My S3 Addiction

[S3 Hilife]

It’s been over a year now since Badger5 completed my GT30 build which some of you might remember from this thread:

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/gt30-s3.297511/

I’m happy to report I haven’t killed it yet and it’s still insane I’ve had the car off the road for a little while whilst doing some general maintenance and a couple of upgrades in preparation for the next stage of this build starting next year all being well and then back to Badger5 for another mapping session

I’ve had a lot of fun with this car over the last 5-6 years of ownership starting with an almost standard car, to a Revo stage 1 map, then to Badger5 for a custom map, not long after that Badger5 carried out an engine/head rebuild and K04 Hybrid turbo and then on to big turbo last year which has definitely been the best decision so far It’s certainly not the fastest 8L on here or the biggest turbo but at 501bhp & 382 lbft of badger torque it’s a fun car to drive

I probably should have started a thread when I joined ASN in 2013 but tbh I’m normally a man of few words and I wasn’t really intending to do anything major to the car at the beginning, but then the addiction took over lol

Here are a few pics of my S3

I’m at the point now where I’ve gone about as far as I dare go with my current pistons and the urge for more power is inevitable so in preparation for future progress I took the car off the road and fitted a bigger inlet manifold and was about to fit a Toyosports cooler in the upside down orientation like Bill has recently done, I bought all the 63mm pipework and mocked it up but now I’m debating whether to replace all the boost pipework from the turbo to the throttle body and upgrade it to 76mm or is this a bit overkill, what do you guys think?




Steve

 

[S3 Hilife]

A few days ago the engine bay was looking a little neglected, by this time it had been sat for around 6 or 7 weeks

Last night I finally got the thing back together and running



Then I soon realised being sat for a few weeks in the cold weather it had finished off an o ring on the metal coolant pipe at the front of the engine, and that also looked like it was leaking from a patch of corrosion on the pipe and I also now have a small oil weep somewhere on the turbo or cam cover gasket which caused some oily smelling smoke from the manifold when idling it’s so true what they say about these cars, one job always leads to another, lol


Steve

 

[tcg]

The first step to sobriety is honesty...and you've come to terms with your addiction.I will be enrolling you on my enlightenment course at a one off cost of your soul for the devil!

We never judge,just give you the tools to cleanse your soul.

Car is stunning mate,keep the faith and you will reach your utopia.

 

[S3 Hilife]

The first step to sobriety is honesty...and you've come to terms with your addiction.I will be enrolling you on my enlightenment course at a one off cost of your soul for the devil!

We never judge,just give you the tools to cleanse your soul.

Car is stunning mate,keep the faith and you will reach your utopia.

Haha, I sold my sole to the devil a long time ago

Thanks buddy


Steve

 

[hydro s3]

Lovely looking car mate and at 501bhp im sure ur well happy when you do drive it. The headlights look great. Where they got of the groupbuy on here? Did they come like that or was that ur own choice?

 

[S3 Hilife]

Hi mate, thanks. Yeah the lights were from the original group buy from Trups. They definitely transform the look of the car and the brightness is unreal compared to the original units

 

[Slammedorion]

Looks and sounds great... keep up the good work

 

[badger5]

nice one steve

 

[Stuart B]

Haha, I sold my sole to the devil a long time ago

Thanks buddy


Steve

You've gotta pay the troll toll to get into the boy's soul.

Ref: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

 

[S3 Hilife]

I haven’t done any modifications on the car in a few weeks, just a bit of fault finding which as we all know is completely normal with these cars

I’d recently bought an Auto light module from china to try after seeing @IanPG had fitted his and it looked pretty cool I decided to fit it today. It needs a bit of modification to get the switch to fit with the 8L facia but after a bit of trimming and messing it works great and looks a bit more modern too

Before & After

From what I understand you can change the settings so the fogs come on instead of the HID’s for the coming/leaving home lights if you wanted but I haven’t figured that out yet. You can also calibrate the light sensor to activate the lights at a different illuminance level for the auto mode and tunnel mode

I also bought a much needed 18z big brake kit with 1 piece R32 disks for now which I will be replacing for two piece bells and disks in the near future.

