A terrible start to Audi ownership!

DarrenS3

DarrenS3

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I was really looking forward to becoming an Audi S3 owner, but sadly I am really starting to regret it :blownose:I bought a lovely looking S3 off of someone on this forum, where also it was being advertised and I have had nothing but problems and a lot of expense from owning it. All I have done in it is drive it home from where I bought it, I haven't even been able to enjoy it because since driving it home it has been sat in a mechanic's garage for 2 and a half weeks or so since.

The problems I have encountered are broken steering rack and a broken high pressure steering pipe. I got this all fixed at a price of £465. Which includes seals and track rod ends. Today I get the car back and I realise it needs a new MAF, so this is going to be another £130 ish, but that is not all. I keep getting a warning explanation mark come up on the dash with an alarm too. I VAG-COM it and find the problem is, 18057/P1649/005705 - Powertrain Data Bus: Missing Message from ABS Controller.

I can't clear the code as it keeps coming back. The Ross Tech website doesn't give much useful info at all, so if anyone can help me by giving me some advice that could sort it I will be VERY grateful, otherwise I think I am just going to sell the S3 and go back to my golf GTI :/
 
You roll the dice buying a 11 plus year old hot hatch. Unfortunately you've rolled a 1

Don't go back to FWD keep faith and she will deliver. Trust me
 
I cant solve your particular issue but I'm sure someone will be able to assist on here.

I bought a 13 year old s3, full history and had basically been rebuilt thanks to an owner with very high standards. Since owning it I've probaly spent another £1000 easily in its up keeo through parts failing.

I can't think of a better car for the money and despite me having to pay out for a few issues I'm taking solace in the thought that once these parts are replaced they shouldn't fail again for a long time.
 
Sounds like you unfortunately inherited a few problems that needed fixing with the car, which is a real shame. As others have said, any car of this age will require some money to be spent keeping it roadworthy. The flip-side is no (or very little) hidden cost of depreciation or loan repayments.

I bought my '03 S3 just over 5 years ago now (time flies!) and initially spent a fair chunk of cash getting it to the high standard I wanted. Some things were expected (cambelt, tensioners, water pump, alloy refurb...) and others not expected (Lambda sensor, door lock, wishbone bushings etc). All I can say is that since then I have only had to pay for the "usual" servicing and wear & tear costs to keep her running sweetly. 35k miles later I'm still really satisfied with my S3 and have no plans to part company with her any time soon. Of course, I have also chosen to spend more on upgrades etc, but this has been my own choice.

I'd echo what phil08 says - rectify the problems and then you'll know that you have a capable, solid, comfortable car underneath you that should return many miles of reliable service.

Oh, and a great forum section for free!
 
Thanks for you kind words of encouragement everyone :thumbsup: I do really like the car, but can't help but feel gutted, as I have already had to spend £465 before being able to drive it. On the plus side the mechanic said the steering rack I got was really good and looked new. it came off a 64k TT. The high pressure power steering pipe I bought new from TPS at a price of £280 and will give me peace of mind, as apparently this is a fairly common problem.

What will make me feel even better is if anyone can help me with the ABS controller code. I have the full VCDS, but every time I clear it, it comes back with the annoying alarm sound and explanation mark on the dash
 
Gutted for you mate, but look on the bright side, once it's all done you'll have trouble free motoring!
 
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Greg-S3 said:
Gutted for you mate, but look on the bright side, once it's all done you'll have trouble free motoring!
Click to expand...

That is true, cheers! That is what I had planned when I bought the car as the previous owner said there were no problems with it at all apart from a little knocking noise when going over some bumps at slow speed!! It goes to show, you can't take any ones word for it when buying a second hand car!
 
First thing to check for the ABS are the fuses on top of the battery, they look like flat strips of metal.

Even if they visually look ok, test continuity with a meter as I have had ones with almost invisible hair line cracks before causing the ABS module to loose all power.
 
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DarrenS3 said:
That is true, cheers! That is what I had planned when I bought the car as the previous owner said there were no problems with it at all apart from a little knocking noise when going over some bumps at slow speed!! It goes to show, you can't take any ones word for it when buying a second hand car!
Click to expand...

In fairness mate some people have different standards and levels of knowledge, in their opinion the car was good apart from the knocking they could hear! Don't stress yourself mate, pull your socks up and get it all sorted!
 
JimS3 said:
First thing to check for the ABS are the fuses on top of the battery, they look like flat strips of metal.

