Latest tricks

[kleinbus]

By the way, why this is Q7 forum??

Anyways, with VAG-COM fiddling now I have...

- Front LED's bright on park mode (normally dimmed half compared to DRL)
- RPM and speedo needle sweep
- laptimer
- no belt alarm

[sduford]

Good catch Kleinbus. This board started life as a Q5/Q7 board, then I decided to keep exclusively Q5.

Fixed.

[kleinbus]

   Just finished front fog HID conversion...

Bright, YES the way night becomes a day  

[kleinbus]

I got the hitch Monday and sure enough I couldn't wait till weekend  

First of all, I AM SICK AND TIRED of these imcompetent service writers that behave like they know everything and still I get more information via these forums.

First time when I took up the topic of software update required by hitch installation, one moron said there is no such update and end of conversation, I'm sorry I'm busy, bye bye.

Another day another guy, me with my humble "almost on my knees" approach the way "I bought this from you guys and I heard around the corner that somekind software update is required, could you check if this is true" and as usual, the service writer first said there is no such update but he will double check it.

Guy cames back in few minutes and said there is indeed update required and it will cost me 100 bucks (one hour labour fee)....

Wrote complain to my dealer customer service manager and they dropped off the update fee  

Anyways, also found our from other forums that on top of all, one dealer says current bumper skin is used, other day and other dealer says they have to order new skin and it would cost arms and legs.

Well hellllooooo AUDI, be consistent and stick with same story and don't play that two face game  

All it needed is peel the skin off, cut the darn hole and throw it back..

End of the rant or otherwise I will need few beers to cool down  

So, bunch of screws off from rear inner fenders, bottom screws off, trunk striker/lock cover off and released 4 bumper nuts and little fiddle here and there and the bumber skin came off...




Unscrewed and removed the alu bar and installed the trailer wiring and also the control box bracket that went behind the right side trunk panel.

Then it was time of the steel hitch...




Then back tracked all screws and bolts back to own location and threw bumper skin back on.


Then I connected the cables to control box and VAG-COMed it to activate the trailer. Works but I also got ESP warning so I unplugged control box and will wait till Friday to get the darn update.

At the end, was this sweat and hours spend worth of all work? I saved about 400 bucks and still have to go to dealer to get the update.

If hitch was available when I got the car then sure I had ordered it with the hitch to avoid whole mess.

Today if I had been in rush then sure I had paid dealer to do it but on the other hand, this was good excersice to see how it is build at the first place.  

Shot day after...

[kleinbus]

This doesn't really belong here but I didn't know where else to post it so here I go...


Trip to Utah, visit Moab and few other senic places and here is few photos.



First trip and greetings from Moab...






Another trip and I gave her swimming lesson...









and took her to sand dunes...

[kleinbus]

Yesterday dropped off Q5 for software update required by hitch installation and got nice loaner  



After few hours drive around wife is ready to trade Jetta in and get red A4 3.2L quattro ( meee tooo but first we would need to rob a bank   )

Anyways, got my Q back today and while waiting car keys, service writer showed me about inch thick pile of software update scans so no wonder it took more than hour from dealer to do update.

Update wiped off my settings, bright leds - non winking - no belt alarm (though I use belt all the time) - needle sweep - key fob convenience, finally I got home and I had to take my laptop and vag-com cable and do the setup again.

[sduford]

Awesome images Kleinbus, thanks for sharing them.

[kleinbus]

Snowing so time to change proper rubbers...

[kleinbus]

I had nothing to do so I plugged on my vag-com and snooped around the car computer and found settings to activate the car battery bar. (not sure how useful is that, anyways I have the instruction if someone needs)

[kleinbus]

[kleinbus]

In case some one haves vag-com, here if few codes.

[mroku]

Hi everybody,
also is very easy to make fog light as additional turn light - when turn the fog lamp is turn on and make the road a bit safety. For me is nice because I don't have adaptive light (maybe witch this system this "trick" is not necessary). Anyway I change one bit in comfort system control unit and it work fine (of course only witch standard light and fog light switch off - don't work witch day light)

[kleinbus]

Sure it is helpful when normal halogen fog lights but I changed mine to HID and those are so freaking bright that I do my best to use them only at night time for additional light.

Like we just did trip to Utah and Moab (1200 mile one way), the HID fogs made the night drive almost like a day joy ride. We do these trips to Utah several times a year and it is pretty mich stop and go, pulling over for gas and restroom only.

No wonder my 15 months old 2009 Q5 haves already 35000 miles on it...   

Now before anyone starts whining about glare, here is States roughly 90% of cars doesn't have headlight automatic leveling so most of those are out of the adjustment and 99% of darm lifted pick-ups are off the alignment so once they get their lights adjusted, I will start worrying of the glare on my fogs.

Back in Europe, especially in Finland where you get ticket if fogs are used any other time than in real fog, you get ticket (it happened to me when I grew up there), in such countries it is up to the owner itself to deside is the added light power worth of ticket.