It's only a few days since I got the car and I continue to soak up information on the web. Exhaust flaps done. Sounds great and really doesn't increase noise at all, just tone. Did a 400 km round trip to Toronto today and no drone noticed.

But onto the bigger news. Having read about stiffening up the variable power assist on the B7 A4s on a few sites, I took the plunge and pulled relay # 642 behind the driver's side fusebox panel before my trip this morning. What a difference ! The steering is somewhat heavier, but way more precise. Unlike some others who have done this mod, I didn't find that the parallel parking effort is uncomfortable...and I'm no Popeye the sailor. The relay goes by various numbers, but is #642 in a Canadian spec 2007.5 B7 RS4. It is labeled as "Servotronic". Easy enough to just reach in and wiggle loose. Now stored in the trunk along with the toolkit and compressor.

Gotta say, huge difference. No more sawing away at the wheel with little movements. You can feel what the tires are doing and when swerving around some nasty potholes in Toronto, I noticed that the response is instantaneous without that brief lag that I felt when running a home made slalom this weekend.

I did that in my allroad, but the steering here is much better.

Never hurts to try... you have to love a free mod that you can undo in seconds!