They’re being refurbished and powder coated brembo red at the moment but can’t wait to get these on the 4 pots are great but they’re not quite up to the task for my driving style, haha so I’m hoping these will be adequate

 

[S3 Hilife]

The plan this year (or next year lol) is to get the bottom end done mainly for piece of mind but also to utilise the turbos full potential. So block rebored and 83mm JE pistons with 92.8mm stroke giving 2008cc displacement. Plus a few other goodies

But before I can start that I’m helping my mate with a 1.9L (1847cc) build for his S3 along with hybrid K04 and hardware. Most of the bits are there now so just waiting on him now to pull his finger out to get it started @Grundy

We’re definitely not experienced engine builders so it’s going to be a bit of a learning curve and I’m expecting there’ll be a few surprises along the way, lol but it should be fun

 

[Stuart B]

at least you are practising on your mates car

 

[S3 Hilife]

at least you are practising on your mates car

Haha, exactly

 

[IPG]

From what I understand you can change the settings so the fogs come on instead of the HID’s for the coming/leaving home lights if you wanted but I haven’t figured that out yet. You can also calibrate the light sensor to activate the lights at a different illuminance level for the auto mode and tunnel mode

Wait wtf... how come mine aren't coming/leaving home mode

LOL

I do have the difference to turn on at light levels though.... parkers on at dusk, then full low beam when it gets a touch darker.

 

[S3 Hilife]

Wait wtf... how come mine aren't coming/leaving home mode

LOL

I do have the difference to turn on at light levels though.... parkers on at dusk, then full low beam when it gets a touch darker.

Yours should have it too Ian but it should be active at default

This is the kit I bought
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/142468536135

 

[Sandra]

Car is looking awesome Steve, look forward to your progress update. x

 

[S3 Hilife]

Car is looking awesome Steve, look forward to your progress update. x

Thanks Sandra

 

[IPG]

Hmmmm

It’s a mystery to me how I set it

What’s he instructions say??

Hahahhahaa

 

[Erikn89nl]

This is the kit I bought
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/142468536135

Thanks for sharing, ordered one

 

[GeorgieS3]

Oooo like the sound of this, what’s fitting like? Dremmel trimming?

 

[S3 Hilife]

Hmmmm

It’s a mystery to me how I set it

What’s he instructions say??

Hahahhahaa

Haha I wish I could read Chineese I did try and translate it with an app but the English translation was just as confusing
I found a couple of English instructions on the web, not sure how accurate they are or if they’re any use to you

I think this is for the older model with jumper pins on the end of the module
http://www.cars-equipment.com/base/...08/22801-Autoheadlight-kit-G4-Instruction.pdf

And these:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...a-discussion-thread-auto-headlight-module.pdf

 

[S3 Hilife]

Oooo like the sound of this, what’s fitting like? Dremmel trimming?

It’s easy to install, you just have to carefully remove the chrome effect trim on the switch (which took some doing lol) so you can then remove the original bezel which was designed for Mk4 Golf fitment and use the 8L facia in its place

I just used a file to shorten the end of the switch and then touch it up with a little satin black paint (I ended up removing a bit more than what you see in this pic) and file the chrome (plastic) trim to suit.

Also had to file quite a bit from the back of the chrome trim to prevent it contacting the facia/surround when it’s turned.

Then just touched up the edges of where it had been filed down with some chrome effect paint

Put it all back together and you would never know

fitting it is very easy and just requires the lower dash removed so the control module can be cable tied underneath somewhere and the existing loom connects directly to it Then run the light sensor up to the top of the dash in the corner, refit the lower dash and plug the new switch in to the control module

The only thing you need to remember is the switch has an extra position so the sidelights is actually Auto mode, the headlight position is now Sidelights and then one more turn past headlight position is for headlights (manual mode) but it will stay in Auto mode from now on

Sorry for the dark crappy images

 

[SteveSAS]

Great car mate, but you must have patience of a saint to go through that for auto headlights lol. I can't stand all this auto stuff in modern cars. I collect & deliver cars for my work & always switch to manual modes wherever possible in every car I'm in.

 

[S3 Hilife]

Great car mate, but you must have patience of a saint to go through that for auto headlights lol. I can't stand all this auto stuff in modern cars. I collect & deliver cars for my work & always switch to manual modes wherever possible in every car I'm in.

Thanks Haha, I think it just adds a little bit of a modern touch to an old car. I don’t see see any reason to switch them to manual tbh, just set to Auto and forget

 

[IPG]

I think that what I’m looking for.

I remember hearing beeps when I was installing mine but had no idea of their meaning

Haha I wish I could read Chineese I did try and translate it with an app but the English translation was just as confusing
I found a couple of English instructions on the web, not sure how accurate they are or if they’re any use to you

I think this is for the older model with jumper pins on the end of the module
http://www.cars-equipment.com/base/...08/22801-Autoheadlight-kit-G4-Instruction.pdf

And these:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...a-discussion-thread-auto-headlight-module.pdf

hat

 

[S3 Hilife]

Nothing exciting and probably won’t be to everyone’s liking but what the heck I always fancied having OEM style footwell comfort lights in the old s3. I spoke to Trups a year or two back, he did some really nice looking retrofit LED footwell lights specifically for the 8P but unfortunately not for the 8L so I recently bought a cheap bluetooth RGB LED set just to try. I haven’t fitted them properly yet because I wasn’t sure how they’d look but I think they actually look pretty good and in a OEM kinda way I just need to wire them to switch on with the headlights and dim the brightness down a tad more but for a cheap mod I was pleasantly surprised. Whether they last any length of time is yet to be seen lol

 

[tcg]

Nice mod mate,your mats now have that 'Ready Brek' glow.

