New S3 owner spec

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david7m

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Hi

I'll be looking at changing my 8L shortly for an 8P :)

What options 'should' i be looking out for?

So far i have -

No buckets
Facelift (DRL's)
Bluetooth
Bose
Black leather
Low mileage/owners

Any ideas on prices, as Audi website seems to have shot up recently? Will the RS3 in March have any impact?
Cheers,
Dave
 
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If you are going fairly new DVD Sat Nav is a must. It is now standard on S3 and will be expected when you come to sell on. Unless of course you get a real bargain!
I personally would always go for a Sunroof/Pan Roof depending on 3/5dr option. The interior of S Line and S3 with Black Headlining is really bleak especially with Black seats. The roof makes all the difference.

RS3 will not impact on new prices, there may be a few more used 1/2/3 yr old second hand cars around but demand for well equiped examples is always high. I personally would avoid Ibis White, Orange,Yellow and Dolphin Grey. Phantom Black or Sprint Blue would be my choice.

Not sure I'm keen on some of the Standard wheels circa 2008 either.

UPDATED 06/01

If you are buying new or nearly new the Black Edition is the model to go for IMHO. The Tech pack is I think Standard on new S3's but the Comfort pack is good value too. Rear Park, Auto Lights wipers etc. + if the new Configurator on Audi.co.uk is to be believed you can upgrade with Front Park and PArk assist but not sure they are that cost effective or needed on a smallish car.

Hope this helps and only one opinion.
 
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As above, I would say that Nav is a must now that it is standard.

I bought a BMW Coupe M sport and scrimped a bit on the extras and I really regret it now. So I ended up buying an S3, before I did I looked through all of the options and made a list of all the extras I would want, both realistically a must and a nice to have. Buckets, Nav, bluetooth, folding mirrors and Bose were a must for me. I got plenty of others too which were a bonus.
 
Dave,

Prices would vary somewhat per spec, year and definately if its private or dealer. You would be anywhere from 22k right through to 30k Plus based on wanting the newer shape with DRL's.

Sorry not much help without a few more details.
 
Must haves:

FBMFSW
BOSE
Bluetooth
RNSE Nav
Arm rest

I have a sunroof and dont use it that often, ocasionally on tilt be never on full slide.
Foldy mirrors are handy but i could live without them.

Loads of other `comfort` stuff which is Ok but doubt I would miss it that much.

Retro fitted the RNSE Nav which isnt so cheap if you have to upgrade the antenna and costs around £600 all in DIY.
Worth doing though.

Stage 1 remap is THE essential mod for the 8P S3.
My 2p

Good luck with the search.

Paul
 
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Will definately be a 3 door and second hand. I like the white, so i think the choice will be between sprint (my bro's S4 is sprint), black, grey and red.

Whats FBMFSW?

MRC for remap? Fuel pump upgrade?

Thanks,
Dave
 
FBMFSW = flat bottom multifunction steering wheel.

i agree with PilotAudi and PaulAr
 
if you can afford it i would go for a black edition the look awesome and bose and RNSE nav are standard on them along with other things like dark alloys and piano black inlays etc..
 
Hi Dave

DSG - only had my car 2 months & I'm luvin' it. Recommend you test drive one.
As for the other options I agree with the ealier posts, plus I'd included the comfort pack.

Karl
 
I have heated rear seats on my 2007 s3 havent seen it on another.
 
IFTI said:
I have heated rear seats on my 2007 s3 havent seen it on another.
Click to expand...

A rare option. Ideal for keeping your takeaways warm. ;-)

Never really seen the point in the UK.
 
audi upgrades
PaulAr said:
Must haves:

FBMFSW
BOSE
Bluetooth
RNSE Nav
Arm rest

I have a sunroof and dont use it that often, occasionally on tilt be never on full slide.
Foldy mirrors are handy but i could live without them.

Loads of other `comfort` stuff which is Ok but doubt I would miss it that much.

Retro fitted the RNSE Nav which isn't so cheap if you have to upgrade the antenna and costs around £600 all in DIY.
Worth doing though.

Stage 1 remap is THE essential mod for the 8P S3.
My 2p

Good luck with the search.

Paul
Click to expand...

Remember Paul is looking at his third clutch at 30k miles when you think remap...:laugh:
FBMFSW is just a looks/gimmick thing. I fitted one but to be honest if i kept the car i would swap back to std as i prefer the chunkier feel and the FB serves no purpose what so ever..

I would be looking at cruise as i plough the motorways a bit and interior light pack because a £35k car should have proper lighting anyway !!!
 
