Small 'niggles' on S3

S

SR-71

Registered User
Joined
Dec 1, 2011
Messages
15
Reaction score
1
Points
1
Location
NULL
Hi Everyone,

I'm a bit of a newbie to this forum, having just come from a 3-door fully-loaded BMW to a more practical 5-door S3. Overall impression is that I love driving it however there are a few minor niggles inside the car (which I think BMW might be better at) and I was wondering if these are easy to fix or sort out.

1) Volume on the RNS-E always goes up when starting the car...this is a bit annoying as I always have to make it quieter. It also ocassionally has a mind of it's own going slightly louder and quieter in tunnels/slower/faster roads etc.
2) There's no indication of how loud the RNS-E is.
3) RNS-E always starts up on Nav directions page or radio page. It never starts on my Radio memory page or on the map, so always having to fiddle changing it.
4) No auto-on of lights. Always have to switch them on/off manually plus the annoying buzzer when left on rather than them being switched off automatically when the ignition is switched off.
5) The 'chain' system on the door hinge. It opens in stages - I'm always conscious of the door swinging open and hitting the car next to me.
6) Putting foot down doesn't give that instant power/shot up the backside...a very very slight delay for the first few '000 revs mainly in 2nd+ gear (although I'm guessing this is common in single turbo cars). I'm also guessing that chipping the car would solve this.
7) Changing phones wipes out the old voice recordings on the contacts list....r did I do something wrong here?
8) Light scratches on the 'piano black' inserts. Are these easy to polish out with a very fine polishing compound?
9) Noway to control both dual climate controls from one, ie. they can't be linked. Always have to control both separately.
10) No damn cupholders! Where do I put my coffee ? :cool:

Sorry to seem like a moany git but these little things all add up on what would make the perfect car even more perfect for me!

SR-71
 
Last edited:
Link climate by holding down auto for a couple of seconds then try again

Auto volume for traffic is a pain, can be turned off if you dont have bose.

Stg 1 remap will transform the car totally and requires no mods other than the map
Cup holder under the sliding shutters under the centre arm rest
 
From stock,the car is brisk but certainly not fast.

This is one car that actually needs a remap to get the best out of it and you will notice both reduced lag and increased economy after doing that even though you gain a decent amount of power and torque.

A Stg1 remap would get you to about 310bhp with further stages taking you to about 330 and 360 bhp respectively.

PS. As your name here is SR71, have you read or bought Sled Driver by Brian Shul?
 
1) Volume on the RNS-E always goes up when starting the car...this is a bit annoying as I always have to make it quieter. It also ocassionally has a mind of it's own going slightly louder and quieter in tunnels/slower/faster roads etc.
Startup volume can be changed on the standard stereo's in the menu system. Would've thought this would be available on the RNS-E?

4) No auto-on of lights. Always have to switch them on/off manually plus the annoying buzzer when left on rather than them being switched off automatically when the ignition is switched off.
Can be retrofitted at a cost.

9) Noway to control both dual climate controls from one, ie. they can't be linked. Always have to control both separately.
Hold down 'Auto' until both temperature are matched then both can be controlled by the drivers side control

10) No damn cupholders! Where do I put my coffee ? :cool:
Can be retrofitted in the pre-2009 A3/S3's.

Answered what I could there! :)
 
SR-71 said:
Hi Everyone,

I'm a bit of a newbie to this forum, having just come from a 3-door fully-loaded BMW to a more practical 5-door S3. Overall impressions is that I love driving it however there are a few minor niggles inside the car (which I think BMW might be better at) and I was wondering if these are easy to fix or sort out.

SR-71 said:
1) Volume on the RNS-E always goes up when starting the car...this is a bit annoying as I always have to make it quieter. It also ocassionally has a mind of it's own going slightly louder and quieter in tunnels/slower/faster roads etc.
Click to expand...

You are right, it's a pain in the ****, and part of the Bose GALA system which can not be over ridden unless you start changing pins in the wiring loom and changin settings on the cars ECU. Has to be the most annoying thing about the whole car.

