teh CL... gets his ground clearance
#1
teh CL... gets his ground clearance
Been a bit MIA, summers in BC are well.. epic.
With the recent move to the west coast, the itch to explore the back country has gone into overdrive (to say the least) but of course, back country + a slammed RL/lowered 700whp CTS-V (hopefully ) don't really go well together.
The best course of action would be a truck or some sort of SUV with a respectable amount of ground clearance for suspect FSR's (Forest Service Roads). Right off the bat, a truck is no bueno cuz well... meh. Naturally, a SUV would be the only route left and something I've been low key eyeing for the last few years.
if anyone remembers my past thread on the SUV hunt, I was pretty sold on a 957 Cayenne GTS/Turbo & alllmmooossttt pulled the trigger on a 10' Turbo S earlier this year but unfortunately cooler heads prevailed. Something about a second gas guzzling V8 (read: CTS-V gets 10mpg ) in the stable didn't really make sense but yes, it would of been totally worth it..
After the Cayenne hype faded a bit, research kicked up again for a more logical option that was still fun to drive, decent on gas, ability to tow a decent amount & of course, able to absorb some logging roads with ease. With the Cayenne being such a "perfect" example of what I was looking for, naturally I explored into the VW/VAG family. That's where I came across the Q7, more specifically the Q7 TDI. Fun to drive.. check, decent on gas.. check, towing ability (7700lbs).. check, ability to absorb FSR's.. check & the cherry on the cake was the whole dieselgate fiasco which of course includes a 4 year/48k mile extended warranty which covers essentially the entire long block.
Now with the Q7 in my sights, the hunt was on with the following criteria..
- S-line
- Air suspension
- Of course TDI
- 4 zone climate
- As close to the full extended warranty as possible
- Lower mileage always a plus
After kicking tires on more than a few examples that always fell through, one caught my eye about 8 hours away in Edmonton. Long story short, a deposit was sent & after a mini road trip to Alberta the Q7 was officially ready for its maiden voyage home with the V.
Ended up with a 12' Q7 TDI Prestige S-Line 8AT with..
- 160,000km (101k miles)
- Air suspension
- 4 zone climate
- Full 4 year/76,00KM (48k mile)
- Teak brown/black interior
- 19K CDN (14K USD)
Right off the bat, the mileage was a bit higher than I was hoping for but it checked literally every other box & the extended warranty really put the mind at ease. With being my first time dipping my toes into the euro world, there was some skepticism naturally but I made sure to pick up a VCDS to stay ahead of any issues that may arise is the future without having to depend on the dealer. Piece of mind for the low price of $300 seems like a no brainer.
With all that said, we're officially closing in on 5 months of ownership & after 15,000km (10k miles), it's been the definition of a tank. One minor glow plug CEL which was $0 thanks to the extended warranty but that was a non issue considering it had no effect on driveability.
Here's a few pics of the first summer of exploring..
Aside from needing a TCM tune (thanks dieselgate), the transition to the euro world has been as perfect as anyone can expect. Of course I can't leave well enough alone & the mods list has begun..
- Air suspension lift: 1.5" (Done)
- 18" wheels (Done)
- 265/70/18 AT's
- Cayenne sway bars
The lift with the added height of the tires 2.5-3" will add to the body roll of course so the Cayenne sway bars will help tighten up the suspension for some back road fun.
With the recent move to the west coast, the itch to explore the back country has gone into overdrive (to say the least) but of course, back country + a slammed RL/lowered 700whp CTS-V (hopefully ) don't really go well together.
The best course of action would be a truck or some sort of SUV with a respectable amount of ground clearance for suspect FSR's (Forest Service Roads). Right off the bat, a truck is no bueno cuz well... meh. Naturally, a SUV would be the only route left and something I've been low key eyeing for the last few years.
if anyone remembers my past thread on the SUV hunt, I was pretty sold on a 957 Cayenne GTS/Turbo & alllmmooossttt pulled the trigger on a 10' Turbo S earlier this year but unfortunately cooler heads prevailed. Something about a second gas guzzling V8 (read: CTS-V gets 10mpg ) in the stable didn't really make sense but yes, it would of been totally worth it..
After the Cayenne hype faded a bit, research kicked up again for a more logical option that was still fun to drive, decent on gas, ability to tow a decent amount & of course, able to absorb some logging roads with ease. With the Cayenne being such a "perfect" example of what I was looking for, naturally I explored into the VW/VAG family. That's where I came across the Q7, more specifically the Q7 TDI. Fun to drive.. check, decent on gas.. check, towing ability (7700lbs).. check, ability to absorb FSR's.. check & the cherry on the cake was the whole dieselgate fiasco which of course includes a 4 year/48k mile extended warranty which covers essentially the entire long block.
