TTQ B4U

I totally understand that. Car will no doubt pull a TD1 Code and they warned me of that too. I was really surprised they didn't ream the service dept for flashing the tune on the car prior to my signing papers. I'm glad this happened before I signed though.

HaHa! I deserve that for sure! :gabe: No more S4Play threads until I fucking have some seat time in this "phatom" black car.

So I got Casey's story with the oil pump failure beat and I'm chasing Ben's Mustang that he can't drive due to the airbag issue with my own story. In Chicago hoping to have some wild "S4Play" (thanks Clay!) in a hotel reading the books and tearing up the streets but things took a different turn. I was just about to sign papers, went to take one final look at my new baby when I saw the service manager and lead technician shaking their heads in disbelief. Cliffs: They are an APR Dealer and were installing the Stage 1 Tune and DSG tune that we negotiated into the deal when the DSG Tune Crashed. Now the car doesn't recognize it has a transmission and won't go into gear, etc. Solution forthcoming Monday, with them delivering it to me in Columbus next Tuesday or Wednesday. In the end, I chose the Phantom Black car as it's only got 8k on the ODO and is litterally flawless. Tires, paint, inside.....If I didn't know I'd say it was a 0 mile brand new car. I'm not too worried. Risk is all theirs as they have to fix it either way and with them driving it 6+hrs to get it to me, I know they will insure it's perfect.

Thanks Derek. The stock rubber (summer only Continentals) is at about 50% according to the dealer, so let's just swap them over onto the new wheels. We can put winter rubber on the factor peelers later this fall. I'd like to match the wheels in size to the stock ones. Not sure of the off-set. I'll let your expertise come back to me. I just don't want the protruding out from the fenders like a 16yr old kids car.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj84/crms3er/159127823.bh7J9DQJ_zpsmm2iw9ct.jpg

Exactly. That's why I went S4 vs CTS-V. Balance. S4 is 90-95% the fun but 100% of the time. The V can only really be pushed 50-60% of the time given weather. haha! Will be plenty I'm sure. I'm pulling the trigger on all kinds of extras and mods while I rest up in the hotel tomorrow night Remote Start Winter Wheels & Tires Tint Clear Bra RS4 Grills Tow Hook Plate Bracket APR Stage II+ goodies I'm stealing a little bit of the Personalized Plate theme from our fellow CR member but hey.....he's onto the BRZ platform now http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj84/crms3er/S4%20PLate_zpsbbz5t4rr.jpg

They were his brothers which means they are my uncles That entire generation has bonds that I only hope my kids have. Text messages and facetime will never equal time in the trenches with a rifle and knowing that you truly have one anothers back.

It was but I've been looking for a very specific set of options and searching within 6hrs drive time and the white ones as of this week weren't out there. Seems Black makes up like 60%+ of the S4's out there. Another reason why I chose blue

Great story and insight Joe. I never served but oddly can relate as my father did and shared stories all the time. Those days were forever dear to him, even the tough days. He stayed in touch with his fellow brothers to the day he died. Now I stay in touch with the small few that are left. Definitely a unique bond that is centered around something special. In regards to the quote above, Agree 100%. At 45 I often look back at how I've changed and how I've defined success. It definitely changes as you mature. The great part is I feel if you focus on the right core values and goals, the money will follow. Thanks for sharing.

hmm.....may have to look into it a bit more. Have resolved to save that for next year as I'm already pretty deep into mods on my list that I'm going to be doing this year.

Non resonated downpipe or simply replacing the resonator with an x-pipe set up really seems to give it a good sound under load. My only huge concern is interior sound and reverb. Likely going to leave it stock.

They do make a bad-ass sounding exhaust for the S4, but they are $2,100-$3,800 proud of that sound. :zoom:

They do seem to come in heavier than I thought and would like. 28lbs each. However, they do look good and what I've found they are about the same lbs as the peelers.

My new S4 has the stock 19" Peeler Style wheels with summer rubber. I'm not interested in spending a ton of money but is anyone here familiar with these? Here's the same car with them on it. Are they decent quality? I'm liking them and heck could see them as the summer set and the stock peelers as the winter set? http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/02/cd51422a8a59dd61a5863b08cb260936.jpg http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/24/03845b837410905280c86d19f389947b.jpg vs Stock: http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj84/crms3er/blue_zps0mhvcq7h.jpg

Thanks Andy. Tried calling you earlier to probe about the care products. I've made the decision....Blue it is. I know it won't be as easy as white but it's not as difficult as the black. Both will look great I'm sure.