SR-71 said:
2) There's no indication of how loud the RNS-E is.
Click to expand...

Correct

SR-71 said:
3) RNS-E always starts up on Nav directions page or radio page. It never starts on my Radio memory page or on the map, so always having to fiddle changing it.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, not sure about this one. Mine always starts on media page so there may be a way round this

SR-71 said:
4) No auto-on of lights. Always have to switch them on/off manually plus the annoying buzzer when left on rather than them being switched off automatically when the ignition is switched off.
Click to expand...

Isn't this an option. Mine has an auto setting and it takes care of itself. To over ride it you use the switch (comfort pack?)

SR-71 said:
5) The 'chain' system on the door hinge. It opens in stages - I'm always conscious of the door swinging open and hitting the car next to me.
Click to expand...

Imagine if you had the big doors of the 3 door!

SR-71 said:
6) Putting foot down doesn't give that instant power/shot up the backside...a very very slight delay for the first few '000 revs mainly in 2nd+ gear (although I'm guessing this is common in single turbo cars). I'm also guessing that chipping the car would solve this.
Click to expand...

Turbo lag. Nature of the beast, and mapping doesn't change it as you will always have an element of lag until the turbo spools up. Need to change your driving habits if you've been used to NA cars.

SR-71 said:
7) Changing phones wipes out the old voice recordings on the contacts list....r did I do something wrong here?
Click to expand...

Haven't changed phones, but doesn't RNSE pull data from phone rather than storing it internally unless you put it in? Someone will know!

SR-71 said:
8) Light scratches on the 'piano black' inserts. Are these easy to polish out with a very fine polishing compound?
Click to expand...

I'd imagine Meguairs Plastic-X might do it.

SR-71 said:
9) Noway to control both dual climate controls from one, ie. they can't be linked. Always have to control both separately.
Click to expand...

There is. I think if you hold 'AUTO' for two seconds you can control both with the driver side toggle switch.

SR-71 said:
10) No damn cupholders! Where do I put my coffee ? :cool:
Click to expand...

Bit of an afterthought, they put the coffee cup slot under the badly positioned armrest. In the older 8P2 cars (pre '08) there was a credit card slot in the dash which could be switched out for a drinks holder, but it's gone in the 8P3 (2008>)

SR-71 said:
Sorry to seem like a moany git but these little things all add up on what would make the perfect car even more perfect for me!

SR-71
Click to expand...

I'm afraid it's the nature of the car. Marvel at the finish of the materials!
Click to expand...
 
My 2010 car has the credit card holder but not sure I wuld want a coffee up anywhere near my Nav so won't be retrofitting.

Have to agree with the OP though, the lack of a decent cup holder is a real oversight but then again its good to take a break :)
 
Warren..I took my car back straight away and had the Bose auto traffic noise level disabled free of charge by the dealer. It now has the std GALA showing which you can control.
RNSE starts on the main page that was on when you switched off but not sub pages controlled by the 4 buttons round the main dial
People did brake hard and filled the rnse up with coffee so the cup holder was removed by audi..moral is dont drink and drive ..
 
Don't drink and Drive LOL !! :)

I tend to ony have water in the car but still find it amazing how much and how quickly the American habit of Coffee in the car caught on, don't get me wrong I like coffee but just couldn't bear to spill any, I even make my 5 year old take her shoes off in the car :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: nelson19uk
paddy said:
Warren..I took my car back straight away and had the Bose auto traffic noise level disabled free of charge by the dealer. It now has the std GALA showing which you can control.
RNSE starts on the main page that was on when you switched off but not sub pages controlled by the 4 buttons round the main dial
People did brake hard and filled the rnse up with coffee so the cup holder was removed by audi..moral is dont drink and drive ..
Click to expand...

