Facelift Back in the S3 fold - Advice

Oreo5000

Oreo5000

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Hi Guys,

It's been a while, 5 years since I had an S3. Pleased to say I'm now back online as I've just picked up a 2017 Black Edition S3 (Auto). I absolutely love it, quite the upgrade from my 2007!

It came with the B&O sound system, and while it sounds good I don't feel like it's much of an improvement from my Bose system which my 2017 had, plus it appears to have quite a few rattles at loud'ish volumes (50%) of which I can't tell if they're coming from the speakers themselves or the housings/covers. Has anyone experienced similar?

Also just a quick question with regards to drive-select and D/S. If have the drive-select in 'Dynamic' does this automatically switch the shifter between D and S itself, or do I still have to nudge the selector to initiate S?
Also if you are in another drive-select mode, i.e. comfort and you engage 'S' with the selector, how does this compare to dynamic+s, is it the same thing or will it in this case just affect the gear changes? Just trying to get my head around how they differ.. Sorry if that wasn't very clear.

As I'm a little late to the game here please let me know if you guys have any tips/tricks for the 8V, or anything I should be aware of in terms of common issues, you'll save me digging through years of posts!

Thanks for your time
 
Oreo5000 said:
Also just a quick question with regards to drive-select and D/S. If have the drive-select in 'Dynamic' does this automatically switch the shifter between D and S itself, or do I still have to nudge the selector to initiate S?
Click to expand...
yes...no you don't
Oreo5000 said:
Also if you are in another drive-select mode, i.e. comfort and you engage 'S' with the selector, how does this compare to dynamic+s, is it the same thing or will it in this case just affect the gear changes?
Click to expand...
putting gears in "S" makes gear changes "dynamic" only.....putting drive select in "dynamic" changes gears and steering feel....and if you have magride then suspension also
 
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Thanks for the quick response @PanamaS3

When in 'Dynamic' should I actually be seeing D change to S on the dash? Because no matter how hard I drive it I only ever see D. The only way I seem to be able to get S is by manually switching to it by nudging the selector down.

Also, strange question but is launch control an optional extra or do all S-Tronic's have that feature? I only ask because I purchased my S3 used and I've had to figure out which extras I have. I didn't want to attempt a launch if it isn't actually enabled.

Thanks again
 
audi upgrades
No Problem...
When in Dynamic you should see "S" in front of the gear number.
Launch control is not an option....it comes with all S3/RS3's.

Not being funny....but you might want to check that someone didn't sell you a 2.0 TFSI with modified front end and S3 badges on it!!! :)
 
PanamaS3 said:
No Problem...
When in Dynamic you should see "S" in front of the gear number.
Launch control is not an option....it comes with all S3/RS3's.

Not being funny....but you might want to check that someone didn't sell you a 2.0 TFSI with modified front end and S3 badges on it!!! :)
Click to expand...
Ha, if I hadn't bought it from an Audi dealership then I would be worried. The vin checks out as an S3 though don't worry.

That is odd though, I'm definitely in dynamic but my gears are always D (unless I override with the selector as mentioned). Should they always be S when in dynamic or only when driven hard?
 
Oreo5000 said:
Ha, if I hadn't bought it from an Audi dealership then I would be worried. The vin checks out as an S3 though don't worry.

That is odd though, I'm definitely in dynamic but my gears are always D (unless I override with the selector as mentioned). Should they always be S when in dynamic or only when driven hard?
Click to expand...
put it in Dynamic and don't touch the selector....if you do I believe it will change it to D
also don't forget...when you turn the car on you always have to select Dynamic again as it won't stay in Dynamic from the last time you drove it (protects the car by default).....and stop touching that selector! lol
 
PanamaS3 said:
put it in Dynamic and don't touch the selector....if you do I believe it will change it to D
also don't forget...when you turn the car on you always have to select Dynamic again as it won't stay in Dynamic from the last time you drove it (protects the car by default).....and stop touching that selector! lol
Click to expand...
Oh really? It says I'm still in Dynamic when I start up again but is that not actually the case?
 
