The 4th dimension? Presenting my 4th A3...

I had my first taste of A3 - and indeed Audi - ownership back in 2009, when I bought a very high spec 2006 A3 2.0T quattro Sportback in Garnet Red.



In 2011, I upgraded to a 2011 S3 Sportback in Brilliant Red.



And, in 2018, I made my first "second coming" back to 8P A3 models with another Sportback - this time a very high spec 2007 2.0T in Liquid Blue.



Before and in between those, I've had a range of cars including a Clio 16V, Williams, 172, 197, big-bhp FIAT Coupe 20V Turbos, Golf GTI Mk5 and a supercharged R32 Mk5. Alas, I'm approaching 40 now with a family in tow and our "sensible" main family vehicle for 4 years has been a VW T5.1 camper.

We run a car alongside the van and tend to do about 3-4k miles per year in them. I've changed cars too often since we've had the van, including the above blue 8P A3. So, I was determined to find a proper keeper this time and I was actually planning to buy a brand new car to my ideal spec. However, Covid-19 was going to make that route too long a wait and hence I've gone to the used market again.

I think that's just as well, because for about 35% of the cost of a new car I've managed to pick up what I think is a real gem. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present my latest A3 - an 8V Sportback:



It's a classic Audi look isn't it? This one is a 2014 Sport model in Ice Silver with a decent spec, including:

- Milano leather
- Comfort pack (auto lights / wipers, cruise control, rear parking sensors, auto-dimming mirror)
- 15-spoke alloys

Power comes courtesy of a 1.4 TFSI Cylinder on Demand lump with 140hp and 185 lb/ft. I'd normally look for a higher power 1.8 or 2.0T, but this is a surprisingly potent-feeling engine in everyday driving.



I was also looking for Bose, xenons or a pan roof - but it's rare to find all of these together *and* for the car to be in great condition.

Condition and history were my criteria above all else... and I'm happy to report that it's almost unmarked and has an impeccable service record. I'd be pleased with its cosmetics if it were a 2-year-old car... so it's in great shape for a 6+ year old with 42k on the clock, with no obvious dings or paint issues.



Those optional wheels are unkerbed - for now, at least - and there's just a little tar to remove in due course.



On the matter of tar, there's a little all over the sides of car and I'll also tackle this in good time. I'll also want to go over the car to give it a full polish and wax, as the paint's a little rough to the touch.



For now, I've added a genuine rubber mat to preserve the boot from family life and fitted a genuine protection film to the boot lip:



The interior is also in great condition with no wear to the bolsters or marks to the trim. It smells just like my 2006 A3 did!



I found this one at an Audi franchise and it was 10-15% more expensive for a base spec from a general dealer.

They wouldn't normally put a 2014 A3 through the approved used programme, which currently includes 2 years' warranty. I had to agree that the overall condition and history - 1 owner, full Audi history including cambelt, brake fluid changes etc - make it worth it. It also has matching and only lightly worn Continental tyres all round.

The warranty has immediately been put to the test by the dealer discovering that the air con wasn't working just before collection this week. This was presumed to be an £800 repair courtesy of hole in the condenser, so the car blows only tepid air during this current heatwave before it's fixed next week.

After fixing this, I'm tempted only to add a remap - to address that shortfall compared to the bigger engines I'm used to. I also need to add my dateless number plate to complete the timeless look that this car already has in my humble opinion.

Otherwise, I'm hoping that this car will serve us well as it is... and I'll keep this thread updated either way.

As I mentioned above, I've promised to keep this car for 3 years. So, how are things going with one of the cheaper and lower-powered cars I've owned?

After 10 weeks and 1,500 miles, I'm really happy with it. The aircon is fixed and I've changed the interior lightbulbs to LEDs (strangely, the boot and plate holder bulbs were already). The paintwork came up really well with a short clay bar session.

I've also added a 170hp / 220lb.ft remap, which takes the car up a notch. It's certainly not a hot hatch, but it's easy to row along in and has a reasonably sharp handling character. That's despite looking like "Comfort" suspension was selected instead of "Sport" by the original owner. I'm also amazed at the 47mpg average it's getting on super unleaded... I get mid-50s on weekend round trips to visit my parents.

The things I'd really like to do would be:

- Subtle lowering springs... just a small drop to offset the SE-spec ride height
- Xenon headlights; the main thing missing compared to all my 8P A/S3s - but I'm guessing pretty expensive as a retrofit!

Any recommendations for a good job on the xenons? I'm based in Bristol.

There's also an intermittent squeak from the front end at low speeds over lumpy roads. The dealer looked at this prior to collection and couldn't find anything, but it's definitely there!

It's on the outside, I think - and probably more of a creak than a squeak. It only really happens when the front wheels drop into something or coming off a speed bump.

Mileage is now up to 44,230 - meaning about 2,250 have been done in my ownership so far.

Following the advice above and a visit to the supplying dealer, the car is booked to have its front lower suspension arms replaced next week. That warranty is looking like increasingly good value.

Here it is sat alongside its considerably more sophisticated relatives at the dealership, looking very much the junior Audi...



You'll notice that it's now sporting some roof bars... I have very mixed feelings about aftermarket accessories like this, but I missed the "baby estate" look so much that I bought some replica rails via Amazon. Yes, I know they are cosmetic only and they'll need to come off when selling the car. The quality of the rails is quite good - you will notice that the finish is less than perfect if you are actively looking for imperfections, but you'd never notice otherwise.

I also made some other minor upgrades:

- a matching knurled 12V socket blank in the front centre console to go with all those other tactile knobs
- new OEM wiper blades all round
- a series of coding changes via Carista - optical parking display, rear mirror dip on reverse, oil temperature display and the startup needle sweep

It's averaging 46mpg in my hands and will run at 55-60mpg on conservative motorway trips. Many say that they find the cylinder deactivation unnoticeable, though I find it's quite obvious especially at slow speeds. I'm quite happy to forgive that because I'm fond of the torquey delivery and quite like the engine's slightly raspy note. It's a very peppy little unit and although I'm no speeder, I'm confident it slips under 8 seconds for the 60mph sprint after that remap.

That said, it's much more likely to be doing this sort of thing, when taking our van somewhere seems a chore:

A brief update on this car - and some news about a 5th A3...

This A3 has just had its annual service and MoT, with only 3,400 miles in the year since its last of each. The MoT tester gave an advisory for slightly worn rear discs, which seems a bit unfair given their visual condition and actual thickness. Other than that, it's been a pretty uneventful 4 months for the car - I suppose we've all been locked down and therefore any business miles I might have done on it are now on Teams or Zoom.

After collecting my A3 from its service today I rolled up at the first set of traffic lights alongside a 135i and, as the lights turned green, it disappeared in a cloud of noise, revs and dust. I reflected that I have no interest whatsoever in racing around these days and that my current A3's 1.4 - albeit with a 170hp remap - has been totally adequate for my needs.

Talking of clouds of dust... our city has just approved its Clean Air Zone and this means we will now be using our Euro 5 diesel van less (at £9 per trip if we take the direct routes). It wouldn't be economic to upgrade the van to a Euro 6 diesel, hence the car will be used more often in the future.

And so, in related news, I've ordered my 5th A3. It's my first brand new one (link) and it's going to be loaded with a big spec - too big for a modest 1.5 150hp Sport trim many would conclude, but I really prefer the more sedate and classy look these days.

Still, with a build scheduled for September for the new one, this current A3 will be around a while yet.