Catch can went on this weekend darlings - bloody nightmare (as usual with me) as there's nowhere near the CCV to site it.  In the end I put it in a recess behind the passenger headlight - I think it's where a pump for the auto trans goes.  Anyway, it's quite a tidy install - pics tomorrow when it's light!

Pipe only just fitted, took 1hr to get the 2 connected - the 19mm tubing didn't have a 19mm interior diameter (apparently/obviously!) but it went on eventually.

Quick update, here's a pic of the catch can install...

Pipes run under the bonnet seal to the frame next to the power steering fluid reservoir... think it's usually something to do with tiptronic, but mine's manual, so had a space.

Also, have now got a full colour DIS & Dension Gateway 100 showing track names on the DIS...

Name the band...(!)

Green 'OK' on start-up (iPhone apparently doesn't take photos of green things very well!)

And finally... Anyone with a B6 knows that when you clean the windscreen, you get 4 jets of water.... nowhere near as good as the MkIV fan style spray... so did that too...

Righto, well there have been a few changes...

Got bored with the RS4's, so have got a nice set of 18" RS6's...

Painted engine cover... (the TDI needs to go red now, not got round to it)

Going for brushed aluminium look on interior trim. Not paying c£30 per bit from the dealers, so thought I'd have a go.  This was my first attempt - note the dodgy curve on the left and the bubbles on the right (where I overheated the vinyl!)  I am getting better with each attempt, so fingers crossed it'll look ok when I have another go next week.  Fully aware that it's not to eveeryone's taste (a bit 'bling') but I like it!

Bought an S-Line front bumper last week too, so will get that painted and on soon as that's the one thing I've wanted since I bought the car - really finishes off the look of the B6 in my opinion!

Looking good mate, quite like the look of the 'bling' trim

 Looking great Benji! Much prefer the RS6s over the RS4 reps you had!

Looking great Ben. Really like that colour DIS!

 I love the jobs youve done benjie. The windscreen idea is good alright. The RS6's look sweet, ive always liked them.

Thanks for all the nice comments.

Spending this week on the car. Had another go at the brushed alu tonight, MUCH better outcome, will post up pics tomorrow when I have light!  Took me 1 1/2hrs to just do the one bit - so will try another tomorrow and see what happens.

Also, ripped the interior trim out today - I re-trimmed it in black last year and a few placed went a bit pants (especially under the sun visors!)  It was interesting to drive home tonight with no trim/headlining - and a curtain airbag 6 inches from my forehead!  The rear curtain airbag is abut 1m long!

Big excitement from me, ordered some ambient LED's from a dealer today - I already have the front bathed in a lovely VAG red at night, but have ordered the rear ones now, so hopefully going in on Wed!  Yay.

Also, managed to get a genuine new armrest & all fittings for £65 delivered... SCORE!  Been wanting one since I got the car - really missed it from my MkIV and along it came!  Such a good price too!  So that'll be going in soon too! Yay x2.

So lots happening this week... mostly re-doing other stuff so that I'm happy with it.

Can't wait to get the S Line bumper & armrest in now!!

I got home and he said "Sorry" - never had that before, I had to ask him to repeat it!

More work on the car today, re-trimmed some of the re-trim to make it all a bit smoother and nicer.  Rather than the grey interior of most VAG cars, I went for black (which I think only came with the S6 in a B6?). 

Last time, my mate Alex and I got extremely high on the glue fumes and we ended up gluing the fabric on wonky so it didn't quite cover the panel.  So that needed re-doing.  Sadly, we got high again and made exactly the same balls up!  Though the other 3 bits we did (incl the headliner) all worked out well.

Will be tidying them up and putting them in the car tomorrow.  also, hopefully painting my front brake calipers red, and doing another piece of interior aluminium trim or 2... depending on the time & weather - which, by the way, is NOT worthy of the season known as 'Summer.'

Apparently, "Summer" will be starting on Sept 6th

Roll on Summer! In Autumn?! Sounds good to me! 