Might change my settings with VCDS from Bose to normal then. Assumed you'd need to change pin no.7 in the rear connector block (brown wire) which is the Bose connector back into pin #6 (reverse of RNSE retrofit change)

Quadlock.jpg


IMG_0046.JPG


I'll try it out tonight because with the hissing and auto volume it does my head in!
 
As i understand it you don't need to disable bose to stop its auto traffic level. I wonder if it has a separate mike that picks up the noise, if so just put some cotton wool round it ? I have Gala on the menu now, i supose i should see where the bose pin is but if the dealer moved the bose pin then it doesn't say much for bose as i haven't noticed any difference in sound quality

Edit..i think you mean pin 5 on your post above ??
 
Last edited:
SR-71 said:
1) Volume on the RNS-E always goes up when starting the car...this is a bit annoying as I always have to make it quieter. It also ocassionally has a mind of it's own going slightly louder and quieter in tunnels/slower/faster roads etc.
Click to expand...

I agree this is a complete pain in the hoop. Each time have to catch it and turn the volume down as it tries to crank it up after a few seconds!!
 
paddy said:
Link climate by holding down auto for a couple of seconds then try again
Click to expand...

Cheers - could also do with dropping the half degree increments as well.

Although I don't have Nav, reading through the manual I discovered how to knock down the on volume & the auto increase / speed related issue.
 
Last edited:
Helifella said:
reading through the manual I discovered how to knock down the on volume & the auto increase / speed related issue.
Click to expand...

You can knock it back, but only to a preset volume, not back to 'effective' zero. Then as soon as you start moving it ramps up again which is great if you have clients in the car as they think you're a right nob jockey wide boy. Set mine back to the min it will go, but would be great to have default you could set to zero.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Helifella
kkp0897 said:
So Warren,

What's the cause of the hissing? I have the same problem.

KKP
Click to expand...

From what I've read it's a noise made by the system to monitor ambient noise so it can determine what volume to set gala at. Drives me insane! Only way to can it is to turn off Bose equalisation using VCDS as far as I'm aware.
 
I still fail to understand how a car that does 0-100 in 13.7 stock (Autocar test) is not "fast" - but that of course is down to one's standards and, yes, I have myself done a remap to unlock the potential. :)

I find it a pain not having a proper dash-mounted cup holder (for water bottles), but to be fair you can add one if you don't have switches for magnetic ride or parking distance control and, of course, it's a small sacrifice to have RNSE satnav. The lack of auto lights / wipers also annoys me after having them on my old 2.0T quattro, but again it can be added with a little time and effort.
 
Actually agree completely, lack of auto lights is a real pain, even my GTI had this as standard, may look into a retro-fit but can imagine this is expensive due to windscreen sensor etc.
 
you can turn your auto lights with vcds. it's not sensor based but when your switch is on auto (DRL LED's) it lights up DRL's and main beam. i've got it enabled and it's handy. and for auto wipers...don't be lazy :D
 
S. said:
you can turn your auto lights with vcds. it's not sensor based but when your switch is on auto (DRL LED's) it lights up DRL's and main beam. i've got it enabled and it's handy. and for auto wipers...don't be lazy :D
Click to expand...

Yes but early S3's dont have an auto position. The op is talking about auto lights due to light levels and for that you need the sensor in the screen.
 
I'd love to have auto lights purely for the coming home, leaving home function to work properly, but for the sake of turning a dial to put your lights on.... also in foggy / wet conditions I don't believe they activate the lights anyway, as I see so many folk (Q7's etc) without them on in such conditions. I do think we are becoming rather dependant on tech to do the simplist of tasks.
 
audi upgrades
paddy said:
Yes but early S3's dont have an auto position. The op is talking about auto lights due to light levels and for that you need the sensor in the screen.
Click to expand...
i thought that they have DRL position and that should be the same as auto on newer? or i'm wrong?
 
