Living with an 8P A3.

[Johnny5]

Hello.

Hopefully soon to be getting my first VAG, the car im after is around a 2006 A3 2.0 TFSI

Just wondering what they are like to live with, as an everyday car...
Hows fuel consumption if driven sensibly?
What do you love about yours and what do you hate?
How does the 2.0tfsi engine respond to tuning?

Im a full time mechanic with full workshop facilities, tools, oils & fluids, tec info etc at my disposal so maintenence & modifications are no issue, and i get anything i want from suppliers (both main dealer and motor factors) at trade price (including tyres).

Good friend of mine owned a spanking new, white, A3 S-Line 140tdi with all the options (inc the lambo steering wheel) and it was fantastic.

Any info much appreciated

Johnny

 

[sub39h]

hi there,

i recently bought a 2.0T (about four months ago) having owned a 1.6 for about 5 years. both were 3 door models.

as an every day car, the 3dr isn't the most practical. rear space is alright, but i'm 6' 2" and i only just fit behind myself if i adjust the seat for my driving position. i can't comment on the sportback.

fuel consumption is quite varied. some people report as much as 40mpg on long runs. i've struggled to get more than 35mpg, tho i've not done a true economy run yet. on my commute i get an indicated 25mpg on average.

on balance i love the car. the performance is very good, the handling is quite good as well now i've given the car a set of coilovers (it's a little wallowy even in S-Line trim as standard). it looks very good, the cabin is a nice place to be and it's all built very well.

however the car goes through oil quite a bit. i've owned the car for 4 months and 7k miles and i've used about 2 litres of oil. as said above the handling isn't stellar as standard either, and options are pricey.

the 2.0T is a very tunable engine. on the A3 a remap will see around 250bhp-ish, and things like an exhaust and CAI will push that to around the 260bhp mark... but you can do whatever you like with it. some have put bigger turbos and things and given it 500bhp.

pretty much any options you want can be retrofitted (including the flat bottom "lambo steering wheel"), some with more difficulty than others.

me recommendations are only buy cars with Sports seats (i.e. Sport or S-Line trim only) and try get a car with a double DIN head unit. aside from looking better, it makes retrofitting sat nav that much easier. auto lights and wipers can be retrofitted but they need a new windshield so bear this in mind if it's an important extra to you.

happy hunting!

S.

 

[Johnny5]

Cheers for the reply, boot space isnt a major issue for me really as the only things i really have in the boot are work overalls, gym bag, afew bits and bobs and obviously shopping time to time.
Insurance isnt too bad, well, not too bad for a 19y/o, £1500 fully comp a year with admiral on a 2006 S-Line 3dr 200hp. I was actually due to be getting a Civic TypeR (EP3...2003) that was getting traded in at work, but the cheapest insurance is £3400 fully comp. I guess its down to the amount of claims on a Type R as opposed to the Audi.

Commute to work each day is 14 miles each way (usually 20-30 mins) around a 50/50 mix of town driving and A-road.
Anyone know a good source for the wheels from the titanium pack? IIRC 18" 6 twin spoke

Johnny

 

[sub39h]

i think you mean the RS4 wheels - 7 twin spoke.

eBay is a good place to start, or look around for ppl on here swapping their standard wheels for BBSs or whatever. other than that you can try the wheel sanctuary (google it).

 

[Brett Butler]

I do not find my S3 using a lot of oil, seems odd that some do.

 

[sub39h]

seems to be a bit varied from engine to engine

 

[Johnny5]

i think you mean the RS4 wheels - 7 twin spoke.

eBay is a good place to start, or look around for ppl on here swapping their standard wheels for BBSs or whatever. other than that you can try the wheel sanctuary (google it).

Thats the ones, i think they look fantastic.
Any known serious faults i should be looking out for upon inspection/test drive

 

[AUDI A3 SLINE]

I've had mine for a few months now and average fuel consumption is around 30mpg which is town driving and the odd cruise down the dual carriageway twice a week. I went for the sport back because we have a 15 month old golden Labrador and she fits in the boot no problem and we also have two kids so back doors were important. I went for the s-line spec because I like the looks of the subtle body mods etc. Performance is okay as is the handling. My previous car was a 270bhp Volvo so the Audi feels slow but searching threw this forum there seems to be plenty of options for simple power upgrades.

Mike

 

[antmax7]

oil consumption is hit and miss i have owned my car for 14 months and it has used no oil at all in 16k i have had a oil change 4k ago and not a change in the level at all.
i would say buy a quattro over a FWD though
i get around 30-34mpg out of mine combined using shell v-power
its a good car with a good engine all round with plenty of tuning options

 

[Johnny5]

oil consumption is no issue for me, i get free oil.
What trim comes with an AUX connection for ipod, or is it a showroom chosen extra?

 

[sub39h]

I don't think any of the age you're looking for will come with AUX. but it's easy enough to retrofit, unless you want it in the OEM location in which case the centre console may have to come out

 

[The Cardinal]

I've writen a "mid-term" review of my 2.0TQ, which you'll find if you search my posts.

The A3 is a really good car to live with and, depending on spec, is probably one of the best packages you'll find for any size of car. The 2.0T is a very tuneable engine and you benefit from pretty much any of the mods available to the Golf GTi.