My (near) 4 year 480 ownership update + new arrival...

[Jay-Kay-Em]

Great update Will. Always a pleasure to read.

EQ-611 Volvo equalizer (not yet fitted) and the legendarily flimsy plastic boot liner tray![/list]

Isn't the 611 for 200 and 700?

400 version was the 6117 that had the triangular sides. Same guts I think, just different fascia.

Sourced a few OEM rare accessories such as the 15'' Ronal diamond cut alloys (to be refurbished)

Not going to lie, I see diamond cut Ronals and associate it with the Ford RS catalogue of the same era. Obviously Ronal were punting them out to all OEMs as an aftermarket wheel.




Painted headlining and warm LEDs... wise choices

Love the Audi and that blue is amazing. Do you know the name?

It was all before everything went dull dull dull with silver.

I guess its the same VAG colour that was part of the colour collection ranges...





Enjoy. Sorry the 9-5 didn't work out. The 9-5 (and similar age 9-3) were both Cavalier floorplans and never set the world on fire dynamically so I get what your saying. 9-5 a great looking car though (the mk1 with pre-Dame Edna Everage headlamps).

And night panel = cool

[WillC9303]

Oooooh, I like those wheels. They'll look great on a TT I bet.

Thanks Edie!
They're 18 inch "9-Spokes" and they do look great on a TT. The A6 originally came with 16 inch "Competition" 5-spokes that don't really fill the arches enough, so I can understand why the previous owner put them on.

[WillC9303]

400 version was the 6117 that had the triangular sides. Same guts I think, just different fascia.

Spot on. The same unit, but a different fascia. Thankfully there is a 3d print template for the surround that allows you to turn a 611 into a 6117!

Not going to lie, I see diamond cut Ronals and associate it with the Ford RS catalogue of the same era. Obviously Ronal were punting them out to all OEMs as an aftermarket wheel.

Being born this millennium there isn't that association for me The wheels were only an option in the German catalogue. Remove the gel sticker from the centre caps and they could be for any make. I think Saab used the same model of wheel on their cars at one point.

Love the Audi and that blue is amazing. Do you know the name?

Thanks Jay! It is Nogaro Blue pearl, which is a very famous Audi colour (yep, the iconic RS2 colour) and was a standard colour for the S4 and RS6s. It was factory special order if you wanted it on any of Audi's "A" models, which this one is. The original dealer who specified it went absolutely nuts with the options. Heated & electric genuine Recaro leather seats, Satellite Navigation (in 2000!) and a bangin' Bose sound system to name but a few.

I do see what you mean about the VW colour concepts and I wish they still did them. I don't think that programme ever made it to Audi, though.

Enjoy. Sorry the 9-5 didn't work out. The 9-5 (and similar age 9-3) were both Cavalier floorplans and never set the world on fire dynamically so I get what your saying. 9-5 a great looking car though (the mk1 with pre-Dame Edna Everage headlamps).

I really really wanted to love the 9-5 (hence why I saw & drove two) but it really did just handle and drive like an old Vauxhall (that 2.3T B235R is still better than any GM Ecotech). While the seats were some of the most comfortable I've EVER sat in, the plastics felt low rent and the switch gear & stalks felt mushy and cheap. I was disappointed to find that even the Aero-exclusive steering wheel with aluminium inserts were actually just cheap gloss plastic coloured to look like aluminium. I don't mean to kick it while it's down, but a quality feeling cabin was a very important factor in my search for an estate - in contrast my much older and lower spec Audi A4 felt leagues ahead in that aspect.

Granted, both of them were the Dame Ednas (57 & 10 reg examples), and the 10 reg I saw had its turbo on borrowed time, so perhaps I could give an early 9-5 a try one day as I've heard they're a lot better. GM really did a number on Saab, and the lack of investment probably didn’t help. All I can say is I gave it an honest go and it just wasn't for me.

[Jay-Kay-Em]

Wow, so it *is* Nogaro. Couldn't see the pearl effect in the pictures. Yep, know the RS2 well. Cool colour that.

[Martin63]

Nice work Will!

Fingers crossed that you and the Two Tone make it to Cologne next May - Uni finals permitting!

[WillC9303]

Nice work Will!

Fingers crossed that you and the Two Tone make it to Cologne next May - Uni finals permitting!

Will quite a busy time next May, but I’m sure a few days break won’t do any harm!

I do feel like I have committed in some form, having formally signed up to go. Looking forward to it!

[MisterH]

Well I know the Classic Audi club has a young members scheme so let me know if you'd like me to put you in touch!

[WillC9303]

Well I know the Classic Audi club has a young members scheme so let me know if you'd like me to put you in touch!

That would be nice if you could - both my Audi’s (B5 A4 and C5 A6) are X reg and so probably don’t qualify as classic? The B5 might do though as that platform has pretty much achieved legendary status - and rightly so. They’re more daily hacks than anything else but they are both getting quite rare nowadays. Cheers Ben!