Oreo5000 said:
Oh really? It says I'm still in Dynamic when I start up again but is that not actually the case?
Click to expand...
Nope. You have to select it again. Bit of a PITA....but its a default of the car.
You probably should also know (if you don't already) that you shouldn't push the car hard (above 3000 rpm) before your oil temp hits +80c....and you should cool down (ie. not drive hard at least 2 minutes before you stop)....the car can't do these things for you but it will prolong the life of your car/turbo/oil
 
PanamaS3 said:
Nope. You have to select it again. Bit of a PITA....but its a default of the car.
You probably should also know (if you don't already) that you shouldn't push the car hard (above 3000 rpm) before your oil temp hits +80c....and you should cool down (ie. not drive hard at least 2 minutes before you stop)....the car can't do these things for you but it will prolong the life of your car/turbo/oil
Click to expand...
Nightmare, thanks for the info I would never have known otherwise! That may explain why no 'S' then!
So even though it says dynamic, which mode is it actually in when I start up?
 
Yeah, if you leave the car in Dynamic mode the gearbox will be in D when you next start it which is preferable when it’s cold anyway.
You have to re-enable the Gearbox/Engine Dynamic mode by using the ADS button or pushing back the gear selector to select S, the suspension (if you’ve Mag-Ride) and steering will stay in Dynamic though.
Apparently you don’t get the full Dynamic engine mapping unless you reselect with the ADS button but Audi have never confirmed this.
 
Martinbanshee said:
Yeah, if you leave the car in Dynamic mode the gearbox will be in D when you next start it which is preferable when it’s cold anyway.
You have to re-enable the Gearbox/Engine Dynamic mode by using the ADS button or pushing back the gear selector to select S, the suspension (if you’ve Mag-Ride) and steering will stay in Dynamic though.
Apparently you don’t get the full Dynamic engine mapping unless you reselect with the ADS button but Audi have never confirmed this.
Click to expand...
Thanks for clarifying! So just to confirm (as I'm pretty confused at this point..)

- When you start up in 'Dynamic' then the gearbox and engine are actually in some other default/comfort? mode, but the suspension and steering are still in dynamic mode.

- You can bring the gearbox and engine back into dynamic mode by nudging the gear selector down to select 'S' - or - you can ensure everything is back into dynamic mode simply by cycling through the ADS modes and re-selecting 'Dynamic'

Is that correct? Apologies if I have misunderstood..
 
That’s correct, if you normally leave the car in Dynamic then the gearbox will default back to D rather than S the next time you start it.
The ADS display will still show Dynamic but the gearbox will be in D and just needs a nudge back to put it back into S.
The engine is the grey area as some people claim it goes to Auto mode after a restart and needs to be reenabled by cycling through the modes with the ADS button to reselect Dynamic. It’s not confirmed though.
 
Thanks @Martinbanshee
What would you advise as best practice? I set the custom button on the steering wheel controls to select ADS so I guess I could just cycle through upon startup?

I just noticed that the virtual cockpit, in a review I watched for the 2018 S3, appears to have a view which differs from mine (2017). Have they updated this?

Capture
 
I use the custom steering wheel button for ADS too, it’s definitely the easiest way to change modes.
I normally leave mine set in Individual Mode with engine/gearbox in Dynamic, steering in Dynamic, Suspension in Auto & ACC in Comfort and I only select full Dynamic when having a bit of fun. The suspension is a bit too firm for me in town when set to Dynamic but Auto handles the bad roads a bit better.

I don’t have Virtual Cockpit so I can’t help with that one.
 
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Martinbanshee said:
That’s correct, if you normally leave the car in Dynamic then the gearbox will default back to D rather than S the next time you start it.
The ADS display will still show Dynamic but the gearbox will be in D and just needs a nudge back to put it back into S.
The engine is the grey area as some people claim it goes to Auto mode after a restart and needs to be reenabled by cycling through the modes with the ADS button to reselect Dynamic. It’s not confirmed though.
Click to expand...

I've seen this so many times and don't believe a word of it personally.

Yes the gearbox always starts up in D mode, regardless of Drive Select, but I believe all other Drive Select settings persist through an ignition cycle and I've seen no actual evidence to the contrary.
 
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Oreo5000 said:
I just noticed that the virtual cockpit, in a review I watched for the 2018 S3, appears to have a view which differs from mine (2017). Have they updated this?

View attachment 154904
Click to expand...

I presume you mean the Sport display with central dial?

It's in the settings somewhere but I can't remember exactly where off the top of my head. I think if you select the trip computer then click the "right" button on the left of the steering wheel there's a Layout option there which you can then use to change to Sport mode. Don't quote me though.
 
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Vertigo1 said:
I presume you mean the Sport display with central dial?

