Well my plan was originally to just do some H&R lowering spring, but the more pictures I saw of people with that setup the more I didn't like it. It just wasn't enough to set it a part from the OEM ride height. While browsing around eBay I noticed JHM was selling their 2" lowering spring kit for $149USD. Immediately I thought this was a scam, but after contacting JHM via their official store front, it was real. That said, that was immediately purchased.

• JHM Lowering Springs: https://www.ebay.com/itm/293007159152

If this was my daily driver I likely would have gone with the 034 Motorsport springs as I think those give the perfect drop, but I promised the wife that I wouldn't go crazy. I think the JHM will provide the perfect blend of better handling and looks without being crazy low. Speaking of crazy, I'm going to first try and install them using the stock shocks. Yes I know 100K+ mile car with likely OEM shocks is not suggested, but there has been many people reporting no issues using the stock. I know I'm taking a risk here, but figured why not. If they don't last, I'll get the B8 shocks. 

While I was looking at my shocks to make sure they weren't leaking, I noticed a problem that I kind of expected. I heard some snaps and pops when turning the Q5 at low speeds. Sure enough every single control arm bushing was torn. As I know this platform loves to eat control arm bushing, but the fact they were all torn makes me thing they have been serviced in the past and were not properly preloaded before torqued down. Oh well, I ordered a complete upper and lower set for the front from FCP euro so I had the lifetime warranty.

• Front Upper Control Arms: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/clone-audi-control-arm-kit-front-upper-4-piece-a4-a5-s4-s5-b8caupperkt1
• Front Lower Control Arms: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi-control-arm-kit-meyle-hd-8k0407151fkt2
• Shock Mounts: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi-suspension-strut-mount-8k0412377c

Hopefully in a couple of weeks the car will be looking way better than this... 

This is likely the easiest, fastest, and cheapest install you can do on a modern Audi. I did the same on the B8.5 S4 and it was just as simple for the Q5, maybe even easier as I didn't need to jack up the car. 

All you need is the following

• Transmission Mount Insert: https://amzn.to/3OuDPPP (affiliate link)
• Triple Socket Set: https://amzn.to/3vCN7AU (affiliate link)
• Blue 243 Loctite: https://amzn.to/3EFAHwi (affiliate link)

Next just follow these 034 Motorsport install instructions and you will be done in less than 15mins. 

For me what I notice in ever car I've installed this in, is that the transmission just shifts smoother. There is less of a "jerk" or rubber band snap like feeling between gear changes. All the play is just gone and it make the car feel new. I highly recommend it. 

The Q5 is getting a little taste of the "R" line with a flat bottom steering wheel from a 2014 RS5. I bought it from a local guy taken from his parts car. He sold it to me for $600 which likely the best deal out there for both a steering wheel and airbag. It is nice to see some people out in the world that sell at a fair price and don't pass along the "Audi Tax" on everything. That said, I wasted no time, picked it up, and got this installed. As a word of advice, you do need a Triple Square socket set to get the steering wheel removed once the airbag it out of the way. As for the airbag it is either bolted behind the steering wheel or snaps in. For my case both the existing airbag and the new one were snap style. I found it very helpful to use a borescope  with a pick to unsnap each side. There are many Youtube videos out there that go over it. As for code the paddle shifters, I used retrofit option in OBDEleven, which cost 10 credits (you can get free credits watching ads) and got that enabled in about 10 seconds. Likely took about 1 hour to remove the old steering wheel and install the new one. I can't remember doing back to back installs on a Audi (exhaust and this steering wheel)  where everything just went smoothly. (knock on wood)

My wife isn't the biggest fan of the perforated which I can get, but it does have a nicer feel vs the solid leather. Not to mention, as a bigger guy, the flat bottom just gives so much more clearance to get in and out of the car without your legs hitting the steering wheel. Lastly, it is so nice to have the same paddle shifters like my B8.5 S4. You can have the same fun drop down a few gears to making a pass on the highway. 

As for the RS5 logo, likely going to just lay some piano black vinyl over it to make it less noticeable. I found a few places that want $20 for a new sticker which doesn't really seem worth it. We will see....

You can find my existing steering wheel for sale here: 
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/223996693257818/