Imola Yellow S3 BAM from Dubai

[BANANA]

Hi,

New member from Dubai.
Imola Yellow S3 BAM.

 

[THQuattro]

Hi mate, welcome and nice car.

 

[BANANA]

Hi mate, welcome and nice car.

Thank you very much

 

[hydro s3]

Welcome to the site. That is a nice example of a yellow s3

 

[THQuattro]

Have you just bought it mate.

 

[BANANA]

Have you just bought it mate.

I just shipped it to Dubai. The S3 8l was never sold here.
It's a real minter. Original paint, straight panels, no leaks etc... The underneath is as clean as the body.

I have plans to modify it but nothing excessive. Good clean unmodified S3s are getting harder to find so any modifications will have to be reversible.

I have all summer to tinker with it and get it ready for our winter. Yes it works backwards here... cruising season is winter as summer temps hover around 45 degrees.

Mods so far:
Exhaust
Tyres
Spacers
Brakes
Window tints

To do wish list (subject to change):
Better handling (I want less body roll without reducing ride height if possible)
Flat bottom steering wheel
Badger5 or similar
Seats that sit closer to the floor
Grill, side mouldings, front/rear bumper plastics and mirrors blackout with vinyl wrap or plastidip
Wheels painted with plastidip or changed for lightweight ones
Arm rest

I'm not looking to turn it into a road rocket just a lightly customised enjoyable weekend fun car that handles, stops and breathes a little better than standard.

 

[Alex C]

top Banana

 

[Sandra]

@BANANA welcome to audi-sport.net. Lovely car. Hope you have many happy miles. Enjoy the forum.

 

[BANANA]

Here we go.... first call for help:

I would like to give the car a full alignment and geometry check. Unfortunately the S3 was never sold here and the places I went to supposedly don't have the settings on their machines. Theye told me that the Mk1 TT measurements are on the system.

Do the S3 and TT share the same suspension settings?
Does having wheel spacers affect the geometry?
What are the correct factory suspension geometry settings for a standard height BAM engined S3?

Thanks in advance.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Do the S3 and TT share the same suspension settings?

Very similar yes... wheel base is different (TT is shorter)

Does having wheel spacers affect the geometry?

Arguably yes...

What are the correct factory suspension geometry settings for a standard height BAM engined S3?

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/my-minor-modding-thread.76389/page-73#post-2342463

All the above is largely irrelevant as you just need to know what you wish to set your geo too and work to that...

<tuffty/>

 

[BANANA]

Very similar yes... wheel base is different (TT is shorter)



Arguably yes...



http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/my-minor-modding-thread.76389/page-73#post-2342463

All the above is largely irrelevant as you just need to know what you wish to set your geo too and work to that...

<tuffty/>

Thank you so much. I'm looking to set it up the same as the day it left the factory. I don't think I'm that experienced or can find anyone competent enough in Dubai to do a custom set up for me.

Easiest would be to go to a place with a swanky computerised machine give them the geometry measurements that you just gave me and ask them to match them.

I hope the spacers will not confuse them and throw the geometry out.

If you look at the picture of the back of my car you can see that the inside of the tyre has more contact with the ground. Almost like the car is squatting ( hope I'm making sense). This makes me think that the geometry is out and my rear tyres will wear quite quickly on the inside.

EDIT: I just looked at the picture it's actually not that clear. I'll try to get a better one but basically the wheels are squatting outwards. Maybe that's an S3 trait that's just looking more pronounced because of the spacers?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Alignment isn't difficult unless they are a bunch of incompetent idiots... you just move the suspension to the required value irrespective of computer settings... the settings are just a factory recommendation... using a Mk1 TT 225 quattro will get you close if they haven't got the S3 in the list..

You want to aim for zero toe front and rear, equal camber up front can be achieved using the small amount of adjustment in the ball joints (slotted arms) and a small amount of movement in the subframe if absolutely necessary... rear toe can be adjusted by undoing the rear arm mounts (4 bolts to the body)...

If you have lowered the car you would ideally need adjustable tie bars on the rear to help bring the camber back to a sensible setting

<tuffty/>

 

[BANANA]

Alignment isn't difficult unless they are a bunch of incompetent idiots... you just move the suspension to the required value irrespective of computer settings... the settings are just a factory recommendation... using a Mk1 TT 225 quattro will get you close if they haven't got the S3 in the list..

You want to aim for zero toe front and rear, equal camber up front can be achieved using the small amount of adjustment in the ball joints (slotted arms) and a small amount of movement in the subframe if absolutely necessary... rear toe can be adjusted by undoing the rear arm mounts (4 bolts to the body)...

If you have lowered the car you would ideally need adjustable tie bars on the rear to help bring the camber back to a sensible setting

<tuffty/>

The place that I will take it to is the same place Lamborghini Dubai uses. They have a very good and modern machine. And if it's good enough for Lamborghini it's good enough for my S3. I'll give them your settings and hope the technician is competent enough.

The car is not lowered and I would prefer to keep the standard height but you never know how I feel in the future.
If there is a way to reduce body roll but keep the standard height it would be ideal but the more I read the more unlikely it's looking.

Originally I just wanted R32 Arb but I've been led to believe that Arb with standard soft suspension will make things worse.
I'm still reading the forum and trying to decide . Maybe the 10 mm lowered Gmbh springs with Bilstein and the r32 arb might work and make it corner flatter yet retain near enough standard height?

