S3's-Reliability and what goes wrong

[MK1Campaign]

Hello,

How reliable have all your S3's been and what usually goes wrong with them. How long on average do your tyres last? What should I be looking out for when buying one bearing in mind it will be an early one.

Many Thanks

Ben

 

[RizS3]

Right it probably depends on how far you are willing do go, ive got the usual rattles here and there but dont really find that they spoil the enjoyment of the car.

Faulty ECU due to water damage.
Xenon lights lost their settings and one went off once.
3 of the rear 3rd brake light bulbs went.
Faulty coilpack.

All the above was done under warranty and FOC.

The following items were damaged either by RAC and Audi dealer.

Engine cover (RAC)
Scuttle guard, VIN cover (Audi)
Engine sump guard (RAC)

My service was steep mainly due to the hourly labour rates.
But overall i would give my dealer 7/10 for service.... they could do abit more in the way of going that bit further. They do the job and not had too much problems with them.

Overall i still think it is a reliable car and built very solid.

The tyres can last long but it depends how you drive, in my opinion ive driven 50% normal and 50% fun on my current 18" Michelin Pilots at 17,000miles they have 5mm thread on them and are evenly worn! pretty good in my opinion. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

 

[MK1Campaign]

Cheers Riz!

Anyone else?

 

[AndyS3]

pressed wwrong button /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[AndyMac]

The great British mechanic, if the computer can't pin point the exact fault, they haven't got a clue.

 

[AndyS3]

I have owned my S3 for approx 5 months now and its been in the garage 6 times now. Which is starting to ruin the experence of owning a S3. It took 3 visits to get it fixed first time, they replaced a the throttle body and that fixed the problem. But recently the same problem has appeared again, they so far have replaced the Mass Air Sensor which hasnt fixed it so its going in for 2 days next week so they can pull everything off it to find out what is wrong, lamder sensors, turbo, fuel injectors. It seems the major of the components of the engine have sensors on them so they will issue a fault code, but there is also a lot without so if one of them goes defective it seems very difficult for them to diagnose the problem. They are very reliant on the computer diagnostic's.

The mechanic apologised to me after fixing it the first time because he admitted he thought there was nothing wrong with it the first time i brought it in. Unfortunatly the mechanic that fixed it the first time is on holiday so im going throu the same process with a different guy. I had it in today and when i get in to pick it up im told they couldnt find anything wrong, basicly they put it on ther computer and it issues no faults then he test drove it and he thought it drove ok.

The fault i have dosnt seem to be related to any of the known faults assocaited with the S3/TT but that said it is very disapointing that i have to say this is the most unreliable car i have owned.

But on a positive note at least they are willing to investigate it further based on what i have told them.

One thing i would say about the experence i have had so far with it, i have thought about selling it but i cant think of a car that i can afford to replace it with.

R32 - my last car was a golf dont fancy it.
S2000 - u cant tune it.
bmw - i dont like them.
type-r - fast car but i dont like the look or the plastic.
Scoob/evo - i would get one of these but the girlfriend hates them, it wouldnt be worth the hassle,

If i was to sell it i would buy a TT but u have the same probs unless u get a V6 but i like the tuneablity of the 1.8T engine.

So it looks like im going to put up with the problems that are incurred by owning a S3 because when its going properly its a fantastic car.

 

[AL_B]

Not many for me...compared to some. Not in any order.

1) Glovebox rattles, not bothered getting fixed. Dealers usually just can't fix that type of thing, going off past experience.

2) H Version coil pack went in February. Replaced with another H under warranty.

3) Car had hesitation at around 3500-4000rpm from new. I replaced DV, didn't solve. Asked for upgrade to version L coilpacks recently, hesitation now gone.

4) Drivers seat cushion creaks. Still to be fixed, dealer doesn't sound confident in solving the problem though.

5) Armrest locked in upright position. Replaced under warranty.

6) Passenger wiper does not clean the windscreen properly and never has. Dealer replaced wiper arm under warranty, didn't solve problem. Still to be fixed.

7) One occurance of exhaust vibration in very wet weather. Not bothered getting fixed.

8) Recently had ESP and ABS warning lights come on. Dealer thinks its a MAF problem. Still to be fixed.

9) 2nd to 3rd gear crunch/grind. (See my post) Still to be fixed.

10) Brakes fade too easily. Have done from new and are the worst aspect of the car (you reading Audi?) Dealer has advised upgrading to aftermarket pads and disks because they are wear and tear items, so investigation would cost.

11) Drivers side Xenon went skyward. 10 minute fix by dealer.

Thats it for now. Only the brakes, gearbox and drivers seat are ruining ownership for me at the moment. Basically because when I get in the car or corner the seat creaks, I can't push the car because the gearbox will crunch, and if I do the brakes are crap after 4 roundabouts.

Tyres lasted 13500 miles, but you could tell they needed replacing at 12000 miles.

AL

 

[s8n]

I love my S3, few little issues:

Sqeek in the Glovebox or air vent on the passenger side on a uneven road.. Might try and fix myself.

