using VCDS.

This provides BT calls though the RNSE but not music streaming.

My solution for this was to get the aux in module which also plugs in the back & needs activating. This allows a 3.5mm cable to connect directly to the HU but this can also be plugged into a BT receiver that you can buy on ebay for a few quid. You can get power to the glove box by running a piggyback fuse to the glove box to run the BT receiver via USB.

This way allows BT streaming from your phone after putting the RNSE into aux input. It doesn't show track info though. With the various voice assistants these days, this solution works well for me. It even keeps the CD changer.

If you look on ebay those modules seem readily available.

[Revorocks]

2) I opted to keep the car as original as possible but added a Denison GBL3AI2 ( https://www.dension.co.uk/ ). It works well for calls and music. You have to remove the CD player but the installation is pretty straightforward. Happy to support, if you end up going that route.

Does yours autoplay or ever run out of tracks? I fitted a Bovee1000 which is a BT adapter for the ipod dock.
I replaced the CD player with an ipod dock but it always plays music if enabled which is quite annoying. Also sometimes it gets up to track 100 or so then refuses to play anymore.
Might get the Denison if it functions better so would be keen to find out, thanks.

[steam2000]

Because they have the sensors and I'm being a bit nerdy about having the stock wear sensors working. They were currently disabled and it was bothering me.
Also, I think from memory the Brembo's pads were a good price.

Makes sense, thanks!

Regarding enabling bluetooth:

When I got my RS4 a few years ago, I looked into this. From memory there is a BT module which plugs in the rear. This includes a mic & once fitted needs to be activated using VCDS.

This provides BT calls though the RNSE but not music streaming.

My solution for this was to get the aux in module which also plugs in the back & needs activating. This allows a 3.5mm cable to connect directly to the HU but this can also be plugged into a BT receiver that you can buy on ebay for a few quid. You can get power to the glove box by running a piggyback fuse to the glove box to run the BT receiver via USB.

This way allows BT streaming from your phone after putting the RNSE into aux input. It doesn't show track info though. With the various voice assistants these days, this solution works well for me. It even keeps the CD changer.

If you look on ebay those modules seem readily available.

Thanks sounds like a great solution but also too technical for me to get my head around!! I have half decent mechanical knowledge but not so great with car electrics/ICE.

I can't believe there's no commonly used guide for this - I don't mean your specific solution but there must be so many owners on here who have the OEM headunit/CD changer but have enabled Bluetooth. I'd have thought for such an old car now there would be a tried and tested method but maybe I was being too optimistic. I really wanted to avoid changing the OEM headunit for an aftermarket one but maybe it's just the easier option

[Mav8]

I cant find the thread but when i had my B7 i put in a SEAT Exeo Rnse unit in and the MMi from an A3
Jon J on here did an excellent video of the install and parts needed,but for the life of me i cant find it.
It was a great upgrade whilst keeping the OEM head unit.
Well worth doing IMO
Mav8

[steam2000]

I cant find the thread but when i had my B7 i put in a SEAT Exeo Rnse unit in and the MMi from an A3
Jon J on here did an excellent video of the install and parts needed,but for the life of me i cant find it.
It was a great upgrade whilst keeping the OEM head unit.
Well worth doing IMO
Mav8

Thanks for this. I did a bit of research and it looks to be a good upgrade whilst keeping the OEM look as you say. I e-mailed HazzyDayz about it as they seem to be highly regarded on here as being great retrofitters especially when it comes to in car entertainment/multimedia etc but they didn't seem too interested when I mentioned about the SEAT option

They offer a Bluetooth streaming device for £125 which apparently allows for music streaming from your phone but won't display any track info on the interface, nor will it allow you to change track from the RNSE which isn't ideal. Think I'll keep looking around to see if there are any other local ICE experts that can help with the SEAT option.