S3 miles??? Need words of advice plz

[bowdiaudiS3]

hi im new on here and im thinking of gettin a s3 but dont have a massive budget say 6-7k. been looking on the tinternet at various s3's and found alot with high mileage 70-100k+ and i was wondering if anyone knew what the engines are like with that mlieage on clock as all the cars in my price range seem to come under the above mileage bracket. HELP PLEASE!!!!! lol

Nice One, matt

 

[Russ]

VAG engines are pretty solid. Providing it's been well looked after it'll be good for 150K+

Just make sure the cambelt has been changed at the correct time and check the service book for any major issues

 

[Boro&Beth]

I dont think mileage is a massive factor as long as servicing has been done properly. There are some common faults with S3's but if they are looked after they should be few and far between and already sorted with usual maintenance.

Check for rust on the roof rails and down by the rear wheel arches aswell as the door rub strips. Check the headunit works properly, especially the volume control.

Check the digital display between the speedo/rev counter for missing pixels.

Might be worth buying one that has been remapped as you'll probably want this doing if you buy a standard one and it costs £300+

Check for broken rear springs, again very common.

Go through the service history with a fine tooth comb, it will be worth it in the end.

Obviously check against HPI and MOT database (free) and check cambelt services have been done properly with water pump.

Check temp guage works as thermostat and sender unit are common failures.

Have i missed anything? lol

Oh, try to get someone with VAG.com to go with you and check for fault codes.

 

[bowdiaudiS3]

cheers guys least i got an idea of what to look out for now :icon_thumright:. ill put a post on whenive finally found the right car lol thanks again

 

[jojo]

6-7k isn't a bad budget to buy a decent S3 to be fair, it's all about timing, wether the right car comes along whilst you are looking.

 

[Ian W]

I don't think mileage is to much of an issue with S3's, they seem to have there common faults that will appear at 20k or not until 120k, just down to picking a good'un and having a fair amount of luck

 

[bantam1]

as above - not a great issue if serviced correctly. I'd look for one that has had fixed interval services, and if lucky even more regular oil changes.

mines remapped, on 142K and sweet as ever - oil change every 5K.

 

[fran-s3]

I dont think mileage is a massive factor as long as servicing has been done properly. There are some common faults with S3's but if they are looked after they should be few and far between and already sorted with usual maintenance.

Check for rust on the roof rails and down by the rear wheel arches aswell as the door rub strips. Check the headunit works properly, especially the volume control.

Check the digital display between the speedo/rev counter for missing pixels.

Might be worth buying one that has been remapped as you'll probably want this doing if you buy a standard one and it costs £300+

Check for broken rear springs, again very common.

Go through the service history with a fine tooth comb, it will be worth it in the end.

Obviously check against HPI and MOT database (free) and check cambelt services have been done properly with water pump.

Check temp guage works as thermostat and sender unit are common failures.

Have i missed anything? lol

Oh, try to get someone with VAG.com to go with you and check for fault codes.

Great advice there, although personally I would say look for one that hasn't been remapped if possible.

Reason I say this is that it'll mean the turbo hasn't been under higher boost for a longer period of it's life and hence will last longer... (Which aren't cheap if it fails!) Sure the down side is you'll have to fork out least another £350 for a remap, but in my opinion the more sensible option and worth the extra cost.

Oh and never believe the owner if they say 'yes it's mapped but it's never been redlined!' Course it has, why else would they want more power LOL!

Hope you find a good one.

 

[bantam1]

Great advice there, although personally I would say look for one that hasn't been remapped if possible.

Reason I say this is that it'll mean the turbo hasn't been under higher boost for a longer period of it's life and hence will last longer... (Which aren't cheap if it fails!) Sure the down side is you'll have to fork out least another £350 for a remap, but in my opinion the more sensible option and worth the extra cost.

Oh and never believe the owner if they say 'yes it's mapped but it's never been redlined!' Course it has, why else would they want more power LOL!

Hope you find a good one.

I think it's more about how the car is maintained and driven. Turbo and everything else will fair better on a well maintained, non-thrashed remapped car than a poorly maintained thrashed standard car. There are 1.8Ts that were remapped shortly after birth running high mileage.

