MY10 S3 heading Down Under!

Bit of a rare post for me in these parts now (AUSmotive.com is keeping me very busy), but I got a bit of an update today - Stage 1 APR reflash.

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TBH mate, I did the same thing & when it got dirty it looked really crap, so lacquered it up & it looks allot better clean or dirty
 
I had the car in at the panel beaters to sort out a minor issue on the front left quarter panel, so I got the rear bumper painted black to match the front bit I did a few months ago. The front was actually resprayed as well to ensure the matte blacks matched. Pics don't show it that well, but to be expected with a white/black combo I guess...

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Fog grills gloss black :)

Which OZ's are they?
 
So, since this thread started we finally finished renovations on the house (last December) which was a massive ball ache. First builder took off half way through leaving us with over $50K in unpaid bills, which we had paid him for. Second builder started well but just took too long. Then around the same time my wife ****** off, so we had to sell the fecking house! It was such an awesome house too!

It's been a crap 2013 really, and I thought last year was going to be the worst year of my life.

The good news is the S3 is about to cop some retail therapy. I've picked up a cheap 2nd hand Milltek TBE non-res which will get fitted in a few weeks along with a HPFP and Stage 2 reflash.

Then I'll get some coilovers, probably PSS10s.

Anyway, here's one of my favourite pics of the car, taken a couple of years ago on the top of Mount Panorama the day Jenson Button drove an F1 car around the track.

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Holy fecking shxt, I just cant believe that mate, so sorry to hear, builders really do feck me of at times, some either don't turn up or rip your **** out from under you, man that sucks big time, but to have the wife go too, in long run mate, maybe its the best thing & its happened now not later, at least you're still here & keeping your head up, life's hard sometimes mate, but shows your character if you come through it all, trust me I've been & go through it lol.

Head up, keep positive, you'll win through at the end :)
 
Life has some awful things in store at times.

I'm glad you've got through them and wish you the best.

Good luck with the car.
 
NHN said:
Head up, keep positive, you'll win through at the end
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There were some pretty dark times around late December/early January I can tell you. We were together for 20 years and I had no idea she was unhappy. :(


S3Alex said:
Life has some awful things in store at times.

I'm glad you've got through them and wish you the best.

Good luck with the car.
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Thanks mate. I tested MINI JCW for AUSmotive the other day and briefly flirted with the idea of going back to a MINI and if it was as fast as the S3 I probably would do it, but the S3's speed is just so addictive. And it's cheaper to waste money on a car I already have, haha.

My main issue with the S3 in its current form is there's too much lag below 3500-4000rpm. I tested a Stage 2+ S3 the other day, it was the car my TBE is coming from. The owner is returning it to stock before he sells it. He'd already removed the HPFP but even still, when had a go it was ****** awesome!

I may consider an aftermarket intake too, but I don't really want to lose the OEM engine cover, so will see how I go.
 
20 years is time mate, sorry to hear, any kids?
 
No kids, thankfully, I guess.

I'm in a 1BR apartment now, which for the most part is quite good. But I can't wait to get the Milltek fitted so I can hear it in the underground car park!
 
Never seems to amaze me how humans treat eachother, really defies belief, did you ever find the builder to deal with, lawfully :)
 
We looked into chasing the builder for money, but at the time we had a half demolished house that wasn't terribly secure, a makeshift kitchen/laundry in the garage and we needed every cent we had to complete the project. The lawyer we spoke to wanted $5K in the kitty before they would act on our behalf. None of the government regulatory bodies seemed to care (ie. we couldn't get his building licence cancelled). And at the end of the day I don't think he had any money anyway. He was an older guy and I'd say he's just ******** off up to Queensland and retired.
 
What a low life piece of shxt, regulatory bodies are effing useless, just like the sale of goods act!!!!
 
Lima said:
There were some pretty dark times around late December/early January I can tell you. We were together for 20 years and I had no idea she was unhappy. :(




Thanks mate. I tested MINI JCW for AUSmotive the other day and briefly flirted with the idea of going back to a MINI and if it was as fast as the S3 I probably would do it, but the S3's speed is just so addictive. And it's cheaper to waste money on a car I already have, haha.

My main issue with the S3 in its current form is there's too much lag below 3500-4000rpm. I tested a Stage 2+ S3 the other day, it was the car my TBE is coming from. The owner is returning it to stock before he sells it. He'd already removed the HPFP but even still, when had a go it was ****** awesome!

I may consider an aftermarket intake too, but I don't really want to lose the OEM engine cover, so will see how I go.
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Totally understand you on the personal front.

You never know what is coming and that's from personal experience too.

On a brighter side the S3 works much better at Stg2+ and lag seems minimal

I gave up trying to keep it looking stock when we had misfire issues due to the intake strangling airflow so the first CAI followed and a mate got the engine cover instead.

