Lingering S4 issues...

So the laundry list continues. The good news is that the motor hasn't thrown a single code since it's last check-up...and that has never happened before. So it's safe to say that the motor is running decently. However, I've been logging IAT (intake air temps) and AFM (air fuel mixture) and seeing some significant ineffiencies that don't show up in day to day driving...only when I'm on boost and WOT. So here's my list of to-do's in order of priority:

1. Fix nagging oil drips by replacing the lower oil pan gasket (already have the parts)

2. While I'm at it, replace the upper oil pan gasket (I have the parts)...yes, Audi's have two oil pans...why? I have no idea. I have to remove the lower endlinks and front sway bar to get to it.

3. Replace the valve cover gaskets. Easy job but I have to take alot of parts out to get to the damn thing.

4. New rear tires, again, GY F1 GSD3's 91Y's in 225 40 17's. Love these tires.

5. Still getting a "clunking" in the steering and suspension coming from the driver's side. The "thumping" I experienced was diagnosed and cured when I replaced the control arms and tie rod ends. I checked the bolts on the coilovers...good...and the three bolts holding the steering rack...all were good. And the last bolt required the car to be on jackstands and for me to attach three extensions and a wobble head to get to! I'll need my mechanic to look at this problem. I hope the fix doesn't involve a steering rack replacement. I suppose I can get a refurb for cheap and do the job myself but after I looked at the DIY, I almost puked and am considering Dynospot do the job for me.

6. Replace rear brake pads and garnet sandpaper my old rotors. They still have some life to them.

7. New Walboro fuel pump. My OEM pump simply can't handle the increased injector request. My air fuel mixture is off tolerance past 4500RPM so a higher flowing unit typically cures this problem. Walboro's cost around 250, not bad, but the DIY is a killer. I have to pull the rear seats, jimmy-rig a tool to unfasten the old unit, and splice some wiring...YUCK! Maybe I can get thePerfectline or The Craftsman to help out.

8. New intercoolers. My OEM's are rated at 8 PSI...I'm running a 22 spike. Here we have a number of choices. Folks are of two minds re. this modification. One camp holds the belief that bigger is best, meaning the lowest intake air temp means your intake is receiving the most dense air...more power, less heat, better for the motor, no crazy timing corrections, etc. Others, like myself, believe that an intercooler is simply a frickin heat-sink; increased cost is simply a bling issue IMO. So my choices are (from most expensive):
- Evolution Racing intercoolers $1600 Massive side mounts, tested to 50 PSI! Eliminates the need for lower intake hoses (awesome), intakes are now hard piped units.
- ASP Front mount intercoolers $1500 Huge, the MOAB of front intercoolers. Requires modification to your front bumper it's so big.
- AWE Tuning $1400 Huge side mount units. Best fitment, finely crafted, comes with shrouds, and a warranty.
- APR $1200 These are standard units from the RS4, no need for shrouds, and comes with specially designed silicone intake hoses you can get for 250. The hoses are totally bad ass. I'd love to get just these! ThePerfectline exploded one of mine and I've popped off my old hoses several times. These hoses are simply awesome. The Intercoolers, on the other hand, are simply so-so.
- IPP $800 Cheap knock-offs. The designers simply challenge their competition to prove them wrong. These guys do not believe that bigger is best, or even necessary!
- EBAY $300-$400 IPP knock-offs from Korea. I love these guys. Same intercooler cores as IPP and same welded endtanks you find in units costing 4 times as much. I'm probably heading in this direction. They're sufficiently bigger and flow much better than my OEM.

And as to my wish list:

1. New wheels. I've found some TSW's that look fantastic, offer a reduction on unsprung weight of nearly 3.5 lbs per corner even at 18x8's, and are cheap. FLIK's are cheap as hell but I simply can't stand the way the look...and they're just as heavy as stock in 18x8's.

2. New front brakes; calipers and rotors. Don't believe in the need for matched rear brakes or massive 8 piston ALCON's...I'd be happy with Stoptec's or even Porsche brakes if someone is getting rid of them.

3. New Coilovers; only one choice in my opinion, Stasis Track Sports...nuff said. Among the hundreds of thousands of Audi's the world around, Stasis' superiority is unquestioned.

Thats is for now.

A Death in my Family...

