n00b but 3rd Audi

[mjhamilton]

After previously owning a 98 A6 2.4SE and an 03 A2 1.6FSI Sport I took a break and spent nearly 5 years running a Honda Civic 2005 EP3 Type-R - my wife told me I needed to buy a grown ups car (2 kids and approaching 40) so On Monday I purchased another Audi on an impulse buy . A 2005 S4 Cabriolet - the 4.2lt V8 was just too much of a temptation - so here I am on this forum but have been an active member on the A2 and Type-R forums during my ownership (and even after)........... already got some neat ideas from this place and am fixing little 'niggles' as time goes by but to all intensive purposes I think I have bought a solid car with an amazing service history behind it - look forward to joining the fun and hope to be able to contribute as well https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=ea533...160D6FC%211861

[zollaf]

welcome to the forum

[mjhamilton]

Cheers matey..

Am enjoying my first week a lot especially with this weather - car was a bit of a barn find so has been cleaned inside and out to within a inch of its existence

Also replaced the wheel Center caps as the Audi signs were corroded and sprayed the Center cap rivets black to match the car

Biggest issues left to sort are

1 - rns-e screen has been cleaned with something that has partially removed the anti glare coating - need to remove screen and polish the rest away and then apply a cut down iPad screen protector before refitting
2 - drivers headlight is badly hazed and the UV coating is futzed - funny as the passenger one is fine - Tried to rectify on car but only made it a little better - got to remove and aggressively sand before polishing and applying new UV protector

All in all minor things but need to be done

[Guest 2]

Welcome to VWAF

Bet that V8 sounds good!

[mjhamilton]

burbles like a lion - love it and best of all the wife and kids love it so this a more acceptable 'toy' for me to own (especially with the current weather we are having)

[mjhamilton]

So yesterday I went to the degree of stripping the keys, replacing the batteries and also the fob buttons - both look much better now

Minor thing I know but it's the little things that make the difference

[mjhamilton]

So following is complete and she is coming together

- interior stripped and cleaned to within an inch of its life, carpets deep cleaned and leather stripped and fed - and then all put back together again
- engine coverings all removed, degreased and engine steam cleaned before refitting and dressing
- wheel cap badger replaced and rivets painted black
- drivers headlight refurbished using 3m kit to remove blown UV coating
- hood cleaned using AG kit (which I am not that impressed with so needs more work)
- RNS-E anti glare screen coating was damaged in the middle from previous owner rubbing with something, removed all coating to unify screen using plastex and a cloth
- RNS-E was not coded properly so sound was off and phone was not recognised in cradle - user eBay cable and vcds-lite to recode - now much better
- rear seat hatch was damaged - used force to remove and straightened before refitting
- coin holder and cup holder were 'sticky' - removed and cleaned for smooth action
- mot advisory on drivers seat belt being stiff after couple of feet extended - fully extended and found crewing gum on belt - cleaned and all good


Things still to do
- fit reverse parking sensors (have kit need time)
- get RNS-E coded to show S4 logo on start (cannot do with VCDS-lite as needs license)
- get new battery cover as existing one is loose
- get first aid kit
- give roof another clean to remove stubborn mould
- fix crack on side of ecu box in engine bay (someone has tried to remove cover without undoing all screws)
- give leather another feed
- work out how to adjust headlamp washer without getting drenched
- replace all standard bulbs with LEDs
- sell 18" avus and replace with space saver spare wheel as it does not match the RS multisppke wheels that are on the car
- Clay, machine polish and wax before winter and correct any stone chips (all 3 of them)

So she is getting there

[Guest 2]

Someones been busy but still alot of things you've set yourself to do!

Hopefully it wont take too long

[mjhamilton]

With family and work working on my cars keeps me sane

The Honda I just sold was in my possession for almost 5 years - she left me in a state of near perfection and the new owner (only 23) is so pleased with her he texts me almost daily to provide updates and also get details on how to look after

S4 was a bit of a barn find and my wife decided I needed a hobby that the family could also enjoy

[mjhamilton]

found one more 'issue'.. I am guessing that someone tried the move the level in the boot with the roof down - end result is that with the roof up the tray only raises about 50% the distance it should

As it is moving evenly and with the limited tracing I have done I am guessing the cable has either popped out or broken it's securing bracket on the left hand side - so now I need to work out what I need to remove to get to it..

Not a major problem as you can just manually push the tray up the rest of the way to get big stuff in but it would be nice to have it tip top - I am guessing Audi will probably sell the entire unit for about a grand so wont be testing that water anytime soon