A3 to S3 (8P3) Conversion: Complete Walkthrough - Should I publish?

Do you want a 'Complete A3 to S3 Body Conversion Walkthrough'?

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fouryoghurts

fouryoghurts

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I recently completed an 'A3 to S3' (8P3 Sportback) exterior body conversion and was planning to produce a comprehensive write up of the project. This is a popular topic and I know there are a number of threads that discuss its various parts (front end, rear end, side skirt discussions, etc), so there will be overlap within the forum.

My thread will address it all in one place and detail exactly whats involved (building a complete parts list, costs, part numbers, fitting instructions, tips, faqs, etc) from start to finish.

I'm a professional VAG-Specialist technician (AAE, MIMI) and will be happy and able to answer any questions on the project, technical or otherwise.

I personally undertook this project:
  1. for a bit of fun
  2. because I love the economy and spec of my A3 2.0 TDI (MY2010) and felt it deserved the more aggressive S3 look
All parts used are OEM, with the exception of the RS3-style grille (a popular part which will be discussed/reviewed). My personal choice does not involve badging as an S3, because...its not an S3.

During the project I also fitted the essential full interior lighting LED kit and front fogs that @t8ups provides and will also include a guide for this...because it's essential.



To summarise:
This is for people who are interested in making their tame-*** A3 into a badass A3(S3/A3/S3D/?).

So, before I pour a silly number of hours into the write-up, is there any demand for this?




A3tos34up
A3tos34up2
 
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It's not my thing for sure,but for a lot of people,as you've rightly said,it is,and you've clearly made a very good job of doing it.

I personally think it's a great idea and will be an enormous help to anyone wanting to do this,to be able to find everything in one place,from someone who knows what's required.

It should be very welcome,and much appreciated.
 
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As said above I'm sure a lot of people would appreciated a one stop shop of information on this especially coming from a professional - car looks brilliant!
 
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Simple answer from me.

Yes please.
 
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Very much so .looking forward to a good read :)
 
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I know that lots of people have asked questions about this over the few years I've been on this forum.

So whilst I wouldn't personally benefit from it I think you'll find that it would be a huge asset to the site
 
I think it is a excellent idea for quite a number of members.
 
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Simple answer, yes please do it.

If you write it in M$oft word or something, any chance you could do a PDF copy too?
 
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audi upgrades
it's pretty much straight swap though. 8p2 to 8p3 now that's a bit more challenging
 
i thought by now most people know whats involved in the conversion , the most ackward bits are looking up all the part no for the new fixings etc but besides that the rest is logic and common sense .
 
do have 1 question though . why did you fit all the parts to the car first without paint ? as there oem parts they are a guaranteed fit so personally i would have just painted all the parts first as there going to fit 100% anyway.
 
hollow said:
i thought by now most people know whats involved in the conversion , the most ackward bits are looking up all the part no for the new fixings etc but besides that the rest is logic and common sense .
Click to expand...
yep the costing and part numbers, along with fitting guides all in one place would be useful.
Theres a fair bit to it too
- front bumper inc grill and fog grills
- wing mirror caps housing
- side skirts complete inc s3 plates sills
- rear bumper complete with diffuser
- s3 alloy wheels and lowering springs
- led front lights if not already fitted as standard
 
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Mr. B said:
it's pretty much straight swap though. 8p2 to 8p3 now that's a bit more challenging
Click to expand...

  1. I haven’t done an 8p2 -> 8p3 conversion, nor do I intend to.
  2. IMO the relative simplicity of the project makes it accessible to members without much in the way of vehicle repair skills/experience and perhaps a comprehensive guide may give them the confidence to try where they otherwise mightn’t have bothered.
  3. Despite the practical side of things being relatively straightforward, the project is fairly sprawling in its entirety, as @sliced noted.

hollow said:
i thought by now most people know whats involved in the conversion , the most ackward bits are looking up all the part no for the new fixings
Click to expand...

Agreed.

hollow said:
do have 1 question though . why did you fit all the parts to the car first without paint ? as there oem parts they are a guaranteed fit so personally i would have just painted all the parts first as there going to fit 100% anyway.
Click to expand...

The bumpers etc were tacked to the vehicle without paint as, with idea of perhaps producing a guide in mind, the contrast makes it easy to identify component parts - particularly in the case of the rear bumper and skirts which includes the much discussed, upper section, valance, diffuser, skirts, caps, door blades, rubbing strips, etc, etc.

Obviously they were removed from the vehicle for paint.
 
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be interested to hear how much it costs to do this.

also, be a good idea to highlight the parts that are different depending on 3 or 5 door
 
Done this to my 2.0 tdi a3 when I couldn't get insured on the s3
 
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definitely a great idea.. loads of people would be interested in this especially all in one spot.. saves hours of research day after day (it would definitely help me, constantly scratching my head looking on different sites and google to find everything I need haha.
how are you getting on with it fouryoghurts.. any progress?
 
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SinkyA3 said:
definitely a great idea.. loads of people would be interested in this especially all in one spot.. saves hours of research day after day (it would definitely help me, constantly scratching my head looking on different sites and google to find everything I need haha.
how are you getting on with it fouryoghurts.. any progress?
Click to expand...

Made a start earlier in the week...there's a contents pages that suggests it'll be a chunky document :)
 
Last edited:
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Guessing you'll have to tell the insurance company too... after all - it'll be more 'appealling' to those little tikes...
 
I am doing this build as well, i am ordering all parts tomorrow probably, going to fit it to a 2012 A3 Sportback 2.0 Tdi 5 door, will also include S3 rearwing spoiler. I think ill post it all here on this forum as well if that could help anyone
 
Alright boys! Wee progress update...
I've made a start and things are happening, slowly.
Written nearly 3000 words and thats 90% document structuring! This thing is going to be bigger, and probably more stressful, than my dissertation :p
 
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Do you have a picture of the finished rear end of the car ?? What did you do with the tailpipes ?
 
I think the chrome rings look better if the fogs also have the chrome surround on the front.
 
Hey mate I don't suppose you have the pins layout for when you fitted the headlights? I'm having terrible trouble getting my drls to light
 
Would this apply to my 2011 A3? Its the facelift version, but is only a Sport not Sline - make any difference?

Just got my new 8V A3 saloon and wanted to update the looks of the old one a bit :)
 
Hey dude any update on this? I would actually love to read your guide! I read your very first post and just thought 'I like this guy'. Dont ask me why as I normally dont like this kind of thing lol! Thank you for giving your time and sharing with us.
 
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