Agree with Paddy about Cruise which is part of Comfort Pack. Forgot about Int Light Pack another geat feature which we have had and you have to have with a Panoramic Roof. Audi charge £x for the roof + a compulsory £y for the ILP which should indeed be standard. Cost to Audi 'half of ****** all' apart from lost profit.

Most VW's are now better spec'd than Audis... Family member has a 57 Golf Match , standard Int Lights, Cruise, Alloys, iPod Doc etc... If VW can do it Audi should too!!
 
When you think a int light pack is £90 and it involves Audi needing different roof consoles, light fittings for puddle lights /foot wells and door handles + they must fit the wiring anyway you have to wonder what the cost advantage is to Audi in having two separate versions of a car for £90 difference on a £32k car. That sort of tight fisted "sod the customer" attitude is the real down side of Audi. cruise is another option that really should be std on a car like this. Yes you can add it all at extra cost but with sunroof and buckets you are fast heading for 40k for what is a 7 year old design 3 door hatch. that said...people still buy them so what do know :think:
 
Bought our first 8P in 2003. Replacement is still way over a year away. Whatever folks say the 8P Quattro in most guises is still a cracking motor.
 
Thanks for everyone's input, so i 'need' -

Map and filter
No buckets
Facelift (DRL's, flat bottom steering wheel)
Bluetooth
Bose
Black leather
Low mileage/owners
Interior light pack
Cruise
DVD Sat Nav
Comfort pack


Nice to have -

Sunroof/Pan
Folding mirrors
Heated rear seats

Let me know if you come across any please. Dont fancy the risk of a private sale on something so expensive :(

Dave
 
Dave,

Dont rule out private sales, I have just bought mine privately. Actually bought it from someone on this forum. As long as its all HPI clear, full history then you are ok. If in doubt get an inspection of the car, if the seller has nothing to hide then they would have no objections.
 
brettp said:
Dave,

Dont rule out private sales, I have just bought mine privately. Actually bought it from someone on this forum. As long as its all HPI clear, full history then you are ok. If in doubt get an inspection of the car, if the seller has nothing to hide then they would have no objections.
Click to expand...

Agree with this, especially if it has some warranty to fall back on.
 
paddy said:
Remember Paul is looking at his third clutch at 30k miles when you think remap...:laugh:
Click to expand...

You crazy goat, dont scare the lad.:laugh:

For the record its only just had its 2nd clutch 1K miles ago, so assuming the worst thats 2 in 60K miles.:noway:

Anyway, If the car has a duff early type OEM clutch it will more than likely slip as soon as its mapped, so if it does you can either change it or exercise your 7 day refund quarantee on the map (assuming a reputable map) and continue enjoying the car in stock form.

Paul
 
I wouldn't dream of mapping a new S3. Too risky IMHO. Potential for Reliablility, Warranty and Insurance issues.:tapedshut:
 
I would have bose, bluetooth, black styling, buckets, dvd nav, heated seats, heated mirrors and folding, black leather, rear parking sensors
 
Mine are heated on the rears too, mine is a 2008 model. I was very suprised when i found out. The controls are at the bottom off the armrest/ centre console in the back
 
PilotAudi said:
I wouldn't dream of mapping a new S3. Too risky IMHO. Potential for Reliablility, Warranty and Insurance issues.:tapedshut:
Click to expand...

My feeling as well. If you feel the need to remap a new car then you probably bought the wrong one. that is a problem with buying private second hand, someone might have already remaped it and even if you can fool Audi and get a new clutch after 20k miles you are still basically defrauding them.
 
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PilotAudi said:
I wouldn't dream of mapping a new S3. Too risky IMHO. Potential for Reliablility, Warranty and Insurance issues.:tapedshut:
Click to expand...


Reliability is confined to clutches. If you have a good one then no probs, if you dont then have it done under warranty.

Warranty, switch the map off for dealer visits. In fact on more than one occasion I havent even bothered, the dealers dont care, even IF they twig on.

Insurance goes up about 15%, for most thats a tank of fuel.

This is personal experience BTW with 2 different cars and 2 different dealers and both have had a fair bit of warranty work, but just for a Stage 1 car without bolt-ons.

Paul
 
Reliability - maybe
Warranty - Surely that's being dishonest
Insurance - not sure that's the norm.. many do not declare and are then potentially uninsured

I agree with Paddy 'to be sure' :yes:if you need to Mod a newish car you've probably bought the wrong car!