My Grandmother, Inang, was born on August 30th, 1910 in Tarlac, Philippines: the third of six daughters. Inang emerged as the most practical of the six, as well as a tomboy of sorts. She preferred buying and selling onions and hay (animal feed) to earn more money for her family instead of the boring and less lucrative job of seamstress, the common career of young woman in rural Philippines.

At age 19, she married my Grandfather and started a family. After having her third child, the Japanese invaded then occupied her country. My Grandfather went underground and worked in the resistance. He was later arrested, interned, and suffered horrendous treatment for the remainder of the occupation. During the war, my grandmother took her family to Sta. Rosa where she struggled, scraping by and at times scavenging to survive. After the Philippines were liberated, my Grandparents reunited and resettled in San Jose, where her incredibly industrious nature and wise business acumen helped develop two grocery businesses and a rice distribution center, which still stands today.

Inang went on to have seven more children and in 1974 left home, husband, family, and country to immigrate to the US with my sister and me. After helping raise us, she moved to help raise four grandchildren in San Mateo. Then she moved to Tahoe to help raise another grandchild and then a great grand child. She stayed in Tahoe to care for a beloved aunt who fought and eventually succumbed to cancer. Inang then moved back to the Bay Area to help raise two more grandchildren.

She petitioned a dozen family members to immigrate to America and was there to proudly celebrate her many grandchildren’s college graduations, weddings, and the births of many great grandchildren.

She left us last Thursday Feb. 14th at the age of 97. Her family was with her the night she passed. Subsequently, my family has had four days of get-togethers, a wake, a vigil, a Mass, and finally a Funeral yesterday. Family have come from as far as the Philippines to pay their respects to our family Matriarch. She leaves the world with 10 children, 25 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Over the past several days, my family have reminisced and celebrated an incredible life. Despite her small stature, Inang was true Rock of a person. We all half expected her to out-live all of us...I personally wanted her to live forever. She is the kindest person I will ever meet, the most devoted grandmother I will ever know, and her legacy of personal sacrifice is one that will continue to inspire us for the rest of our lives.

I will miss her and will never forget her.

Karl Rove is a desperate man.

Mr. Rove, former senior political/campaign advisor to the current Bush Administration, was interviewed by CBS News on Saturday and was asked about the overwhelming turnout of voters in the Democratic primaries, relative to the Republican primaries, and whether he believed it might be a trend that would eventually prove insurmountable by the time the national election rolls around.

His answer was calculated and at it's core a feeble attempt at spin. Mr. Rove negates the inordinately large turnout on the democratic side, which according to estimates looks to be nearly 60% higher than the Republican primary voter turnout, as being a phenomenon typical in election years following lame-duck presidents. Furthermore, he stands his ground in his belief that the most conservative elements of the Republican party has yet to make it's statment and stand. Nice try Mr. Rove. It would be easy to say that this guy is delusional...but it is far worse than that. I believe that Karl is in fact a "true-believer", a conservative who actually believes in his heart that the "majority" in our country ARE conservative and that their time will come.

I, however, see it as the writing on the wall. When all is said and done, Mr. Rove will receive a lesson in humility...that the largest demographic in this country by far is not either Democrat or Repuplican, or conservative or even liberal. They are folks that fail to vote, who for 40 years have had NO VOICE...and that these people are not either gun-totting fundamentalist's or Birkinstock wearing flower-children. They are the people who want a new brand of politic, and it is THIS demographic that will determine the presidency.

Mind you, the turnout represent a huge number of folks who are self-described Non-Partisans and Independents...folks who've had limited involvement and history in voting. The turn-out, however, is not a referendum on the Bush Admin, or even the Republican party. It is a referendum on the current status quo,...on politics in general.

Mr. Rove diminishes the importance of this movement as being "typical"...TYPICAL? A woman and a black man vying for the nomination is "tyical"?! They say you're smart Karl, and your ability to spin knows no bounds but in this case your more wrong than you have ever been and I'm going to love hearing how you spin your way out of this one.

Addendum to my last post:

There's a reason why we've had the consistent trend of nearly 60% of Americans failing to vote and why we're seeing a massive turn-out this time around. I trully believe it has to do with a sense of disenfanchisement, the notion that the politicians paraded before us year after year fail miserably at representing the values and beliefs of the majority. For whatever reason, whether you believe it has to do with the whittling effect of the most extreme elements in either party, or with out-of-control lobbying, or with over-zealous special interest groups, or with big-money, our parties have polarized to such a degree that most in the middle, and that's MOST of us, are left without a voice, and without a leader...the political DMZ is a lonely place.

