Goodbye Vauxhall (sort of), well hello Audi S3

[Harvey]

We’ve not used the Astra mk3 V6 this year but it was MOT time this month so I went the long way and thoroughly enjoyed the drive there.

It was then a nail-biting time, will it or won’t it pass.

I need not fear as it’s got another year’s clean health stamp with a whopping 70 miles between checks this time and the usual ‘noisy exhaust’ advisory, I know I can hear the darn thing when I’m driving!

 

[Harvey]

Popped along to the Vaux Valves show at Donington Park a few weeks back in the VXR8. Not a bad turn out but not as big as the previous years show. Met a few local Monaro/VXR8 owners and we all had a chat about our ownership experiences.

The wife and I then went spectating as the circuit racing was most excellent plus we both love Donny so had our usual walk around the whole place. On our return much much later everyone was gone apart from us!

I grabbed a couple of late evening pics before heading home and even with a layer of dust the Impulse Blue stands proud.

 

[Harvey]

I noticed the Treg had a couple of underbody sill protection covers missing and assumed there had never been fitted for whatever reason as the previous owner confirmed there weren’t there when owned the meaty V8.

I placed an order with my local VW dealer as they cost peanuts and also order a fresh bottle of tyre sealer as the original from 2012 was past it’s best.

The covers slotted into place and it makes me feel better they are fitted.

I tidied up the compressor wiring and fitted everything where it should be before popping the fresh tyre sealer in its hole.

 

[Harvey]

After my June rolling road health check at MWP I booked it back in with them last month to investigate a few issues and tweak the map as necessary. In between this time, I’d already identified the supercharger cooling pump wasn’t working and fixed it, cleaned the engine earth points due to spurious ECU errors as well as replacing all lambdas so already completed the investigation side. I dropped the blueness and left it with them for a week.

When I arrived to collect it was waiting enthusiastically so I dumped my daily next to it and went in for a chat.

I was informed all was good and Luis Sola who does the remote tunes (Australian based) was happy with what he saw and only made a few minor changes to his existing map which my VXR8 was already running. A new, ever so slightly shorter, auxiliary belt had been fitted due to belt slap so possibly require a new tensioner. Otherwise, all was good and for me the most important part was a car I could just drive with scores on the doors for those interested 583bhp/563lbft.

September rr plot with oodles of midrange grunt. It might be a placebo affect but it feels so punchy and smooth now.

Compared to the June plot which was a tad wibbly wobbly.

Post collection the wife and I headed to Oulton Park as there was a BARC event on and it was sort of on route to home. Grabbed a pic of both my midlife crisis V8’s next to each other. The VXR8 might be a rare sight but seeing a Touareg V8 is even rarer. In total we have 16 cylinders, 10.2L plus a supercharger and 2x turbos mwhahaha.

 

[Harvey]

For those interested the latest 2025 VAG map update (version 0390) was released the other week and available from the usual sources. Click here if you require more info on what’s required if you have the Harman MIB/MIB2 (MHi2/Q) system in your VAG.

I copied the maps to my SD and popped it in the MMI, searched and then started the update, locked the S3 and walked away.

A while later I checked and the update was complete, behold 2025 here we come lolz.

 

[Harvey]

I took the Treg for an early MOT this week but it wasn’t due until December. Me being me I wanted to pull it back in line with its original registration date of 30th October. I took it to my usual garage of choice being Betta Fit Auto Centre who I’ve been using for a number of years and they come highly recommended.

All was good and it passed, yippee.

While up in the air I had a look underside and all was as expected for the mileage which is now at 37,715, not at all bad for a 12-year-old vehicle.

 

[Harvey]

I had my last drive, I’ll reword that bit, my wife had the last drive of the VXR8 for the 2024 season at the end September attending a local car show at Thoresby Park. Amazing turnout with all sorts there covering all genera and taste.

A few snaps of the hundreds that turned up.

Healy Enigma kitted mk3 MX5 running a Lexus V8 which I might add was immaculate and presented to a very high standard. More about it here.