Even if they visually look ok, test continuity with a meter as I have had ones with almost invisible hair line cracks before causing the ABS module to loose all power.
Click to expand...

Thank you Jim. I didn't know that so I will check it asap this morning. Cheers!
 
all part and parcel of buying a used car, i assume the car wasnt scanned before buying it?

I bought an S3 about 5 weeks ago, now it has had a new clutch and dual mass fly, both front wheel bearings, new cam position sensor, fitted the not faulty but missing front xenon level sensor, popped in a new nsf driveshaft as the old one had a split inner cv (found when i was doing the clutch etc) realigned the miltek as it was knocking on the diff cage.

Im breaking my car now as i only bought it as a weekend toy and can't be bothered to fix anything else that may come up, these are old cars now and most would of had a hard life so ongoing problems will arise from time to time.
 
jasongtr said:
all part and parcel of buying a used car, i assume the car wasnt scanned before buying it?

I bought an S3 about 5 weeks ago, now it has had a new clutch and dual mass fly, both front wheel bearings, new cam position sensor, fitted the not faulty but missing front xenon level sensor, popped in a new nsf driveshaft as the old one had a split inner cv (found when i was doing the clutch etc) realigned the miltek as it was knocking on the diff cage.

Im breaking my car now as i only bought it as a weekend toy and can't be bothered to fix anything else that may come up, these are old cars now and most would of had a hard life so ongoing problems will arise from time to time.
Click to expand...

Very true!
Are you using ebay to break it or just word of mouth? As you may well have some things I may need! LOL
 
its my day job mate, so i didn't have to consider breaking it for more than about 5 seconds
 
Hello. Sorry to hear about your problems with your car so far.

I bought mine a couple of weeks ago off this forum from a guy who has spent a lot of time and money on keeping the car sweet.

I paid a premium in the hope that I won't have any serious issues to sort out.

I came from a 335d bmw and that thing was bullet proof. All I had to do was service her.

I know that buying an older car could easily back fire and I will cross the bridge if I ever get to it.

Last night I did my first trip in the car. 250 miles from London up to the North West. The car was faultless. I won't lie, I was a little nervous but the car was fine.

I think you should give the car another chance. Get her running sweet, enjoy her for a few weeks/months and then decide if you still want to keep her.

I look at my S3 like an old watch. You buy something that is quality, but you know that it's old and something may need tweaking here and there...

I hope things get better for you!
 
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Not even going to start on what I have spent .

You should get a maf from tps for around a ton or at a push 85 from eurocarparts..what makes you think you need a new maf?
 
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If it's the car I'm thinking of then it's had alot of work done to a high standard from what I've seen and unfortunately you can't predict whats going to fail next.If it makes you feel any better my steering rack also shat itself not long after buying it and had an abs issue arise the other week aswell.I've had to do a fair bit to mine since buying it and as others have said it's part of buying a car of this type/age.

Good luck :)
 
DarrenS3 said:
I was really looking forward to becoming an Audi S3 owner, but sadly I am really starting to regret it :blownose:I bought a lovely looking S3 off of someone on this forum, where also it was being advertised and I have had nothing but problems and a lot of expense from owning it. All I have done in it is drive it home from where I bought it, I haven't even been able to enjoy it because since driving it home it has been sat in a mechanic's garage for 2 and a half weeks or so since.

The problems I have encountered are broken steering rack and a broken high pressure steering pipe. I got this all fixed at a price of £465. Which includes seals and track rod ends. Today I get the car back and I realise it needs a new MAF, so this is going to be another £130 ish, but that is not all. I keep getting a warning explanation mark come up on the dash with an alarm too. I VAG-COM it and find the problem is, 18057/P1649/005705 - Powertrain Data Bus: Missing Message from ABS Controller.

I can't clear the code as it keeps coming back. The Ross Tech website doesn't give much useful info at all, so if anyone can help me by giving me some advice that could sort it I will be VERY grateful, otherwise I think I am just going to sell the S3 and go back to my golf GTI :/
Click to expand...

Is your S3 white?
 
Thanks again for all your comments.

Yes it is the White one from Devon. Everything else seems good with the car. I have replaced the maf and it seems much better, I got one from Euro this morning.

As for the abs code, I fiddled about with a connection and everything seems okay now. The fuses were fine too. Onwards and u[wards now.....I hope
 
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I've owned my S3 for 8 years now the list of comsumables is endless. Its on a 101k now but driving well these cars are exspensive to keep in A1 condition personally if my rack was on its way out i would wait for it to fail completely as you never know how long it may last...its just bad luck. On the brighter side atleast the turbo or head hasnt blown or the cam belt snapped.
 
