What I've been up to with my A3 tdi sport..(pics)
- Thread starter sulaiman
- Start date
Yeah rs4's sold within a couple of weeks, troop no problem would hope someone would do the same for me if I was in that situation, sounds like it didn't cost too much though which is good.
You should update the pic in your sig ;-) The new wheels look great! Appearance wise the car looks fantastic... More power next?
CraigHarrison
Registered User
finesse
Registered User
MURRAYS444
Registered User
Cheers lads, the headlamps are standard facelift headlamps, just been re-polished to brighten them back up a bit.
The offset in the pics are 8x18 et28 all round, they are originally et33 but I needed 5mm spacers up front to clear the coilovers.
However I've always felt the wheels were a little lost at the rear with just a little bit too much poke at the front so have now fitted 3mm spacers up front and 10mm out back.
New ets are 8x18 all round, et30 up front and et23 at the back. Looks 10x better in my eyes, will have to get some pics up when im on the pc next.
The offset in the pics are 8x18 et28 all round, they are originally et33 but I needed 5mm spacers up front to clear the coilovers.
However I've always felt the wheels were a little lost at the rear with just a little bit too much poke at the front so have now fitted 3mm spacers up front and 10mm out back.
New ets are 8x18 all round, et30 up front and et23 at the back. Looks 10x better in my eyes, will have to get some pics up when im on the pc next.
I just wanna say as a photographer......you got a good eye for a back drop there matey...cool locations, its always a good idea to shoot a tidy shiney car in front of a rustic background to give dynamics. Car is nice looking too.
Martin thanks for the kind words, I do like to get some decent pics when showing any changes but I must say I am running out of locations lol
Well maintenance wise i've recently replaced the brake pads and also fixed a new problem which occurred which was to do with my reverse lights, I noticed they were becoming a bit temperamental and after a quick search it revealed it could be the reverse light switch on the gearbox, however in my case the wiring had broken loose from the connector so a quick trip down to TPS and I purchased a new connector, some repair wires and went home and stripped the loom down, a bit of soldering, heat sink and wiring loom tape later the problem was solved.
Also i've managed to source a pair of fog lamps for the front end, a pair of fog lamp grilles and a new headlight switch off ebay and have managed to fit those over the weekend which finishes the front end of for me.
Finally some pics to show the front fog lights and the new spacers since the last pics as mentioned above^
Some of the pics are from the same angle so sorry about that, wasn't feeling very creative today so just some quick snaps All comments welcome.
Well maintenance wise i've recently replaced the brake pads and also fixed a new problem which occurred which was to do with my reverse lights, I noticed they were becoming a bit temperamental and after a quick search it revealed it could be the reverse light switch on the gearbox, however in my case the wiring had broken loose from the connector so a quick trip down to TPS and I purchased a new connector, some repair wires and went home and stripped the loom down, a bit of soldering, heat sink and wiring loom tape later the problem was solved.
Also i've managed to source a pair of fog lamps for the front end, a pair of fog lamp grilles and a new headlight switch off ebay and have managed to fit those over the weekend which finishes the front end of for me.
Finally some pics to show the front fog lights and the new spacers since the last pics as mentioned above^
Some of the pics are from the same angle so sorry about that, wasn't feeling very creative today so just some quick snaps
All comments welcome.Martin thanks for the kind words, I do like to get some decent pics when showing any changes but I must say I am running out of locations lol
Well maintenance wise i've recently replaced the brake pads and also fixed a new problem which occurred which was to do with my reverse lights, I noticed they were becoming a bit temperamental and after a quick search it revealed it could be the reverse light switch on the gearbox, however in my case the wiring had broken loose from the connector so a quick trip down to TPS and I purchased a new connector, some repair wires and went home and stripped the loom down, a bit of soldering, heat sink and wiring loom tape later the problem was solved.
Also i've managed to source a pair of fog lamps for the front end, a pair of fog lamp grilles and a new headlight switch off ebay and have managed to fit those over the weekend which finishes the front end of for me.
Finally some pics to show the front fog lights and the new spacers since the last pics as mentioned above^
Some of the pics are from the same angle so sorry about that, wasn't feeling very creative today so just some quick snaps
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
car looks lovely mate. The front fogs really finish it as you say. i think its a must with face lift head lights. nice work.
Ok I think last time I updated this I had just fitted the fogs but they were only for show, having asked on here for a wiring diagram with no help I read a few generic guides on wiring foglights and worked out how to wire in a relay.
Luckily they guy I bought them from was breaking the car so while I didnt get the whole loom he gave me the connector which goes to the back of the headlight switch and I managed to work out the 12+ for the front fogs and simply wired in a relay, routed the wire through the cabin and connected up my spare HIDS to the front fogs:
4300k fog and 6000k dipped beam:
I've since changed these to 6k so it matches with the dipped beam but no pics of that sorry!