As to the Democrat and Republican political platforms?...well, it hasn't changed much in 35 years. Different face, same message...it simply never changes. When I see someone who challenges the status quo, inspires the disaffected and disenfranchised into action, who operates NOT on the old and tired "rich vs. poor", "black vs. white", "community vs. individual", "big governement vs. small", "tax vs. spend" philosophy, I get interested. When I hear someone that instead acknowledges our shared interests, our common dreams, and our unilateral concerns, I get inspired. When I hear someone that believes that compromise is not tantamount to failure or weakness, that we are all in the end Americans, that we must look past our ideology to get anything accomplished, then I'm sold.

The political idealogues of the past generation have destroyed political discourse in this country. We need to move beyond the notions of established political platforms. We need a new vision...a new brand of politic. One that doesn't pit one group vs. the other. One that is inclusive of our differences, one that unites the nation, both Democrat and Republican, both liberal and conservative. And that voice must come not from the extreme, but from the center. It's the only way.

Super Tuesday!

What an exciting time in American politics. We will have, for the first time, a major political party endorsing either a Woman or African-American man for candidacy to the Presidency...soo cool.

As you all know, I love politics; talking about it, reading it, and discussing it. I've come to discover over the years that I am quite decidedly moderate, though a "practicing" Democrat. I've also come to understand that the extreme polarization of political ideology, post the 60's, have given rise to a devision between the parties that seem insurmountable...wherein your political designation enters one into a pseudo religion of sorts. Conservatives accusing liberals of being traitors, as to suggest themselves as Patriots...Liberals calling Conservatives compassionless hate-mongers, as to suggest themselves as the progressive tolerant party...etc. etc...and it goes on and on. Well we've all been duped folks, cause all of it is bullshit.

Despite the political rhetoric over the last 30 some years, most folks remain moderate...and I truly believe that. I might be going out on a limb here but..."drum roll"...not all liberals are tolerant, and conversely, not all conservatives are anti-abortion, etc.etc.etc...you fill in the blanks.

"Whatever the explanation, the lines between Republican and Demorcrat, Liberal and Conservative, would be drawn in more sharply ideological terms. This was true, of course, for the hot-button issues of affirmative action, welfare, abortion, etc, all of which were extensions of earlier battles. But it was also now true for every other issue, large or small, domestic or foreign, all of which were reduced to a menu of either-or, for-or-against, sound-bite-ready choices. No longer was economic policy a matter of weighing trade-offs between competing goals of productivity and distributional justice. You were for either tax cuts or tax hikes, small government or big government. No longer was environmental policy a matter of balancing sound stewardship of our natural resources with demands of a modern economy; you either supported unchecked development, drilling, strip-mining, and the like, or you supported stifling bureaucracy and red tape that choked off growth. In politics, simplicity was a virtue."

Furthermore, re. the nature of today's politics, "Politics was no longer simply a pocketbook issue, but a moral issue as well, subject to moral imperatives and moral absolutes. And politics was decidedly personal, insinuating itself into every interaction."

"Not only did we disagree, but we disagreed vehemently, with partisans on each side of the divide unrestrained in the vitriol they hurled at opponents."

Activists in both parties began developing litmus test, checklists of orthodoxy, leaving a Democrat who questioned abortion increasingly lonely, and Republican who championed gun control effectively marooned. Where compromise came to look like weakness, to be punished or purged. Where one was with you or against you. You had to choose sides.

No longer do we have competing policy vision between the parties, instead, it has become a WAR between "good and evil", depending on where you stand. And where you stand is my point. I, like most people, stand somewhere in the middle...and I want a president that does the same. What we have lost sight of is that we have more in common with each-other than we have differences. And I want to vote for a candidate who believes that though we can disagree, we do not have to be disagreeable.

I think you've figured out who I'm routing for now (and you can thank this person for the quotes above)

Let me leave you with one thing. An article by David Brooks which really crystallizes the reasons I'm choosing this particular candidate.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/opinion/29brooks.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=david+brooks&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Great Birthday weekend.

Took friday off and had dinner with my wife at my favorite yet admittedly culinarily unimpressive restaurant in Alameda on my Birthday. Good views, had the salmon, and there was a very cheesy lounge act playing the standards. The lead singer shmoozed with the crowd with his cordless mic, and even made his way to our back corner table. We were clearly affecting indifference and he was kind enough to pick up on our energy and asked us only a few non-annoying questions.

