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Cosmetic enhancement...or?


justinb
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I have a Crystal Blue A4 1.8T Avant Quattro Sport - 17" wheels, etc and black alcantara interior...the only thing is i've not got chrome side strips and also have only black roof rails so the car doesn't look too special. I'm thinking of getting a front centre armrest fitted and painting the front, rear and side bumpers in the body colour. All of this will set me back £1200. I'm also thinking of chipping it from 163bhp to 205bhp which is £650+vat.

Is this worth it or a complete waste of time????

Any other suggestions?

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£1200 sounds a lot for painting bodywork !

Before you go that route, I would check out the prices of the (painted) sport body kit from your local Audi dealer. It may be that you can get the sport kit painted and fitted cheaper than having your existing body parts painted.

For me, the centre armrest is a complete waste of time, money and space - mine spent all of its time in the upright position.

Having it chipped is a great idea - I'm sure you'll notice a significant difference with that.

You might also want to consider some new wheels, depending on what you've got on there. 17" wheels look good, but 18"'s look much better.

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The chipping sounds worthwhile - are those MTM figures ? The increased torque will make overtaking at lower revs etc. much smoother, so it's not just a matter of a slightly increased BHP.

I use my centre armrest, even though I have a manual - makes a good elbow rest for gearstick arm. Especially if you have leather upholstery, it adds to the feeling of being enveloped in lush soft materials, and the storage compartment is handy for keeping my phone and PDA chargers etc. when not in use, I find, as it's near the power socket.

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Hi, yep they're charging a ridiculous £500 for the armrest including fitting. I'm thinking of even selling the car and getting a new SLine 1.8T Quattro but i don't think that will work out economically! The paint job is basically painting the rear, front and side 'black' rubber bits and comes in at around £1000.

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having gone from standard 15" to 18" RS6reps i would recommend the upgrade. grin.gif

As i'm having some respraying done (neighbour scrached rear valance and wing)I asked for a quote to repray the rear/side/front at the same time. The costs was an additional £250......so yes your being ripped off.

....I've also put some nice S-line badges on grin.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

I'd like to trade it in but doubt it would be economical. It's a June 2003 model and i purchased it as the second owner in December for £20,500 which i thought wasn't a BAD price?? But i'd lose loads and a 1.8T Quattro with options would reach about £25k

[/ QUOTE ]

Said mods will give you a minimal return on your 'investment' when you come to sell. Also chipping it 40 bhp will not assist resale. £1200 on painting the under bumpers, you are having a laugh. Sell it now privately before the '04' platers kick in and upgrade to a 2.5 TDi 180 Avant Sport quattro or a 3.0 V6 Petrol, both around £26k list from memory. The real deal, more kit as standard, effortless performance, fully warrantied, easy resale, you own it from new, you pick your exact spec. Better still, find a nicely optioned up used one like you did before.

Ian C

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Your post reminds me of the age old classic, the 318. You can easily spec the base beemer with sports seats, nappa leather, met paint, 18s, sports susp, auto, sat nav/TV, Harmon Kardon, 6CD, dash MD, phone, PDC.......etc and it will be the same price as the stock 330i SE. Saw a 320i Convertible at my home BMW dealership in Jan, new for £37k!! It had the full sport pack with 18s, leather, Sat Nav/TV and Auto along with everything else. The M3 is less than 40k ffs!

sportifs2.gif

Ian C

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I disagree a little with the 'harsh' comments - although at first i thought the 1.8T wasn't too hot i think it offers a great compromise between power and cost and economy. I get really decent economy even when driving hard.

I think i can get the paint job done for cheaper but the armrest is a steep £500! Worth it though for long journeys. To trade the car in i'd lose at least £2000 and then have to pay upwards of £25k for the 'ideal' spec so not really worth it...hmm...(scratches head).

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[ QUOTE ]

I disagree a little with the 'harsh' comments - although at first i thought the 1.8T wasn't too hot i think it offers a great compromise between power and cost and economy. I get really decent economy even when driving hard.

I think i can get the paint job done for cheaper but the armrest is a steep £500! Worth it though for long journeys. To trade the car in i'd lose at least £2000 and then have to pay upwards of £25k for the 'ideal' spec so not really worth it...hmm...(scratches head).

[/ QUOTE ]

Apologies if you took my comments as an insult, please forgive me! Go on, treat yourself! My point is you will have to spend a good few grand to get said upgrades (chip, paint, rails & arm rest) whereas for a couple thousand more you would have the real deal with all the bits you desire. Would imagine the 2.5 TDi 180 would be as quick as a modestly tuned 1.8T, more economical and give instant resale. The 3.0 V6 would cream the 1.8T if you can afford the outlay and fuel.

Best of luck deciding,

Ian C

PS: Sorry, poor timing of the '318' rant on my behalf...

I found it funny to see a 37k 320i Cab that is barely faster than my uncles facelift 320d SE.

lol.gif

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