S3 8V Costs

[Labeeq Hussain]

Hi guys, I am seriously considering buying an 8v S3 sportback as my daily but would like to know what people are achieving out of a full tank and real world MPG?

Also what the servicing costs are like and how often servicing is required?

And last but not least, any common problems to look out for?

Thanks in advance

 

[ohmyaudi]

I live in London and mainly do city driving so only get 25mpg average. Others get higher outside a city.

Servicing costs vary but I recommend independent specialist.

 

[quattrorally]

Audi dealers will price match independents on servicing as long as they use genuine Audi stuff.

I also live in London and get about 21 mpg driving 99% in dynamic mode.

don't rush into anything...I almost pulled the trigger on a weaker spec because the dealer was pressuring me.

make a list of your must have options and find the one that fits your budget. for me, the b&o sound system was a must have. and the tech pack.



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[Adam14]

If you're concerned about MPG and servicing costs get an A3.

But to answer your question I done probably 75% motorway driving and 25% city and would see average MPG of about 37. Full tank would see a range of 415 miles. Long stints (Cambridge to Liverpool) and I got an average of 43MPG but that's mostly due to the M6 average 50mph zones.

Servicing is every 19,000 miles or 2 years whichever comes sooner and at an Audi dealer your first service would be around the £300 mark.

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[RichardT]

Servicing is every 19,000 miles or 2 years whichever comes sooner and at an Audi dealer your first service would be around the £300 mark.

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This is correct for higher mileage use. If you do less than 10K miles per annum the car should be set to fixed (ie annual servicing)

 

[Adam14]

This is correct for higher mileage use. If you do less than 10K miles per annum the car should be set to fixed (ie annual servicing)

Ahhh yes forgot about that, cheers Richard

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[craigpanthercrystal]

I do 20K in mine a year approx., average 35mpg on my commute with a mix of urban / extra urban driving. can achieve 37-38MPG if I work for it. servicing is similar to a A3 TFSI in terms of cost, IMHO the service intervals are too large so I do a service in between Audi schedules. I use Audi as they are as cheap as all the indis in my area. They as great a daily car as they would be if used as a weekend polisher (Mine is both
In terms of common issues, make sure you have as much service history as possible. If buying manual factor in a new clutch and flywheel (S-tronic is better tho) Make sure the Haldex works, Turbo is tight and check for normal knocks and bangs as a maintained S3 should be faultless.

 

[Labeeq Hussain]

Thank you for all the replies.

I would use the car daily and I do approx 20k per year. Currently have an 8PA A3 1.9 TDIe but I am wanting something fun, but at the same time not too bad on petrol. I wouldn't be looking for a brand new one, it would have to be one of the earlier models, ie a 13/14 reg with higher sort of mileage (around 50k miles). Must have options would be the sun roof, S-tronic and B&O, preferably with the larger MMI screen also if possible.

What sort of issues would indicate haldex failure?

Do audi have any online service records of any sort? Like the BMW iDrive where all completed services are stored on the car? Or is it all still old school with the service booklet? Would I be able to just phone up audi directly and would they give me servicing information over the phone?

 

[Adam14]

Thank you for all the replies.

I would use the car daily and I do approx 20k per year. Currently have an 8PA A3 1.9 TDIe but I am wanting something fun, but at the same time not too bad on petrol. I wouldn't be looking for a brand new one, it would have to be one of the earlier models, ie a 13/14 reg with higher sort of mileage (around 50k miles). Must have options would be the sun roof, S-tronic and B&O, preferably with the larger MMI screen also if possible.

What sort of issues would indicate haldex failure?

Do audi have any online service records of any sort? Like the BMW iDrive where all completed services are stored on the car? Or is it all still old school with the service booklet? Would I be able to just phone up audi directly and would they give me servicing information over the phone?

If it is an Audi approved used it'd have to have a full Audi service history. Audi have gone digital now on servicing, if you request the information they should be able to give it to you, my local dealer did this for me when looking at buying a different S5 up north.

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[craigpanthercrystal]

Audi will have electronic records but the previous owner should have a full history of receipts etc.
Haldex issues mean no rear drive, so you will be spinning out of every junction unless you take it easy. try it on a lose surface to see if the front light up. a failure is usually just a new pump and a flush, not mega money and a diy job if your handy.

Similar must have list as I had except for sunroof - they creak in the heat and unless you have the blind closed you cant see the screen on sunny days. Get the tech pack this will have the larger screen, auto mirrors etc B+O is great and should be standard on S cars and I wouldn't not have S tronic again.

 

[Damo S]

MPG varies hugely and is entirely down your driving style and where you drive it. My commute is all country road driving and if I stick to the speed limits, accelerate slowly, no traffic queuing, and just follow everyone else then I get low to mid 40s out of it (less in the winter). Start booting it at all or up your speeds it starts guzzling the fuel. Even with some spirited driving I rarely see less than 350 from a tank, usually closer to 400

 

[craigpanthercrystal]

MPG varies hugely and is entirely down your driving style and where you drive it. My commute is all country road driving and if I stick to the speed limits, accelerate slowly, no traffic queuing, and just follow everyone else then I get low to mid 40s out of it (less in the winter). Start booting it at all or up your speeds it starts guzzling the fuel. Even with some spirited driving I rarely see less than 350 from a tank, usually closer to 400

Exactly, Ive heard of RS4 drivers getting 40+.. basically if you are worried about fuel economy then don't get an S3 because you wont be able to enjoy it. However you can get the best of both worlds with these machines if that's what you want and can afford the£ when you want to enjoy it.


I will say though since getting 19's with 235/35 tires I have noticed a drop in MPG - where on a run I see mid 35's I would have previously seen closer to 40. worth mentioning.

 

[Damo S]

This is why the S3 was the best choice of car for me. Most of the time Im happy bimbling along behind everyone else, but sometimes I like to drive it like I stole it. For a 300bhp plus performance car I didnt want something that was going to cost me a lot of money to drive when not booting it (poor fuel economy) or something that cost silly money (car tax) when its sitting on the drive. The S3 ticked both these boxes and are the reasons I didn't go for an older RS5.

 

[Mark_86]

My MPG varies quite a lot. Generally, I'd say I average between 28-31mpg which is a mix of town, motorway and other road types. On a decent run, I've seen about 38-39mpg but you literally have to drive like miss daisy. Additionally, a recent track blast at Bedford Autodrome returned 14mpg.

Tyres are generally around £130-150 each if you go for something like a Goodyear Eagle F1.

Servicing is determined by the car if you do a few miles, but if you're under 12k a year it's probably fixed once or twice a year. From Audi it's about £180-220 for a minor service and £300+ for a major. Independents are cheaper.

 

[OCDaveS4]

So my S3 has covered 12,000 miles from new and in the long-term record thingy, it says the overall MPG is 31. So allowing for that to be on the optimistic side, I reckon 28/30 should be achievable with "normal" fun use, and perhaps above 30 mpg if you're mostly in "comfort mode". I'm absolutely thrilled with the car and the MPG as the Scooby WRX struggled to get above 25 mpg !

 

[Damo S]

During my tests: reported versus real world (miles / petrol added) I found the MPG to over read by around 1mpg. So its pretty accurate

 

[Labeeq Hussain]

Thank for all the replies!

Definitely sounds very promising indeed!

I will start looking for an S3 very soon indeed, the MPG everyone has quoted me are all similar to one another and is affordable.

Cheers!

 

[golty]

11,500 miles so far and the average is 33.9 mpg, thats with plenty of motorway miles. 40+ is possible in summer