I'm in and out of work all of August, then back on 1st!  Let the sun shine then as I am doing a bit of outdoory type walking/nature/harvest stuff with the kids, so I'll be outside!

Did some more mods today - didn't paint the calipers in the end as it kept raining.  Put all pillar & headlining trim back in - took ages and had a few screws leftover, but it all looks fairly good!

I retrofitted rear ambient LED's to my car - it was never an option, so I just superglue the LED's in place and tapped into the illumination of the map lights... though have created a bit of a short circuit somewhere as the map lights work, but are very dim now?!  Looks good in the dark though.

Now, who ever said that VAG group are really good at making nice looking trim that 'clips into place?'  Everyone, that's who!  Well, anyone with a B6/B7, take note, the dash trim that runs from the left above the glovebox is kept on by loads of bolts and the trim around the headlight switch is actually the entire frame that the headlight switch plugs in to... nightmare to get off, but managed it.  Trimmed with the brushed aluminium on the light switch area only, looks good, but the bloody curve of the corners if buggering me right up, I just can't get it smooth and right.  THe more I have a go, the better I get, so hopefully more improvements tomorrow.

Did a few MAF runs too, turns out my MAF may be a bit on the way out.  you know in a diesel, you put your foot down, wait a second, then fly off?  Well you wait about 2 seconds with mine.  The graph shows a dip in MAF readings at peak boost, so that's something to keep an eye on.

So tomorrow...

- Finish alu trim

- Take the perspex off my instrument cluster and move the temp needle back by about 3 degrees *someone knocked it* when installing!

- Service mate's MkIV GTI (NOT the fuel filter - seen where it is?  Ridiculous place to put it!)

- Fix rear LED cluster!

- Take off headlights, make sure bulbs are seated correctly, make sure they're aimed correctly etc.

Will I get it all done?  Doubtful.

Few pics of the interior - just for kicks... not the curtain airbag that runs the length of the cabin!

Never really thought about how big those side curtains are..........they're huge!!!

Sounds and looks like you've been a busy chap

Very busy, mostly done now though!

Done a few maf logs today and have a dip at about 2.2k revs - damn.

Alu trim one - not sure the quality is good enough - rough edges.  You have to try these things to know though!

New armrest arrived today - fit next week sometime

Rear ambient LED's in - had to tidy it up and also, the dodgyness was caused by one of the pins getting bent and not connecting to the wiring harness.  All fine now, really lovely look.

Black re-trim went well, great interior.  Need to decide now if I'm going to buy new/paint interior bits like grab handles and light clusters or just leave them a grey - I think I quite like the contrast.

Pics to follow tomorrow...

 How much of a dip is it ben?

Id like the armrest too, but like all other vag cars, it seems to get in the way of the handbrake alot of the time and just makes handbrake starts around town a pain....

I had an armrest on my MkIV & never found it hassle. 

Have a look on your "MAF log yesterday" thread as it's on there.

 I wouldn't have a B6 A4 without an armrest - definately worth doing and good extra storage too for cards and cash etc

 Them RS6's make it look so much better, but then again I think them wheels on any VAG look great so i am biased a little

Right, bit of an update...

Alu trim didn't look right, so I whipped it out, but luckily found a decent set of aluminium trim - it's not brushed, can't remember the name of it!  I'll stick some photos up soon.

Armrest went in this weekend - really like the look of it, but it's not genuine (serves me right for trying to read ebay.de!)  May leave it, may replace it with a genuine one eventually.

Most exciting update (for me) is my auto dimming mirror & auto-lights with coming home function.  I've been subtly collecting the parts over the past few months - keeping an eye on ebay for when they come up at the right price and I've really managed to get a bargain:

Prices are: (dealer/what I paid)

New ECM - (£225/£80)

Autodimming mirror - (£143/£40)

Coming home light switch - (£25.50/£8.65!)

