A3 - S3 transformation (long...)

PregnantNproud

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Hello sirs! i've been skulking the forum for quite a while now, helping out when I can and acquiring information.

You guys really are good with providing the latter and for a few months i've been transforming my car into an s3.

Basically it all started when I was ready to sell my Polo. I fell in love with a black mk1 golf gti but that fell through. I wanted to remain with German engineering and I always loved the bold, muscular S3. But it was too expensive in every way. So I bought an 03' 8p A3 sport and decided to make it look as good as possible, Which IMO means 2009 facelift S3.

As MattAndrew and his thread taught me, this is a very expensive can of worms. So the next best thing was 2007 parts mixed with 2009 parts to make an 07' s3 facelift?? It was a go, but no s3 badges so that the car wasn't a total lie. At that moment hell itself attempted to stop my plans.

We got pretty screwed around my a garage called Compass in Tunbridge Wells, who took our money and a month later we got our car, minus warranty. I got a speeding ticket in another car and had to wait almost 2 months before the audi went into the garage.

Finally we found a garage that could help us out: Maldon Car Body in Maldon, Essex. I highly recommend them if you live on the planet let alone nearby, they even have a courtesy car service.

First things first the body panels are removed to be painted.

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It seemed sinful to tear apart a car like this. I didn't want to believe it was mine at this stage! The garage sourced the body parts through an Audi parts dealer they use themselves. We haggled Audi's discounts for everything it was worth!

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A retrofit of the body parts followed a massive delivery of boxes into the garage. Here the 2009 facelift bumper seems to be fitting snug.

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I walked the garage through the front bumper conversion. We decided to trim the impact bar instead of swapping it to keep costs down.

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Next the new body parts were sprayed. Seeing as so many body parts would have to be re-sprayed, I figured the whole car should be re-sprayed also. I wasn't really feeling the yellow you see. The colour below is called "Suzuka Grey Pearl Effect" and has grown to worrying levels on me.

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The imperfections in the bodywork were smoothed and the body was sanded ready for priming...

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Some goodies arrived! These are 18" replica 09' s5 alloys. I would of got real ones, but these were £330 for 4 and the OEM's are £300 each! Ebay shop.

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The jury is still out on whether these will look good. I got them because i really wanted a 2009 transformation and they look very much like the 2010 anyway.

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The S3 badge has got to go.

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The colour here is unfinshed and still needs polishing. But for some reason 'Suzuka Grey pearl effect' is coming out either ibis white or bluey grey in these pictures. I know its a combination of all those colours, but I really have to wait till the car is done to truly appreciate the colour.

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S3 skirts still not attached yet. New mounts needed to be drilled to attach them.

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Again this is looking pretty Ibis White. Nevertheless, this picture was taken a week and a half from the start of the work and I was very excited to say the least! :faint:

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The rear bumper is minus a diffuser. With the 2009 s3 the rear diffuser is seperate to the valence, so that is yet to arrive.

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I bought chrome mirror covers like an idiot when the s3 mirrors are brushed aluminum! So those are going back to Germany. Meanwhile, the mirrors you see below were actually the OEM's sprayed with special paint. They are not too far off imo, they may just need a little 'de-matting'.

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Thanks for your patience if you read all that. The car should be done in a week so i'll keep updating the thread.

I don't know how to remove the s3 badge as it leaves a huge gap so any ideas are welcome!

Only mods left are chrome tailpipe covers, 2009 led rear lights, a 30mm drop and rns-e. Oh, and if anyone is willing to help out a man in dia need of vag-com when the time comes!

-Rich
 
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Looks like an epic build. Great pics and looking sharp! Are you going to do more than the body transformation, such as the S3 K04 upgrade, etc?

Waiting to read more of your progress and final pictures of the finished product! Cheers! :s3addict:
 
Very nice! Seems like an expensive build but must be worth it in the end! Loving them headlights!
 
Looks good mate, have to apologise cause I got all the info for you but then my turbo blew so had to sort that out, colours good though, look forward to the finished job.

Only thing I'd say is the black grill would look better tbh & the skirts dont need the pillars underneath at all mate, trust me with mine it was fixed in place with sikaflex & they wont budge even with a nuclear blast, lol, the pillars come on the S3 chassis so no point adding these underneath, complete waste of time & money given how well mine are on with no pillars, stuck for life.

For cost you'd be better buying vagcom tbh as its a fraction of the cost of your upgrade.
 