Guys sorry to hijack thread but I've just taken delivery of my new s3 sportback, connected up my iPhone 4s and now the DIS has totally vanished and buttons on right hand stalk do nothing, mode button now just puts display between radio station or a message that says "insert phone"??? Even if my Bluetooth is turned off?? Any ideas???
 
kscott24 said:
Guys sorry to hijack thread but I've just taken delivery of my new s3 sportback, connected up my iPhone 4s and now the DIS has totally vanished and buttons on right hand stalk do nothing, mode button now just puts display between radio station or a message that says "insert phone"??? Even if my Bluetooth is turned off?? Any ideas???
Click to expand...

Button under stalk???
 
Thanks for great replies guys...durrrr, auto function for aircon worked a treat...and why the hell are those cup holders there ? Ie under armrest...still, the auto-vol and non-auto lights and always manually having to change RNS-E screen on startup are my biggest bugbear! 8)
 
The auto lights & wipers are linked - If the auto wipers are triggered by rain (during daylight), after about 4 or 5 sweeps the dipped headlights also come on. Doesn't work in fog, unless it's misty enough to trigger the wipers.

But yes, one of the best things about the auto lights is the CH/LH function.

Helifella said:
I'd love to have auto lights purely for the coming home, leaving home function to work properly, but for the sake of turning a dial to put your lights on.... also in foggy / wet conditions I don't believe they activate the lights anyway, as I see so many folk (Q7's etc) without them on in such conditions. I do think we are becoming rather dependant on tech to do the simplist of tasks.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Warren,
the small switch on the right hand indicator stalk for scrolling through the DIS.....mpg, miles till fill etc etc......everything has vanished completely.........took it into the dealership and they re-set the DIS so it was ok..........but they now say the RNS-E is not compatable with the iphone 4S........????
 
kscott24 said:
Hi Warren,
the small switch on the right hand indicator stalk for scrolling through the DIS.....mpg, miles till fill etc etc......everything has vanished completely.........took it into the dealership and they re-set the DIS so it was ok..........but they now say the RNS-E is not compatable with the iphone 4S........????
Click to expand...

That's interesting, not heard that before. Can't see why as I'm not aware Bluetooth standards have changed with the 4s. I want to believe the dealer knows what they're talking about......but I dont!

Anyone else got any views on this???
 
There is a list of compatible phones on the Audi web page. I had to change phones to get mine to work. Make sure your phone firm ware is up to date

Tested mobile phones

4S is not listed as compatible. I had to dump my LG and go back to Nokia..Circa 1853,, the steam powered version
 
Last edited:
S. said:
i thought that they have DRL position and that should be the same as auto on newer? or i'm wrong?
Click to expand...

They have a DRL Switch next to that is seperate to the main headlight switch. Well that is what is in mine.
 
Hi S3Alex...sorry for the VERY late reply...I've heard about Sled Driver...doesn't it cost quite a bit now as only special editions available? Would love a copy tho!

S3Alex said:
From stock,the car is brisk but certainly not fast.

This is one car that actually needs a remap to get the best out of it and you will notice both reduced lag and increased economy after doing that even though you gain a decent amount of power and torque.

A Stg1 remap would get you to about 310bhp with further stages taking you to about 330 and 360 bhp respectively.

PS. As your name here is SR71, have you read or bought Sled Driver by Brian Shul?
Click to expand...
 
SR-71 said:
Hi S3Alex...sorry for the VERY late reply...I've heard about Sled Driver...doesn't it cost quite a bit now as only special editions available? Would love a copy tho!
Click to expand...

No worries.

Yes ...getting very expensive but amazing pictures inside and another worth looking out is "The Untouchables" by the same pilot.

Tells the story of the Libya raid and the SR71 flights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ScottishA4B9
S3 Niggles!!!!
Replies
12
Views
1K
ScottishA4B9
ScottishA4B9
B
Little niggles!
Replies
2
Views
706
Benisere
B
A
Need help small fan staying on?
Replies
6
Views
845
prt57
prt57
B
Small hic up on power
Replies
2
Views
956
arthurfuxake
arthurfuxake
S
new car niggles
Replies
20
Views
2K
Vertigo1
Vertigo1
Top
Back