While I’m trying not to turn the Audi into a project car, a few things did need to be addressed before it settles in as a daily driver. The first was the tires, it came with Blizzak snow tires on what I think are the original rims, as wells as a set of bare 18″ rims from a sport package A4. I went with set of Continental DWS06+ on the sport rims for summer. They’re on the performance side of all-seasons, but should hold up if/when I’m slow putting the snows back on this winter.

Next up was the yellowed headlights. I went with one of the usual sand and polish kits, though this time I also tried a UV film along with the (probably useless) clear coat wipes they provide. Some of the crazing was too deep to sand out, but from a distance it’s now looking presentable. I also had tint installed since the black paint with black interior and panoramic wagon windows is a terrible combination for high altitude sun. I went as dark as I could on the shade, which in Colorado is roughly 25%. Definitely helps the heat and no complaints on the style.

The final upgrade was completely unnecessary, but irresistible. On impulse I bought a classic VDO boost gauge out of nostalgia for the Audi 200. Unfortunately that meant I couldn’t use any of the off-the-shelf gauge mounts for the A4, which are generally only compatible with modern short-depth electronic gauges. So 3d-printing to the rescue. I mocked up a gauge mount that clamps to the defroster vent and tried driving around with the weight of the gauge in place. It held, so I reprinted in ABS, and wired it in.

The A4 is in no way faster with the gauge in place, but I’m still not over the fun of seeing the needle swing past 15psi. The model could still use some tweaks for aesthetics, but the first pass is now up on printables.