^^ that's not the exact car but it looks just like it. Dealer already knows to remove any and all non Audi Crap. It will have a front plate bracket on it but that's okay as one of my first mods is the RS4 Grill and Fogs. I'll be ordering them soon.

WOW! Overwhelming response for the blue. Both on CR and Audi forums. Many over there said they had the black and it was a complete PIA. I agree and while I LOVE black when it's cleaned up, it is a PIA. Blue it is and thus the journey begins. I leave Friday to pick it up. Staying overnight and ordering the mods from hotel room Driving it back Saturday morning.

No, won't be changing stock suspension at all. It's a nice to have feature as with my family or customers in it, I would use the soft setting and with me the sporty one. In the end, I'll live with or without it just fine I'm sure.

problem is I love both! fuck! I'll post back the final input numbers from my various sources tonight. I love hearing the opinions and experiences though. It's helping.

I'm with you on the black side. We have a black minivan and it's a PIA but it's saving grace is you don't see the roof or horizontal areas except the hood. Water spots on a hood or deck lid, especially any acid rain-ish spots would bother me. I'll be leaving the suspension stock. The way I'm justifying not having it is that none of the S4's I've driven have had it so I can't miss it. Will likely only buy winter wheels as the blue one is wrapped in summer rubber. Continued thanks.

Down to the choice of 2 cars. What would CR Choose. Help me pick as I'm torn. Both similar but not the same in terms of pricing and features. The black has one more feature, less miles but is priced $2,400 more. Brilliant Black is an ultra-deep clear-coat pure black, no metallic flake at all. Love the depth and look when clean. Hard as hell to keep that way Shows everything from dust to scratches easier This car has a 8,500 miles on it and one feature that I like but isn't necessarily a deal breaker and that's Audi's Adaptive Damping Suspension where you can change the ride from soft to firm, etc....like very noticeably. Nice to have for family cruising, etc. Those that have it really seem to like it. Otherwise the cars are fully loaded Premium Plus models with Sport Diff, etc. and nice. Sitting in the showroom. http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj84/crms3er/black_zpsmps3zahx.jpg Moonlight Blue Metallic is exactly that. Not the midnight blue I would really want but nice and not as common of a color. Looks great clean, shows dirt and flaws less Not many have it really as it's not cheap. Dealing with a sales person not manager, was up-front that the car was priced fairly...and he's not wrong. but overall didn't seem as flexible. VW Dealer bought this as a program car as they also have an Audi Store. http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj84/crms3er/blue_zps0mhvcq7h.jpg The Blue one has just over 12,500 miles and lacks the suspension option. Gut has me leaning to blue for ease of maintenance and sure, pricing seems lower and the dealer 'sounded' more flexible on pricing of the car. We'll see. I'm dealing with the Manager Directly. High-line dealer of imports. Was a program car, sold to at 5,000 miles, then that guy got divorced, and last month bought a used TL and traded the blue S4. That's the story anyway. Both appear and are described as flawless. Both have the 19" Peeler style wheels shown on summer rubber. Which would you choose? Help me solve a first-world problem. Thanks!

I can PM you a mailing address if they would like me to scan them. I know it's a lot to ask of a stranger to send their pics, but the offer stands and I'm 100% reliable in terms of restorations. I have plenty of history doing it. Thoughts and prayers to them.

I'll offer up any restoration or enhancement services too. No charge. Get me a couple nice ones. Happy to help.

I get wood looking at those pics. Very nice.

There are better ones. Are you okay with something that's not pocket-able? Vacations with family and kids, etc. usually lends itself to smaller higher quality gear. I picked up an Sony RX100 M3. Pricey for its size but it's one of the best that will easily fit in a pocket. 24-70mm range but top quality lens and sensor. The Panasonic LX100 is slightly better but it's also 1/3 larger. If you want more reach with a medium say 200-400mm zoom, the Panasonic FZ1000 is a great choice. The key to ultra super zooms like the P900 is you can actually get a shot that many won't even come close to getting. What it does best is reach and nothing touches it. Everything else it does is meh.....barely a 5/10 in those regards. I only want one because of it's reach capability. The largest DSLR Lens I carry regularly is my 400mm which on a crop body is 600mm.