My favourite of the show being this Daewoo Matiz running a Vauxhall V6 lump and Porsche rims, badass.

Snap, another LS2 6.0L (same my VXR8) but NA lump in a Cobra replica, sounded lush and I bet that thing weighs nothing so feels like you’re doing 1,000,000mph at national speed limits.

I’ve got a few Winter jobs lined up but nothing big so Old Blue had a final fettle before tyres were pumped to 45psi, covers applied and battery maintainer plugged in. Night night and sweet dreams until 2025.

 

[Harvey]

After living a year with the VXR8 I decided enough was enough and began to de-bling the slam panel as I really didn’t like the blue shiny bits on there as the anodising didn’t even match.

After measuring the existing I decided to do it properly and opted for black stainless steel fittings. Mushroom head and large penny washers were from JAC Bolts with the bagged items coming from the same seller but their other shop named Carbolts, impressive quality so I’m happy.

Bling removed and added to the VXR8 spares just in case someone in future ownershipland likes them, I definitely did not.

That’s better and so much more pleasing on the eye.

 

[Harvey]

Continuing with the de-bling theme these are all the silver bolts and blue washers I’ve swapped out for stainless black.

The coils and mounting plates also got treated with black bolts.

I did toy with the idea of blinging the wing bolts but they looked terrible so refitted OE fittings.

 

[Harvey]

S3 went for its annual health check at my garage of choice last week.

Needless to say it passed another MOT yet again with flying colours and no advisories, lets see how long I can keep that up

The Audi Connect license was due for renewal so I subscribed for another year of wonderful satellite overlay, online nav search and real-time traffic updates plus other random stuff that never gets used.

To celebrate all this wonderful spending I decided to give the tailpipes a polish as they were not looking great but the Autosol made them smile.

 

[Harvey]

S3 had its annual service having now covered 31,410 miles in the 8 years since birth with the first job swapping wheels front to back to even tyre wear, which also allowed me to visually inspect the brakes and suspension related items. Tyres have just over 4mm all round so nothing to fret about.

Got the S3 under the carport and left it over night to allow me to check coolant on level ground adding 100ml of Febi part no.38200 which is G13 spec.

Once sorted car was warmed up before dropping the engine oil.

While waiting for the oil to drain I topped up the screen wash filling it just below the in-built baffle so it doesn’t splosh out.

My AliExpress oil cap seals are still working well with no oil vapour leaking out.

 

[Harvey]

Airbox got a cleanout and filter checked, still looking fresh.

New oil filter fitted, so easy with it top mounted.

When fitting the sump bung make sure its properly seated and the notch it securely in place otherwise it could pop out on its own accord and you definitely don’t want that happening.

Oil drained and new oil filter fitted it was time for fresh Castrol 5W30 LL being VW/VAG 504 00 spec for petrol engines with 5.7L of the good stuff going in.

I then put my VCDS to work and performed an SRI and the S3 was happy for another year. It’s on the horrible flex service but I change the oil yearly no matter the mileage.

Serviced and ready for another year of fun driving. I thought it only fitting it had a wash after all the mechanical pampering.

 

[Harvey]

I gave the VRX8 front mechanics a once over while in it’s Wintel hibernation.

Resealed the dipstick tube again using more RTV sealer and new o-ring as the sump was damp and obvious where it was coming from grr.

Had the front wheels balanced as there was a barely noticeable but annoying wobble, opted for black weights for stealth.

As per last year but this time the RH front drop link boots were beginning to perish so replaced them as the ball joints were perfect.

With the front wheels off this gave me access to the dipped beam bulbs via the arch liner as the last time I used it in the dark I found the headlights poor so thought I’d try LED as they are projector type dipped beam so beam patterns are the same no matter what bulb type is fitted.

It’s tight but easy to swap the dipped beam bulbs so did the drivers side RH first then tested. As you look at my picture it’s the LH side, a bit whiter and brighter.

Passenger side LH with it being a bit darker and both LED installed they looked promising.