Some big work going into this but looks like its been done right and your not going for cheapest ways around things,have they taken engine out also to do things like chasis legs and flitch panels etc ? are you going to bother with the LED style lights? just want to know what they look like thats all
 
Are you going to do more than the body transformation, such as the S3 K04 upgrade, etc?

I only really was going for aesthetics at this point, but if I do tackle the engine I was aiming to replace parts untill its almost new...

Some big work going into this but looks like its been done right and your not going for cheapest ways around things,have they taken engine out also to do things like chasis legs and flitch panels etc ? are you going to bother with the LED style lights? just want to know what they look like thats all

Please explain 'chassis legs' and 'fitch panels'? I didnt take the engine out as its so much more complicated and increases the costs. I did get the led style lights, if they look poo i guess its selling time...
 
Looks good mate, have to apologise cause I got all the info for you but then my turbo blew so had to sort that out. & the skirts dont need the pillars underneath at all mate

For cost you'd be better buying vagcom tbh as its a fraction of the cost of your upgrade.

Thats alright mate, thanks for the info you provided! Yea the garage cam a cropper on those skirts, i'm not certain yet but i don't think they charged me for the pillars they fashioned. Hopefully not, hearing what you just said looks like I should of done a little more homework...

I may end up getting VAGCOM but I was a little strapped for cash at the moment, you see after I got the rns-e and the led rear lights I never imagines using VAGCOM again...
 
I only really was going for aesthetics at this point, but if I do tackle the engine I was aiming to replace parts untill its almost new...



Please explain 'chassis legs' and 'fitch panels'? I didnt take the engine out as its so much more complicated and increases the costs. I did get the led style lights, if they look poo i guess its selling time...

As where your shockers go through and places like bulkhead and where your bumper x-member bolts to,i mean really when the bonnet is lifted is there still going to be bits of the yellow chasis showing? Did the headlamps look really bad then or did they look worse so you didnt even bother trying them? shame i would like some kind of the facelift lamps lets just hope some other makers get involved,the 19 reps look well :icon_thumright: are you going for the S3 brakes aswell?
 
How Much is this all costing you mate ? Also Where did you get your L.E.D Front Lights ? Is it RHD OR LHD Lights ?
 
Yea Digzz those are the ones from France. I got them from ebay here.

Apparently they are either RHD or both RHD and LHD capable. I have not installed them yet so fingers crossed they look acceptable!
 
Yea Digzz those are the ones from France. I got them from ebay here.

Apparently they are either RHD or both RHD and LHD capable. I have not installed them yet so fingers crossed they look acceptable!


That's cool....I'm getting them lights myself...As I've bought my H.I.D. From the same shop on ebay. How much is this all costing you thou ? I mean Just the Whole Job. Not including the Bits and bobs ?
 
I love decent progress that shows progress from the start! My hats off to you lad!

My plans are almost exactly the same as yours except the wheels..

Look forward to seein more.

Tom
 
Wow that's fantastic! Can't be cheap though :think:

Looking forward to seeing the end result :icon_thumright:
 
Looks really good, makes sense to buy a yellow A3 as that will be a cheaper start to your project.

Bet it will look good when its all done
 
The French lied to me! These lights are LHD. I'm trying to find a way to convert them because they don't look too shabby in real life.

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The LEDs are a little dimmer than expected but the pressing problem is that its LHD.

The normal lights take on the role of both full beam and normal, and the sidelights become the DRLs.

The garage has to attach the rear diffuser, skirts & front bumper, a valet and I should have it by Friday. Then all i gotta do is get 25mm H&Rs, 09 rear LEDs and a RNSe.:happy:

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S****** ....I was going to buy a pair of them too...I'm just as ****** off as you mate , Plus the Fact that you have to turn on the DRL With the side lights. What is the point of having that if you just want the front DRL lights on and not the back lights on....kind of beats the whole point of having DRL'S. Nice Paint Job thou mate :icon_thumright:. I just hope you can sort out the LHD Lights....And the brightness too...as I hate DRL that don't look like OEM.
 
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Thats one good transformation, I'm sure u'll have turning heads once its on the road!
 
I love these sort of threads, great read, and a great project, looks awesome fella!:respekt:
 
S***** ....I was going to buy a pair of them too...I'm just as ****** off as you mate , Plus the Fact that you have to turn on the DRL With the side lights. What is the point of having that if you just want the front DRL lights on and not the back lights on....kind of beats the whole point of having DRL'S. Nice Paint Job thou mate :icon_thumright:. I just hope you can sort out the LHD Lights....And the brightness too...as I hate DRL that don't look like OEM.