If I do decide to lower one day it will most likely be Bilstein/H&R as I don't like the nose up stance of the Eibach.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Fitting stiffer ARB's will add spring rate (stiffen things up) and may well affect the damping of the standard dampers...

Just remember though if you lower the car you will need to get the alignment rechecked and consider fitting adjustable tie bars are rear camber will increase and rear toe adjustment will be trickier without them

I run Bilstein B8's, H&R -25mm springs and R32 ARB's...
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/my-minor-modding-thread.76389/page-85#post-2875879

Feels ideal tbh for me...

<tuffty/>

 

[BANANA]

Fitting stiffer ARB's will add spring rate (stiffen things up) and may well affect the damping of the standard dampers...

Just remember though if you lower the car you will need to get the alignment rechecked and consider fitting adjustable tie bars are rear camber will increase and rear toe adjustment will be trickier without them

I run Bilstein B8's, H&R -25mm springs and R32 ARB's...
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/my-minor-modding-thread.76389/page-85#post-2875879

Feels ideal tbh for me...

<tuffty/>

Love the ride height of your car. Lower than standard but still useable. The great pictures that you have taken of your S3 have comfirmed to me that if I decide to go low it will be H&R and B8.

 

[BANANA]

Two of my cars receiving some love.

 

[BANANA]

The silver one just failed our version of the MOT for a silly reason. The anti glare monochromatic glass in the wing mirror is discoloured. Looks like there's a bubble of oil or chemical inside. The dealer wants to charge approx £ 380 for a piece of glass . Can those mirrors be rebuilt ?

 

[Alex C]

I'm confused, £380 to replace the mirror glass!?

 

[superkarl]

The silver one just failed our version of the MOT for a silly reason. The anti glare monochromatic glass in the wing mirror is discoloured. Looks like there's a bubble of oil or chemical inside. The dealer wants to charge approx £ 380 for a piece of glass . Can those mirrors be rebuilt ?

It failed an MOT because of a bubble in a mirror?!?!

 

[BANANA]

I'm confused, £380 to replace the mirror glass!?

Yes the equivalent of £ 380 in our local currency for the part alone without fitting from the Audi dealer .

 

[BANANA]

It failed an MOT because of a bubble in a mirror?!?!

It's a big bubble

 

[IPG]

Plenty of good quality replacement on eBay. Adjust it so you can have access to get a screwdriver underneath. They come out with a bit of prying.

I upgraded mine to the ultra wide angle lens. No more blind spot.

 

[s3mad_dude]

You can buy just the mirror glass from Audi with the heated mirror element on the back for about £24 from a dealer in the UK. Definitely worth getting one couriered out to you for that saving!!

 

[BANANA]

You can buy just the mirror glass from Audi with the heated mirror element on the back for about £24 from a dealer in the UK. Definitely worth getting one couriered out to you for that saving!!

Yes the UK is so much cheaper. In a couple of months when I'm back in the UK I will be raiding the scrappies , Audi dealers and Ebay . My luggage will be full of spare parts . I'd love to see the look on the face of the customs officer in Dubai .
For the time being I think I found a solution for the mirror . I'm having it rebuilt with a regular mirror as opposed to the anti glare/monochromatic/concave oil/chemical filled one on the car right now . I believe it was the most expensive option available for the S3 when new. Part number 8D0857535G. If that fails I'll swap the glass from one of the other two S3s just for the MOT . I just hope that I don't crack it.

 

[BANANA]

Mirror fixed on the Silver car . Passed it's MOT and sold to another enthusiast. Hopefully he will join the forum. It's sad to see it go but no one needs 3 of the same car in their life. I still have my favourite one " Imola " which I won't be selling anytime soon and another one which will be my project car. Here's another final picture of the silver car and I wish the new owner many happy days with it.

 

[BANANA]

At the Dubai Autodrome last weekend to watch the Porsche Gt3 Cup Challenge Middle East . Imola met it's big brother.

 

[BANANA]

 

[BANANA]

 

[BANANA]

 

[BANANA]

 

[BANANA]

 

[NickB]

Forgotten just how good-looking the 8L S3 was (still is).

I bought one in 2001 and would have loved Nogaro Blue but that wasn't available at the time. Next choice was Imola but my (then) wife didn't approve, so I went for Mineral Grey.

Sadly, I was doing big mileages back then and had to let it go in 2004 before it hit 100k miles. Bought a diesel A4 Avant, which was OK but no substitute

Still love those Avus wheels.

 

[BANANA]

 

[Asim1]

Very nice looking car mate

 

[HulkTdi]

Nice car mate , good condition , keep the updates

 

[BANANA]

Siblings

 

[spiker]

Not a fan of yellow cars normally but love yours - looks amazing

 

[BANANA]

Not a fan of yellow cars normally but love yours - looks amazing

Thank you.
Kept clean on a bright sunny day, yellow cars look great. .. luckily there's plenty of sun in Dubai. It also helps that Imola is a nice shade of yellow in my opinion

 

[Samaj]

At the Dubai Autodrome last weekend to watch the Porsche Gt3 Cup Challenge Middle East . Imola met it's big brother.View attachment 147453 View attachment 147454

Hi there. Nice Imola S3 you got there.
That Imola S4 was my ex-ride.
Now I have an Imola RS4 Avant.

 

[LindsayJDM8L]

May I ask which country you imported this from?