It's a sad sad day :-(

[Pops848]

Well the time has come sadly, it is now time for me to sell up and move on! Due to new commitments it's just not a financial option to keep my A3, I have had to move to a diesel! I was going to stage 2 my car, and did think of hyrbid, but sadly it just won't be any use to me after crunching some motorway miles! Maybe one day I can get another and have some more fun!

I will be taking delivery of a 2006 A3 2.0 TDI S-Line with DSG. It's all kitted out with the alacantara interior etc etc and is a really nice drive. So just wanted to say thanks to everyone on this forum but it is time for me to move to the 8P section

Big thanks to all those who contributed to all the threads with knowledge and experiance. I may not of been able to thank everyone individually but this forum is a wealth of information no matter what you are looking for, either tuning or repairing. I'm sure I'll be back every now and then.

For anyone interested here is my Audi A3 for sale, it's a wee bit overpriced as I'm sure I will get knocked down.

AUDI A3 1.8T SPORT REVO 200BHP BLUE SPORT FACELIFT | eBay


As for the new A3

 

[s3 Hoggy]

Very tidy 8L good luck with the sale, and a lovely looking 8P don't see many in that colour

 

[Pops848]

Thanks mate, yeah the 8L is in good nick, been well looked after. The 8P is an unusual colour and is what attracted me to it in the first place. Hopefully the 8L goes to someone who appreciates cars

 

[Prawn]

Your blue one didn't used to belong to Dan Walker from Fareham did it? Looks awfully similar to one he was selling about a year ago!

 

[Pops848]

Not the same one I'm afraid prawn. Previous owner was a someone else, his name is all over the paperwork from last few years too.

 

[Prawn]

That's cool Looked similarly mint to his that he sold, and a near identical spec!

Good luck with the sale man

 

[aragorn]

Can you explain how it makes financial sense to spend what must be the best part of 8 grand on a new car, in an effort to save money?

Even if you get your asking price on the 8L, your presumably worse off by more than 5 grand.

Ok the derv will have some fuel savings, but given you'll only be saving about 5p a mile in fuel you'll need to do about 100000 miles to actually recoup the 5 grand you've spent on the soot chucker.

 

[Jason.s]

The gf was looking to buy a diesel and sell her 1.8t Leon recently. Worked out she`d only save 400quid a year on fuel based on doubling her current mileage but have to sell and spend 5k+ to buy a decent diesel. Does not compute unless you`re seriously pounding the miles each month.

 

[vrbob]

I did this and moved to a B6 A4 TDi first a 1.9quattro and then a 2.5v6 quattro both were great and munching miles but were nowhere near as much fun as the S3 i had previoulsy.

So i did a few sums and worked out i could flog my A4 for basically what i paid for it and bought a newer S3 than i had before for and had about £2500 to put in my pocket after the swap.

Yeah the A4 was nice and i could fit a shed load in it if needed (it was an avant) but had the second S3 for a year now and am really happy with my decision to swap back and as petrol is cheaper than diesel i am not really paying that much more in fuel either.

Still though thats quite a nice lookin 8P you are getting there

 

[Pops848]

Can you explain how it makes financial sense to spend what must be the best part of 8 grand on a new car, in an effort to save money?

Even if you get your asking price on the 8L, your presumably worse off by more than 5 grand.

Ok the derv will have some fuel savings, but given you'll only be saving about 5p a mile in fuel you'll need to do about 100000 miles to actually recoup the 5 grand you've spent on the soot chucker.

Why consider the cost of the car when they do not come into day to day living? Ok, the car costs a bit more than my 8L, but then I have that car and you are not X worse off. You consider depreciation instead of the whole cost.
My 8L manages 300 miles to a tank of Shell Optimax, the soot chucker can manage up to 600. Now bearing in mind diesel costs less than Shell Optimax and you can get double the mileage (at best) then I will effectively double my money (bearing in mind optimax is more expensive than regular diesel).

Looking at a more realistic view of day to day running -
Insurance - Cheaper
Fuel - Cheaper
Tax - Cheaper

So day to day running the car is cheaper, and when I come to sell the car I will get some money back for the car.

 

[vrbob]

I think part of my issue was that both the diesels i bought were not that great on MPG as even the 1.9tdi never really got more than about 475 miles to a tank of fuel and the V6 was more like 400 on a good day (but it did have some power lol) as i was still doing alot of 50/50 driving which isnt their forte as they are motorway munchers. So as i am now getting almost 400 miles to a tank of optimax in my S3 doing the same 50/50 stuff it makes sense for me to have the fun car but of course dependant on your mileage situation such as the OP you can make your money back on upgrading to a newer car as the money you lose is made back in your fuel savings etc. Plus of course if your a good bargain hunter and a good salesman yo boot you can make the upgrade costs less!