I'd look at service history, and actually value a reputable independent service history above FASH, and receipts and make judgement about the owner. Usually easy to judge a well cared for car by the amount of receipts, frequency of servicing etc.

For example, mine at 142K has been remapped for over 60,000 miles and still on original clutch, turbo etc. I don't thrash it, just enjoy it at times, and maintain it fastidiously.

 

[bowdiaudiS3]

nice one guys, another reason i asked about mlilage is because i do alot of traveling with work (24000 miles in 12 months) and because of this i dint want all hell breakin loose as regards to the mechanical side of things when mileage starts to getup to and over 100,000 miles lol. like bantam sez i wouldnt thrash the ***** out of it all the time jus enjoy the power from time to time . thanks again for all the advice people, let me know if there anything else you think i should know. cheers

 

[morgan306]

I dont think mileage is a massive factor as long as servicing has been done properly. There are some common faults with S3's but if they are looked after they should be few and far between and already sorted with usual maintenance.

Check for rust on the roof rails and down by the rear wheel arches aswell as the door rub strips. Check the headunit works properly, especially the volume control.

Check the digital display between the speedo/rev counter for missing pixels.

Might be worth buying one that has been remapped as you'll probably want this doing if you buy a standard one and it costs £300+

Check for broken rear springs, again very common.

Go through the service history with a fine tooth comb, it will be worth it in the end.

Obviously check against HPI and MOT database (free) and check cambelt services have been done properly with water pump.

Check temp guage works as thermostat and sender unit are common failures.

Have i missed anything? lol

Oh, try to get someone with VAG.com to go with you and check for fault codes.

I've owned my S3 for 2 weeks now, and one thing I didn't notice was the fact the temperature guage didn't work-most of the time it doesn't move,but it will sometimes raise to 90' if I have driven it hard.I'm glad you've said this is a common fault,is there a way to diagnose whether it's the sender unit or thermostat at fault?Also,is it going to break the bank?

Sorry to hyjack your thread Matt.:icon_thumright:

 

[Andrew@A.L.D]

Thats not a bad budget as i picked mine up for £5500 with 75k on the clock and full history, a few lines out on the dash, kerbed wheels and a bit of body work needed but to me thats nothing and can be sorted for next to nothing.

 

[ianysm]

6-7k was my budget too.

I found a 70k mile 51 plate in superb condition with FSH. Cam belt, water pump, service done. From a dealer for just over £6k

First thing i did was buy a set of decent tyres, allignment and remap it, all within 3 weeks of owning it!

I think i rev it less now its remapped than i did before, simply because there is so much more torque available that you don't need to redline it anymore!

 

[bowdiaudiS3]

sounds like ill be able to get a decent motor then for my budget. going a little off topic here lol nice one to everyone who's offered me there cars but ive not got the cash yet ill have it in roughly 2months when ive finished the job im on at the moment. ill keep you all in mind tho as ive looked at the cars an they've been mint examples.

 

[jojo]

sounds like ill be able to get a decent motor then for my budget. going a little off topic here lol nice one to everyone who's offered me there cars but ive not got the cash yet ill have it in roughly 2months when ive finished the job im on at the moment. ill keep you all in mind tho as ive looked at the cars an they've been mint examples.

Prices of used cars are creeping up mate, you better be quick before they are all snapped up!

 

[Boro&Beth]

I've owned my S3 for 2 weeks now, and one thing I didn't notice was the fact the temperature guage didn't work-most of the time it doesn't move,but it will sometimes raise to 90' if I have driven it hard.I'm glad you've said this is a common fault,is there a way to diagnose whether it's the sender unit or thermostat at fault?Also,is it going to break the bank?

Sorry to hyjack your thread Matt.:icon_thumright:

Temp sender "may" show up on VAG.com if you have it and thats probably the cheapest/quickest thing to change but it does sound like its yout thermostat, which is a cheap part but takes a little longer to fit.

Neither will break the bank. 5mins to change temp sender and 30-60mins to change the thermostat.