Now with the Q7 in my sights, the hunt was on with the following criteria..
- S-line
- Air suspension
- Of course TDI
- 4 zone climate
- As close to the full extended warranty as possible
- Lower mileage always a plus
After kicking tires on more than a few examples that always fell through, one caught my eye about 8 hours away in Edmonton. Long story short, a deposit was sent & after a mini road trip to Alberta the Q7 was officially ready for its maiden voyage home with the V.
Ended up with a 12' Q7 TDI Prestige S-Line 8AT with..
- 160,000km (101k miles)
- Air suspension
- 4 zone climate
- Full 4 year/76,00KM (48k mile)
- Teak brown/black interior
- 19K CDN (14K USD)
Right off the bat, the mileage was a bit higher than I was hoping for but it checked literally every other box & the extended warranty really put the mind at ease. With being my first time dipping my toes into the euro world, there was some skepticism naturally but I made sure to pick up a VCDS to stay ahead of any issues that may arise is the future without having to depend on the dealer. Piece of mind for the low price of $300 seems like a no brainer.
With all that said, we're officially closing in on 5 months of ownership & after 15,000km (10k miles), it's been the definition of a tank. One minor glow plug CEL which was $0 thanks to the extended warranty but that was a non issue considering it had no effect on driveability.
Here's a few pics of the first summer of exploring..
Aside from needing a TCM tune (thanks dieselgate), the transition to the euro world has been as perfect as anyone can expect. Of course I can't leave well enough alone & the mods list has begun..
- Air suspension lift: 1.5" (Done)
- 18" wheels (Done)
- 265/70/18 AT's
- Cayenne sway bars
The lift with the added height of the tires 2.5-3" will add to the body roll of course so the Cayenne sway bars will help tighten up the suspension for some back road fun.
The following 8 users liked this post by teh CL:
1killercls (10-02-2020),
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CCColtsicehockey (10-05-2020),
civicdrivr (10-06-2020),
Marcelechka (10-05-2020),
and 3 others liked this post.
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teh CL (10-01-2020)
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teh CL (10-01-2020)
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teh CL (10-01-2020)
#7
Not about that Jeep life at all, I want the ground clearance but I still want to be able to enjoy some spirited driving. The faces of the Jeep bros are priceless when the Q comes rolling down a trail..
This was purchased from a used car dealer (my favorite... ) but from my understanding, the original owners get the option to keep the car, have it "fixed" + a lump sum or Audi takes it off their hands for an even larger sum of money. If the owner chooses to move on from the car, Audi "fixes" the car & then dumps then into local auctions where the used dealers scope them up to resell.
There's no doubt in my mind that all the used VW/Audi TDI's that have flooded the market are easily the best value in the used car market... with the full extended warranty of course.
Guess it is round and brown..
Thanks. Planning to enjoy it for many years to come..
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teh CL (10-02-2020)
#9
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Chapter Leader (South Florida Region)
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Joined: Sep 2008
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My girl's ex husband has a TDI air Q7 and swears by them...
He's actually on his way back from a road trip to Chicago to
pick a TDI A7.
I might have to ask him to let me try driving them to see how the diesel
feels. The gas mileage and torque are a no brainer though.
Kick ass, I'm super jealous of the price you paid and what you got for that price.
That's a hell of a bargain for something that is a tank and looks good.
I would be curious how you feel driving a tuned Audi vs how you feel about the beast
that is the V. I miss the V at times but there's no arguing that the Audi is just a better put
together car overall. I'd be curious if you feel the same way about it.
I've recently done a crash course on direct injection and injector service
and valve cleaning...on BOTH Audi I have now.
About the Cuck life...you're only a cuck if you have 1 Audi. If you have 2 you're the guy doing
the fuckin
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teh CL (10-02-2020)
#10
Thanks man.
Not about that Jeep life at all, I want the ground clearance but I still want to be able to enjoy some spirited driving. The faces of the Jeep bros are priceless when the Q comes rolling down a trail..
This was purchased from a used car dealer (my favorite... ) but from my understanding, the original owners get the option to keep the car, have it "fixed" + a lump sum or Audi takes it off their hands for an even larger sum of money. If the owner chooses to move on from the car, Audi "fixes" the car & then dumps then into local auctions where the used dealers scope them up to resell.
There's no doubt in my mind that all the used VW/Audi TDI's that have flooded the market are easily the best value in the used car market... with the full extended warranty of course.