The Perfectline came up for the weekend. I picked him up early Saturday morning and we hit up Laguna Seca on the Monterey peninsula...110 miles in 90 minutes. Speed Ventures were hosting the event. They had a good turnout despite the weather report and it being the Superbowl weekend.

The parking and paddock area had it's typical clique groupings:
1. An entire Radical run group, some 20 cars, mostly SR3's...and unfortunately no SR-8's, the Uber-Radical.
2. A small group of S2000's, NSX's, M3's, and a bunch of Porsche's, including an honest to goodness GT-3 RS...yes, a real one!
3. And ONE 2001.5 S4...yep, my car.

The driver/owner, CJ, good guy, has pretty much done EVERYTHING you can do to his car that you can do on an S4.
- I have KKK04's (big and strong), he has RS-6 Hybrid's...nearly unbreakable and even more expensive.
- We have the same fueling and programming, AWE Tuning Stage III. Even though he can run a boost spike of 26 to a 22 taper, he's running my programming. He did this for reliabilities sake...he's essentially running a peak number thats 20% under max-tolerance. As far as mods, he has everything I have but has the following:
- AWE Tuning Intercoolers with APR hoses: $2500.
- Prototype, custom 2-piece HRE 19' wheels: $5000.
- My tires are actually better, GSD3's vs M Pilots.
- Same H&R coilovers...and we both don't like them.
- Stop Tech's, Front, Rear, and parking break: $6800
- STASIS center diff: $600
- STASIS Rear LSD: $2000
- STASIS tranny with RS4 3rd to 5th gear ratios: $3500
- X-1 carbon intake: $400
- VAST level 10 clutch and fly: $2000
- B&M Shortshifter: $250
- AWE boost gauge: $250
And the crazy thing is HE PAID TO DO ALL THE WORK!!

Anywayz, the perfectline and I were chatting away with nearly anyone that would talk with us. We couldn't stop we were so giddy! I got a ride in the S4, the driver was in the high-intermediate group. MY GOODNESS!...I thought about how I could adaquately communicate the experience in words...but I can't. You simply need to get a ride and experience it yourself. The car is soo fricking fast, soo planted, and able to manage turns at a speed your mind can't accept.

Part of being a passenger for me (and for alot of folks) is that I get sick within 5 laps. If I'm driving, no problemo...perhaps it's due to not being in control. As expected, after 5 laps in the S4, I got a queazy feeling in my stomach and I was dropped off in the hot pits. Checked his lap time: 1:50 on Street tires AND a passenger...that is fast. With just an extra 1/2 degree of neg. camber and R-comp's, 100-tune, and no-traffic, I bet the car can do 1:45 with the same driver.

I made two mental notes about how he treats his car compared to how I treat my car on track: he complete abuses his clutch and tranny. In fact, he destroyed the same clutch I have in my car in less than one week...and I understand why given his near destructive shifting style...another flat shifter! I don't get it! And his downshifts are soo damn abrupt. When I was at the BMW GGC driving school (the best in the business IMHO), I was pulled over for up-shifting too aggressively and not properly rev-matching a down-shift ONCE, yes ONCE. Not only is it too jarring on the drive-train, but it's considered unnecessary, and displays poor clutch control.

I was also chatting with an instructor in the Red run group. He was driving an EXIGE-S...sooo sooo sweet. Simply getting in required some skill in contortionism and it took me a bit of time to get the 5-point restraint on. The car is small BTW, really, really tiny and low. We got into the hot-pit and headed down the pit-lane exit. We were set up behind an M-6....my driver, Ash, commented "Might vs. Light", and we exited at break-neck speed.

Mind you, the S4 accelerates ridiculously, but the execution of the line must be pristine to log a good/fast lap...slow in, fast out, break here, turn out here, etc. This driver however, though an instructor, was completely all over the place. He was pretty much off-line on every turn....and you know what...IT DIDN'T MATTER. His car control skills were soo impressive, and the EXIGE's ability to cope with errors are soo uncanny that no-matter what position he had gotten us in, he was able to counter-steer out of all of it! Ex. going into T2, the insanely slow single apex, Ash (the instructor) was on a different line each time around!...and all of them wrong!...and it didn't matter! The car is soooo poised and sooo able to respond to throttle/brake modulation and steering corrections that you were never in any danger! I love this car...as in, it's my favorite car in the world right now. When I checked his time, 1:45 in traffic with driver 91 octane. He claims he could get it down to 1:42 with a clear track and 100 oct.

