S3 noobie alert ..

Steve B5 Biker

Steve B5 Biker

Registered User
Joined
Jan 19, 2012
Messages
147
Reaction score
15
Points
18
Location
SOUTH YORKSHIRE
Hi guys n girls,
Basically I'm thinking of returning to Audi ownership after about 7 years being in a volkswagen, my current vehicle is a 2006 Golf gti stage 1, but wanting to change to something newer. I'm unsure as to what models to go for but have my eye on a 2012 S3 manual which i believe is a 8P model ?.
Just wanted people's opinion on pro's and con's on them and any pointers as to what to look out for when buying one.. THANKS IN ADVANCE OF ANY ANSWERS..
Merry Christmas Steve.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandra
As you have a Mk 5 GTi already your car has the same type of engine as the S3 8P. Your car will either have the AXX or BWA engine with the K03 turbo whereas the S3 will have the strengthened CDL engine and the K04 engine. Power wise your stage 1 car will have a similar output to the standard S3. It will probably feel quicker at low revs due to the quick spooling K03. However it runs out of puff up the rev range where the K04 keeps on going. Tuning wise the S3 will produce much higher power and torque figures and there will be much less wheel spin due to the 4wd.
If you intend to tune it then a dsg car could be less hassle than a manual as you will need an uprated clutch in the manual above stage 1. It is essential that the car you buy has an excellent service history and I would want annual servicing rather than long life. I’d be looking for a warranty for initial peace of mind.
Just like with your gti, condition could depend on mileage and the amount of care given by previous owner. Essential that Haldex and dsg servicing has been carried out. Specialists will change the Haldex oil filter whereas Audi only change the oil.
 
As Peter says but all I can offer is get a DSG, I wish I had. Unless you must have a manual.
 
I see your name is Biker
The DSG is like a motorcycle sequential box that you use manually but it has an auto option to change for you ... its not an auto box in that it has std clutches , all be it they are operated for you, and no torque converter. You need to try one if you haven't already.
 
Hi guys thanks for all your input it's much appreciated, Prt57 thanks for your in depth thoughts and going by your assessment of the S3 I'd basically be spending @10k for pretty similar to what I already have apart from the quattro system and it being "a bit more tunable" .. I'm not a boy racer lol (60 next year) so i'm not into tuning or really modding the car, i just want an out of the box S3 thats got a bit more power than my Golf.
In all honesty i don't really push my cars hard, but just like to know the power is there if i need it..
So your input has given me food for thought..
Steve..
 
The S3 8P is woefully underpowered. I bought mine new and mapped it at 800 miles i was so disappointed. That said you can stg1 these with no other changes than the map and they come alive, totally transforms the car. Whats more as mine approaches 100k miles its had no detrimental effects to the life of the engine. As you say you dont have to use this power, the car drives exactly the same as std , it just has much longer legs if and when you need them.....and i am older than you :)
 
paddy said:
The S3 8P is woefully underpowered. I bought mine new and mapped it at 800 miles i was so disappointed. That said you can stg1 these with no other changes than the map and they come alive, totally transforms the car. Whats more as mine approaches 100k miles its had no detrimental effects to the life of the engine. As you say you dont have to use this power, the car drives exactly the same as std , it just has much longer legs if and when you need them.....and i am older than you :)
Click to expand...
Haha thanks Paddy that makes me feel better knowing were not all just boy racers. I Just fancy a S3 as a step up the ladder from the Gti and i've had a couple of cars with 4-wheel drive before and fancy another one. What sort of gains did you get from a map from the standard power please?
 
A stock Stg1 will take you from 265bhp to about 310 bhp and needs no other additions. Its basically what the engine was supposed to do but they turn it down to allow for countries with poor fuel, extreme heat and so on. Basically the std map is a one size fits all map and all you are doing is turning it back up to allow for 98+ octane and regular oil changes etc..I ran Stg1 for the first 50k miles and TBH it was all you need and more. Although its a basic increase of about 15% in BHP its more than that as its also the increase in Torque that makes the whole thing more tractable and usable on the road. I also got a 3-4 mpg improvement Which to me says the engine is actually running more efficiently with better fuel and a little more boost. Loads of companies like AMD and REVO will do a generic stg1 that will be fine.
 
Ok Paddy thanks for that, 300bhp is more than enough for me to be honest its just nice to have that power at your disposal if needed , and as i said I'm not going to be thrashing it, I've gone beyond that now lol, also i have a Motorbike for a bit of fun occasionally..
 