Funky shot of the uprated LED interior lighting I completed last year, very moody.

 

[Harvey]

I purchased the VXR8 to use but not abuse and it’s not mint and I don’t intend to make it so but sometimes things niggle me as I like things tidy. The front and rear circular HSV badges were looking a tad tired as the black painted sections had all but come away.

I found these plastic fantastic beauties on AliExpress so took a punt and they arrived two weeks later.

I then set about removing the old badges which took some shifting. They are actually metal which I hadn’t realised and I suppose I could have painted the black inlay but fresh new ones floated my boat. The repeat was done on the rear but no pics.

Then it was measure twice, stick once finding the exact centre of the bonnet and tailgate including the centre of the new badges. A polish and gentle heat to the painted surface and to the rear badge sticker all helps to ensure they stay in place. Lots of things needed just to replace two badges!

Once in place I left them to stick helped with some gentle persuasion as the new plastic badges were flat but going onto curved surfaces.

A week later I removed the tape and pretty pleased with the outcome. Time will tell if they’ll last but if not, I can always refresh the original metal badges and stick them back on.

While I was underside I had noted the front exhaust rubbers had started creeping off the exhaust system mounts due to thermal expansion as exhausts grow in length due to heat. This was fixed using some stainless steel M12 starlock washers.

 

[Harvey]

I thought I’d get the Touareg aircon serviced so booked in with StayKool at their new Great Northern Classics unit in Derby. There was nothing wrong with the ac but I had no details of when it was last serviced.

Plugged in and ready to suck the exiting out.

My Touareg has the quad climate system so is a hefty size of 1100g.

Only managed to suck out 750g.

I opted for the full package so had the Cool-Shot and Extreme Ultra leak sealer which are in their for life and at the offer price I couldn’t say no. then the system had the require 1100g added.

We tested the temp at the interior vents and it was still dropping when I took this pic. Should be lovely and cool during those hot Summer days.

After the ac service I popped into GNC as it was still very early not much was open but I shall return for one of their morning coffee meets.

 

[Harvey]

Had a trip up North with the Touareg V8 as I felt it was time I scratched my itch. I’m no fan of flash maps so a custom rolling road route was my choice after selecting who I believe are the most experienced diesel experts being Darkside Developments.

It was a simple mission, optimise the stock engine retaining all the original hardware including CATs, DPFs, EGRs with the CKDA 4.2L lump having two of everything including turbos.

The results speak for themselves and I’m utterly astonished with the results. It’s no race car and for me was all about seeing what was possible while retaining its lovely smooth drive and still tickling 40mpg if you're happy sitting at 50mph mwhahaha.

Brochure quoted - 3356bhp(340PS/250KW) / 590FtLb(800Nm)

Pre map - 355bhp(36PS/265KW) / 655FtLb(888Nm)

Post map – 424bhp(430PS/317KW) / 760FtLb(1030Nm)

In other events the Treg battery went flat on me so had it checked having over 1yr warranty left, fully charged it and letting it rest overnight it passed all tests. I can only assume I left something on so will be keeping an eye on things over the coming months using my genuine VCDS HEX-V2.

 

[Harvey]

It’s that time of year and the VXR8 came out of hibernation last week. It still amazes me the damp that is captured in the mini dehumidifier containers I pop into my cars, all the crystals are gone and it’s full of liquid so doing its job well.

First trip out was to spend money and this is what I bought…go go juice.

Up to temp the vitals were looking good at idle.

Next up was an aircon service as I had no idea when it was last done so booked in at StayKool in Derby.

No wonder it wasn’t working efficiently as there was only 40g left in the system. Full health check showed no leaks so must have just been natural loss and a very longtime since it was last serviced.

I opted for the full package so had the Cool-Shot and Extreme Leak Sealer which are in their for life then the system had the required 580g+/-20g added so 600g was popped in. It now has lovely cool aircon so a much comfier driving experience when the sun is blazing down.

