8P3 1.9 TDI Sportback OEM+ - Build Thread

[Darren92]

Had a thread on here before but too many HQ pics made it slow to load.

Started as a standard 8P3 Sport, quickly got the retrofit bug and the OEM+ mods are as follows

Interior: cruise control, S3 aluminum pedals, auto dimming rear view mirror, FBMFSW, MK2 RNS-e, Audi bluetooth, Audi Q3 climate control unit, ashtray delete, Audi music interface, footwell lights (front & rear), puddle lights & active door warning light, front & rear ambient lights, chrome tipped window switches, TPMS enabled (button installed), S-line gearknob, LED interior lights, ZF aerial upgrade (RNS-e).

Exterior: S-line front bumper with black edition grill, PDC front & rear (OPS 7X2), headlight washer system, LED DRL Bi-Xenon headlights, Witter detachable towbar (inc. dedicated electrics), OEM LED number plate lights, Q5 rear wiper arm & aero blade, H&R 35mm lowering springs (20mm lower than standard).

Engine: REVO stage 1 remap, Audi R8 oil & coolant caps.

Currently en-route to me is the S-line rear diffuser for the detach towbar as I'm using the non-S-line detach diffuser atm.

I've tried to use genuine parts wherever I can as I'm not a fan of the aftermarket stuff, it just doesn't fit right and most of the time doesn't look right either.

Bar the headlight, washers & towbar harnesses, all looms have been custom made. It's that bad I've run out of switched ignition feeds in my dashboard fusebox!

Have a couple of plans for the summer time. Watch this space.

Couple of quick pics, you all know what a 8P3 sportback looks like!

 

[Pur8]

That's alot of retro fitting! strong spec now - look forward to more updates!

 

[Darren92]

thanks @Pur8

it all started with the bluetooth then went quickly downhill from there .. engine mods are next on the list starting with a dpf and egr delete.

currently on 120k, have had it since 27k and it has never missed a beat!

 

[Darren92]

I laid my hands on a set of TT air-vents last Sunday for an impressive £37 so went about fitting them today

Before, during and afters!

 

[Shanwaz]

One for my to do list!

 

[Darren92]

Another retrofit to add to the list

I purchased a set of folding mirror bases and autodimming glass from @Ash187 , they're currently in transit so will be here shortly.

Bought two compatible door controllers as mine are the K version which don't support folding. I already have the folding mirror switch fitted.

 

[Darren92]

Received a nice box from Ash this morning, hoping to get these fitted as soon as my door controllers arrive!

 

[Darren92]

Feel like I'm talking to myself on this thread but anyway

Myself and a VW friend of mine finished my auto-folding & auto-dimming wing mirrors this afternoon.

Some teething issues to correct re door controllers but all is good and all works.

Alot of work which included stripping both doors including stripping the knee panel, a pillar trims, glovebox, both door cards, removing the window frames, running wires from the rear view mirror down to each door controller via the rubber grommet/boot and looking at various wiring diagrams and crossing our fingers either the glass or folding bases were faulty which thankfully they weren't!

Most people who retrofit the dimming glass cut corners and just run a single wire to the wire on the mirror plug for dimming from what I found online but we decided to do something different and wire them as they would've from factory like other models, so the wires were ran into the door controller main plug which the signal then passed through the controller and sent the signal to dim the glass. Pretty neat and tidy.

Pic 1 & 2 were "in progress" pics hence the mass of exposed wiring!

Quick video of the dimming at the bottom.

@Ash187

 

[Sayam]

Nice work once again mate, really good read this thread!

 

[Sukhy]

Great looking car, similar to what I was hoping to do with my new car. Hopefully I'll have my sport model by the end of next week.

 

[Darren92]

thanks guys, its a labour of love really.

its become an obsessive hobby!

 

[Pur8]

Loving the work buddy, some big retrofits on here! Reckon the wing mirrors are worth the money?

 

[Darren92]

Loving the work buddy, some big retrofits on here! Reckon the wing mirrors are worth the money?

Folding was always high on my list ever since I got the car and seeing a set with dimming glass was an offer too good to refuse.

Obviously I won't get much use out of the dimming during the summer but the folding option comes in so handy.

My options now are limited as there are only a small handful of extras I can fit from here onwards!

 

[Darren92]

Finally got round to ordering the non-smokers 12v socket which goes nicely with the ashtray delete.