I hate them too. I mean i'd take these over led strips but still. Not only that but if i cant make them RHD he straight up lied. If I cant swap them to RHD i'll have to try to send it back, sell them or go to some vehicle lighting specialist. If there is such a thing.
 
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I don't get it.....

Same.

I really dont get the look-a-like route with ANY car.
Never liked the concept.

Hats off for the effort though, from the pics the finish looks very good, so credit where credits due, fair play and each to their own etc..etc, but if I was going to make extensive styling mods on any car I would be looking at a combination of aftermarket and/or OEM bits to make the car look unique, rather than ape another model in the range (even without the badges).

Enjoy.

My 2p (flame suit on):undwech:

Paul
 
Same.

I really dont get the look-a-like route with ANY car.
Never liked the concept.

Hats off for the effort though, from the pics the finish looks very good, so credit where credits due, fair play and each to their own etc..etc, but if I was going to make extensive styling mods on any car I would be looking at a combination of aftermarket and/or OEM bits to make the car look unique, rather than ape another model in the range (even without the badges).

Enjoy.

My 2p (flame suit on):undwech:

Paul

Nope, your entitled to your opinion! I believe a car lacks integrity when an aftermarket body kit is applied. An OEM seems to truly suit, match and usually makes a subtle difference. When a piece is too overstyled, it doesnt quite match the origional body styling.

Of course, there are subtle aftermarket body parts available, making a car unique. But if i had money to spend on a subtle aftermarket kit or the real s3, i'd take the real s3. The same can be said for an aftermarket kit or OEM parts.

Cause if i had £20k, well... you'd see me in an Audi showroom!
 
Good on you. Looks great.

I agree, customising a car with non OEM body parts is the halmark of the chav ;)

If it's something you're going to hang onto for a while then it's worth the investment & still far cheaper than an S3 & all the insurance costs etc.

Your next project should be black headlining though as the current beige trim will give it away immediatley.
 
Good on you. Looks great.

I agree, customizing a car with non OEM body parts is the halmark of the chav ;)

If it's something you're going to hang onto for a while then it's worth the investment & still far cheaper than an S3 & all the insurance costs etc.

Your next project should be black headlining though as the current beige trim will give it away immediately.

Thanks man!
Yeah the beige isnt too hot. But the the idea was mostly to facelift the outside of the car to what i believe is the best looking body kit. I didnt really want to fully transform the car, cause then yea i'd need black headlining, remaps, FBMFSW, gear sticks etc. I don't mind if audi heads notice its not real.
 
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Well done mate, looks really good, looking forward to the finished product :)
 
Good on you. Looks great.

I agree, customising a car with non OEM body parts is the halmark of the chav ;)
.
Agree to a point and its often the case, BUT not if its executed correctly with the right choice of parts.

There are a few A3s with aftermarket wheels (BBS CKs/CHs, MTMs Bimotos etc), aftermarket kits (Votex), aftermarket suspension (KW etc) which look very tasteful.

iirc Boydies old car was a good example of this and even stuck with the split front grill (8P1)

cheers
Paul
 
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Lol how so

I have given the dealers 3 opportunitys to sell me 3 very nice cars since 01-02, none of them did very well, infact they were nothing sort of *****, so I now dont buy from dealers, as long as has warranty I will buy from independents except Fontain who are very arrogant & number of people have agreed, I like my dealer these days but sales I wont touch.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Harold wood audi are also pretty rubbish in terms of customer service. Noticeably the parts dept.
 
You see I swear by my parts guys, they must be the best in the country & they've learnt few things from me about the 8P & whats possible between models, they really go out of there way for me, service also have done me well, guess spending time & money I have with them & the occassional milky bar to the receptionist & buying cakes for the dealership does help, actually I gave the parts guy some dough as a thankyou for helping me over the years & he spent some of it on the staff aswell, was worth it.
 
Nice work, ive got VCDS and im about 30-45 mins from Maldon if you need it fella?

Hey, which direction are you from Maldon? I actually live in Essex but the car is in Maldon. Yea... essex unfortunately...

You see I swear by my parts guys, I gave the parts guy some dough as a thankyou for helping me over the years & he spent some of it on the staff aswell, was worth it.

Serious? Thats a good relationship you have with them. They advised you on all your mods? It took me a great deal of time debating if it was worth it to go 09' or 07'
 
I think you've done a great job with this and look forward to seeing the finished item! You must be chuffed.
 
I think you've done a great job with this and look forward to seeing the finished item! You must be chuffed.

Deffo mate. But It still has not sunk in. Untill i drive it somewhere and get out and have a look, it's like its not mine...