I've never worked on cars before, so I figured I should start with something fairly straightforward and non-critical. I was thinking about sticking in a Podi Boost Gauge. What do you guys think?

I also found another website with what seem like some well-written instructions (with good pics) of various mods: a4mods

 

one thing that i have done so far is put a K&N air filter to replace the stock one... pretty simple but still gets you working inside the engine bay even if it only takes about 5 min, but has a nice effect after, you can hear the turbo spool up much more than before

 

Mmm, good idea. I can put that in while I collect the requisite tools to do the electrical wiring work... which for a guy like me who operates pretty slowly can take awhile!

 

lol ya... and its a relatively inexpensive mod as well which is always nice!

 

first off, figure out what road you want to go down performance or sound or looks and then go from there....the k and n is a good mod, personally i wouldn't bother with a boost guage becuase your not tweaking your boost or chipping your car or anything significant that would require a watchful eye on the boost guage but thats purely my opinion and this is purely your ride.

a4 mods is a great site i haven;t been there in like 4 weeks but last time i went i saw alot of stuff for the b6's rather then your b7 (i'm in the process of making a custom sub box to fit the corner of my trunk and they have an AMAZING write up in there to follow)

i'd say your def on the right track and grab a friend who is pretty good with cars to help you along

if you really want some fun in the engine bay change your oil yourself its a neat process if you;ve never done it before

gl

 

ya i was actually thinking of changing the oil myself as i don't wanna have to go out and let someone else do it as i have always wanted to do it myself, but i dont have any jacks or things of the sort and was wondering if i really need that... also what else would i need? thanks

 

your going to def need either a jack, 2 jack stands or the less safe way, with two car ramps

after that i heard theres a special tool you need to open the canister holding the oil filter i'm sure people from autozone will have it and know what it is

a new oil filter for obvious reasons
new SYNTHETIC OIL....MUST BE SYNTHETIC look in your manual for the correct weight of the oil

crescent or rachet to get the oil out from the oil pan,
wide shallow pan for the old oil to fall into

you could do it without jack stands (never just jack your car and leave it on the jack.....ever) but it will make it alot easier and chances are your going to need jack stands at somepoint so its well worth the investment to get them

its not a bad thing to have someone else change your oil but personally i'm not about to dop over 100 dollars to have it done thats all

 

I have the 3 year service package, so they'll change the oil at the dealership every 10k, but from reading here it seems like it's probably a good idea to change every 5k, so I can alternate changing it myself and doing it at the dealership.

Jack stands are quite inexpensive (like $20), so definitely a good investment there.

As for the boost gauge, you're right, it's not really something useful right now, but I am planning to get chipped eventually (I figured I should probably learn a bit more about how the car works first, though), so it seems like a good introduction to both the mechanical and electrical systems.

Thanks for your advice, guys!

 

paul it sounds like you have the right ideas in trying to break into the automotive world so just keep on with it....also do it with a buddy it makes installing things go alot easier....well that and case of beer

 

ya i figured i would need a set of jacks... i have just been to stubborn to get them so far but now that im gonna start to do more and more mods to my car im not gonna make it very far without a set of jacks.