 

[northpole]

good to see you actually use those moisture traps when you leave the car unused for a while... hell i even use them in my daily and still get amazed by the amount of moisture that it traps ... 3 weeks is enough to be just like yours, and i actually use that stuff in a handsprayer as it's the same stuff the cheap AA tireshine is mostly made from in a more diluted form i just spray it onto a sponge and wipe onto the tire walls, re-apply until I get that nice even shine whilst wet. it lasts for weeks.

 

[Harvey]

A mates wife had a mishap in a carpark and caused a bit of a mess to the rear left door of her Astra K.

Luckily a few days later a full replacement door in the exact colour and trim was sourced from a local scrappers. I popped round to assist as it was relatively easy and simple plug and plug with the hinges and tested the door electrics and it all worked.

 

[Harvey]

The S3 is bumbling along nicely so I gave the tailpipes a good freshen up as you all know I hate dirty tips. As I keep on top of them, they came up well and still looking goooood, not bad to say I’ve got the flaps coded open and it’s now nearly on 33k Miles.

 

[Mr Freeze]

The S3 is bumbling along nicely so I gave the tailpipes a good freshen up as you all know I hate dirty tips. As I keep on top of them, they came up well and still looking goooood, not bad to say I’ve got the flaps coded open and it’s now nearly on 33k Miles.

What do you use to clean the tailpipes ?

 

[Harvey]

What do you use to clean the tailpipes ?

The stuff in the picture being Autosol Metal Polish, used it for years. Autosol do a dedicated Stainless Steel version but I've never tried it as their generic stuff does me proud.

 

[Harvey]

The Astra V6 had an epic service as I realised my normal standards had slipped realising, I’d not changed the timing belt in 12 years/4.5K as it should be 4 years/40K. I got cracking and stripped it all down which is a mission, found TDC and popped the locking kit on. I needn’t worry as the old belt was perfectly fine but piece of mind and fiddle time is best.

I popped the new belt on and went through the tensioning procedure and all went well and it’s alive with no piston/valve contact. I won’t lie as I’ve done a few V6 timing belts so should know what I’ve doing. I obviously used a decent brand Gates belt as you can have all sorts of issues with lesser brands on these lumps.

Next job was to drop the engine oil which had covered a little over 500 miles but as expected still dark due to heat soak.

I dug out what is surely now a rare sight and should be in a museum…genuine Vauxhall/GM oil and oil filter with 5.0L of the finest retro oil and filter added to the V6.

With a very capable assistant, the wife, brake fluid was changed while in hover mode...out with the old and in with the new.

 

[Harvey]

While fiddling with the Astra V6 timing belt I noticed the intake hose had split again and with no spares left in stock I opted for the Roose kit in OE matt black.

All fixed and looking decent so should have done this in the first place when I found the initial split a few years back, now fixed for life.

 

[Harvey]

Scooted down to the VauxALL show at the British Motor Museum last Sunday in the Astra V6. Fab day, decent weather and good mooch around the show and museum.

However, on arrival at VauxALL I noted some damp patches on the ground and then looked under the car. Sure enough something was dripped so popped the bonnet to find the low-pressure PAS return pipe to the reservoir was leaking.

30 miles from home and the steering got rather heavy. Popped it in the air and the gearbox and subframe were rather messy. Wrestled the pipe off and found an age-related split/crack right under the reservoir connection on the hose.

The OE part in no longer available from anywhere so ordered an appropriate oil compatible 10mm ID hoes and got it sorted a few days later. Cleaned up all the mess then car plus owner were happy again with no damage to PAS pump luckily.

Huge thanks to Booth’s Bespoke Trim who pulled out all the stops to get the Astra headliner retrimmed in OE spec fabric. Some in progress snaps.

Collected and fitted earlier this week and they have completed an epic job with wifey and I super pleased with the outcome, no more saggy headliner FTW.