Hope it's a better year ahead.
 
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sorry to hear that man.
keep your head up, and enjoy every moment of your life!!
 
Picked up the Milltek back box today so I can give the tips a clean up before it gets fitted. Shame I have to wait until early September to have it fitted along with an APR HPFP and Stage 2 tune.

No wife means I can clean the zorst on the dining room table, haha.

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liam said:
See, this is the thing you guys might be missing. When I bought the Milltek for my MINI, I paid more for shipping to Australia than I did for the actual exhaust. So, sadly, modding Euro cars down under is a lot more expensive than it is for you guys who can buy a Milltek etc supplied in your home town.

:shrug:

And, if you're going to take that approach, I am getting the car for a very good price, so you could say I'm paying less than retail for an S3 with no options but still getting the RNS-E for nothing.

:yahoo:
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not sure why you paid a fortune for shipping, getting a full turbo back 'non-res' for mine and its costing me 140quid shipping and paying 700quid for the system from awesomegti excl. VAT.. they look after me , maybe you should try them... secret is also when you tend to buy from the UK as i do... buy bulk and you'll save loads on shipping..

aside from that congrats on your car..sadly you live in canberra... ughh so quite there compared to Sydney, bought my A3 TQ from there looked like a village
 
I think shipping costs have come down a lot in recent years.

Haha, I can't stand Sydney. Takes ****** ages to drive anywhere, it's a ****hole! Mind if I could live in the CBD or Kirribilli with a view of the harbour I probably wouldn't say no.

Might move to Melbourne though.
 
Lima said:
I think shipping costs have come down a lot in recent years.

Haha, I can't stand Sydney. Takes ****** ages to drive anywhere, it's a ****hole! Mind if I could live in the CBD or Kirribilli with a view of the harbour I probably wouldn't say no.

Might move to Melbourne though.
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yeah true but the CBD is crazy expensive... the problem is Sydney never knew how to manage the road and transport system.. unlike canberra and QLD.. its great in QLD you get on the M5 at 5:30 takes you 30-40 mines for a 25-30km journey which isnt bad for that time
 
wow wow wow!!! coilies?
you'll love that upgrade!!
 
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audi upgrades
Not the best comparison, but you get the message.

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I've only driven a few kms really and the ride isn't too bad so far. It clearly goes round corners better, but again I need some more time. I'm getting some rubbing on the rear guards, but think it's limited to the liner inside the guards rather than on the metal itself.

I asked the suspension guys to drop it 15mm. Foolishly I didn't take any measurements beforehand.
 
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Just went for a quick blat on Canberra's quiet city streets. These coilovers are mighty impressive on first sampling! The car has so much more composure through corners, which inspires more confidence. Very cool.

I will need to keep an eye on the rubbing at the back, but at this stage I'm okay with it. A weekend run in the mountains will be the real test.
 
Lima said:
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Just went for a quick blat on Canberra's quiet city streets. These coilovers are mighty impressive on first sampling! The car has so much more composure through corners, which inspires more confidence. Very cool.

I will need to keep an eye on the rubbing at the back, but at this stage I'm okay with it. A weekend run in the mountains will be the real test.
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Has a purposeful look to it!

I think the stock suspension is pretty soft and wobbly,and adding a decent set of coilovers and ARBs makes a huge difference to the way you can drive the car,and the way it feels,without really taking away much from the ride quality.

Did you remove the wheel arch liner screw that usually causes rubbing issues?
 
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looks really good, similar height to mine. s3 with good coilies and setup goes really good on the twisty roads.
as Alex said, try taking of the screw in the rear wheel arch and replace it with the one with smaller head.
 
So I went for a bit of a drive to test out the Bilstein PSS10s today.
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http://goo.gl/maps/2e3zu

I asked for the car to be dropped by 15mm and the dampers to be set to 5, and so far I am very happy.

Ride quality is firmer than OEM, of course, but on the current setting it's proving to be more than acceptable. Around town I've not had any cause for complaint and the reduction in crash and rebound from the OEM suspension on the twisty stuff is very welcome.

Many of the roads I went on today, especially Orroral Rd and Apollo Rd, are quite bumpy, but there was enough suspension travel to handle the worst the roads had to offer. Through those bumps the car is now so much more composed, that comment applies no matter what the road is like to be honest. As well, the ride quality over the bumpiest of the roads was better than I thought it would be.

When the roads are smoother I just have so much more confidence to push faster through corners now. The car sits so much flatter, feels more planted and it turns in a fraction more accurately now also.

The only catch for me now is that with increased confidence I'm carrying more corner speed so I just need to back it off every now and then haha.

If you're thinking of coilovers, on this early evidence, I can highly recommend the PSS10s.

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glad you love the upgrade mate. also from the pics, ride hight seems perfect.
you just need to find coilovers setup that suits your needs and driving style.
 
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