Wagon Stoke

[4matic]

I’m @203k on the w211 wagon. Just changed the 5 air filters. Two engine and three cabin. Steadied the idle a hair maybe. It seems the oil level sensor is starting to fail and the check engine light has been on for a month or so. Running great so both those are in ignore for a while.

The dilemma is still whether to replace the rear shocks. Even the cheap Chinese ones are $225 each.

The driver seat is getting pretty beat. They are leather so the new covers are probably $600 top and seat for just material. I’m thinking custom sheepskin for $350 from cover craft. I had custom sheepskin on a BMW and like it pretty well.

[lowsparkco]

I got struck behind some old lady the other day CRAWLING thru the parking lot in a damn Cayenne Turbo S.

Living around a ton of retirees, I've learned to drive straight to the quickest way to the back of the parking lot and walk.

I can get a baby out of the car and into her stroller and push her to the front door before granny and grandpa settle on the right spot.

Always makes me wonder if she scared of the pedal? I was talking to the secretary at the auto repair place the other day and she was talking about how hard it is to teach a kid to drive with how sensitive the throttles are in newer cars. I tend to agree. My least favorite thing about my A4 is the throttle sensitivity. There's lag at the bottom of the pedal and then WHAM the full turbo ramp. I can mitigate it cause I've been driving trucks, motorcycles, and other bullshit since I was just a kid, but I can see how it would be hard on non-motorheads.

[lowsparkco]

I’m @203k on the w211 wagon. Just changed the 5 air filters. Two engine and three cabin. Steadied the idle a hair maybe. It seems the oil level sensor is starting to fail and the check engine light has been on for a month or so. Running great so both those are in ignore for a while.

The dilemma is still whether to replace the rear shocks. Even the cheap Chinese ones are $225 each.

The driver seat is getting pretty beat. They are leather so the new covers are probably $600 top and seat for just material. I’m thinking custom sheepskin for $350 from cover craft. I had custom sheepskin on a BMW and like it pretty well.

Sounds like a job for black electric tape.

If the new seat cover lasts another 203k seems it would be worth it. Sheepskin makes me feel like a taxi driver.

[MontuckyFried]

I got struck behind some old lady the other day CRAWLING thru the parking lot in a damn Cayenne Turbo S.

This made me chuckle, as my grandma-in-law's (who just died this past summer) last car was ALSO a Cayenne Turbo S. She had no freaking clue how to use it at all since the newer interiors are like a spaceship. She asked me to chauffer her somewhere and she asked for my help to make heads or tails of the buttons. Why she bought it to begin with is beyond me. Street cred for the other old ladies I guess? Made no sense whatsoever. Haha. I did have fun off-roading her previous Cayenne in the MT mountains pretty good, though. They're surprisingly legit off-pavement!

[4matic]

Sounds like a job for black electric tape.

If the new seat cover lasts another 203k seems it would be worth it. Sheepskin makes me feel like a taxi driver.

I just checked dealer prices for upper and lower. $1600 MSRP. I can find used bits on eBay but then there’s installation and stone color driver seats are impossible to find. Uppers are findable..

https://gahh.com/160-01-00211-c78-me...e-1b-face-perf

[Timberridge]

Just get some AMG seatcovers.

[fatnslow]

I just checked dealer prices for upper and lower. $1600 MSRP. I can find used bits on eBay but then there’s installation and stone color driver seats are impossible to find. Uppers are findable..

I don't know how handy you are but ebay always has used OEM seat covers that you can swap out. One thing to consider is on some cars if you pull a seat out with airbags it can trigger a code.

[4matic]

I don't know how handy you are but ebay always has used OEM seat covers that you can swap out. One thing to consider is on some cars if you pull a seat out with airbags it can trigger a code.

I’m not that handy and I know the difficulty with these seats. Perf leather with dynamic seating.

I can find a seat in good condition but not in stone perf leather. I’m not against an unmatched color.

Vinyl tape is working ok but cracks will continue to deteriorate and put the cushioning more at risk.

Most people seem to like them

https://www.covercraft.com/us/en/pro...overs.CGT-GTSK

[gravitylover]

Living around a ton of retirees, I've learned to drive straight to the quickest way to the back of the parking lot and walk.

I can get a baby out of the car and into her stroller and push her to the front door before granny and grandpa settle on the right spot.

Always makes me wonder if she scared of the pedal? I was talking to the secretary at the auto repair place the other day and she was talking about how hard it is to teach a kid to drive with how sensitive the throttles are in newer cars. I tend to agree. My least favorite thing about my A4 is the throttle sensitivity. There's lag at the bottom of the pedal and then WHAM the full turbo ramp. I can mitigate it cause I've been driving trucks, motorcycles, and other bullshit since I was just a kid, but I can see how it would be hard on non-motorheads.

My daughter just couldn't get comfortable with my old BRZ because the throttle was too sensitive, I thought she was gonna give me whiplash.

[Mustonen]

The faster the car, the less inclined I feel to drive it like I stole it. Something soothing about having more power than you can use 95% of the time at your disposal all the time, and laying into it just isn’t practical when there’s nowhere for it to really go. You end up all the way up the next car’s ass real quick. Faster cars feel just fine smoothly purring around town until there’s somewhere to open it up, and when you do it’s too easy to get into trouble. If I’m driving a little eco shitbox I’m flogging it everywhere constantly though.