 

[Harvey]

Not much VAG related stuff going on in my life at the moment as both are chugging along nicely but the wife has decided it's time to sell the Astra mk3 V6 after 26 years of ownership, full add here <<< click

View: https://youtu.be/Ppxq5TlHNqU

 

[Harvey]

When my VXR8 was at MWP last Sep for a tune-up I was advised to replace the auxiliary belt tension as it wasn’t as smooth as it should be and belt slap was occurring. As I don’t drive it like a possessed maniac it wasn’t top of my list to sort.

Last month after popping it back on the road I was doing my usual poke and prod checks as you do and spotted a pink haze under the thermostat so cleaned it up and monitored and sure enough it had a slight weep with coolant as full temp/pressure, not enough to drip but it needed sorting.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and after digging deep finding the cheapest UK suppliers for a genuine GM tensioner and thermostat it was still cheaper to buy from RockAuto in America. The usual epic two-day delivery (import duties included) and these arrived.

LS2 6.0L auxiliary belt tensioner genuine GM part no.12569301

LS2 6.0L complete thermostat genuine GM part no.600172 / AC Delco part no.1511057

Fitting was relatively easy so I popped the auxiliary belt off and removed the tensioner.

With the tensioner off it gave better access to the thermostat so my coolant clip tool was deployed which makes removal a doddle as they are ratcheted and lock the clip open.

I carefully drained the coolant from the hose and stat and managed to drain 5.5L. There is a drain bung at the bottom of the rad but I simply couldn’t be bothered getting it in the air when I could drain it with minimal spillage from the state housing.

You can see where the stat seal has gone and coolant was weeping past. It was only a few pounds/dollars more to buy a complete stat unit instead of just the seal. My thoughts are with the age and mileage of the car why not replace the whole thermostat unit.

I cleaned the stat mating face and cleaned all threads using my thread cleaning taps which are exactly that and not for cutting new threads.

Popped my favourite goop on the seal, yes you can assemble dry but I prefer to add extra security/protection, then bolted it on torquing to 14Nm as per the workshop manual.

The tensioner was then bolted on torqued to 58Nm and auxiliary belt fitted with coolant hose attached. Left it like this for a day for the sealant to cure.

Next up was adding the coolant in slowly, running the car to burp the system and get the air out. Having not done this previously it took a while.

The coolant system in sealed with a pressurised radiator cap (black cap on right) and bleed hose from the cap area to an expansion tank (yellow cap on left). The coolant system when cold can be checked for level using the expansion cap level strip and should be at or above min mark when fully cold and at or below max when fully hot. It’ll push coolant out the pressurised system to the expansion tank when hot and suck it in when cooling down/cold so the expansion level will go up/down so can be checked hot or cold, simples got it good.

 

[Harvey]

Earlier this month I wafted over to MWP for the annual service and MOT on the VXR8. I left at 6am in torrential rain and arrived at a bright dry Chester 99 miles later. All went well with another year’s clean check and tickle on the car.

Popped into Snugbury’s Ice Cream on the route home for a scoop of their best. Driven past loads but never experienced their delicious product, it comes highly recommended.

Joined the fun at Nottingham Motorshow with plenty there.

Managed to find three fellow Aussie V8 owners which was a nice surprise.

At the end of the show it rained so while everyone else was queuing to get out, took most over an hour, I stood admiring my recently detailed paintwork. Lovely beading even if I say so myself.

Went over to a Tuesday evening meet at Moira Furnace Museum & Country Park didn’t get there until late but worth the drive/effort as there was some lovey machinery on display.

 

[Harvey]

The S3 is plodding along nicely so it got a well-deserved wash.

It then popped into my head that I’d not updated the maps with the mid-year release so got it downloaded and onto an SD card before applying the update.

All done and now running the 2025/2026 v0410 maps.

The Father-in-Law asked me to service his ikle Viva so I got busy and sorted it. The 3-cylinder lump sounds like a sewing machine which always make me smile, it’s super slow but gets to 70mph and holds it until you get to a hill so that’ll do I suppose.

