I've bought an S3 / The S3 Thread

[Lippy 0]

[tonedef 9]

I think I must be quite fortunate in that my Corrado costs are negligable(including the usual service,petrol fees).

Well done on the new wheels,I love the clean-cutness of it(particularly the interior).I have absolutely zero knowledge of Audi's-but they seem to be solid,well-built cars.

 

Don't be fooled too much by all the hype, Audis have their snags the same as anything else, you only have to read the audi sport forum to know that. I love my S3, it's a brilliant motor and I bought it because to me it was as close as VAG were to building a Corrado succesor.

 

There are probably as many rattles and creaks in the S3 as the Corrado, I've had all the interior behind the front seats out and so far failed to stop one of them. I've had to buy level sensors and levelling motors for the headlights as they were setting themselves at a "super dipped" position lighting up the road three feet in front of the car. Vagcom and the ability to use it becomes a necessity rather than the luxury it was with a Corrado. The handling needs some attention, much more so than when I bought my Corrado in fact.

 

And then there's servicing, I bought a car with full Audi history so I'll keep that up, it's on variable servicing so approx 20,000 miles between visits (I do the oil/filter myself in between even though Audi say there's no need). It went in the dealers in May for service which included a cam belt and water pump, haldex service, tracking, the total including a replacement key (over £200) was almost £1,800, even the Corrado costs less than that to keep on the road 2 years. :lol:

[Walesy 0]

^^ Indeed, you've hit the nail on the head for me.

 

Buying a newer car to keep running costs down can be a false economy when you consider everything, not least depreciation.

 

I can't see me ever spending much more than £4k-£5k on a car tbh

 

 

 

So , Trig. Sell me your VR6, and i'll be glad to sell it back to you at an inflated price ( these VR6 Corrado's are becoming rare you know :wink: ) in 6 months when you've realised the error of your ways :lol:

[Trig 0]

THe only squeak/rattle I have at the moment on the S3 is the button on the handbrake which vibrates at about 2k revs! Other than that she's silent which doesn't suprise me as IMO the interior feels very well put together.

 

I did buy the car knowing that there was an ABS problem. The dude had already diagnosed the issue as a sensor and sure enough a trip to RK confirmed that it's the longitudinal acceleration sensor. Other than that I got no fault codes.

 

I have a service due in 3k which should work out just before the summer. Cambelt & water pump were both done on the last one so hopefully it wont be too much.

 

Obviously I can't comment on how reliable the car will be as i've only owned it for a week but I doubt very much that I will encounter the amount of problems that owning a Corrado provides!

 

Buuuut it's all horses for courses, I could have 10 years of trouble free driving with the S3 or it could go the other way. Who knows? :)

 

Walesy, sounds fine to me. You can take me out in it once a month to get my fix then I can go home to my S3... :D

[tonedef 9]

Walesy You're spot on there offering to hold onto Trig's VR for him, I planned to sell mine until I realised it had lost about £10K since I bought it. Plus my wife prefers it over the S3 so she's having it, although she has become quite attached to climate control hence the enjoyment I've had the last month squeezing climatronic in!

[Trig 0]

If only I could persuade Laura to have the C and get rid of her Ford, she wont do it though!

[tonedef 9]

If only I could persuade Laura to have the C and get rid of her Ford, she wont do it though!

 

Don't give her the option, borrow the Ford, shunt it, job done!

[Trig 0]

:lol:

[Walesy 0]

Obviously I can't comment on how reliable the car will be as i've only owned it for a week but I doubt very much that I will encounter the amount of problems that owning a Corrado provides!

 

 

Err, to be fair, your S3 has done half the mileage that your VR6 has dude! :)

 

Also, apart from your ECU problem ( which you have to admit to taking the most expensive route to fixing ) has your Rado ever let you down in the 18 months you've owned it? :?