Oh and dont forget to get your soot chucker remapped as the torque increases are really good i also think you can get the dsg box mapped for better gearchanges as thats defo the one bit i would like in my S3 is a dsg gearbox.

*edit* As your a local to me (im a Southamptoner) why dont you bring either your new car along to our mini meet in Beaulieu on the 19th see my sig below for the details.

 

[Pops848]

I think part of my issue was that both the diesels i bought were not that great on MPG as even the 1.9tdi never really got more than about 475 miles to a tank of fuel and the V6 was more like 400 on a good day (but it did have some power lol) as i was still doing alot of 50/50 driving which isnt their forte as they are motorway munchers. So as i am now getting almost 400 miles to a tank of optimax in my S3 doing the same 50/50 stuff it makes sense for me to have the fun car but of course dependant on your mileage situation such as the OP you can make your money back on upgrading to a newer car as the money you lose is made back in your fuel savings etc. Plus of course if your a good bargain hunter and a good salesman yo boot you can make the upgrade costs less!

Oh and dont forget to get your soot chucker remapped as the torque increases are really good i also think you can get the dsg box mapped for better gearchanges as thats defo the one bit i would like in my S3 is a dsg gearbox.

*edit* As your a local to me (im a Southamptoner) why dont you bring either your new car along to our mini meet in Beaulieu on the 19th see my sig below for the details.

That's the thing, if you can get the mileage in and keep your foot off the pedal you can make some decent money back. I'll be driving to Scotland on a regular basis now so 5-600 miles each way on a regular basis - this makes for a diesel for sure!

I am thinking of getting it remapped, just not sure what to go for. I am going to leave it for a few months so I enjoy the car as a new car, and then when I'm bored I'll remap and get some more fun
This car was a good deal, got a fresh MOT, Cambelt Service, full years warranty and 9 months tax on it plus £400 knocked off the asking price, so am happy with that.

I may well turn up on the 19th. If I have it I'll bring the 8L to the first one, and then after that I'll be bringing the 8p. Gotta check the dates but should be good for it.

 

[vrbob]

Nice be good to meet you in either car mate

 

[moredoor]

2.0 TDI and DSG I'll pray for you mate!
injectors go wrong
DSG ecu plays up
engine oil pump
DPF if it has one is a real pain
tail gate wiring is an issue.

 

[Pops848]

2.0 TDI and DSG I'll pray for you mate!
injectors go wrong
DSG ecu plays up
engine oil pump
DPF if it has one is a real pain
tail gate wiring is an issue.

12 month warranty for a reason....

In any case, look after your car and it looks after you. Negligence is where most problems arise.

 

[Jason.s]

DSG ecu hardly plays up. The mechatronic unit doesnt go wrong that much like you`re making out. Injectors are under recall depending if its still within the call back. DPF will just need a new pressure sensor if theres an issue which is usually under some sort of warranty and providing the unit is regened properly and often then it`ll be fine. Oil pump is a new one for me? Cant just be an Audi thing only if the engine codes are more than likely the same as VW`s? Spur gear on the balance shaft i know off but again thats a recall/service action.

 

[aragorn]

Well your arguement still isnt valid, because the New car will depreciate far more than the 8L ever will, simply because you paid more for it. Plus unless you happen to have 8K just sloshing around the bank account (in which case why are you bothered about saving money!), you'll have taken on finance or a loan for the car which is costing you money every month that the 8L wasnt.

a 2K car doesnt have much value left to depreciate by, an 8k one will probably lose a grand or two each year.

As for your mileage comparisons, your not comparing like for like, the way your driving the 8L to only manage 300miles to a tank, wont then get you 600miles in a derv. The only way the derv is doing 600miles is doing 600miles on a motorway at 60mph, and if you drive the 8L like that, >400 miles is doable unless its broken.

I've had 420miles from a tank on my 1.8T Quattro A4 doing just motorway driving, and your A3 should easily beat that given its lighter and only 2wd.

My friend drives a diesel Bora, and driving it normally he manages around 47mpg. My quattro averages 30. We both use Fuelly, i average 21p a mile, and he averages 14p a mile. These are realworld figures, not best case figures from the sales bumpf.

 

[Jason.s]

600miles from a tank is more than doable even without sitting purely on a motorway. Friend used to get that often going from MK to Oxford and thats a vast mix of roads to get there and that was in a 140 diesel Scirocco manual. Another friends dad has a 140 manual Passat CC and gets over 600. Drive a 1.8t to a silly level like i used to and get 480 to a tank. Never revving above 2k, barely any pressure on the pedal to accelerate unless i had to. Never above 70. That was mixed roads on all speed limits too.