Not about that Jeep life at all, I want the ground clearance but I still want to be able to enjoy some spirited driving. The faces of the Jeep bros are priceless when the Q comes rolling down a trail..
This was purchased from a used car dealer (my favorite... ) but from my understanding, the original owners get the option to keep the car, have it "fixed" + a lump sum or Audi takes it off their hands for an even larger sum of money. If the owner chooses to move on from the car, Audi "fixes" the car & then dumps then into local auctions where the used dealers scope them up to resell.
There's no doubt in my mind that all the used VW/Audi TDI's that have flooded the market are easily the best value in the used car market... with the full extended warranty of course.
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teh CL (10-06-2020)
#14
Wow, congrats on the purchase, man.
My girl's ex husband has a TDI air Q7 and swears by them...
He's actually on his way back from a road trip to Chicago to
pick a TDI A7.
I might have to ask him to let me try driving them to see how the diesel
feels. The gas mileage and torque are a no brainer though.
Kick ass, I'm super jealous of the price you paid and what you got for that price.
That's a hell of a bargain for something that is a tank and looks good.
I would be curious how you feel driving a tuned Audi vs how you feel about the beast
that is the V. I miss the V at times but there's no arguing that the Audi is just a better put
together car overall. I'd be curious if you feel the same way about it.
I've recently done a crash course on direct injection and injector service
and valve cleaning...on BOTH Audi I have now.
About the Cuck life...you're only a cuck if you have 1 Audi. If you have 2 you're the guy doing
the fuckin
My girl's ex husband has a TDI air Q7 and swears by them...
He's actually on his way back from a road trip to Chicago to
pick a TDI A7.
I might have to ask him to let me try driving them to see how the diesel
feels. The gas mileage and torque are a no brainer though.
Kick ass, I'm super jealous of the price you paid and what you got for that price.
That's a hell of a bargain for something that is a tank and looks good.
I would be curious how you feel driving a tuned Audi vs how you feel about the beast
that is the V. I miss the V at times but there's no arguing that the Audi is just a better put
together car overall. I'd be curious if you feel the same way about it.
I've recently done a crash course on direct injection and injector service
and valve cleaning...on BOTH Audi I have now.
About the Cuck life...you're only a cuck if you have 1 Audi. If you have 2 you're the guy doing
the fuckin
After picking up the Q, I could definitely see myself in a fast Audi. What that Audi would be is the real question, think an R8 would fit the bill, of course with 3 pedals..
Thanks man.
Torque is definitely there, something like 400ft/lbs at 1800rpm. Biggest issue is that they neutered the TCM tune with the fix that it's nowhere as responsive as it should be. Very common in the TDI world that VW/Audi ruined the driving characteristics on all the post fix vehicles. There's a guy in PA that is able to flash the TCM back to the pre fix tune without voiding the warranty & that is 100% on the list of things to do. Just need to pull the TCM to send it off so probably a week of downtime + wife's daily (which she loves) is a touchy issue..
It is still enjoyable to drive & gets moving decently considering its north of 5k lbs but as I've said many times before, the V makes everything so pedestrian..
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#20
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Regional Coordinator (Southeast)
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 43,661
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From: Mooresville, NC
Beautiful pickup. Always thought that generation Q7 was one of the best styling wise. Right before they made it look like a minivan. The color is unique and looks good on it.
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teh CL (10-06-2020)
#22
They definitely do. The newer Audi's always have me turning my head..
Was never a fan of the newer styling but they're slloowwwly growing on me.
Finally is an understatement but well worth the wait. Not a perfect SUV but except for a few things I really can't complain.
How's yours been?
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teh CL (10-06-2020)
#29
#30
Thanks guys & yea I'm definitely on the west coast now lol. I'll be down there forsure in due time once we get back to some sort of normal.
As for a van city rip, give me a date & I'll be there, I'm a sucker for cruise. Did someone say KBBQ? ...
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Yumcha (10-06-2020)
#36
Thanks for the tip, we'll check that out for sure.
I love some good eats & Kelowna has been hit or miss (usually miss). Makes me appreciate what we had at our finger tips in the Toronto area..
I love some good eats & Kelowna has been hit or miss (usually miss). Makes me appreciate what we had at our finger tips in the Toronto area..
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Yumcha (10-06-2020)
#37
We've gone to Kelowna a few times over the last couple of years and Mabui is always a must-go for the First Lady and I. Given it is an izakaya, try their NON-sushi/sashimi and so, please consider their specialty menu and grilled options. Last I checked, the ownership and staff is wholly Japanese which is important.
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