It's in the settings somewhere but I can't remember exactly where off the top of my head. I think if you select the trip computer then click the "right" button on the left of the steering wheel there's a Layout option there which you can then use to change to Sport mode. Don't quote me though.
Click to expand...
That's the one, thanks!
Looks like mine was already in Sport and the one in the review is the standard layout. Now I can't decided which to go with!
 
Oreo5000 said:
That's the one, thanks!
Looks like mine was already in Sport and the one in the review is the standard layout. Now I can't decided which to go with!
Click to expand...

I find Sport mode looks better and obviously you have twice as much space for other info. Takes very little time to get used to the digital speedo.
 
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Vertigo1 said:
I find Sport mode looks better and obviously you have twice as much space for other info. Takes very little time to get used to the digital speedo.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I've just had a drive out with it in standard and I found myself ignoring the rev counter and speedo because I'm so used to my speed being central. Every time I checked my speed I ended up just looking at what track I was listening to!

Quick question with regards to launch control. Can you hit the ESC once and launch with it in sport mode or does it need to be completely disabled with a long press? Also, other than ensuring you are in 'Dynamic' and the gears are set to 'S' are there any other pre requisites to launch?
I attempted it for the first time earlier but it felt like I was just fighting the brake.. maybe I need to commit and floor the throttle rather than easing it on? Obviously I didn't want to attempt this if this is not the case.
 
You need to push the ESC button long enough to switch off, you need to push the brake pedal firmly and also switch off auto hand brake if you have it.
If you feel the car pulling it’s not activated.
When activated you can push the accelerator to the floor and the revs will sit at about 4000 until you release the brake.
 
Last edited:
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You can slowly apply it and you don’t have to push it to the floor, you can launch it at half throttle if you wish but obviously it’ll be slower.
The first time I tried it it didn’t work because I wasn’t pushing the brake pedal hard enough, just enough to hold the car still.
Once you get the hang of it it’s a piece of cake.
 
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Oreo5000 said:
Agreed, I've just had a drive out with it in standard and I found myself ignoring the rev counter and speedo because I'm so used to my speed being central. Every time I checked my speed I ended up just looking at what track I was listening to!

Quick question with regards to launch control. Can you hit the ESC once and launch with it in sport mode or does it need to be completely disabled with a long press? Also, other than ensuring you are in 'Dynamic' and the gears are set to 'S' are there any other pre requisites to launch?
I attempted it for the first time earlier but it felt like I was just fighting the brake.. maybe I need to commit and floor the throttle rather than easing it on? Obviously I didn't want to attempt this if this is not the case.
Click to expand...

Contrary to the above, you don't need to "fully" disable ESC with a long press, a simple first-stage deactivation is all that's required for launch control.

Providing you're in S mode then nothing else is required. I've found the same thing with the accelerator when it initially feels like you're fighting the brake but then it lets it rev up to 4k.
 
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To clarify:
A short press doesn’t turn anything off, just reactivates ESC.
Either ESC Off or ESC Sport will work, so a long press or a super duper long press
 
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Thanks guys, I'll give it a go later today. It must be lack of pressure on the brake pedal is where I've been going wrong.

Next set of newbie questions:

Do you guy use the MMI app? I can't seem to get it fully connected, the last step says 'enable MMI connection in the MyAudi app' but I can't seem to find anything MMI related in the MyAudi app..
So far I have been using Apple CarPlay for most things, and the built in system for navigation, am I missing anything from the MMI app connectivity?

I also noticed that on the pop-up display my map shows the current speed limit, is it possible to enable this on the virtual cockpit map?

Thanks again
 
Martinbanshee said:
Strange one, I never felt any resistance at all when correctly activated.
Click to expand...

It was odd, I gently pressed the pedal and initially I could feel it straining against the brake, as if the clutch had been engaged, then it kind of realised and released the clutch to let it rev.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so tentative and just stamped on it or maybe I wasn't pressing the brake hard enough. I'll have to try it again.
 
Oreo5000 said:
Thanks guys, I'll give it a go later today. It must be lack of pressure on the brake pedal is where I've been going wrong.

Next set of newbie questions:

Do you guy use the MMI app? I can't seem to get it fully connected, the last step says 'enable MMI connection in the MyAudi app' but I can't seem to find anything MMI related in the MyAudi app..
So far I have been using Apple CarPlay for most things, and the built in system for navigation, am I missing anything from the MMI app connectivity?

I also noticed that on the pop-up display my map shows the current speed limit, is it possible to enable this on the virtual cockpit map?

Thanks again
Click to expand...