In black the part number is 8P0 863 387 A 6PS and is a straight swap for the exposed cig lighter.

 

[Pur8]

Need to get that non smokers socket and you've inspired me to put the wing mirrors on my list!

 

[Darren92]

Need to get that non smokers socket and you've inspired me to put the wing mirrors on my list!

it tidies that area up well, thankfully i don't smoke and rarely use the 12v socket so glad its out of the way.

re the wing mirrors, you may be waiting a while as they don't come up often, i was lucky and found that Ash was selling his off his old Sportback through the classifieds on here and snapped them up sharpish.

 

[Pur8]

I'm not major desperate for them but I'll keep an eye out, got lowering and brakes to do first!

 

[Ash187]

yeah he took them off me the day i listed it!
regarding the mirrors the other thing you can do to them is to get them to auto-fold on lock?? i have a kit I'm making up in progress for customers to install themselves... you thought the auto-dimming was a hard job? try this auto-folding!
The A3 is such a customisable car... you won't run out of things to do... if you think you have then send me a message and i will tell you of some more secret mods that can be done. (actually come to think of it there is another secret mod you can do on your mirrors)

 

[Darren92]

Just sent you another message Ash.

... and so it continues, a set of rear heated seats bought from Ash this morning including all wiring and switches.

These are on hold though to be fitted as I want to fit the USA centre console so will do both at once but will have the seat prepped beforehand.

I now need to buy the 4 seperate elements for the front seats as I currently don't have front heated seats! Most people do fronts first but I may aswell do it a bit different.

 

[Ash187]

you could always just buy the heated and electric lumbar A5 front seats i have for sale?

 

[Darren92]

started what may be considered the hardest and most tedious part of the retrofit tonight, stripping the seats and swapping the elements over.

decided to use my original seat bench so went about stripping the cover and attaching the elements.

will be doing the backrests tomorrow as this took me a bit longer than i had expected and ran out of sunlight!

pic 1 & 2 are progress and pic 3 is my newly equipped rear bench.

 

[Ash187]

Backrests are harder, seat bench is so easy!

 

[Darren92]

I'm not looking forward to it at to be honest, but has to be done!

 

[A3_Jeffers]

Mate, what a class thread! Love this and more or less everything you've done, I have been wanting to do for a long time but just haven't had the money! Where are you finding everything as I'm struggling to find genuine parts at decent prices?

 

[Darren92]

Mate, what a class thread! Love this and more or less everything you've done, I have been wanting to do for a long time but just haven't had the money! Where are you finding everything as I'm struggling to find genuine parts at decent prices?

Thanks mate, this has been going on over the past 4 years so it's been spread out. Finding parts just takes time, you can get some real bargains on ebay uk and germany, you just need to look at the right time.

If I need brand new parts I use a friends TPS account which give significant discount over retail so that always helps too.

Didn't attack the backrests yesterday, had another event to attend to but hoping they'll be done today

 

[Darren92]

Stripped the rear backrests, not as hard as i had thought they would be, applied the heating elements and then ran the harness from the rear, under the carpet, under the centre console to the vicinity of the J519. hopefully get them wired in this week sometime and order the elements for the fronts!

 

[Sayam]

Good work buddy. How much are the front elements?

 

[s3_trev]

Only noticing this thread now lad! Jesus you really are retrofit crazy arnt you haha!

To anyone reading this - Darren is the man that helped me with my ashtray delete mod and pulled me out of a crisis situation with my footwell lighting LOL.

 

[Darren92]

thanks @s3_trev , gotta keep busy! after i have the seats installed thats me, nothing more lol.

@Sayam not sure yet, still need to price the fronts however I will update the thread when I get round to pricing.

 

[Sayam]

Please let me know buddy...if it isn't too much I'd much rather strip my seats and fit elements than have to swap the seats for ones with elements in already.

I assume we'll need new HVAC units with the heated seats button on.

 

[Oldredeyes1]

Just sent you another message Ash.

... and so it continues, a set of rear heated seats bought from Ash this morning including all wiring and switches.

These are on hold though to be fitted as I want to fit the USA centre console so will do both at once but will have the seat prepped beforehand.

I now need to buy the 4 seperate elements for the front seats as I currently don't have front heated seats! Most people do fronts first but I may aswell do it a bit different.

View attachment 60979 View attachment 60980

Just sent you another message Ash.

