Just got a Sportback Special Edition

T

TrickyLad

is loving his new A3
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It doesnt have some of the features that i want on it.

Do you know if its possible to get these things retro fitted

  1. cruise control
  2. onboard computer
  3. ipod connection
help appreciated.
 
 
I wouldn't retro fit the ipod connection, Id get a 3rd party fitting to give better useability... not entirely sure on cost but if you have a search here there are plenty of opinions.
 
with regard to the ipod connection, your car should alredy have one?
It should have an 'aux' connection.
If you mean a USB connection, you might be as well looking at a Dension link.
You can then pull it out when the car goes, and either sell it or fit it to your next motor.
 
If you decide to stick with the 'aux', get a dock to 3.5mm cable.
Much better sound than using the ipod's headphone out socket.
 
So people not confident on the potential to get onboard computer fitted.
 
Is there anything special you want from the DIS?
I found it to be of negligible value.
The only function I ever used was the 'miles to empty'.
 
bowfer said:
Is there anything special you want from the DIS?
I found it to be of negligible value.
The only function I ever used was the 'miles to empty'.
Click to expand...

thats exactly what i want

i tend to rag it around a bit given its new for me and if i knew what mpg i was getting i might tone it down
 
The only function I ever used was the 'miles to empty'.
Click to expand...

That's what I find most useful plus the ability to change the digital speedo to km/h when I drive in Europe. The actual driving time is also of use on the longer journeys across to Switzerland or Austria. Mostly just to make a note to know approximately how long it will take next time!
 
I'm not sure of the value of DIS either, like Bowfer and Dave I have mine set to miles to empty almost permanently, quite funny as my fuel gage also indicates how much fuel I will have before the tank runs empty :)
 
Would you have to rip apart the dash and steering column to fit the parts?
I really don't know if DIS is worth that, for any function.
 
Would you have to rip apart the dash and steering column to fit the parts?
Click to expand...

Changing the actual instrument panel for one with DIS built-in would not be too much of a problem. It can be released from the front. The problem would be, is all the wiring already there. Changing the column switch to included the necessary for the computer would be much more of a problem I think.
 
bacardi said:
I'm not sure of the value of DIS either, like Bowfer and Dave I have mine set to miles to empty almost permanently, quite funny as my fuel gage also indicates how much fuel I will have before the tank runs empty :)
Click to expand...

i dont believe the fuel inidcator. It says that when the light comes on there is 7 litres of fuel left. I can accept that but i think i actually only get about 50 miles out of it.

To date the only problem i have with the A3 is the fuel guage, completely random. One trip to work will take 1/8 of a tank and another day it takes 1/5 of a tank. I am guessing its just the guage playing sillly beggars.
 
h5djr said:
Changing the actual instrument panel for one with DIS built-in would not be too much of a problem. It can be released from the front. The problem would be, is all the wiring already there. Changing the column switch to included the necessary for the computer would be much more of a problem I think.
Click to expand...

If he only wants the 'miles to empty' though, would he require the column stalk?
Could he just fit the DIS and leave it 'stuck' on miles to empty?
Mind you, how would you get it onto the miles to empty without the stalk...?
I haven't thought this through....:uhm:
 
h5djr said:
Changing the actual instrument panel for one with DIS built-in would not be too much of a problem. It can be released from the front. The problem would be, is all the wiring already there. Changing the column switch to included the necessary for the computer would be much more of a problem I think.
Click to expand...

i reckon if i went to the dealer and asked for them to do it it wouldnt be a problem, obviously there would be a cost involved.

I rememeber when i was looking at buying the A3 i also looked at a bmw 1-series. I asked them if i could get cruise control retro fitted and the guy said "course you can, it won't look very good but we can do it. Oh and it will cost £1700"
 
Is you Sportback Special Edition a standard Sportback in SE trim.

If so it should have cruise control as standard. Mine did.

together with auto-dimming rear view mirror, front centre armrest, interior light pack, light and rain sensor and storage pack.
 
h5djr said:
Is you Sportback Special Edition a standard Sportback in SE trim.

If so it should have cruise control as standard. Mine did.

together with auto-dimming rear view mirror, front centre armrest, interior light pack, light and rain sensor and storage pack.
Click to expand...

It'll be the special edition, not the SE, as per my colleague's.
Manual aircon, that kind of thing.
A bit better than the base model, but not as good as the SE.
TBH, Audi should have called it something other than the Special edition, because it'll inevitably lead to confusion with the SE.
I can forsee Audi parts managers ripping their hair out....:keule:
 
TrickyLad said:
i dont believe the fuel inidcator. It says that when the light comes on there is 7 litres of fuel left. I can accept that but i think i actually only get about 50 miles out of it.

To date the only problem i have with the A3 is the fuel guage, completely random. One trip to work will take 1/8 of a tank and another day it takes 1/5 of a tank. I am guessing its just the guage playing sillly beggars.
Click to expand...

Yeah but my DIS is equally flaky, drive like an idiot, says you have 100 miles left, drive like miss daisy, it says you have 250

When my DIS "bings" to say refuel it usually co incides with there being 50 miles left, does it say in the manual that there should be 7 litres left then?
 
bacardi said:
Yeah but my DIS is equally flaky, drive like an idiot, says you have 100 miles left, drive like miss daisy, it says you have 250

When my DIS "bings" to say refuel it usually co incides with there being 50 miles left, does it say in the manual that there should be 7 litres left then?
Click to expand...

yes i read it somewhere in the manual that it only has 7 litres once the fuel gauge bongs.

to answer other question it is the Sportback Special Edition, not the SE.

