Jack's 1.8T AGU build story..

Hi guys,
I've been frequently visiting this brilliant blog since i bought my first Audi back in August 2013, it has given me a wealth of knowledge about the car, so I thought it was time i gave a little back and showed you what I've been up to, now that I've got the car running well and am starting to look at proper modifications.

So the car..



This was the first photo i saw of the car, bought from eBay without going to see it. A risk you might say, but I had a good feeling about the car, so i bit the bullet and haven't regretted it one bit since.

It's a 1998 1.8T (150) AGU, with 88,000 miles on the clock, and full leather interior. Drives and sounds like a new(ish) car, and the bodywork is in great shape for it's age, just a few scuffs on the front and rear bumpers, the rest of the car looks great.

First off I had to change the tyres because all 4 were bald so i got new alloys too, went for 18s:


Here on the car:



Got some Audi centre caps:


Next I did a rear wiper delete, really easy using the guides on the blog:


Also had the rear axle bushes changed as that was the only advisory on the last MOT it had, and it was banging quite loudly going over pot holes!

Also added an S2000 filter, which made the dump valve sound really weird (i think it emphasised a dump valve problem), it just didn't sound right, not a clean whoosh as it should so i replaced it with standard oem part and it now sounds perfect Happy days.

After chatting to Jay A3 (top bloke), he very kindly invited me over to check the car for hidden faults using his Ross-Tech VCDS kit.
We didn't manage to do any logging because the cable wasn't playing ball, but here are the results from the scan:



Jay very kindly gave me a spare inlet manifold to try and solve one of the faults - thanks Jay!
Old on the left, new polished one on the right:



I then got a brand new Bosch MAF from TPS Chessington the next weekend, and also replaced the temp sensor and thermostat along with it. Thermostat was quite an **** to get to, but i managed it while i had the old manifold off.


The car felt much smoother after these changes, so i was happy. Will have to persuade him to re-scan the car to check if those faults have gone soon ;-)

I then also did an oil change using Quantum Platinum 5w-40, and a coolant flush and refilled with G13, and replaced a leaky coolant hose while i was there.

Engine bay:


Next i bought some S3 calipers & carriers, and some 312mm front discs (standard oem discs), to which I will add some fast road pads (not sure which ones yet, was thinking redstuff?)

Last weekend I blacked out the front grille with some matte black spray paint:



..And then i fitted a front mounted intercooler kit bought from eBay. It arrived slightly damaged (a few blades were bent) but I was assured it wouldn't affect performance, so a refund on postage cost was enough for me.






Ignore the red and blue silicone hoses at the front, they don't represent temperature, otherwise I'd have it the wrong way round! All hoses were blue, i could only find a red one that would fit what i needed in the timeframe i had. I will be spraying the intercooler and pipework matte black soon so it's stealthy.

I also bought an intercooler to throttle body hose from creations motorsport. Intercooler was pretty straight forward to fit, just took a bit of time to get it all in place, and then to cut the bumper up.
I haven't got a photo of it with the bumper on yet, will get one this weekend. Pulls slightly harder now, and the noise from the filter sounds louder too

On the agenda for this weekend (well tomorrow actually as it's my birthday) I'm taking my inlet manifold and rocker cover and brake callipers to get shot blasted and then powder coated. I'm going for a porsche grey/silver metallic.
Here are all the bits stripped and ready:




Can't wait to get these sprayed and back on the car! Will update more as this weekend progresses.


On the dreamlist of mods to complete over the next few months are:

boost gauge
JOM coilovers
Ko3s
TIP
down pipe & decat
cat back 2.5" with twin exit
calibra yellow injectors
3" vr6 MAF
iridium spark plugs

Then stage 2 R-TECH REMAP ))

Well that's where I'm at as of today, so glad I finally got round to finally starting this thread. Stay 'tuned' for more!

Jack.

S3 front brakes will be going on later today once they've been sprayed, I'll upgrade the rears at some point too yeah!

So the weather has been a washout this weekend so I haven't managed to get the brakes on yet, but i did manage to get the rocker cover and manifold shot blasted, sprayed and re-fitted..

Here's the manifold being shot blasted clean..


and here it is all clean


Rocker cover blasting...


All bits blasted and ready for painting


Here's my dad spraying the parts at the company he used to own before retiring..



And here's how the colour came out:


It's kind of a military looking grey. I wanted it to look clean but not too 'shouty'. Here's the engine bay now the bits have been replaced..