... and so it continues, a set of rear heated seats bought from Ash this morning including all wiring and switches.

These are on hold though to be fitted as I want to fit the USA centre console so will do both at once but will have the seat prepped beforehand.

I now need to buy the 4 seperate elements for the front seats as I currently don't have front heated seats! Most people do fronts first but I may aswell do it a bit different.

View attachment 60979 View attachment 60980

Very impressed with your work, but a little gutted you beat me to the heated rears, anyone any ideas what bits I'd need and the cost to do the same to my sportback rear seats? And is it an easy retrofit? Or should I leave it to one of the many kings of the retrofit that operate on this forum?

 

[Darren92]

You only need the elements and the wiring harnesses, when I get home this evening or tomorrow I'll post the part numbers if someone hasn't beaten me to it.

 

[Darren92]

Please let me know buddy...if it isn't too much I'd much rather strip my seats and fit elements than have to swap the seats for ones with elements in already.

I assume we'll need new HVAC units with the heated seats button on.

From my research (haven't confirmed this with VW/TPS yet) but for front sport seats (non bucket) we need

Backrest element
8P0 963 557 D

Bottom element
8P0 963 555 F

Will be ordering on Monday and will update when I do.

Yes, new aircon unit also along with the relevant wiring and coding.

@Sayam

 

[Darren92]

Very impressed with your work, but a little gutted you beat me to the heated rears, anyone any ideas what bits I'd need and the cost to do the same to my sportback rear seats? And is it an easy retrofit? Or should I leave it to one of the many kings of the retrofit that operate on this forum?

@Oldredeyes1

The elements for the rears are

Bottom element
8P0 963 555 A

Backrest element
8P0 963 557 A

Switches
8E0 963 563

Switch housing
8P0 863 351 A

Harness
https://www.kufatec.co.uk/shop/en/a...seat-heating-rear-harness-audi-a3-8p-8p-sport

^ @Ash187 can confirm on wiring requirements as he sent his wiring along with the seats one of which I think he made himself.

 

[Ash187]

The seat elements are approx £70 each so its around £140 a seat. then you need wiring and control switches.

@Oldredeyes1 i literally had the rear heated seats up for sale with the wiring and switches for about 3 months until Darren took them off me, you had plenty of time to get them.

As for fitting the rear its just a matter of getting them under the fabrics and then putting the wiring under the carpet and into the fuse box for power and ground, the switch does the rest.
The fronts have a little more complicated wiring as it goes to the climate control unit.

 

[Sayam]

From my research (haven't confirmed this with VW/TPS yet) but for front sport seats (non bucket) we need

Backrest element
8P0 963 557 D

Bottom element
8P0 963 555 F

Will be ordering on Monday and will update when I do.

Yes, new aircon unit also along with the relevant wiring and coding.

@Sayam

Thank you mate, please let me have the prices.

I can then decide whether to hold our for a set of A4 B8 seats to come up for sale or just get the elements and fit into my seats...

 

[Darren92]

Thank you mate, please let me have the prices.

I can then decide whether to hold our for a set of A4 B8 seats to come up for sale or just get the elements and fit into my seats...

Will do, @Ash187 has A5 seats for sale, they're heated and I think are half leather.

 

[Oldredeyes1]

The seat elements are approx £70 each so its around £140 a seat. then you need wiring and control switches.

@Oldredeyes1 i literally had the rear heated seats up for sale with the wiring and switches for about 3 months until Darren took them off me, you had plenty of time to get them.

As for fitting the rear its just a matter of getting them under the fabrics and then putting the wiring under the carpet and into the fuse box for power and ground, the switch does the rest.
The fronts have a little more complicated wiring as it goes to the climate control unit.

I know ash but if you snooze you lose, are those prices for the back seat? How much is it with switches housing and harness?

 

[Ash187]

@Sayam http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/thread...for-audi-a3-retrimmed-electric-lumbar.247739/

@Oldredeyes1 just checked the prices, its about £100 each element so the rears will be £400 just for elements. Harness from Kufatec. switches best bought from eBay.de within £50

 

[Oldredeyes1]

@Sayam http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/thread...for-audi-a3-retrimmed-electric-lumbar.247739/

@Oldredeyes1 just checked the prices, its about £100 each element so the rears will be £400 just for elements. Harness from Kufatec. switches best bought from eBay.de within £50

Even more gutted I mist your eBay listing now