Now I've driven on the track and ridden as a passenger many many times. I trully believe Lagana provides the most thrill of the three tracks I've been to...without question. And if I had those "Okay, this is way way way too fast, we're not going to make it!!!" feeling, I can't imagine what a novice would be experiencing.

I can't wait to hit the track again. But it certainly won't be for some time and certainly won't be in my car.

That evening, we gamed at NTT's Brain's home...and we had a full-house! Everyone showed despite the weather. No-shows were: "The Duff" (in Oregon), the "Supertechnician" (in Germany), "the Kawanga Kid" (in the Phillipines), and "Cajun" (In Tennessee). We played L5R and the "Prof." GM'd. We had a great time. BBQ was tasty and I went a little crazy with the rice-eating...mmmmm...carbs.

That's it for now....

I turned 39 today....great....sigh.

So I've been ebaying alot of car stuff as of late. I'm not sure if you've heard the stories. Here's the first:

1. Auctioned off a bullet-proof 700R4 race ready tranny. Got a hell of alot of bidders and some guy in Nebraska won with a bid of nearly 800 dollars.


I spent 200 bucks to pallettize and ship the beast. When it arrived in Nebraska, the tranny was rolling around the back of the UPS truck! My frantic customer called me reporting that it arrived without ANY PACKAGING and definitely not on a pallette. He refused to accept it and immediately made a claim...as did I. The UPS driver on the other end played stupid, but my customer pointed out several distinct scrapes, dings, and one bell-housing dent. To make a long story short, it took 8 weeks to cash in on the insurance, thank goodness I paid for it. My customer was kind enough to give me a good review anywayz given I went above and beyond to make sure he got a full refund. The local UPS store, owned an operated by a nice Indian family, was near traumatized by the whole experience. UPS apparently blamed THEM for not properly packaging the item. They answered back with a digital picture of the tranny on a proper palette and with over-the-top strapping. UPS begrudgingly accepted the claim and responded with major passive aggression...they simply refused to pay-out on the insurance in a timely fashion. They say 4-6 days, well how about 8 WEEKS!

2. Injectors, OEM:


These suckers sell new for 400 bucks! They work perfectly, have caps, "O" rings, and clips included. My reserve was 100 bucks. My high bid was ONE DOLLAR. How pathetic. My goodness, shipping cost 12 bucks! I'll sell it on Audiworld for cheap.

3. OEM Downpipes:


These behemoths sell for 2000 New!! Unbelievable. The problem is no-one buys them, unless you're a dealership. Near new ones sell for no more then 100. I just wanted to get rid of them. Had a 100 dollar reserve and they sold for 252! WOOHOO. I saved on packaging by doing it myself, and you should see the box!...These bad-boys are soo long (60 inches) that the only box that fit looked like a casket. I spent 2 hours crumpling up newspapers to fill in the dead space, no pun intended.

4. OEM Turbos:



These K03's and piping sell for 2500 new. One is blown and my research shows that a pair typically sell for a hundred bucks...and that was my reserve. The shipping was nearly 80..they're pretty heavy. Good news, I met my reserve. Bad news, he never paid. This guy was a complete idiot. My ad was very very precise. I mentioned time and time again that they were "Stock", "OEM", "USED", and one was "BLOWN". Here were his emails:
- "how many HP can add to the engine and for how much u want to sell them"
WTF? I responded very politely. Reminded him to read my ad and reiterated that they were used, stock, and OEM. That they did not add any more HP to the car than stock turbo's because they were STOCK TURBO'S!! Next email:
- "It not update on STAGE III?????????????????????????????????"
What an doofuss. Responded again, this time with irritation considering he was my HIGH BIDDER. Reminded him to READ MY AD. That they were K03's and not Stage III's. That they were used, stock, OEM, and that one was blown. In any case, the auction ended with this numb skull as the high bidder. I submitted an invoice. Here was his response:
- "sorry i can buy !!!"
You've gotta be kidding me. I responded with massive "tude" at this point asking him what the hell was he talking about. Was he buying it or not buying it?! And his final inane email:
- "can`t buy !!!"
Brilliant.

This moron takes the cake.