[twomartinis]

The faster the car, the less inclined I feel to drive it like I stole it. Something soothing about having more power than you can use 95% of the time at your disposal all the time, and laying into it just isn’t practical when there’s nowhere for it to really go. You end up all the way up the next car’s ass real quick. Faster cars feel just fine smoothly purring around town until there’s somewhere to open it up, and when you do it’s too easy to get into trouble. If I’m driving a little eco shitbox I’m flogging it everywhere constantly though.

tell me about it - I was all giddy about early opening day at Belleayre last week, climbing into the catskills at near triple digits… you come up on that prius doing 45 pretty quick [emoji51]


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[jmedslc]

The faster the car, the less inclined I feel to drive it like I stole it. Something soothing about having more power than you can use 95% of the time at your disposal all the time, and laying into it just isn’t practical when there’s nowhere for it to really go. You end up all the way up the next car’s ass real quick. Faster cars feel just fine smoothly purring around town until there’s somewhere to open it up, and when you do it’s too easy to get into trouble. If I’m driving a little eco shitbox I’m flogging it everywhere constantly though.

I love ripping around in my turbo Subaru but the fun is over pretty quick in traffic areas. instead of buying a faster car, I got a KTM 450 dirt bike. As you describe, more power than you need is always on hand, and there’s much less traffic out there in off-road environments. Easy cheap(er) thrills on the moto…

[gravitylover]

Driving a slow car fast and aggressively is way more fun than driving a fast car passively.

[liv2ski]

I am not in much of a hurry these days but do still buy cars with strong passing power for my winter pilgrimages to Mammoth up the 395.

[liv2ski]

4matic, your shock prices are way cheaper than the 4c shocks for my V70R. I keep telling my indie that the front suspension is shit compared to our other cars and he replies it's fine. Looked up the price for 2 front shocks, springs, etc, etc and I was at about $1,100. FML
In your shoes (crap seats) I went with the sheep skins.
Driving an old, high mileage car you love can eventually face you with a money pit.

[4matic]

If front air shocks aren’t leaking they’re good and should be no reason to replace springs. If a regular strut is not leaking it’s also good. Maybe just need new control arms and bushings even if they are serviceable they can cause that vague feeling.


$1k~ for active load leveling and dampening rear shocks is not outrageous after 20 years of service. On smooth road the car still rides nice but any little bump and the rear end steps out. Plus, I like the soft ride I can get if it’s working right. I’m mentally preparing for a $2500 spend because I really want to keep the car for another 5 years. Especially since it’s the dog car now.

Car absolutely runs like a champ. It also seeps a bit of oil from the valve gasket so the coil packs are filthy with grime. Which eventually will be a problem. Cleaning the top of the engine is a fools errand right now. Wait till something breaks.

The mechanic I use is good. He’s not a fix everything guy.

[liv2ski]

My struts are adjustable (comfort, sport, fucking firm) but not ride height adjustable. If I hit a seam at freeway speeds (like a half inch transition) it rocks the front end in a scary way. I don't like it.

[::: :::]

…the kid put “pre-2008 S4 wagon” on his Christmas list…
my response: “get a job” [but sorta impressed with the selection]

[BmillsSkier]

…the kid put “pre-2008 S4 wagon” on his Christmas list…
my response: “get a job” [but sorta impressed with the selection]

Kid has taste.

[liv2ski]

…the kid put “pre-2008 S4 wagon” on his Christmas list…
my response: “get a job” [but sorta impressed with the selection]

I told mine I would pay for half, so get a job after school.

[Buster Highmen]

2008 was the last year of the B6 V8 S4.
I have one.

[Aldo]

Anybody in or near LA have a recommendation for an independent tech ? Have a good friends son looking for a trusted referral for an older Volvo. He’s near Brentwood Canyon. Thanks gents!

[::: :::]

Kid has taste.

I told mine I would pay for half, so get a job after school.

2008 was the last year of the B6 V8 S4.
I have one.

The thing is he has a car (currently garaged at home since freshmen can’t have a car on campus & that he still owes us $1k for [we split it]). But starting his first winter in CO is making him reconsider not having 4wd. I think he could just put some snows on the car he has. Swedes are familiar with snow, no?

[Mustonen]

Snows are fine, 100%. I had snows and FWD without traction control while in college in Houghton MI. Wasn’t fun, but I got everywhere I was supposed to and never got stuck.

Houghton MI has more snow and steeper roads than wherever he is in CO, guaranteed.

[anotherVTskibum]

The thing is he has a car (currently garaged at home since freshmen can’t have a car on campus & that he still owes us $1k for [we split it]). But starting his first winter in CO is making him reconsider not having 4wd. I think he could just put some snows on the car he has. Swedes are familiar with snow, no?

In about 25 years of driving in the snow, I've can't recall conditions where a competent driver in a solid FWD car with snows couldn't get to a destination that an AWD wagon with the same tires could have. I suppose chain controls could be a notable exception.

With that said, an AWD wagon with snows can get you there faster and with a bigger smile, until you get stuck behind someone without snow tires or adequate driving ability. You can also get away with a lot more momentum loss without getting stuck; I can definitely recall some times where I had to back way off the car in front in my Golf before going full send up a hill because I knew that was the only way I'd make it.

So my two cents is definitely in favor of just adding snow tires for that use case. I don't know yours, but most college-age drivers would benefit from a lot more time driving in the snow before getting into something fast and AWD.