 

( and as you know, i've offered to put your car on my insurance policy as it won't cost a penny, so I think you should keep it where it is for a few months before making the final decision to sell, finding a OBD2 Rado to replace it with will be pretty difficult! )

[GIXXERUK 0]

trig, am i right in thinking that the S3 is an 225 audi TT with an a3 bodyshell using a golf mk4 floorpan ?

they reckon an amd remap produces more horses and better fuel economy in the TT

[Trig 0]

Err, to be fair, your S3 has done half the mileage that your VR6 has dude!

 

Yeh, but that's why you pay more money for one, less miles (hopefully) less money on fixing it! You always end up spending the same in the end!

 

Also, apart from your ECU problem ( which you have to admit to taking the most expensive route to fixing ) has your Rado ever let you down in the 18 months you've owned it?

 

Hmmm, yeh that and the engine'y problem at the moment. Plus the door handle antics, heater blower & wipers breaking down 250miles from home in the rain... :lol:

 

Ok so maybe i'm being a bit harsh on her... :oops:

 

Problems still to sort:-

 

Engine problem - squeally noise, I reckon a belt or a bearing.

Heater blower - needs someone who can actually solder to fit the thermal fuse

Ciggy lighter - need the plug bit that's on the end of the loom. Misplaced mine when wiring in my ipod :oops:

Drivers side headlight lens - Small crack , have siliconed the glass back in so you can't notice it but it does get some condensation still.

Clock adjuster in instrument panel - Fitted it the wrong way round so now need to take it all apart again.

 

Other than that she's ready to rock! :)

[Walesy 0]

Err, to be fair, your S3 has done half the mileage that your VR6 has dude!

 

Yeh, but that's why you pay more money for one, less miles (hopefully) less money on fixing it! You always end up spending the same in the end!

 

Yeah, but my point was, that if you bought a rado with similar mileage to your S3 then you could expect as trouble free motoring as you can with you S3 - coupled with lower running costs :) - And you could pick up a VR6 Rado with around 70k-80k

miles on it for half what you paid for the Audi

 

Problems still to sort:-

 

Engine problem - squeally noise, I reckon a belt or a bearing.

Heater blower - needs someone who can actually solder to fit the thermal fuse

Ciggy lighter - need the plug bit that's on the end of the loom. Misplaced mine when wiring in my ipod

Drivers side headlight lens - Small crack , have siliconed the glass back in so you can't notice it but it does get some condensation still.

Clock adjuster in instrument panel - Fitted it the wrong way round so now need to take it all apart again.

 

Sounds like a write off :roll: :lol: - seriously though, I don't see those few problems as particularly bad within 18 months, if you totted up how much it will cost to sort it's pretty negligable.

 

I think the S3 is a cool car , but I won't be convinced that it'll save you money or hassle in the long run :)

[Jim 2]

The squealy noise is probably the belt tensioner which is known to get noisy before failing.. you might wanna get it sorted sooner rather than later cause if it seizes and then shreds the belt, you'll be even more hacked off ;)

 

Either that or it could just be a noisy belt. I've had that before using pattern parts on my old G60.. got a proper VW belt and the noise vanished!

[Trig 0]

trig, am i right in thinking that the S3 is an 225 audi TT with an a3 bodyshell using a golf mk4 floorpan ?

they reckon an amd remap produces more horses and better fuel economy in the TT

 

That sounds right although i'm not sure about the MK4 floorpan.

 

It is essentially an A3 with lower sportier suspension, bigger arches, slightly sportier body (I think) with the 5v TT engine.

 

Originally though they downtuned them to 210 so as not to mess up sales of the TT but the TT sold so well that they later upped the S3 to 225, it's still the same engine though, just a different map.

 

There are loads of places you can get a remap done, AMD are supposed to be good as are Rvo but i'm just going to take mine to RKE. They are local and I know them plus they'll do me a better price and i'm sure they'll get the most out of the vehicle.