The MMI app is rubbish. It supposedly allows you to stream Internet radio and stuff but it's total garbage and I'd forget about it.

As you've no doubt discovered, CarPlay is far more useful for streaming music or Internet radio, although it's of limited use for anything else in my experience. I don't generally use it.

Afraid there's no way to get the speed limit display on the VC. Also be aware it comes from navigation data and isn't always up-to-date, especially on some NSL roads which have had 50 limits applied but which the data still says are 60.
 
Vertigo1 said:
The MMI app is rubbish. It supposedly allows you to stream Internet radio and stuff but it's total garbage and I'd forget about it.

As you've no doubt discovered, CarPlay is far more useful for streaming music or Internet radio, although it's of limited use for anything else in my experience. I don't generally use it.

Afraid there's no way to get the speed limit display on the VC. Also be aware it comes from navigation data and isn't always up-to-date, especially on some NSL roads which have had 50 limits applied but which the data still says are 60.
Click to expand...
I had a funny feeling that might be the case, thanks for the info, I won't waste any more time trying to set it up.

I've been using CarPlay for Spotify and handling my calls/messages. I signed up for a trial of Apple music, it works well but the sound quality is awful. I appreciate it is compressed for streaming (I do have it set to HQ streaming) but when comparing the same track to a fairly average bitrate mp3 on an SD card, the sound quality of the Apple music version is a joke.

I'm guessing you can't reconfigure the steering wheel voice button to work with CarPlay, i.e. for initiating a call?
 
Oreo5000 said:
I had a funny feeling that might be the case, thanks for the info, I won't waste any more time trying to set it up.

I've been using CarPlay for Spotify and handling my calls/messages. I signed up for a trial of Apple music, it works well but the sound quality is awful. I appreciate it is compressed for streaming (I do have it set to HQ streaming) but when comparing the same track to a fairly average bitrate mp3 on an SD card, the sound quality of the Apple music version is a joke.

I'm guessing you can't reconfigure the steering wheel voice button to work with CarPlay, i.e. for initiating a call?
Click to expand...
If you hold the steering wheel star button you’ll see all the options it can perform. Most seen to use it for drive select.
 
TYb said:
If you hold the steering wheel star button you’ll see all the options it can perform. Most seen to use it for drive select.
Click to expand...

Don't see the point in using it for Drive Select as that has a dedicated button anyway. I use mine to switch nav voice directions on or off.
 
Oreo5000 said:
I had a funny feeling that might be the case, thanks for the info, I won't waste any more time trying to set it up.

I've been using CarPlay for Spotify and handling my calls/messages. I signed up for a trial of Apple music, it works well but the sound quality is awful. I appreciate it is compressed for streaming (I do have it set to HQ streaming) but when comparing the same track to a fairly average bitrate mp3 on an SD card, the sound quality of the Apple music version is a joke.

I'm guessing you can't reconfigure the steering wheel voice button to work with CarPlay, i.e. for initiating a call?
Click to expand...

I think CarPlay is useful for streaming (used it to listen to BBC Radio in Germany) but that's about it.

The integration with the car for calls works far better with simple Bluetooth. The text messaging is garbage as you can't read the message on the screen like you can with Bluetooth, it'll only dictate it to you and trying to dictate a message on the move is hopeless as it can't deal with the background noise, despite the built-in voice commands having no problem.

Pretty unimpressed with it overall.
 
TYb said:
If you hold the steering wheel star button you’ll see all the options it can perform. Most seen to use it for drive select.
Click to expand...
Yeah I have the * set to DS. I meant the 'issue voice command' button, but I guess that is tied to the Audi system and won't be reconfigurable.
 
audi upgrades
Vertigo1 said:
I think CarPlay is useful for streaming (used it to listen to BBC Radio in Germany) but that's about it.

The integration with the car for calls works far better with simple Bluetooth. The text messaging is garbage as you can't read the message on the screen like you can with Bluetooth, it'll only dictate it to you and trying to dictate a message on the move is hopeless as it can't deal with the background noise, despite the built-in voice commands having no problem.

Pretty unimpressed with it overall.
Click to expand...
I'll have to they the BT connection and see how it compares. To be fair I haven't had any issues with dictating messages via CarPlay/Siri. I had a 4 hour drive when I collected the car and got through a bunch of messages along the way without any problems.

Can you have BT connected at the same time as CarPlay or does one cancel the other out?
 
No it's one or the other. CarPlay disables the BT connection and you can't use it from the steering wheel or display in the VC.
 
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