Coilpacks, all were replaced without me knowing at my last visit to the dealer, they said the idle wasnt right and replaced em all! Must admit, car runs alot better

sqeeky seat belts, rubs on the seat itself! No fix from dealer yet, drives me insane

sqeeky armrest/rattle.. replacing the armrest next week

Apart from that, its been perfect. No hesitation, no reliabiity issues, drives like its new! Sydney roads are crappy so it has its sqeeks and rattles (has about 15,000kms on it now) but I guess thats just road surfacing.. Definately going to get the H&R Coilovers fitted to solve this issue..

Love the car to death but /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Always turns heads which is nice for a stock car!

 

[silvers3uk]

My S3 bought in Jan 03 currently has 10K miles on it, the only problems I'd identify are:

Squeaky driver seat/seatbelt anchor.
An annoying buzz when air con is on full blat (and fan speed is on max)
The fairly useless econ mode for aircon
The poor sound quality from the Bose hifi.

These really are pretty minor and havent been bothered to do anything about them. The reason being, I have no faith in any garage fixing these sort of problems.

The stnadard 18" P-Zero tyres look in good shape, probably got another 7k-10K on them.

 

[s8n]

****** seat belts, they are SOOOO annoying. Im going to get some felt and take matters into my own hands!

 

[chrsbkr5]

[ QUOTE ]
s8n said:
****** seat belts, they are SOOOO annoying. Im going to get some felt and take matters into my own hands!

[/ QUOTE ]

This is exactly what I will be doing today after work. Costs nearly nothing but if it cures the squeek it is well worth it. I didn't realise it was quite such a common fault. Will let you know.

As for reliability...

The car was new May'02.

Only issues I have are the squeeking seatbelt anchor and drivers seat.

Tyres is a different story.. 2nd set of Bridgestone RE040 on the front and only done 16,000 miles. Most of the driving is urban and the car is chipped so I do have fun with roundabouts.

 

[ianmack]

[ QUOTE ]
DRE STER said:

3) Gear box is clunky, not smooth at all. I havent got the time to pursue this matter with the dealer because they will say 'Sir we cant fault the car' and send me on my way. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burningmad.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I think we've all been there!! When I'm bored I'm gonna go round as many Audi dealers as I can to see how many different ways they can tell me this ain't a problem with my car.
I'm going to travel between these garages at speeds no greater than 30mph(while towing a caravan) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Sorry.

 

[edwin98]

No problems at all!

Only loud noise from under the car, when blasting over the higway in dry wheather there's no problem. But when it starts to rain very heavely there's a loud noise from under the car.

And i think all audi's are "heavy" to drive.

Love my car...!

 

[RSAudi]

[ QUOTE ]
silvers3uk said:

The fairly useless econ mode for aircon




[/ QUOTE ]

Saves fuel and gives more power mate. No compressor in system hence no power loss driving compressor and more mpg.
No cold air though, only what is outside the car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Sometimes when switching from auto to econ on a steady throttle you may feel a slight 'surge'as the few bhp are freed up to drive car. My old car used to really leap forward when switching between them.

 

[RizS3]

[ QUOTE ]
Saves fuel and gives more power mate. No compressor in system hence no power loss driving compressor and more mpg.
No cold air though, only what is outside the car

[/ QUOTE ] Cool, i didnt know that... i will try it next time i go out for a spirited drive /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

 

[MarkyB]

I will have had my S3 for two happy years on Monday - it'll be getting a full hand-wash as a treat /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif - have had a fair few niggles with it, but it's still my dream-car and brings a smile to my face whenever I turn the ingnition key.

* Coil-packs - had all four replaced under warrenty, now runs a lot better
* Xenon Headlamp alignment - was out of alignment when I took delivery, 10 minute fix FOC at dealer
* Both oil-sensors died and were replaced in the first 2 weeks, again FOC warrenty job
* Rear Boot Light Sensor Latch died - warrenty replacement
* Drivers Side air-vent illumination died - warrenty replacement
* Mirror adjust joystick thingy illumination has died - can't be bothered chasing that until next service.

My car spends most of it's time trundling through heavy city traffic with the odd weekend thrash through the countryside or long drive up the motorway.

Have chalked up a meagre 15K, am on original Bridgestone tyres and factory pads. I get plenty of complaints from passengers about my overtaking and cornering antics (round-abouts a speciality!) so I'm no granny driver /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Oh and Riz, if you engage "Econ" mode for performance, don't forget to raise your sunroof spoiler for a bit of extra down-force /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh_roll.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Mark.

 

[RizS3]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh and Riz, if you engage "Econ" mode for performance, don't forget to raise your sunroof spoiler for a bit of extra down-force

[/ QUOTE ] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh_roll.gif mmmmm for some strange reason i dont think that would make too much difference? has anybody tried it? im sure at 150mph that the sunroof might be working overtime keeping up! lol /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh_roll.gif