 

[Prawn]

Kev, i agree with you, chopping in a £2k car for an £8k car to save money doesn't much much sense.....

however......

Ads has already done the deed, the new car is bought, and I'm sure he likes it very much, so rather than dwelling on a decision that we would not have made, lets accept that he has made that decision, and is happy with it. all your argument will do it put a downer on his shiney new car

New car looks lovely Ads, even if it does use the wrong type of fuel

 

[Pops848]

Kev, i agree with you, chopping in a £2k car for an £8k car to save money doesn't much much sense.....

however......

Ads has already done the deed, the new car is bought, and I'm sure he likes it very much, so rather than dwelling on a decision that we would not have made, lets accept that he has made that decision, and is happy with it. all your argument will do it put a downer on his shiney new car

New car looks lovely Ads, even if it does use the wrong type of fuel

Thank you Mr Prawn, well said and I'll leave it there. Each to their own!

However, as previously said I will again one day get an 8L and do it properly, in which case I will be scratching my head and pestering you for any advice I might need in order to build something silly! However, for now, with regular 1200 mile round trips ahead of me, a diesel will go a long way.
Thanks again.

 

[moredoor]

DSG ecu hardly plays up. The mechatronic unit doesnt go wrong that much like you`re making out. Injectors are under recall depending if its still within the call back. DPF will just need a new pressure sensor if theres an issue which is usually under some sort of warranty and providing the unit is regened properly and often then it`ll be fine. Oil pump is a new one for me? Cant just be an Audi thing only if the engine codes are more than likely the same as VW`s? Spur gear on the balance shaft i know off but again thats a recall/service action.

DSG = VW & Audi DSG Gearbox ECU - DSG Fault

100% if the motor has balancer shafts oil pump unit Audi Dealers do not admit any liability, £900+ and 4/6 weeks back order. But most A3's don't use the setup.

All you need to know about DPF Audi A3 DPF Issues (Case Study) | DPF Issues

Serviced or not these cars have DNA issues or otherwise know as (cost cutting by VW/Audi) ps total off point early 1.6 FSI vag engines are know as 'Full 'Sh*t 'Inside F-S-I

 

[Pops848]

DSG = VW & Audi DSG Gearbox ECU - DSG Fault

100% if the motor has balancer shafts oil pump unit Audi Dealers do not admit any liability, £900+ and 4/6 weeks back order. But most A3's don't use the setup.

All you need to know about DPF Audi A3 DPF Issues (Case Study) | DPF Issues

Serviced or not these cars have DNA issues or otherwise know as (cost cutting by VW/Audi) ps total off point early 1.6 FSI vag engines are know as 'Full 'Sh*t 'Inside F-S-I

Thanks moredoor, I've been reading up on all the issues the car CAN develop. For peace of mind I got a 12 month warranty stuck on the car at no extra charge. However, the DPF will be getting deleted and a remap done from R-Tech in the future. I will also keep in mind the rebuild price of the mechatronics unit, have bookmarked that page!

 

[Jason.s]

Really...LOL. Reading websites dedicated to problems or seeing them on a forum will make them seem worse than they are because people are going to ***** online but arent going to praise the reliability are they? Working in a VW dealership i can tell you for a FACT A, In the 3 years i`ve worked for the brand i can remember no more than about 2-3 mechatronics ever being fitted in the 2 dealers i`ve worked in. Gearbox specialists will do more of them because thats their sole purpose to fix such problems.

DPF again comes under people not understanding the regen process or the sensor fixes it. In my time once again actual DPF filters being changed i could easily fit on one hand. Its not like we`re doing them every day like you seem to be making out lol.

 

[moredoor]

Really...LOL. Reading websites dedicated to problems or seeing them on a forum will make them seem worse than they are because people are going to ***** online but arent going to praise the reliability are they? Working in a VW dealership i can tell you for a FACT A, In the 3 years i`ve worked for the brand i can remember no more than about 2-3 mechatronics ever being fitted in the 2 dealers i`ve worked in. Gearbox specialists will do more of them because thats their sole purpose to fix such problems.

DPF again comes under people not understanding the regen process or the sensor fixes it. In my time once again actual DPF filters being changed i could easily fit on one hand. Its not like we`re doing them every day like you seem to be making out lol.

Been working on VAG's for almost 25 years dude(worked on mk2's when they were new)
You know as well as I do most people use dealers for the first 3 to 4 years when the cars are new then move on or sell up. The whole 'free 3 year service' or 30k which ever comes first on new cars is cos we don't service the cars, long life oil. All we do is top up the levels and look at trying to make up hours finding other bits not covered by the free service plan ;-) So the first 3 year or 30k these cars are not having oil changes, nice! It's the 3nd or 4th owners(my pj's) that are then paying the price.