 

[Harvey]

The VXR8 suffered the dreaded click/click/no vroom/click/vroom from the starter which is a known issue that can raise its ugly head. Your options are either replace or clean it to help go a little longer so I obviously opted for the clean methodology just because. It was wrestled off the car which wasn’t fun due to the tight space as I ended up loosening all header/manifold bolts to give me the 2mm I needed to wiggle it off.

It’s the OE starter from new being part no.92202964 and manufactured by Mitsubishi.

I noted the starter battery feed wasn’t very tight on removal and the cable end was very dirty so this got cleaned up and lightly covered with high temp grease on refitting.

I took me less than 5 mins to pull the starter apart as this isn’t my first rodeo cleaning/checking them.

Wasn’t as dirty inside as expected but the commutator where the bushes contact and inside where the magnets where had a thorough cleaning.

The bushes all looked in great condition.

This starter is a gear reduction type which gives more torque when starting so this part was stripped as much as possible, cleaned and reassembled with light grease applied. I also checked the solenoid prior to refitting.

Using my patented bush insertion/holding method the mini zip-ties were deployed and the bushes carefully popped over the end of the rotor before zip-ties were cut, the bush springs were still strong making things difficult.

With the rebuild done I bench tested before popping it back on the VXR8 being a reverse wrestle of removal. So far, it’s all vroom from the overhauled starter until it’s not and I end up buying a new one anyway but worth a go for it to live a little longer in this throwaway world we now live it.

 

[Harvey]

Popped over to Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincoln for their annual car show in the VXR8. All sorts there dating way back to modern stuff so an amazing mix on display. Got a nice spot next to a Manta and may mates Z4.

Had some classic F1 cars doing live demos, super car paddock area with a lovely Dodge Challenger, mate saw his doppelganger wearing the same t-shirt, yummy MR2 running a Lexus V6, classic Mini with C20XE and the wife’s favourite a Lanic Delta Integrale.

We even had a bomber fly past midafternoon.

 

[Harvey]

Popped down to VBOA show so thanks to all on Astra MK3 Owners Club stand for having us, the wife’s car felt very at home among other amazing mk3s.

The day after we got home from the show while I was washing the car my keen eye noted a rather alarming but tiny split forming on the top of the coolant header tank.

I popped straight onto my favourite site and ordered a Febi header tank part no.49696 which arrived a few days later.

Due to the recent heatwave the wing mirror glass had slipped as the goop had obviously melted a tab. I removed both and carefully popped them off the mountings and used brake cleaner to get all the goop off. I then bonded the mirrors on using RTV sump sealer so they’ll never make a bid for freedom again and left them to set with appropriate weigh (other brands are available) to hold them in place prior to refitting.

Back to the header tank…used my trusty hand pump to suck all the coolant from the existing tank without spilling a drop.

On removal I saw an additional split on the underside and another on the side moulding so very lucky it didn’t pop while driving.

New vs old.

Fitting is the opposite of removal, can you spot the new part in the engine bay lolz.

 

[Harvey]

More preventative maintenance on the VXR8 as I started to hear a minor squeak developing from the main auxiliary belt area and knew it wasn’t the new tensioner pulley fitted last month so dived into investigate. Popped the belt off and my suspicions were correct as the idler pulley was spinning very freely. Alternator/PAS/water pump all felt/sounded fine so idler pulley was removed.

Further checks revealed you could hear the bearings rattling if you shook the pulley so I caught this just in time. Bearing weather seals carefully removed and bearing carriers repacked with high temp grease.

Pulley refitted and torqued to 58Nm before belt was refitted and tested, passed with flying colours as what noise was there has completely gone. I'll check AC tensioner and pulley when it's hibernating over Wintel.

 

[Harvey]

I’ve been meaning to pop along to Griffins Head at Papplewick Nottingham for their evening car meet for a while and finally made it the other week in the VXR8. What a cracking selection of all sorts, comes highly recommended with plenty of V8ness and the odd supercharger (on the Classic Mini) thrown in for a good mix.