DarrenS3 said:
Thanks again for all your comments.

Yes it is the White one from Devon. Everything else seems good with the car. I have replaced the maf and it seems much better, I got one from Euro this morning.

As for the abs code, I fiddled about with a connection and everything seems okay now. The fuses were fine too. Onwards and u[wards now.....I hope
Click to expand...

Ah thats a nice tidy example, with a good spec. Already had a lot of money thrown at it and many of the comon issue fixed.

Yes you you will get the odd issue here and there, but that's one of the better examples around, stick with it!
 
When I bought my s3 last month it broke down on the way home from buying it which I sorted out the next day plus there is some other problems with it but its like with any second hand car there will be problems but once its all sorted out it will be a nice sorted car ;)
 
When i was younger i bought a Corsa GSI it was about 7 years old with 63k on the clock the problems that thing had it was depressing, my S3 is older & runs better & has had less problems, German build quality is so much better. When buying one of these cars wear & tear is a common factor...clutches, turbos, steering racks, shocks, springs, sensors, bushes all wear out
 
Had mine 5 years come September gone from 62,000 miles to 159,000 miles and a few big bills on the way, but, she still goes like a missile and handles fantastically, is comfortable, reliable and still rattle free. paid £5,500 5 years ago so still a happy bunny and to be honest struggling to think what I could replace her with and get the same performance handling and creature comforts as I have now. Few newer Audi's offer what I have now without having to spend a load of money.

Stick with your new car and I'm sure you'll soon feel the love
 
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sportquattro said:
Had mine 5 years come September gone from 62,000 miles to 159,000 miles and a few big bills on the way, but, she still goes like a missile and handles fantastically, is comfortable, reliable and still rattle free. paid £5,500 5 years ago so still a happy bunny and to be honest struggling to think what I could replace her with and get the same performance handling and creature comforts as I have now. Few newer Audi's offer what I have now without having to spend a load of money.

Stick with your new car and I'm sure you'll soon feel the love
Click to expand...

Wow, 100k in a narrow band S3, you must have got through some fuel!
 
I have been driving the S3 around today and the ****** fault came back with the ABS, so, even though I tested the fuses on top of the battery as JimS3 advised and they were fine, I decided to nip to Halfords and get some new ones. Well, after putting them in I could finally clear the code, which didn't come back and I have been for a good spin. No codes or problems :arco: I plugged my liquid cube in and got a reading of 265 bhp, should be 280bhp, but then again I don't think the road was long enough LOL. So all is good! The Quattro system is amazing and pulls off the mark like a rocket!

I am next going to change the standard boost and break hose that are left to silicone ones. I am also going to change the S2000 air filter as I don't like it. I prefer the foam ones, either Pipercross or Ramair. So it looks like I aint going to give up the modding bug yet (as I spent a fortune on my GTI modding it up to 260+ bhp)
 
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Some progress today then Darren. You will soon have all the little niggles sorted and get to enjoy. :) x
 
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Sandra said:
Some progress today then Darren. You will soon have all the little niggles sorted and get to enjoy. :) x
Click to expand...

Hopefully Sandra :happy:

One other thing that is worrying me a little is the mpg, I have only been getting 16.8, is that normal?
 
Horsepower and economy don't really go together lol. Especially when using ALL the horsepower. Think of it like this if you're giggling like a hyena when get out, then it's cost some fuel money
 
mattf1000 said:
Horsepower and economy don't really go together lol. Especially when using ALL the horsepower. Think of it like this if you're giggling like a hyena when get out, then it's cost some fuel money
Click to expand...

LOL
 
DarrenS3 said:
I think I am just going to sell the S3 and go back to my golf GTI :/
Click to expand...

Judging by this ^^^

My advice is don't spend a single penny on it until you know it is reliable.

As I read this thread, you've bought a car, got the hump at it being unreliable and expensive to run and fix, paid £450 for a steering rack to be fitted (an hour and a half job, a replacement rack is £100) which tells me you aren't hugely mechanically minded, chased an electrical controller problem which ended up being the first thing everybody should look at when buying an S3 (the engine bay fuse box connectors) and now you want to start thrashing it and modifying it.

That's not the way to happy motoring.

Service it, change the Haldex fluids, work through the car and make it what it should be, no matter how great it might be there will always be servicing requirements that have been overlooked.

Then start modifying and thrashing it.

Just my two pence...
 