Also i bought it from the audi garage in blackburn. They told me that when i bought it that it was the MPI Sportback Special Edition. It isnt an MPI one at all, just standard engine. I questioned them about cost difference of mine and a brand new one and they told me it was massive, which would be true if it was an MPI one. If its just standard then the difference between mine and brand new was only £500.

Not happy about that. If this comes to be true then i will be wanting something as an apology from them.
 
TrickyLad said:
yes i read it somewhere in the manual that it only has 7 litres once the fuel gauge bongs.

to answer other question it is the Sportback Special Edition, not the SE.

Also i bought it from the audi garage in blackburn. They told me that when i bought it that it was the MPI Sportback Special Edition. It isnt an MPI one at all, just standard engine. I questioned them about cost difference of mine and a brand new one and they told me it was massive, which would be true if it was an MPI one. If its just standard then the difference between mine and brand new was only £500.

Not happy about that. If this comes to be true then i will be wanting something as an apology from them.
Click to expand...

What does MPI mean?
 
You've lost me there.
As far as I can make out, the special edition is available with two engines and that's that.
A 1.6 petrol and a 1.9tdi diesel (which my colleague took delivery of 2 weeks ago).
Why would you buy a special edition, then add £2500 for a 'special' engine?
That would take it up to the price of an SE, which has all the extras you want as standard!
Are you sure it's not you that's mistaken?
I can't find any reference to an 'optional engine' on the Audi website.:uhm:
 
The whole point of the special edition is to get rid of 'out of favour' engines.
Hence the 1.6 petrol and 1.9tdi only.
They've cleverly rejigged the 1.9tdi so that it falls under the 120g/km mark.
Cheap roadtax and free entry to London etc.
But it's still just an attempt to get rid of engines.
 
When i was looking at the brochures for the A3 sportback there were the following options

1.6 Special edition £15,495
1.6 MPI Special edition £18,495

if i am wrong then i am very happy

i am frantically searching for the electronic brochure. be patient i have it somewhere
 
Mine is a 2007 car, 07 plate, and it doesnt look like from 08 plates onwards they are making the Special Edition version.

Oh well, i should concentrate on the positives, i have an audi A3 and its brilliant:anbet:
 
TrickyLad said:
Mine is a 2007 car, 07 plate, and it doesnt look like from 08 plates onwards they are making the Special Edition version.
Click to expand...

The special edition is still available.
We have an '08 plate one here and it's still on the Audi website.
 
bowfer said:
The special edition is still available.
We have an '08 plate one here and it's still on the Audi website.
Click to expand...

how much is it for the standard 1.6 Sportback Special edition.
mine was registered mid 2007 and had only 190 miles on clock.

Sadly it was cloned whilst on the garage forecourt and i got a confussing call from the police a week after i bought it claiming ihad crashed it in bradford.
its all good now though, got proof it wasnt my actual car but some cheeky chappy with my number plate on his car.
 
TrickyLad said:
how much is it for the standard 1.6 Sportback Special edition.
Click to expand...

No idea, the pricing section of the Audi website is crap, for special edition models.
The diesel sportback special edition is around £17k.
Be less for the petrol one.
 
mitch78 said:
:uhm:

Surely that's what it's supposed to do, tell you how many miles you have left in the tank if you continue to drive as you have been doing?

Don't you want to know that if you're driving like an idiot and it's saying you have 5 miles left, but the petrol station is 6 miles away, you won't make it? So you know to slow down a bit and you'll be ok.
Click to expand...

Of course, I was making comparissons between DIS and Fuel gage, not saying DIS was shi7 or giving wrong readings, I prefer it working this way
 
TrickyLad said:
When i was looking at the brochures for the A3 sportback there were the following options
1.6 Special edition £15,495
1.6 MPI Special edition £18,495
if i am wrong then i am very happy
i am frantically searching for the electronic brochure. be patient i have it somewhere
Click to expand...

I've got a copy of the Sportback brochure from Sept 07 onwards. This includes the following

Sportback standard OTR
1.6 MPI 102PS 5-speed manual £16,040
1.6 Special Edition 102PS 5-speed manual £15,495
1.6 MPI 102PS 5-speed tiptronic £17,440

Sportback SE
1.6 MPI 102PS 5-speed manual £18,040
1.6 MPI 102PS 5-speed tiptronic £19,440

Sportback Sport
1.6 MPI 102PS 5-speed manual £18,040
1.6 MPI 102PS 5-speed tiptronic £19,440

I cant really fathom what your dealer actually told you but the price differential infers the lower is at the standard level and the higher was a SE (potentially using the SE incorrectly as special edition?)

On the engines - could it be that the A3 special edition uses the old non FSI 1.6 engine (i.e. the one from years back, hence it is not referred to as MPI) & the engine offered in the standard (not special edition), se and sport trim being the 1.6fsi engine (referred to now as MPI). Now obviously the 1.4 tfsi is an entry level option.
 
That clarifies what I thought.
You can't get the MPI engine ( I wasn't aware Fsi is now called MPI ) with the special edition model.
You can only get the old (non FSI) 1.6 petrol or the positively ancient 1.9tdi.
 
Apparently 1.6 special edition is a type of engine

i just been on phone with audi garage in blackburn and they told me its possible to have to DIS added to my car, but he was fairly non commital about it so will call another garage in area to see what they think
 
TrickyLad said:
Apparently 1.6 special edition is a type of engine
Click to expand...

Does this dealer know what they're doing?:uhm:
Special edition is a trim/specification level.
If a prospective buyer asks for a special edition, they will be asked if they want a 1.6 petrol or a 1.9 diesel.
It's not a special type of engine at all.
In fact, to be blunt, the engines available in special edition trim stopped being 'special' a good few years ago.
The 1.9tdi, for example, has been around for years and years.
It was considered a bit rough and ready when I had my A4, in 2002!
 
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