18/19/20 S3 buying advice

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Hjb92

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Hi all,

Looking at getting a 2018/2019/2020 S3 with less than 40K miles on the clock, Does anyone know if the coolant leak and water pump issues have been resolved for the more recent 8V years?

Are there any other problems to be aware of with the years stated (timing chain etc)? Looking online they look like solid cars if serviced correctly but thought i'd ask before parting with 25K.

Many thanks in advance.
 
Don't let coolant stat housing leak stories put you off buying an S3, you always hear the bad but far less so with the good. Find one with excellent service history be that main dealer or independent or a mix of both. At 40k miles I'd be confirming the Haldex oil has definitely been changed (at least twice) including pump removed with gauze/filter cleaned, main stealers won't do the pump removal/clean unless requested. Also at 40K if DSG equipped that the box oil and filter (VAG say DSG filter is for life but easily changed) has been changed as the service interval was dropped to 38K by VAG. Do your general due diligence and visual brake check for pad depth and disk surface. Check tyre treads and alloys and give it a good lookover inside for wear and tear but in general they are well built and I'm still loving my S3 MY17 Sportback 5yrs 6mts into ownership :racer::icon thumright: definitely the best all rounder capable vehicle I've ever owned :s3addict:
 
2019 facelift sportback.bought from new.never had a problem with coolant water pump thermostat.must be one of the lucky ones.the 8v is a quality built car not sure on the 8y quality wise but they are a solidly built car no doubt
 
Harvey said:
Don't let coolant stat housing leak stories put you off buying an S3, you always hear the bad but far less so with the good. Find one with excellent service history be that main dealer or independent or a mix of both. At 40k miles I'd be confirming the Haldex oil has definitely been changed (at least twice) including pump removed with gauze/filter cleaned, main stealers won't do the pump removal/clean unless requested. Also at 40K if DSG equipped that the box oil and filter (VAG say DSG filter is for life but easily changed) has been changed as the service interval was dropped to 38K by VAG. Do your general due diligence and visual brake check for pad depth and disk surface. Check tyre treads and alloys and give it a good lookover inside for wear and tear but in general they are well built and I'm still loving my S3 MY17 Sportback 5yrs 6mts into ownership :racer::icon thumright: definitely the best all rounder capable vehicle I've ever owned :s3addict:
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Agree with Harvey.

Also, if you can find one with 10k/annual oil changes vs the variable 18k / 2 years. That is much kinder to the timing chain and other internals such as the camshaft timing advance mechanism.

Also check the coolant expansion tank that the silica bag has either been removed or hasn’t burst and that you get warm cabin air from all vents when you crank up the temperature inside. Oh, and remove that silica bag or replace the expansion tank as soon as you can - the replacements don’t have the bag in them.

On idle, check there isn’t a ticking noise or idle speed hunting. If it has either of these, remove the electrical connector for the timing advance actuator - circular plastic disc shape on end of engine at the top near the coolant expansion tank. If the ticking stops then you either need a new magnetic actuator, or worst case a new camshaft……

18 plate or earlier (general rule) will be pre-OPF so exhaust a bit louder and you have both direct and port fuel injection so less likely to get carbon build up on the inlet valves.

Thermostat still made of chocolate though….

There was a campaign to identify a build weakness of the aux pump in the gearbox of some 67/18 plate cars. Make sure yours isn’t affected, or has the software update to detect an issue before it goes bang.
 
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Thanks for the information!

Does anyone know if the servicing and running costs are much more expensive for an RS3?

The S3's look great but I have always wanted an RS3 just not sure it's worth getting a slightly older model with more mileage for the same kind of price!
 
Water pump went on my March 2018 S3 at the end of December last, only done 30,000 miles. Fortunately I had the Audi All-In Warranty/service/MOT package so didn't cost me a penny. So I'd say it's more of a lottery if it goes or not....
 
Harvey said:
Don't let coolant stat housing leak stories put you off buying an S3, you always hear the bad but far less so with the good. Find one with excellent service history be that main dealer or independent or a mix of both. At 40k miles I'd be confirming the Haldex oil has definitely been changed (at least twice) including pump removed with gauze/filter cleaned, main stealers won't do the pump removal/clean unless requested. Also at 40K if DSG equipped that the box oil and filter (VAG say DSG filter is for life but easily changed) has been changed as the service interval was dropped to 38K by VAG. Do your general due diligence and visual brake check for pad depth and disk surface. Check tyre treads and alloys and give it a good lookover inside for wear and tear but in general they are well built and I'm still loving my S3 MY17 Sportback 5yrs 6mts into ownership :racer::icon thumright: definitely the best all rounder capable vehicle I've ever owned :s3addict:
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Mine is for sale and I feel better about it as I have done everything you mention in your post. Even the Haldex filter :)
 
Bought mine brand new march 2019 its now on 54k and going strong they are great cars as long as they are looked after properly .
 
Mr Freeze said:
Bought mine brand new march 2019 its now on 54k and going strong they are great cars as long as they are looked after properly .
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What's the exhaust note like on your 2019 S3? I keep reading that they are a bit underwhelming so looking for a 2017/2018 model.
 
Hjb92 said:
What's the exhaust note like on your 2019 S3? I keep reading that they are a bit underwhelming so looking for a 2017/2018 model.
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No where near as good as the 17/19 cars due to the GPF filter . A lot of people put a res delete on to make the sound a bit better
 
Thanks all, got a 2017 S3 with pan roof and b and o, brilliant car!
 
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