I bought this car on December 28, 2020 to replace a manual 2013 Audi A4 as my daily driver. The previous owner must've been on the older side as it was completely stock, curb rash on all four wheels, no tint, and effectively perfect maintenance history. These first pictures are from the night that I purchased it.

 

Within the first 2 months of owning the car, I replaced the stock intake with the F-Sport intake and upgraded the exhaust with a Magnaflow axleback exhaust. I found that it wasn't enough for me, so I replaced the stock 22-inch resonator with a 6-inch Magnaflow muffler which was welded in by an exhaust shop. Here are some sound clips of the car after replacing the intake and exhaust:

 

During the summer and early fall of 2021, I upgraded the front and rear sway bars to the F-Sport variants, and they made a massive difference in the way the car handles in hard corners. I also replaced the OEM upper and lower grilles with the F-Sport grilles (lower not pictured here), which I think really spiced up the appearance of the car. Still the only interior modification I've made up to this date is the F-Sport shift ****, which looks and feels far more premium than the OEM one.

 

In early January 2022 I ended up purchasing a set of 18x8.5 Konig Ampliform wheels and fitting 245/40R18 tires on all four corners. These are some pictures of the car shortly after having the wheels and tires put on, still with stock struts (lower F-Sport grille also pictured here).

 

Finally, through the entire month of February, I installed Megan Racing EZII coilovers and spent a few weekends dialing in the ride height and ride quality (very glad to no longer have the same wheel gap as a Chevy Silverado). It was difficult to set it to the proper height due to the well-known issue with drivetrain vibration on the AWD IS models, but as of February 26, it no longer has the vibration. The final suspension modification that was added was the RR Racing upgraded lower control arm bushings, which made a noticeable difference in turn-in accuracy, stability through turns and over large bumps, and stability during hard braking. There are still more minor modifications to come, but as it stands currently, the car is nearly in its final state.

 

How are you liking the Megan's? My 250 AWD is in need of a suspension upgrade. Fronts are 10, and rear 8 default rates?

I had the EZ on my old GS 400. For normal driving they where descent, but for the weight of the car. I didn't like how they body rolled when pushing it hard.

Now that you have fsport sways. How do they pair with the EZ's when pushing the car into corners?

 

I love these coilovers. I was going to upgrade the stock struts to the F-Sport shocks and springs, but decided to go with these since they were about the same price. You are correct on the default rates, and I find that it is perfectly set up to for a sporty daily driver/commuter car. I drive over some terrible roads and it handles the bumps and cracks tremendously while remaining firm and composed.

When I have the dampers turned up to a firmer setting, it handles really well in the corners. Corners which I could take at 50mph on the stock struts I can now take at 65mph with the new suspension setup. I think the coilovers are awesome generally speaking, but when you consider that they can be had for under $900, they are absolutely outstanding.

 

That sounds good. I'm leaning towards just getting coil overs. Not sure which brand to get yet. I'll definitely run default rates. As they are pretty stiff compared to stock suspension. I won't be lowering my car much. Another is I will have some weight reduction. What are your daily settings on the damping for daily. Otherwise how many clicks from full soft are you running for front, and rear?

 

That sounds like a solid plan if you ask me. I lowered the rear by about 1/2" and the front by about a whole inch, and it doesn't put too much stress on the front axles. I'm not sure if the first gen EZ coilovers are the same way, but on these EZII coilovers 15 is the softest setting and 1 is the hardest, I have the rear at 7 and the front at 6. That setup has been perfect for maintaining that firm ride, but remaining very comfortable (which I drive very long distances on some very harsh roads). I think I also read on another thread here that these coilovers are made by BC Racing, who are obviously very highly-renowned for their build quality, so it gives me great peace of mind regarding the build quality of these ones as well. Highly recommend thus far.

 

I decided I want to make the change the exhaust note/make it a bit louder, so I started by replacing the stock 2.25" pipes between the primary and secondary cats with 3" pipes. I also did the same with the Y-pipe located directly before the center resonator, and this is the product of that exhaust work:

 

What a find for a 2011, just 90k stock miles.
The wheel/tinted windows and paint color combo makes the car shine. I would say the previous owner had it garage kept because that paint looks almost brand new, with no chips or rust.

 

Couldn't agree more. I was shocked when I arrived to check out the car and it was just about perfect aesthetically considering its age. If it wasn't garage kept, I don't see how it could be anywhere near the condition that it was/is in. Regardless, it was an amazing find in my opinion (especially with it being AWD) and I'm glad you are able to appreciate it as well.

 

Bolts ons are cool to do, but dont forget vehicle maintenance.

Unless it was done recently, do all fluids, transmission, diff, transmission filter, spark plugs, cabin filter etc.
A good mod, is swap to cabin led, really brings the car up to date. The one I found difficult to do, was the night lights of the rear view mirrors. There are some YT videos, but still it was difficult for me, if not careful the mirror can crack or break the motor.

 

I have been religious in terms of maintenance, but when I did the transmission service @90k it started slipping, which I have yet to fix. Looks like it's gonna be in the ballpark of $3k to replace the transmission :/ Otherwise, maintenance has been effectively flawless.

 

Who did the transmission fluid change?
What type of oil was used, brand?

Those transmissions need to be filled to factory levels, if not done right will slip.
If the incorrect transmission fluid is used they will slip.

When I did mine, I dumped the oil on several cycles across a few weeks (not trans flush), to take most of the old oil out.