 

[Pops848]

Really...LOL. Reading websites dedicated to problems or seeing them on a forum will make them seem worse than they are because people are going to ***** online but arent going to praise the reliability are they? Working in a VW dealership i can tell you for a FACT A, In the 3 years i`ve worked for the brand i can remember no more than about 2-3 mechatronics ever being fitted in the 2 dealers i`ve worked in. Gearbox specialists will do more of them because thats their sole purpose to fix such problems.

DPF again comes under people not understanding the regen process or the sensor fixes it. In my time once again actual DPF filters being changed i could easily fit on one hand. Its not like we`re doing them every day like you seem to be making out lol.

Jason, I put the word 'can' in capitals to emphasize the fact that these are faults that can develop, not that they do. Whilst I agree reading forums will only give me negative comments about the cars reliability at least I will have a good understanding of A. What to look out for and B. What it will cost SHOULD it go wrong rather then WHEN it goes wrong.

I've had 2 Audi's so far, both have been near on faultless. My first got to 250,000 miles before I sold it, and my latest is sat at 141K with no problems and in mint condition. Therefore I know they are reliable and even after reading online of lots of DPF and DSG problems I decided to go for a 2.0 TDI with DSG.... What does this tell you? Granted I have a warranty for peace of mind, but small price to pay in my opinion should something go wrong which did with my Mothers 1.9 TDI Golf, brand new Turbo 3 weeks after ownership due to the "common" hot start issue. Too add insult to injury I actually knew more about the problem with the Golf then the so called specialists, so reading up on these things is not always a bad idea.

In summary.... All cars have their problems, but knowing what can go wrong allows you to put preventative measures in place to stop these problems, or safety nets for when they do happen. Being prepared is the key

 

[NHN]

8P balance shaft issues, thats also new on me, A4's yes but not heard on A3's thus far, mechatronics yes but why USA got warranty extensions for there's & uk didnt really pees me of, dpf as per Jason only for people that dont understand principle & how to regen or mapping cars, tailgate wiring is usually down to wiper motor leaks not usually an issue unless this has happened, little scaremongering imho.

The most common & well known are, heads, turbo's, racks, IM Flaps, bearings, injector looms, injectors are a little questionable atm given the recall has gone completely tits up on cars with no issues with original injectors & I know I've forgotten another but cant recall atm.

But thats not on all 8P's & its so sporadic you may not even suffer even 1 of these issues.

Also with respect, you wont get 600 miles regularly, we have 2 of these cars & trust me you're fooling yourself a little overall imho, unless you're gonna drive 60 steady on every road without a stop, sorry but unrealistic, but still nice car so enjoy it no matter what mileage you get I get 62mpg if stuck on cruise at about 60-70 but thats short lived when driving in UK, I have a pic of it showing 90 or so mpg when I was doing max 50 on space saver, couldnt believe that lol.

 

[afcbjoshd]

So as i am now getting almost 400 miles to a tank of optimax in my S3 doing the same 50/50 stuff

.

400 miles?! in your 279bhp monster?! i barely get 300! infact i'm lucky to get 300.. it's usually around the 280 mark!! haha

anyway the old petrol v diesel debate...! have gone through this so many times with customers! but also a lot of it is personal preference, some people just prefer diesel!

 

[Jason.s]

Been working on VAG's for almost 25 years dude(worked on mk2's when they were new)
You know as well as I do most people use dealers for the first 3 to 4 years when the cars are new then move on or sell up. The whole 'free 3 year service' or 30k which ever comes first on new cars is cos we don't service the cars, long life oil. All we do is top up the levels and look at trying to make up hours finding other bits not covered by the free service plan ;-) So the first 3 year or 30k these cars are not having oil changes, nice! It's the 3nd or 4th owners(my pj's) that are then paying the price.

So where you work you're basically saying the job isn't being done properly? Car on a service plan comes in for a service but because the customer isn't paying, vw are and only get a basic rebate type thing from them of barely anything you're just topping up the fluids, reporting on anything that isn't covered under the plan and kicking it out?

 

[vrbob]

400 miles?! in your 279bhp monster?! i barely get 300! infact i'm lucky to get 300.. it's usually around the 280 mark!! haha

anyway the old petrol v diesel debate...! have gone through this so many times with customers! but also a lot of it is personal preference, some people just prefer diesel!

Yup got another 31MPG average out of the last tank and thats still with doing a few third gear logging sessions too