Thinking about getting an S3, shock horror LOL. A few Q’s

Markb

Markb

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OK some of you will think I’m mad for contemplating selling my A3 after the time effort and money I’ve spent on it, but I’ve always liked the S3. Before I couldn’t get insured on oen, and the final few mods I was planning to do on mine will cost big money (Engine and interior re-trim). Also at the end of the day it will still be FWD and not 4WD!

So I think it’s time to maybe move onto the S3 :) Also had a quote for changing insurance on mine and it works out cheaper then my A3, due to how heavily modded it is LOL (A lot of companies won’t touch it)

I know I’ll end up modding it, but not like the A3. I think wheels, suspension, exhaust and chip will do me fine.

So my Q’s

1) Some of you guys have gone from A3 1.8T's to S3's. What the change over like?

2) What is the best 225BHP engine to go for? I’ve heard BAM and AQX mentioned a few times in the past.

3) What other running costs are involved apart from Cambelt and general servicing? (I know there’s the Haldex 4WD, but how many thousand miles for a service? Also cost?)

4) What sort of mileage are these cars good for? Mine’s only done 62K in 8 years, but a lot of newer ones are on 80K+

5) Anything else I need to consider?

Mark.
 
i think after edition 38, you really want a s3 lol,

am in the same boat i really want s3, hopefully it happens this year
 
not really dude. You own a 1.8T 8L - so you already know the weak points.

Only differences from your car would be that the s3 has a bit of a drinking problem in comparison. As for servicing, have a butchers at the faq, quite a few people have posted their experiences on this now which is good.

runnig costs would almost identical i would have thought..
 
rickparmar said:
i think after edition 38, you really want a s3 lol
Click to expand...

No not really. I've been thinking about it for a while.

Which S3 at E38 were you thinking of? Not a fan of Steve's yellow one. I liked Chris's Noggy and Damians black one.

Mark.
 
Cheers dude.

Might have to go for a test drive in one. Not actually driven an S3 before.

Mark.
 
Markb said:
Indeed not sure on what colour.

Was thinking either Noggy or Black, as Dolphin grey ones seem to be going for £13K+
Click to expand...

I would personally pay the extra for the colour you want mate, cos you'll only go and respray the thing when you get bored. :p
 
jojo said:
I would personally pay the extra for the colour you want mate, cos you'll only go and respray the thing when you get bored. :p
Click to expand...

Trust me this one won't get resprayed or played with on the outside body wise. I want factory Audi paint!
 
Pay the extra for the Dolphin and all the goodies like xenons. I think it's worth the extra. Put your current rims and suspension on it and it should be good!

Good meeting you at the weekend too! After our chat about fuel economy, I managed 412 miles out of that tank I was on. Not bad going really.
 
Suspension from a FWD A3 wont fit an S3 either afaik, at least the alloys will fit :)
 
Markb said:
No not really. I've been thinking about it for a while.

Which S3 at E38 were you thinking of? Not a fan of Steve's yellow one. I liked Chris's Noggy and Damians black one.

Mark.
Click to expand...

it was chris's noggy one, he was next to me at the camp site, beautiful car
 
265STW said:
Pay the extra for the Dolphin and all the goodies like xenons. I think it's worth the extra. Put your current rims and suspension on it and it should be good!

Good meeting you at the weekend too! After our chat about fuel economy, I managed 412 miles out of that tank I was on. Not bad going really.
Click to expand...

Yeah good meeting you as well dude. I'm sure there must be something up with my car or just how I drive it then? As I got 300 mile out of a full tank sitting at 80 - 90 on the motorway.

Yeah I was thinking of putting the BBS's on, but fancy a change. So we'll see. Also as stated the FWD suspension can't be swopped over to the 4WD, otherwise it would be going straight on.

I think either Dolphin or Nogaro after having a think about it.

Mark.
 
rickparmar said:
it was chris's noggy one, he was next to me at the camp site, beautiful car
Click to expand...

Yeah that's the car that has got me thinking about changing after he parked next to me on Saturday LOL

I had been thinking about it for a while, but he made me think again LOL
 
god_thats_quick said:
If your planning on getting it remapped I wouldn't worry about the engine code or even if it's 210 / 225.
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Cool. So is the 210 BHP engine just a de-tunned version of the 225BHP engine? No other differences?

Mark.
 
