I'm looking to begin upgrading my 99 A4, where should I start? Should I purchase a chip, modify exhaust system, air filter? I don't want to sink too much money initially. What upgrade gives you the most bang for the buck?

Thanks for the info, it's a 1.8T. Sounds like the Garrett Chip is the way to go. Should I buy a whole new ECU or just the chip? Do you know what the price difference might be?

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Where would I find such a chip?

This seems to be a two part issue. We have an excellent FAQ and one of the best archives on the net. Apparently neither have been read by new posters, in spite of the clear Forum front page instructions.

What is worse in my opinion, is instead of summarizing the relevant info, or guiding them to the Archives, we get a flurry of personal opinion posts. All of this just achieves many pages of partial info, anecdotes, and just blather (such as the sube posts). It has become pretty hard to keep a topic current because it drops 3-4 pages in a day.

Is there a constructive way we can resolve this?

1) People don't read instructions
2) They've lost the ability to search for themselves (like check the archives, FAQ, User Reviews, etc.)
3) They're too damn lazy!

I agree that it's a problem -- newbies asking the same question repeatedly, when the topic is more than adequately covered in the archives. Unlike many people here, when new to this site and looking for info on motor oil, chips, etc., I actually read all of the posts in the archives. It took weeks, but I came much better prepared to the current discussions on the forum.

Everyone should be forgiven for making mistakes, but when questions demonstrate an obvious lack of effort expended on research, the only appropriate response is, "check the archives."

I understand what you're saying, during the week, this forum is extremely active, and threads archive pretty quick. However, the archives are a bear, there's an enormous amount of information in there and it can be quite daunting for a newcomer. Also, unless I'm mistaken there isn't much on performance mods in the FAQ. What has made this forum so popular is its friendly and informative nature. I've been around since the early days of JET's A4 pages and have seen this question as much as anyone. I generally take the approach of providing a breif overview of the options and considerations involved and recomend a search of the archives. I'm starting to ramble a bit here, but my point is simply that this question is going to continue to come up. Since the question is almost invariably posted by newbies they don't realize that the topic has been discussed to death here, a little friendly guidance will get them on their way and maintain the helpful nature of this board.

As for the opinions usually posted in response, I heartily agree. There's usually a bunch of folks posting that the flavor of the month is the best. The ones that annoy me most are the "Go APR (nt)" ones. No advice, no reference to experience or any other useful information...just a ra-ra response for the choice they made. Don't get me wrong, nothing against APR, there are plenty of other companies that get simmilar posts...they just sprang to mind first.

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms

First off what do you want to upgrade? Acceleration, braking, or handling? Acceleration - a chip is the best bang for the buck; braking - upgraded pads; handling - better tires. Check out the archives on any of these, there's tons of info. in there.

I assume you're referring to acceleration, since that's one of the 1.8T's weaker areas. In that case, a chip is the way to go. The down side of chipping is reduced engine and turbo longevity (no one knows how much yet, but there are folks here with 50,000 chipped miles and no problems yet). A stage one chip (~180-200hp) shouldn't have too big an impact though since Audi sees fit to offer the 1.8TS in Europe with 180hp, and the 180hp TT here with minimal changes (lightened flywheel is the only one I know of). Also, chips may impact your warranty. Technically, the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act states that the manufacturer would have to prove the mod caused the problem to deny you warranty coverage on anything except the modified part (the ecu in this case) (by the way, I'm not a lawyer). But in reality if your dealer says no, do you have the time and money to get a lawyer and go through the courts to get your car fixed? The best bet is to find out what your dealer's service manager's policy is on chips. Most take a don't ask / don't tell approach, but some will give folks a real hard time. One way around this is purchasing a seperate ecu so you can switch back to stock for service, as far as I know all the chip tuners offer this option, some just advertise it more than others. The up side to chipping is that you get a big increase in acceleration and power with little work and for a reasonable expenditure (~$200-$1,600 depending on the chip).

Do your research and go with the chip that is best for you. Try to get some rides in chipped A4's in your area. Also, if you can get the chip installed locally that offers the advantage of the tuner being able to correct any problems (such as pinging) which may occur)

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms

The archives have a lot of info, and Matt and Steve have made finding and using them very easy. I personally think the performance side has been beaten to death, but it sure becomes confusing because more than half of it just plain misinformed or a very narrow response (as you state). That filtering has to be done regardless, but at least then they know what to ask.

Just above this series are over a dozen issues that have been clearly and accurately responded to for a couple of years. Yet, we have several obvious and glaring individual preferences masquearding as informed opinion as responses.

I'll take the example of the brake pad. There are a half dozen great pads for this car and two stinkers (metalmaster and rayb). Several people have had problems with the redboxes, but the fan club will respond and the folks who have had problem will get tired of responding negatively.

I agree with you, I'm just more annoyed.