 

[IPG]

i've got mine wired up to the doors. so you get a welcome red glow when you open the door - but it turns off when door closes

 

[warren9022]

i've got mine wired up to the doors. so you get a welcome red glow when you open the door - but it turns off when door closes

Sorry for the thread hijack but what's the best way to wire them to come on when the doors open Ian?

 

[S3 Hilife]

i've got mine wired up to the doors. so you get a welcome red glow when you open the door - but it turns off when door closes

That might be a better solution, I’ll probably end up doing the same thing

 

[IPG]

Sorry for the thread hijack but what's the best way to wire them to come on when the doors open Ian?

i fed +ve and GND from the puddle lights. through the door grommet and back into the cabin.

bullet connector'd them so when i need to take off the trim it's easily done

 

[S3 Hilife]

I had a lucky escape this morning after having a strong smell of fuel whilst driving into town. I pulled over to find a leak from the fuel filter connection under the charge pipe (close proximity to the downpipe, Eeek) even though it’s double clipped this is the second time this has happened now although last time it was on the plastic elbow where it comes into the engine bay.

It appears the clips keep loosening over time (all of them) They are specific fuel hose clips and of the correct size so I have no idea why this happens luckily I was close to Halfords so I picked up a length of 8mm rubber hose to put on instead of the braided stuff, hope this works

 

[S3 Hilife]

I noticed something unusual whilst changing the fuel lines. Once the clamps were undone on the braided hoses they were quite loose and very easy to pull off, not a very tight fit like they should be. Quite worrying really and I’m not at all surprised they leaked. These were bought from ebay so quality is always questionable but they seemed fine when I fitted them a couple of years ago. Maybe I received a bad batch or something but needless to say I won’t be using them again and would recommend anyone who’s fitted the same to check them asap

New rubber hoses fitted:

 

[hydro s3]

Just a quick question. Why have you moved ur fuel filter to the engine bay instead of the normal place?

 

[S3 Hilife]

Just a quick question. Why have you moved ur fuel filter to the engine bay instead of the normal place?

I have an inline DA-31 fuel pump in the OE filter location

 

[hydro s3]

O right cheers.

 

[S3 Hilife]

Well after a month long wait these finally arrived Think I’m gunna need a bigger turbo for the extra weight

For a while I’d been debating whether to just keep my GT juniors and buy some two piece disks to keep the heat to a minimum or upgrade to something with more biting force. Bit if a controversial size caliper for the 8L mc but after speaking to a few other people who are very happy with them I bought a full 18z brake kit with 334mm R32 disks, lines, pads, brackets and fitting hardware and I was hoping these would be sufficient for what I need, however after some deliberation (not a lot really, lol) I got a little trigger happy and purchased these very nice looking two piece aluminum bells and rotors from MTEC Brakes at a great price

Perfect opportunity to check the weight difference

234x32mm R32 disk: 11.9kg
234x32mm MTEC 2 piece disk: 9.6Kg
18z Calliper: 6.3Kg
223x28mm LCR disks: ???
GT junior calliper: ???

So I’ll have a few things to go in the classifieds section very soon

 

[Tj 0785]

Well after a month long wait these finally arrived Think I’m gunna need a bigger turbo for the extra weight

For a while I’d been debating whether to just keep my GT juniors and buy some two piece disks to keep the heat to a minimum or upgrade to something with more biting force. Bit if a controversial size caliper for the 8L mc but after speaking to a few other people who are very happy with them I bought a full 18z brake kit with 334mm R32 disks, lines, pads, brackets and fitting hardware and I was hoping these would be sufficient for what I need, however after some deliberation (not a lot really, lol) I got a little trigger happy and purchased these very nice looking two piece aluminum bells and rotors from MTEC Brakes at a great price

Perfect opportunity to check the weight difference

234x32mm R32 disk: 11.9kg
234x32mm MTEC 2 piece disk: 9.6Kg
18z Calliper: 6.3Kg
223x28mm LCR disks: ???
GT junior calliper: ???

So I’ll have a few things to go in the classifieds section very soon

They are a massive piece of metal can’t wait to get mine painted what pads have you gone for?

 

[S3 Hilife]

They are a massive piece of metal can wait to get mine painted what pads have you gone for?

Haha, yeah they are huge, they came with new pads but tbh I haven’t looked to see what they are lol I assume they’re just standard

 

[Tj 0785]

What are they like for clearance under the xxr wheels