 

And yeah i've heard that you can get better economy with the remap! plus it should be 260bhp+ :D

[Trig 0]

Walesy, that is only the current porblems. Doesn't include the ones that i've fixed... Solid break lines rusted, Ball joints, door handles, leaking rear shock, rusted sill, blowing exhaust.... Yeh that's right, not exactly been a walk in the park eh? :lol:

 

At least you know none of that stuff should be a problem if you buy it! ;)

 

Jim, yeh I thought it was something like that. I'm not driving it at the moment but it would be good to get it down to RK soon, at least then I know she's running well and there's just the niggles to sort..

[tonedef 9]

 

Originally though they downtuned them to 210 so as not to mess up sales of the TT but the TT sold so well that they later upped the S3 to 225, it's still the same engine though, just a different map.

 

There are loads of places you can get a remap done, AMD are supposed to be good as are Rvo but i'm just going to take mine to RKE. They are local and I know them plus they'll do me a better price and i'm sure they'll get the most out of the vehicle.

 

And yeah i've heard that you can get better economy with the remap! plus it should be 260bhp+ :D

 

The 225 varies slightly from the 210 by having VVT, not that it benefits as IIRC it's only to improve emissions at low rpm. Chipped they're the same.

 

Not sure about this better economy after chipping lark, no point having it chipped to drive it more economically is there? I'm pretty sure the VR6 returns generally better figures although I don't take that much notice. In fact I have to admit to not really caring that much, if you want economy, buy a TDi.

[GIXXERUK 0]

tonedef, i think it returns better mpg with a remap because it is more efficient at the fuel burning thingy rather than you drive it slower or more economically lol

[CoxyLaad 0]

I am fairly certain that if you utilise the remapped power of the engine then its fair to say you fuel ecomony figures will be horrific.

 

p.s. the s3 is a mk4 golf floor plan, but the s3 has a wider track than a standard A3.

 

Y'know, I think I'd have bought a TT!

[GIXXERUK 0]

not that it matters :-) but the general consesus of the TT forum users who have had the map say the power delivery is smoother and better mpg but that will depend on the map used , max power or just to iron out flat spots etc map

 

the new TT uses the mk5 goof floorpan and the reviews suggest it drives much better

[tonedef 9]

I was looking at a new S3 last week, I can see myself owning one of those some time.

CoxyLaad It takes very little for the display to read low single figures, unlike the one in the Corrado the mpg is instantaneous and can as you suggest be horrific! It's fun though. One advantage with the Revo map is that you can switch it to standard settings if required, gives the clutch an easier life if you're in the habit of launching the car too often, I've got a paddle clutch fitted to help but it can be a bit grabby. Whichever setting I use though the fuel economy seems similar.

 

I didn't buy a TT as I have to keep the kids somewhere other than the boot, without them it would have been a 911 a long time ago 8)

[Trig 0]

The 225 varies slightly from the 210 by having VVT, not that it benefits as IIRC it's only to improve emissions at low rpm. Chipped they're the same.

 

IIRC they both have VVT but the 210 is mechanical and the 225 electrical.

 

And yeh, economy is not exactly top of the list but good for when the missus is plodding around in it.

[Trig 0]

Oh and here's a question for all you S3 owners.

 

I want to fit the facelift headlights to mine (some cutting of the wing required) but can't seem to find a set. I've seen loads on german ebay for the A3 do these fit ok or not? They need to be xenons as with my current ones, but the 1 piece. Thanks

 

PS. you've all got facelifts, wanna swap?!

 

PPS. Getting answers on audi-sport is a bit like getting blood out fo a stone sometimes!

[Jimbo 0]

Welcome to the unofficial S3 corrado forum!

 

:)

[Trig 0]

Come on then Jimbo, get some pictures up!

[Jimbo 0]

Come on then Jimbo, get some pictures up!

 

Ah well theres some on my profile but if you cant be arsed to look (dont blame you!) :)

 

Then here you go! ;)