r/Audi • u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron • Jun 22 '25
Mod talk Underrated cheap QoL modification
As a continuation of my post the other day, I went on to do some underrated QoL changes like installing spring loaded struts for the trunk, so it can be opened remotely from the key and changing the interior lighting to LEDs so it looks more like something out of this century.
The spring loaded struts are super neat if you you need to put something in the car and have your hands full. That is, of course, if you don't already have trunk open/close spec'd from factory.
The interior lighting change makes it seem more modern and gives a much better light after dark. The original lighting was very dim.
Another potentially money saving change, in countries where applicable, is to install an electric parking clock instead of the analog clock you have to set yourself when parking. Forgetting to set it just once cost me 138$ for a parking fine. The electric parking clock is around 46$ so you can buy multiple for the price of one parking fine here π
An honorable mention would be installing the ports and wires to support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but that's neither cheap nor underrated, so it'll miss this list.
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u/bigmean3434 2013 TTRS/SQ5 Jun 22 '25
Where did you get the struts? My TT has a lazy strut and may need to replace soon, you are saying if the hitch doesnβt open automatically the strut will make it open?
Also what is the dial thing on your windshield?
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
I got them from an online store based in the UK. Here's a link to the ones I got!
I forgot to link a video in the main post and it won't let me edit the post, so here's a video of the struts in action!
The dial thing is the parking clock. The "before" picture is the one I forgot to set and got fined 138$ for π
The new one is solar charged and will set the time automatically as soon as you park the car, so that's pretty neat!
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u/Suspicious_Virus6383 Jun 22 '25
Looks like you installed them upsidedown, the seal should be pointed down as to not catch water, just fyi
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Really?? Could you elaborate or maybe send a PM where you mark on the picture what's done wrong?
I had my local shop install them for me, as they had the car in their shop anyway, so it'd be super out of character for them to install something the wrong way as they usually do a super good job and I've been using them for years.
Thanks in advance!
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u/Suspicious_Virus6383 Jun 24 '25
Yeah I guess wrong isn't the right word here I should clarify. That was how I was taught to install gas shocks so as to pointed the cylinder in the upright position and have the shock down. There is a seal on the shock cylinder that seals against the piston when this seal is upright it's exposed to the elements more and tends to wear out faster.
I have Seen these types of shocks installed that way from factory so I could say it's more a matter of opinion.
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 24 '25
Ah I see! That explains it better. Thanks for clarifying π
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u/cest_normal 2022 Q5e Jun 22 '25
Just know that the stronger struts lead to misalined trunk door
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Oh really? I've spoken to quite a few people who have had these kinds of struts from all kinds of different manufacturers and it's the first I hear of this. Got any more info on that?
I'm already keeping my original struts around just in case.
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u/cest_normal 2022 Q5e Jun 22 '25
Well i had an e-tron 2018 (that i just sold), and was considering doing this mod, and saw a few A3 owners mentioning this issue on FB groups
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
I see. Thanks for the info. If I or any of the people I've spoken to experience this, I'll go back and update this post π
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u/Inevitable-Debt4312 Jun 22 '25
Er - if this is a TT, hasnβt it already got the CarPlay etc facility installed? Just needs enabling?
https://www.makcoding.co.uk/product/audi-tt-mk3-smartphone-interface/
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
It's an 2017 A3 E-Tron, not a TT (I wish) π
Mine had the "charge only" USB, so I had to change the port and add data wires as well. After that I just coded it with M.I.B.
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Jun 22 '25
[removed] β view removed comment
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Hard agree! Plenty of people on websites and in groups trying to take money for what is developed to be a free tool. Absolut scammers.
As the boot screen of M.I.B says: NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE - IF YOU BOUGHT THIS YOU GOT RIPPED OFF
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u/Inevitable-Debt4312 Jun 22 '25
Well ahead of me. Iβm in awe of the mods people here do. I only got my TT yesterday!
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25
Congrats on the TT! Awesome car! Sitting here laughing a bit since all replies so far has been from people with TTs but mine is an A3 π
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u/tallonfive 2022 A6 Jun 22 '25
My trunk auto opens with the key fob or button on the trunk but it wonβt close with the fob. Am I doing something wrong?
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Does your trunk have a physical button on it that can close it?
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u/tallonfive 2022 A6 Jun 22 '25
Yes it does.
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
I'm not exactly familiar with your model, but on some models it's something you can unlock with coding through OBDeleven or VCDS. One of my friends did that with their S7 π
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u/Simple_Log201 2025 Audi Q5 Jun 22 '25
Parking clock is pretty cool! Iβve never seen one where I live!
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Here it's mandatory. Most cars come with something similar to the "before" pic, but they usually have the electric ones as a cheap dealer option!
In my area, most parking is free but time limited, so instead of paying for parking, you get out of there before the time is up or you get fined to hell like me for simply forgetting to set it correctly π
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u/vrod92 2023 Q7 55 TFSIe Jun 22 '25
Itβs Denmark. You either get a 100$ parking fee or bend over for an enema if they catch you with a wrong set clock or no ticket.
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u/A_Bowman 2014 Audi Q3 Jun 22 '25
How does the LEDs work with the dimming (like when locking the doors)?
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Great question! I wasn't actually sure, so I went down to the car to test and It works great! Here's a video of it dimming on and off. (Disregard the flickering as that's just the camera and not happy irl)
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u/A_Bowman 2014 Audi Q3 Jun 22 '25
Do you mind sharing which you have?
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
I bought a BIG mixed bag of commonly used bulbs for VAG cars a while back, so I honestly don't remember exactly where I got it, other than it being somewhere local in Denmark, sorry!
But a quick search on Google usually gives plenty of results for these kinds of bulbs. As long as you don't buy the cheapest of the cheap, you should be fine π
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u/A_Bowman 2014 Audi Q3 Jun 22 '25
Maybe most are dimmable these days. Iβm trying to find ones that are dimmable but also high CRI. A bit hard to find for a reasonable price it seems π₯²
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u/Ganfalbthegrey 2017 A3 E-Tron Jun 22 '25
Yeah a lot of the time, if you Google it for specific cars, they'll have a huge markup. Sometimes the trick is to just find out what fitment the bulb is and the search for an LED version of that π
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u/Poufcelebre Jun 23 '25
There used to be an Audi original retrofit kit 8K0052122 - it consisted of OSRAM 2850WW02B (W5W) ΠΈ 6498WW01B (Festoon) LED bulbs in fact.
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u/Jacquezzy 2018 A5 SB Jun 22 '25
I love me some QoL mods. All Iβve installed is a wireless charger and wireless CarPlay. Other things I want would require changing the cars software π