Luckily they guy I bought them from was breaking the car so while I didnt get the whole loom he gave me the connector which goes to the back of the headlight switch and I managed to work out the 12+ for the front fogs and simply wired in a relay, routed the wire through the cabin and connected up my spare HIDS to the front fogs:
4300k fog and 6000k dipped beam:
I've since changed these to 6k so it matches with the dipped beam but no pics of that sorry!
Cheers, have you got a black s3 on black rstt's? If so I've seen yours too, love it!
Continuing the back date of updates:
Next up was to get rid of those horrible retrofit wiper blades as they stick out like a sore thumb. Sourced some mk4 wiper arms and bought some new blades which not only work better but look much neater.
Also I was never happy with the way the rear of the car sat and despite measuring the height from ground to arch many times the drop was even on both sides and it was only when I fitted the 10mm spacers on the rear it became clear that the rear beam was misaligned as the wheel poked more on the drivers side than the passenger side and when carrying passengers this became even more obvious as the wheel was much closer to touching the arch on the driver side.
So next up was to realign the rear beam by loosening the mounts to the chassis, aligning and then tightening them back up. I was then very happy as the skinny passenger side gained some width and the drivers side lost some which is great because it poked more than desired.
They can be seen in these set of pics from DC2010:
Ok next up was the headlights, I've been holding them for over 4 months ready to put onto the car during the summer months.
I bought some brand new hella lamps because Im a fan of fresh crystal clear glass and its what made me like the a3 when it was first released. Seeing all the used examples with faded and dull lamps is a bit disappointing and I knew it would freshen the front end up no end.
Before:
Old vs new:
Car in pieces:
After:
Continuing the back date of updates:
Next up was to get rid of those horrible retrofit wiper blades as they stick out like a sore thumb. Sourced some mk4 wiper arms and bought some new blades which not only work better but look much neater.
Also I was never happy with the way the rear of the car sat and despite measuring the height from ground to arch many times the drop was even on both sides and it was only when I fitted the 10mm spacers on the rear it became clear that the rear beam was misaligned as the wheel poked more on the drivers side than the passenger side and when carrying passengers this became even more obvious as the wheel was much closer to touching the arch on the driver side.
So next up was to realign the rear beam by loosening the mounts to the chassis, aligning and then tightening them back up. I was then very happy as the skinny passenger side gained some width and the drivers side lost some which is great because it poked more than desired.
They can be seen in these set of pics from DC2010:
Ok next up was the headlights, I've been holding them for over 4 months ready to put onto the car during the summer months.
I bought some brand new hella lamps because Im a fan of fresh crystal clear glass and its what made me like the a3 when it was first released. Seeing all the used examples with faded and dull lamps is a bit disappointing and I knew it would freshen the front end up no end.
Before:
Old vs new:
Car in pieces:
After:
finesse
Registered User
finesse
Registered User
I still have the BBS and they will be going back on for winter.
Well I was bored of seeing the car on the BBS's and fancied a change, I've always had a soft spot for Azev A's and when they came up for sale in 8.5x18" 5x100 I had to have them.
I think they suit it despite being a classic wheel.
Well I was bored of seeing the car on the BBS's and fancied a change, I've always had a soft spot for Azev A's and when they came up for sale in 8.5x18" 5x100 I had to have them.
I think they suit it despite being a classic wheel.
Last edited:
Car looks lovely mate, good stance, looks surprisingly good on the Azev's...
Nice for an oil burner !!
Nice for an oil burner !!
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they look good those wheels mate. good to have two sets aswell so your can change and it look fresh and appreciate all the styles you can achieve.
if i wer you, id smooth the doors and get rid of the strips up the side. as your car already looks so smooth, it will suit it so well, and set it apart from others.
if i wer you, id smooth the doors and get rid of the strips up the side. as your car already looks so smooth, it will suit it so well, and set it apart from others.
Thanks guys, agree two sets of wheels does make a nice change. But removing the side strips I am not a fan of it just looks too smooth, luckily the a3 side strips are not too chunky and are enough to break it up.
Car's looking good mate nice work.
Looking at the pics I think i know some of those places. Does it start with a O and finish with a ton.
Looking at the pics I think i know some of those places. Does it start with a O and finish with a ton.
Dansmith
Registered User
gavin89
Wana go Low gotta go Slow
At least its not orange
Car looks great mate! How much did those golf aerowiper arms and blades set you back?
![[Dave B]](/xf/data/avatars/m/0/100.jpg?1478806902){kind=avatar}
Really, will have to hunt the current issue down then
Managed to buy them separately from ebay after having it in my saved searches for over 4months. Got both in the end for £120 and sold my old ones for £70 lol
Genuine Hella too, and all fully sealed so the finish should last. Makes a massive difference!