 

[Harvey]

My Sisters 2010 Astra J which she’s had from new got a couple of points noted after a garage service and MOT so I cracked on and got them sorted. Coolant misting was noted from the water pump and a leak from the thermostat along with a rattle underside. It’s a 1.6L A16XER (LDE) parts ordered and cracked on using the rather handy coolant drain.

You can see the pinkness on the water pump and thermostat so obvious something wasn’t right.

New water pump was a Febi part no.28531 and I grabbed an Elring part no.504.330 thermostat seal. Manufacturers assemble dry but I like to add a smear of sealer so gooped both prior to fitting with water pump plus stat torque of 8Nm and water pump pulley 20Nm. Fresh DexCool coolant was popped in and ran to temp.

I traced the rattle to the rear exhaust heatshield clips being corroded so deployed a motorsport fix with zipties.

 

[Harvey]

Attended Derby Motorfest with the VXR8 end of last month.

Great selection of cars attended this first event at Elvaston Castle.

Had a few local Aussy V8s in attendance.

The classic Mini looked tiny parked next to my barge!

 

[Harvey]

Finally managed to get the noisy pair together last month with both the wife’s Astra V6 and my VXR8 attending the Dukeries Motor Club show at Mansfield. A couple of local Aussie V8s popped along as well, thanks for coming gents.

More from the show.

This beauty (in my eyes) had a 7.2L Jenson engine plonked in.

 

[Harvey]

The trusty Treg V8 was due it’s annual review so off we popped to my local garage of choice Betta-Fit Auto Centre, all was thoroughly checked and a clean pass for another year.

With that out the way I cracked on with the service and dropped the oil, all 9.4L of wonderful Castrol cascaded from its belly.

New o-ring added to the Vauxhall sump bung as OE VAG bung looked well grotty so got binned last year.

Replaced the engine oil filter, easy job as it’s on top.

Then the lush new stuff went in Castrol 5W-30 LL, perfect level and I really do miss a physical dip stick.

Wheels swapped front to back and adjusted the pressures accordingly.

I then remembered the following day to reset the service interval so out came VCSD to do it properly for oil change + inspection as doing it using the headunit only resets the oil change and not the inspection interval.

The chunky 4.2 twin blown V8 is now at 44,611 miles and chugging along nicely.

 

[Harvey]

I know everyone tends to use their phone for in car navigation these days, we do in our Treg, but the wife and I still like the S3 MMI nav so it’s that time again and I upgraded to the latest VAG release 2026 maps being version 0430.

 

[Harvey]

A busy time of late playing with the S3 as its annual service and MOT were due. I started with a sketchy biannual brake fluid change on my wobbly drive.

Sucked all the old fluid out the reservoir.

I completed the righthand side them popped the wheels on and did the left supported with my willing helper pumping the pedal, thanks wife.

I got 600ml of old brake fluid out but in general the fluid was pretty clean.

Next up new air and cabin filter.

I then dropped the engine oil.

Changed the oil filter and installed a new drain plug ensuring it was correctly installed and fully seated.

Then added 5.7L of Castrol 5W-30 LL.

Topped up the coolant as it was showing bang in the middle of the min/max in the header tank marks when cold on level ground which only took 100ml.

The oil filler cap is still sealing well with the AliExpress seals with no oil misting.

I then dug out the Haldex service kit for the biannual oil change service.

Dropped the Haldex oil and got the expected 700ml out including pump removal oil drain.

Haldex pump filter was surprisingly clean once the oil was drained out but still got removed and cleaned with brake cleaner.

Refitted the Haldex pump, topped the oil and ran the pump basic setting to prime it before topping the oil a second time.

Using my VCDS I performed a service reset to remove the dash warnings.

With that all done the tailpipes had a polish as they were beginning to look a bit flat.

Breath, I hear you say….nope as next up was the MOT which was a pass.

Something not service yet still S3 related the Audo Connect license was due to expire on 20th December and checking online I found Audi have revised their pricing down plus offer 2 years cover even cheaper so I grabbed that for even more saving.