7b70f02dcbb064dc9bfe5224f40325ce
 
Steve B5 Biker said:
Hi guys thanks for all your input it's much appreciated, Prt57 thanks for your in depth thoughts and going by your assessment of the S3 I'd basically be spending @10k for pretty similar to what I already have apart from the quattro system and it being "a bit more tunable" .. I'm not a boy racer lol (60 next year) so i'm not into tuning or really modding the car, i just want an out of the box S3 thats got a bit more power than my Golf.
In all honesty i don't really push my cars hard, but just like to know the power is there if i need it..
So your input has given me food for thought..
Steve..
Click to expand...

Your only a youngster at 60. I’m older than that and my S3 8P is at stage 2+!

One thing with the S3, there is very little scrabbling for grip on the current damp greasy roads with 4wd. Also the power comes in later than your golf but then keeps going. So the BHP figures might be similar but how it feels is different.
 
Sooty Trumps us all on age i think and he still does track days.
I think B5 biker might add some much needed young blood to the forum :)
 
Hahaha not a spring chicken but glad to be potentially joining the S3 8P team, watch this space!!
Got a 2012 3dr to look into in the new year with relativley low miles 54k and fsh..Unfortunately no idea on whether its been mapped or anything, how would i find out except through getting it plugged in and scanned maybe?
 
Steve B5 Biker said:
That's a nice motor Bryant how does a "young pup" afford to insure let alone run an S3 8P not that im jealous lol..
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, honestly I’m not sure half the time lol. It was 2.3k to insure first year, then just shy of a grand last August. To be honest it’s not my daily, I have a company van as I do between 30-50k a year for work

How old are you mate?
 
Haha thats a lot of money for a weekend toy but if it's your baby then you will obviously pay it.. I'm 59 so not usually an issue with insurance lol, plus its going to be my daily car but i don't do a lot of miles to be honest. I've had my Gti 3+ years and done @ 16k..
 
Steve B5 Biker said:
Haha thats a lot of money for a weekend toy but if it's your baby then you will obviously pay it.. I'm 59 so not usually an issue with insurance lol, plus its going to be my daily car but i don't do a lot of miles to be honest. I've had my Gti 3+ years and done @ 16k..
Click to expand...

Yeah it is but I love it so I’ll pay what I have to! Yeah that’s fair enough, to be honest I’ll get between 200 and 350 miles from a tank depending on how I drive, summertime it tends to be closer to 200 lol... I’ve done about 9k in 18+months
 
  • Like
Reactions: paddy
Ok still wanting to get an S3 8P but after doing a bit more research, certain things are scaring me just a little bit mainly the Haldex and differentials, more so the cost of replacing them if they fail.
So the obvious next question is how reliable are they and being as I'm not very mechanically minded what do i need to look out for..
Thanks in advance for any replies..
 
I dont think these are a problem in general. My diff went very early but i think it was an exception. when i replaced it i found that it was the same dif and Haldex as a Ford Kuga and a Volvo C90 as well as a few others so like most cars today they are assembled by a manufacturer but the parts are all pretty std. all used motors have their problems. My good friend has been looking at 911's and so far has test driven 2x 911's and a Caymen...both 911's broke down on the test drives :) both engine out jobs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bryant1998
Thanks for that Paddy, I'm just a bit wary of the potential expensive bills that sometimes come with some performance cars.. I've had my Mk5 gti for 3+ years and it's been ultra reliable, luckily its been very kind to my wallet too, apart from general service items obviously and, as often is the case its better the devil you know lol .
Just getting bored of it now so time for a change of vehicle is on the cards and a few test drives of S3s too..
 
I think once you get to 6-7-8 years old a service history is more important than any reputation a a car might have. Personally cant see any real difference between your golf and an S3 from a parts and reliability point of view. I was running a haldex VR6 golf 20 years ago, its a pretty well tried set up. The Audi is just better quality, i think every switch and knob snapped off in my golf over time but i expect they are better these days.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bryant1998
paddy said:
Sooty Trumps us all on age i think and he still does track days.
I think B5 biker might add some much needed young blood to the forum :)
Click to expand...
Yep, I'm 68 and still in mid life crisis, half a dozen trackdays a year.
Don't discount an A3 2.0TSI Quattro, much the same as the S3 and only 200bhp, you'll be able to afford a facelift Slime 2008 or later. Good thing about the Quattro versions is you can use the power all the time, dry or wet roads.
 
  • Like
Reactions: paddy
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
S3 Buying Guide, please help a noobie :)
Replies
1
Views
2K
Sandra
Sandra
R
Newbie alert!
Replies
25
Views
2K
FranA3
FranA3
Kriminal
Stalker alert !...
Replies
4
Views
961
Kriminal
Kriminal
prt57
Dipstick alert
Replies
53
Views
10K
R222cet
R222cet
M
Hello, noobie from London, looking for an S3 circa 12k????
Replies
5
Views
740
Mark300zx
M
Top
Back