There are slight differences between all the engine codes however I'm not sure any of them make a real difference once mapped, I'm pretty sure the APY engine (without electronic VVT) is popular if going for big power.

I just know that if I was looking for an S3 it would be on condition and not much else.
 
Apy has 20mm pins no vvt and is the strongest no question.
amk/bam vvt 19mm pins.
early 210's actually have a stronger turbo which is actually rebuildable.
later amk/bam's have me7.5 with closed loop lambada early apy's don't.
 
Ryanc said:
Apy has 20mm pins no vvt and is the strongest no question.
amk/bam vvt 19mm pins.
early 210's actually have a stronger turbo which is actually rebuildable.
later amk/bam's have me7.5 with closed loop lambada early apy's don't.
Click to expand...

I remember a period where AMK engines were re-mapping slightly better than most BAM engines...certainly my experience was that the 210 AMKs were always at the top end of the power spread when re-mapped.

With regard to strength...a certain well respected tuner was explaining to me that anything above 300 lb-ft would need the stronger 20mm pins as a minimum...until I pointed out that I'd been running 320-330 lb-ft for years on an AMK.
He almost passed out with shock...

Personally, if I were looking again, I'd be looking for a facelift car to start, then condition, miles, options etc...so you are looking AMK or BAM for that.....I wouldn't pay a premium for a 225 BHP car if you intend to remap.
 
Mark,

As others have pointed out already most of the weaknesses are common to 8Ls. Things i can think of that perhaps are more S3 related

1 - Dodgy Xenon motors - wandering up/down and everywhere else but where you want them!

2 - Rear ARB bushes i think are more likely to go on the quattro platform

3 - 6 speed box has a habit of 2 - 3rd gear crunch ie, failed syncro...usually only noticeable to begin with at high revs

4 - My opinion is that i would only go facelift, the interior is just 100% spot on

5 - Judging off Ryanc's comments i think a facelift 210 with APY is an ideal candidate for mods

6 - Be aware of any prolonged startup rattle...been a few having timing CHAIN issues recently...not belt....this though is usually due to a blocked oil return pipe or the fact that someones let the oil get down to the warning light....by which point common opinion seems to be that the timing chain adjuster is well and truly knacked

7 - My opinion again, but make sure its got symphony double DIN, makes life easier if you want to do a DVD RNS-E retrofit!

8 - Heated seats were optional....as was sunroof..depends on how choosy you want to be

9 - My ideal colour....i think its still Dolphin - (which means it would have to be facelift) with Silver Nappa leather interior...prior to MY01 i think mineral grey was the colour.

If you can do it...then do it. but budget the best part of £1000 and maybe moreto do the ess_three mods on the suspension
 
evotista said:
3 - 6 speed box has a habit of 2 - 3rd gear crunch ie, failed syncro...usually only noticeable to begin with at high revs
Click to expand...

That's typical VAG though...and to be honest, high revs don't have any impact...it's speed of change and the amount you use the clutch that counts.

Sadly, I am rough of gearboxes...my S3 *could* crunch if you hammered it 2nd to 3rd and didn't dip the clutch all the way...which is what I was bad for doing.

I amended my driving style to prevent further damage...but sadly left it too late on my GTI resulting in a gearbox rebuild to change the synchros.

On a new / well looked after / not abused 'box...it won't crunch or clunk no matter how quick you try to shift (I say try because the gearchange is slow and clunky anyway) so best try to go 2nd to 3rd as fast as you can and listen to the noise - or lack of - as it'll give you some idea how it's been driven.


5 - Judging off Ryanc's comments i think a facelift 210 with APY is an ideal candidate for mods
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Can you get a facelift APY?
Didn't the facelift tie in with the AMK being used?


If you can do it...then do it. but budget the best part of £1000 and maybe moreto do the ess_three mods on the suspension
Click to expand...

It all depends on how far you want to go with it...
What I had was sublime to drive...but at a fair cost, and possibly more than some need.

Bear in mind that an S3 is heavy and will wear out suspension bushes and track rod ends fairly quickly too, if driven hard.
 
Weight thats the main concern ,i'm going to take mine down to a weighbridge because i think the 1415kg sticker may be lying.
 
Cheers for your input Glen (Ess_Three) factual and to the point as always.

Also thanks Ryan and evotista for some other good points
 
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