Recent content by Shinkansen

I finally ripped the Symphony II unit out of my 8l S3 due the volume knob and buttons going bats**t, but kept the Bose sound system. It's never sounded so good!! There are some unique cables you'll need to purchase for the Bose if you do change out the head-unit but any good car audio specialist...

Ah, bit late to the party but I have to admit I have am absolutely LOVING the new Pirelli ZeroNero GT's. The old ZeroNero's wore pretty damn quickly but grip was insane. The new GT version appears to have solved that issue, as 6 months in the wear is considerably better than the old ones. £75 ea...

So, still no change with this. I was hoping driving around with the heaters on full and windows open in an attempt to dry out any condensation that may have accrued behind the fascia of the radio unit. My car had been left standing outdoors for around three weeks at the garage whilst waiting for...

This one has confused me... Just picked up the car from the garage (new propshaft) and was looking forward to sticking some tunes on on the way home. No sound... Despite the fact I can hear and see the CD player working as it should be. Tried turning it up, nothing happened, even though I am...

An Update For anyone else having these issues/symptoms, my 8L BAM S3 was finally diagnosed as having a faulty inlet breather valve. This was creating lots of problems; causing the turbo to work too hard, increasing the pressure in the crank case and was ultimately causing oil to blow into the...

Thought I would update for anyone else that has this issue. When we were checking and stripping the coilpack harness loom we decided to change the other spark plugs as they were still rubbish Densos in cylinders 2, 3 and 4. Also a lot more easily accessible. Gave in and took the thing to my...

Yup. Cylinder 1 only error code in VAGCOM and the flashing Check Engine Light! We changed the other three spark plugs for NGK's whilst all were accessible. We traced the loom all the way back to the ECU and tested for continuity from there. Absolutely perfect working order. Still none the...

Did that today. Stripped back the coilpack harness wiring. There were a few cracks in wires in places, which were fixed but I couldn't see anything severe enough to cause the misfiring in cylinder one. Checked continuity and earth on all four plugs and it appears to be in fully functional...

Hello all, Long time reader/lurker posting my first issue about this great car (2002 8L BAM S3). Usually we can tackle everything ourselves but this problem has stumped us. I have searched this forum for similar issues and spent hours reading for solutions, but to no avail. Any advice would be...

Oh.... AND I showed them comparable (endless!) other 8L chassis models cases that had been done completely under the warranty. I believe earlier in this thread someone uploaded their invoice from Newcastle for the work done. They didn't care one jot. I then effectively told them to do one and...

As stated previously in this thread, the best you will get is a 30:70 split with the dealers for the work that needs to be done. Best get in there quick. I took my S3 to Portsmouth Audi. Good luck! SHiNK

Well, I've dropped it off and she's being given some serious attention. Been quoted less than you paid Ben, but I will wait until I pick it up before I count my chickens. I even double checked before booking it in, and they were adamant that £158 was for BOTH roof gutterings. That includes VAT...

Ben, Good luck! Unless you are prepared, as some forum users have done, to take this the legal route you will be stonewalled by dealerships, bodyshops and Audi UK. To be fair there's almost enough complaints about this issue to form a class action lawsuit! SHiNK

Thank you Rhys, yes, Hardwoods in Southampton. Despite them "quoting" me £158 for the work on a 70/30 basis, for a refused PAINTWORK Warranty, which I never requested, I'm inclined to believe that this is just for one side. There is only an explicit mention to the O/S in the quote I received. I...

This makes interesting reading people (if you're a geek like me!) The Office of Fair Trading's report on Car Warranties from 2006. Interesting to note that in it, the necessity to have your car serviced at franchised outlets was ruled to be against the consumer's interest, and was dropped by...