Tomorrow morning should be good weather, so there will be time to fit my 312mm discs and S3 carriers ready to drive back to London on Monday night!




Also got to finish sorting out the front bumper after roughly cutting it up after fitting the intercooler. Got some black grille mesh to help make it look more stealthy.

Today's update.. Another busy day..My dad & I got the new front S3 brakes on and sprayed the intercooler 'stealth' black. Brakes took forever to bleed, the pedal just felt soft after every time we bled them. Once we bled the master cylinder and got some more air bubbles out they responded much better. Just need to give them a good run now to bed in a bit.
Our sloping driveway didn't make the job any easier, using wooden chocks to keep the car from rolling down the valley!

Original A3 brakes:


312mm disc on:


S3 carrier on:


Calliper back on:


New vs old discs:


Wheels back on:


Didn't end up painting the callipers after shot blasting, kinda liked them how they cleaned up. Will probably decide on a brighter colour soon and get them all coloured up.

Shot of the grille blacked up:





Long day's work dodging hail storms, but we did it. Time to put our feet up and relax before the drive back home tomorrow.

Cheers Jay,
I painted the callipers today Ordered some Porsche 911 yellow paint from these guys: Brake Caliper Rebuild, Painting, Repair and Refurbishment Specialists

It's good quality paint, cost about £35 in total but well worth it. There was more than enough paint for 2 coats of all 4 callipers. I brushed it on because I'm lazy and didn't want to take the callipers off again, and the paint is that thick that you cannot see any brush strokes what so ever. You can try your best to make a brush mark, and it just seems to disappear like a memory foam mattress regaining its shape after you get off it. I got a little bit of paint on the back of the pads so i'll clean that up with a bit of white spirit and a cotton bud tomorrow.

Here's some shots:

They are noticeably better, but that's with brand new oem pads (for now). I'll be upgrading the pads and will hopefully feel more of a difference then. I guess then it's time to upgrade the rear brakes too!

Installed clear side indicators today, quickest visually rewarding job I think anyone can do on their car! Also fitted the front bumper with black mesh to make the fmic more stealthy. Have left the fog areas open for now, might shift the pipework back a bit so they don't stick out as much and cover those up soon too.

Mesh started off silver,



but quickly got sprayed black..


before and after indicators:




Now back to F1 highlights :-D....

Great day to go outside today, so what did i do? I went and lay under the car for 6 hours in the shade fitting my new exhaust! Well worth it though, sounds great and a very satisfying job to do yourself..
The exhaust i bought is nothing fancy, I'm not after massive gains, just wanted it to look good and not sound too loud.
Bought a 2.5" cat back exhaust from ebay: Audi A3 Mk1 8L Stainless Steel Exhaust Racing catback system 63mm 2x76mm | eBay

old exhaust off:


comparison:


finished fitting:


she's done!


Loving it

Next stop I'll be upgrading to K03s, with decat, large TIP, VR6 MAF and larger injectors and remap. Also need to get it lowered soon.
Bring it on.

Looking good Tony. What's your current bhp?

Thanks buddy, Lol yeah Tony get back to your own thread, Gareth aint talkin about your exhaust!

It is a really nice sound, especially for the price. I have tried to film it on the iPhone but id didn't do it justice. Didn't sound quite the same as in real life. I'll try and record the sound with my GoPro which might sound more realistic.

It really is a good kit for the money. Everything fit perfectly into the old bushes. I didn't have to modify anything to make it fit. I was worried i'd have to cut the bumper, but I didn't even have to do that, there's a little bit of clearance from the bumper.
Attached a couple more shots of it for you and will try get that video up soon.

By the way, they are selling them for £219 on eBay, but i offered £205 best offer and got it

Oh and the brand isn't mentioned on eBay, but it says TA Technix on the back box if you want to research: TuningArt Handels GmbH - Index

Fanta: These are the discs: Audi A3 8L1 1.8 T Hatch 312mm Diam Veco Front Brake Discs Genuine Service | eBay
Places we got stuff blasted and sprayed don't usually provide that service, private service I'm afraid!

DannyH: Cheers for asking fella, thought it was just standard blue! I've found the code in the boot and the colour is Santorin Blue - Pearl Effect - LZ5K.

Video of my exhaust note for anyone interested!:

No drone at all, what is WOT? Does T stand for throttle? If so, it sounds absolutely amazing!