A3 2.0 T fsi S line Special Edition any good?

[hobo_mofo]

Hi all,

New guy here, im looking to get this car (2006 AUDI A3 2.0 T FSI S line Special Edition DSG) and just wanted peoples opinions about this model.

The car has,

51k miles
1 lady owner
dsg
full audi service history

Also a few questions,

1, Whats difference between the special edition model and the non special edition?
2, Is the DSG any good? Does it clunk/knock about? How long do they last before being replaced?
3, Are there any known faults that i should be looking at when viewing this car?

Thanks in advance

Hobo_mofo

 

[Staz]

I had one before (quattro and not DSG) and it's a great car. The special edition has a couple of extras which I don't think are standard on the normal S-Line. One being it has full instead of half leather and I think illuminated vanity mirrors and rear sun blind on the parcel shelf were added too, but I may be wrong. Oh and DIS maybe??

It's a solid car with a very reliable engine. 240bhp with a Stage 1 remap

 

[Ads]

2, Is the DSG any good? Does it clunk/knock about? How long do they last before being replaced?

DSG is a thing of beauty. Almost makes a manual gearbox pointless, imo.
It's smooth, with lightening quick gear changes.

The only downside for me is that sometimes when you are driving hard, and accelerating/deccelerating/accelerating/deccelerating all in a short space of time, it can get a little confused with its gear selection. Althought you can switch to manual and use the paddles, so its YOU who selects the gears instead.

As for reliability... they can fail and are pretty much un-repairable in the main. But as long as you have its oil changed by Audi every 40k miles you may get some "goodwill" help with the cost if ever needed. But it will still be EXPENSIVE!

If there is a weak point of the DSG then it's the mechatronic unit which is known to fail.


To sum it up..... I've been driving manuals for over 15 years, but having owned a DSG for a year I don't ever want to own a manual again (although I probably will).

 

[BlueSpark]

I have a 2.0tfsi sline special edition and have to say it is awesome. Although i have an manual, the engine is superb standard but is even better remapped. Staz is right the special editions come equipped with Full leather seats, illuminated vanity mirrors and rear sun blind on the parcel shelf.

The fuel ecomony isnt too bad either, i get around 28-32mpg.

 

[audicruiser]

I have a 2.0tfsi sline special edition and have to say it is awesome. Although i have an manual, the engine is superb standard but is even better remapped. Staz is right the special editions come equipped with Full leather seats, illuminated vanity mirrors and rear sun blind on the parcel shelf.

The fuel ecomony isnt too bad either, i get around 28-32mpg.

+1, Brilliant car, classy and sporty at the same time and not that bad to run. Engine is good with easy tuning if required.

 

[ton246]

The fuel ecomony isnt too bad either, i get around 28-32mpg.

I easily get that with my S3

 

[hobo_mofo]

Thanks guys for the good info.

How long would a normal dsg last for? 100k miles?

 

[Ads]

No way of knowing. The clutches should go on and on as they are wet (totally surrounded by oil) and there will be less wear than a manual as there are two and will not experience the friction you get in a manual with biting points etc.
But the DSG has only been in the A3 range for about 7-8 years so not really long enough to know what the natural lifespan (without fault) of the box would be.
Audi will have u believe it'll last the lifetime of the car if looked after, but who knows!

 

[hobo_mofo]

Ok cool,

Maybe a silly question but I'll ask it anyway.

Do you change the gears to neutral when at the lights or do you just leave it in gear?

I've heard you can cook your dsg oil if you don't put it in neutral.

 

[bdavbdav]

I believe it sits in neutral by itself when you are on the brake at 0mph - the engine revs pick up a little on mine when I release it, then (depending on the incline), the clutch takes a split second to drop.

 

[hobo_mofo]

Ok thanks all, I'm gonna bite the bullet and go for it.

Can't wait lol

 

[Ads]

You love it. And you'll never again be scared that you're gonna do a crappy gear change when racing someone from the lights. Just plant your foot and GOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

[actionslax]

I have a 2.0TFSI SB Quattro manual. Doesn't have the ooomph of my subaru but the refinement is sooo much better! Will remap once the warranty is up I reckon.

My car has one of those sun visors in the parcel shelf - it's a ****** nuisance! Keeps popping up at every opportunity. Going to have to take it out.

Good luck with the purchase!

 

[sub39h]

you won't be disappointed with the engine gearbox combination

just make sure the car's had a gearbox oil and cambelt change for that age and mileage.

illuminated vanity mirrors are standard features on ALL S-Lines, not just the special edition, as is the sun blind on the parcel shelf. as far as i was aware it was just a name. i think mine's an S-Line Special Edition and aside from the wheels there's nothing that really differentiates it from other S-Lines.

 

[Staz]

you won't be disappointed with the engine gearbox combination

just make sure the car's had a gearbox oil and cambelt change for that age and mileage.

illuminated vanity mirrors are standard features on ALL S-Lines, not just the special edition, as is the sun blind on the parcel shelf. as far as i was aware it was just a name. i think mine's an S-Line Special Edition and aside from the wheels there's nothing that really differentiates it from other S-Lines.

Apart from the full leather, which I'm 100% was standard on the Special Edition.

I think the other major difference between the Special Edition and a normal S-Line was the price. It was a couple of grand cheaper.

 

[sub39h]

mine's not a special edition then, it's only got half leather

 

[aadams1x]

Did you go for it? Sure you will be really pleased. Looking at getting something like that as well

 

[RicoS3]

I started my Audi life with a 2.0T Special Edition. It was a manual and didn't have quattro, but it was a great car. I should've taken quattro, but hey-ho. Car was very reliable and a great place to be with the full leather. I've stayed in a 2.0T ever since.

 

[FranA3]

the tfsi engine is awesome i wish i bought one now instead of my 1.6fsi but at the time it was all i could afford , dsg is quality too given the chance i would have a tfsi s-line with dsg in a heartbeat

 

[sub39h]

given the chance i would have a tfsi s-line with dsg in a heartbeat

hmm it's a tough call that. hindsight is 20/20 but i think if i wanted power and wasn't bothered about fuel economy the 3.2 may have been a better bet (albeit less tunable) and for day-to-day the 2.0TDI 170 won't be any slower in the real world but would be considerably cheaper fuel wise.

 

[FranA3]

hmm it's a tough call that. hindsight is 20/20 but i think if i wanted power and wasn't bothered about fuel economy the 3.2 may have been a better bet (albeit less tunable) and for day-to-day the 2.0TDI 170 won't be any slower in the real world but would be considerably cheaper fuel wise.

ooo i love the 3.2 the noise they make is epic we had one come in work last week on a 04 plate but my boss wont sell it to me haha, yeah the 170 is a awesome engine for a engine for all occasions power if you need or want it and good mpg too so win win in my eyes

 

[Staz]

When I ordered my A3 I had to choose between the 2.0TFSI and the 3.2 and I went for the turbo as it was cheaper, had better fuel economy and for a small outlay could match the 3.2 performance wise. No contest.

I remembered that my Special Edition came with the BBS CH alloys as standard too (like below). The 5 spokes were a no-cost option and the 20 spoke split rims were £520ish IIRC.