Just an opinion and I know not shared by all.
 
came into this section to ask the exact same question - its annoying me seeing new 8Ps' on the way to work....... new house, new car debarkle and seeing as though you can now pick a nicely specced 58/09 for 22k :(

whats the rough cost of a new clutch? assuming its past the 3 year warranty - just paid £1350 for the 8L a few months back due to labour costs largely, don't want another bill like that anytime soon
 
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i wouldnt have thought reliability would be an issue on a mapped car its still an audi for gods sake hahaha
 
fnmrst said:
i wouldnt have thought reliability would be an issue on a mapped car its still an Audi for gods sake hahaha
Click to expand...

LOL...Reliability is something my Audi has never suffered from !!:)
 
ive always thought its how you use the clutch that kills it....never needed one myself touch wood, the above work was originally to replace a gearbox selector fork :)
 
PilotAudi said:
I agree with Paddy 'to be sure' :yes:if you need to Mod a newish car you've probably bought the wrong car!
Click to expand...

Why?
Whats wrong with buying a good car and making it better?
Its a personal choice but to say you bought the wrong car is not true.
I didnt thats for sure, In fact the tune ablity of the S3 was one of the reasons I bought one in the first place.

The tuning business is a massive global industry with many manufacturers having ther own tuning Division that offer upgardes for their owns cars, new and used.
This would suggest people make an informed decision from the outset to select a car then personalise/modify/improve, whatever, to get it how they want it, kind of using the factory car as the `base` and tweaking to suit.

Out of the big players its only really VAG that are stuck in the dark ages in that respect. BMW, FORD, SAAB, SUBARU and others (I forgot) do this to very good effect with tuning packages that are also held in high regard within the motoring press.

As for Paddy, well hes in vintage Paddy `bait` mode bashing S3s and AUDIs in general, not to mention he has a remap and and aftermarket back box on his.:tapedshut:

So did he buy the wrong used car?:laugh:.

I respect that not every one wishes to modify their car but that doesnt mean that those that do `bought the wrong car`.

Cheers
Paul
 
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1animal1 said:
came into this section to ask the exact same question - its annoying me seeing new 8Ps' on the way to work....... new house, new car debarkle and seeing as though you can now pick a nicely specced 58/09 for 22k :(

whats the rough cost of a new clutch? assuming its past the 3 year warranty - just paid £1350 for the 8L a few months back due to labour costs largely, don't want another bill like that anytime soon
Click to expand...

An uprated SACHS + OEM DMF fitted can be had for 1K ish. Less if the DMF is Ok.

Only really necessary for Stage 2/2+.

Its not that common for Stage 1 cars to need a clutch but neither is it unheard of for standard S3s suffer clutch failure so AUDI seem pretty cool about replacing them within the 3 year warranty period.

Cheers
Paul
 
Hi Paul

I'm newish here and agree that respecting others choice to do what they like with their car is very important. I just share Paddy's view that if you want 300bhp+ from your S3 maybe you should consider and RS3 or used S4/RS4/S5 etc etc. Modding does generate a lot of fun and enjoyment which is great (and I've done some!) but in my experience money and time spent is often never recovered, in fact often cars are worth less after modding, I prefer to keep standard (with a few enhancements maybe) and save up for the next Audi experience which is always better.. My views but Hey Ho....

Audis are the best.
 
Paul
Everyone knows you cant remap more power out of a 3.2 but it does smooth out the DSG changes. Thats a little different from upping the power of an engine 20% above the intended designed tolerance of the rest of the drive train and the reason most people who spend £400 on a remap then need to spend another £1200 uprating the clutch and flywheel.
I don't continually knock the S3, i just don't find it a patch on the 3.2 for everyday livability and its not until you remap an S3 that it is any quicker either, its just the 3.2 does it so much better. civilized i think is the word :).
We have different idea's and ideals You like to turn a car into what you want, i like to buy what i want. The thought of lowering a car leaves me cold !! Yes i knock Audi when i feel like it. I think i have earned the right to do that with all the hassle i have had with mine ! remember my old banger has cost me more than a brand new fully loaded S3 over the last 4 years and is worth sod all now anyway....lol :) To me the Audi experience has been a nightmare but i would have another because i dont pretend that any other make would be any better. Next time i will have a warranty and sell before it runs out...simples :)
 
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in fairness i agree with a limit to modding, lowering for me too is a definate no no, why would i want to do that to drop 10mm??? make my ride harsh which is why i didnt buy a focus!! remap was enough for me followed by a few subtle mods that can be reversed.

The 3.2 vs S3 debate.....i love the sound of the 3.2, and understand the lack of brutality and pace against the S3, no lag is a definate winner - but for me its S3 or nothing, 3.2 IMO is almost there, but not quite, both from a power perspective and toy level/looks
 
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