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DarrenS3 said:
Hopefully Sandra :happy:

One other thing that is worrying me a little is the mpg, I have only been getting 16.8, is that normal?
Click to expand...

no

any other fault codes?
the car getting up to full temp? (90°)
 
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16Klappe said:
Judging by this ^^^

My advice is don't spend a single penny on it until you know it is reliable.

As I read this thread, you've bought a car, got the hump at it being unreliable and expensive to run and fix, paid £450 for a steering rack to be fitted (an hour and a half job, a replacement rack is £100) which tells me you aren't hugely mechanically minded, chased an electrical controller problem which ended up being the first thing everybody should look at when buying an S3 (the engine bay fuse box connectors) and now you want to start thrashing it and modifying it.

That's not the way to happy motoring.

Service it, change the Haldex fluids, work through the car and make it what it should be, no matter how great it might be there will always be servicing requirements that have been overlooked.

Then start modifying and thrashing it.

Just my two pence...
Click to expand...

You are right that I am not that mechanically minded, and yes I did "get the hump" as you say because of it all going wrong when I was driving it home from where I bought it, when the power steering went on a roundabout with my 12 year old son in the car, who suddenly became really upset because he loves VAG cars. It was not just the steering rack, it was also the high pressure steering pipe that had totally rusted through, which I replaced with a new one, and new track rod ends and the near new-ish genuine steering rack, which came to a total of £465 fitted. I didn't think that was too bad a price at all. This work is all ramp work with the sub frame having to be dropped, something I have never done, nor would I try it.

As for thrashing it, I did once on one bit of road, but that was it, just to see what reading my liquid cube gave because the car has a Stage 2 R-Tech map on it which is supposed to be 280bhp. So all the stuff according to the receipt work has already been done, including haldex oil, new clutch ect ect. This was why I asked about the MPG because I drove it normally yesterday except for the one bit of road where I did boot it the once. Maybe, the new MAF may take a little while to adjust before the MPG readings are a bit better? I will see how it goes over the next few days, hopefully the ecu will adjust and start to give a better reading. I do also think there may be a small leak somewhere as this could cause a bit of poor mpg, which I will sort out soon by replacing the standard pipes with silicone, as there is bound to be at least a small hair line split in one of them on a 14 year old car.
 
Alex C said:
no

any other fault codes?
the car getting up to full temp? (90°)
Click to expand...

No other fault codes and the car does get up to temp ok and stays there. I do notice that the engine does seem to be very hot though after a drive, even if not going very far at all. This used to happen on my Golf, but as soon as I changed the MAF it sorted itself out. Maybe the new MAF I put in yesterday may take a couple of days for the ecu to adjust to it, I don't no, so I will just have to wait and see I think.
 
I'm pretty sure I know the car that you have bought and it's a lovely example and has had a lot of work done on it, steering problems seem to be a common fault, I would fix it up and enjoy it, there isn't much on that car that hasn't already been seen to!
 
Lavis89 said:
I'm pretty sure I know the car that you have bought and it's a lovely example and has had a lot of work done on it, steering problems seem to be a common fault, I would fix it up and enjoy it, there isn't much on that car that hasn't already been seen to!
Click to expand...

It is a lovely car, certainly gets pedestrians turning their heads, even the police! LOL.

It seems okay now that the main issues are sorted. I am getting the other power steering pipe replaced at the end of the month because that is badly rusted too.
 
when i saw it go up for sale i had to have a little think about selling up my a3 and buying the s3! already poured too much money into the a3 though, unfortunately it's always going to be the case with cars this age, at least you know once a job has been done it isn't going to go wrong again any time soon.
 
Lavis89 said:
when i saw it go up for sale i had to have a little think about selling up my a3 and buying the s3! already poured too much money into the a3 though, unfortunately it's always going to be the case with cars this age, at least you know once a job has been done it isn't going to go wrong again any time soon.
Click to expand...

Yes, there is that for peace of mind!
My last car was a golf, which I bought as standard 150 bhp, I ended up doing everything to it to make it 260+bhp. I spent a fortune, which is typical with VAG cars LOL
 
JimS3 said:
Wow, 100k in a narrow band S3, you must have got through some fuel!
Click to expand...

Jim,

Day to day I average about 30 MPG, occasionally down as low as 28 average on a tank. Today I drove from Colne in Lancashire to Ivybridge in Devon 320 miles at 70-85 mph and averaged 36.7 mpg. given the performance, age and mileage I'm VERY happy with my S3's economy
 
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