Very pleased with that, just need to get a headlight switch with "AUTO" on it and replace the windscreen (to add new mirror) and I'll be ready to install! Need a new windscreen anyway as it has a few chips and 7yrs of wear on it.  I'm really looking forward to this as it's pretty rare on a B6 from what I hear!

Quick update - installed the auto dimming interior mirror (SO scary taking the mounting bit off, but no cracks!) and the auto lights and coming home a few weeks ago and...

It didn't work!  On Auto, I get a warning on dash, on manual, I get no main beam!  Anyway, all connections checked and one had come loose.  Re-soldered and...

It didn't work!

So miffed.  Bit of research and some dunce has bought a B7 light switch! (Serves me right for thinking 8E0 is B6 part number only!)  So will get a B6 switch after Xmas and hopefully all will be well!

Fingers crossed the new switch sorts it Ben

 Love the wheels they look awsome!!!

So I take it they are original RS6 Alloys and they fit straight on do they?

love your car mate, gives me a few ideas for my own! 

Thanks, always nice to have a compliment!

Just ask if you need any help with any mods you do!

 Here ben how did you know the catch can was gone?

stevee:

 Here ben how did you know the catch can was gone?

 lol sorry i read earlier that it went on and i misread thinking it said gone!

What does it do?

Don't do that to me stevee, I thought I was cracking up!

I'm not 100% on this, but the way I see it is it's a replacement for the crankcase ventilation system.  In the engine, small amounts of tatty, liquidy, oily, condensation-watery gunk are produced continually and they get bast the pistons (somehow?) and end up in the crankcase.  The crank case vent takes it out of the engine and vents into the inlet manifold to have it burned up in the combustion chamber.  But it's not very good really as it can clog it up etc.  So the catch can is placed in between the crankcase and intake to condense and catch any vapours etc.  It's just a sealed metal can with a tap on the bottom.  It's got like copper wool and stuff inside too.  Just open the tap on the bottom to clear it out.  Since fitting, I've had about 1/2-3/4 litre of evil-looking crap come out.  Doesn't sound like much, but it's not gone through the engine!

(Disclaimer: All of the above information is what I think happens in my car's engine and provided 'as is' and as such should not be relied upon.  Apart from the bit about cracking up).

Righto, car went in for some minor uplift surgery today...

Before...

After...

It's an S Line front bumper.   Bloody nightmare in the end, some total fool had bolted the bumper onto the car in 5 extra places (non-OEM) and I couldn't get anywhere near the screws!  Hence why it was dark when I was done.  Really pleased with it though, looks great!

wahey!!! Looks good dude,are we gonna see a Cupra R splitter added?

I'm probably not going to.  I did a bit of digging and it looks great from low-down at the front.  But from the top and sides, I don't think it sits right.  I'm going to leave it like this for a bit to see what I think of it...

After some door blades now as I like them too... was going to go with side skirts but, looking at the fitting guide, they're a bloody hassle to fit right and line up.  So sod that!

Right, here's a few of the new bumper today after I had given the car a quick was on the way to work.  Really love it, changes the front so much!

 The new bumper is a big improvement benjie, what else do you have planned for her?

I'm going to keep an eye out on ebay for the door bade thingys, quite like the look of them.  Also going to get the rust (only a tiny bit) on my rear arch sorted in the summer.

What do you think about a honeycomb bonnet grille?  I thought it would match the lower fog light ones nicely?  Though I don't believe you can get a lower-central one, so may have to have a go at doing that myself (as long as it looks good!)  Do you think it would look ok, or a bit pants?

I'm also going to get rain sensitive wipers... not OEM though, too much hassle.  I'll get a non-oem one and hide it well, connecting it to an oem activation switch - possibly located in the gear stick trim.

Also thinking seriously about RNS-E because it looks nice and I would enjoy the challenge of installing it.  I found a website that was £400 all in (except radio cage) but have lost it again.  May wait a year or two for this though.