Akoya A3 3.2 quattro s line...

[mookster]

Not long had the new motor and very pleased with it I am. It's a 2005 '54 plate 3 door with one or two toys, half leather interior, tint pack. Loving the 6 speed manual aswell, always wanted another since having a Nissan S15 with one

Here's the state of play from day 1;

I'm a sucker for modding things though, and despite the fact I have to wait until I've moved house until I can do anything, I'm itching to get started

My intentions here are to maximise the GT qualities of the car, so the plans will mainly be for subtle stuff - no going mad with this one! Here's what I have in mind thus far;

* 8P2 facelift front and rear s line bumpers, possibly black grill, might leave it chrome
* Updated projector lights - liking the look of the latest A4 style projector DRL lights
* Updated rear lights - probably the MY11s to match the tints
* Eibach Pro Kit springs to lower it a bit, though not too much
* Wheels - S4 style, the split 7 spoke design, not sure of their name. Will keep current ones as winter wheels
* Interior retrim - replace cloth centres/doorcards with alcantara
* Update the soundsystem - probably just one of the later A3 head units so I can plug in my ipod, add a sub
* Cat back exhaust, performance panel filter, remap (APR is looking favourable) - make the most of the v6 soundsystem

Currently has BOSE and the old Symphony double din headunit with tape deck Have seen the Concert headunits on ebay for reasonable money - would it be a simple swap and do the later units have the ability to run a sub and plug in an mp3 player - not fussed for specific ipod control, just want to be able to plug it in and play it through the system. Any advice appreciated.

As I say, this is dependant on my pending housemove so probably wont budge much for a few months, looking forward to the summer to crack on

 

[BradV6]

Nice car! Same spec as mine too, like the plans you have!

 

[b2]

I was bored and did a little work on your car.

Can you find all the changes?

 

[mookster]

Haha, sweet, liking that a lot! Thanks

Well, it didn't take me long to do something, despite my promises to myself not to! Thanks to s8craig I've now replaced the old Symphony cd/tape deck head unit for a later Symphony II+ one! New head unit was provided with the removal keys, adapter harnesses, security code and coded to the car, all delivered for £150; sweet. Was indeed a five minute job to swap over.

Glad to remove the old unit, together with it's heat blistered buttons, and replace with a fresh new one. OEM, but still an upgrade

 

[mookster]

Thought I'd resurrect this old thread seeing as it's over 3 years since I had all those plans!

Not much has changed yet, though I did get a Concert head unit and have switched out the centre section resonator for a straight through pipe. One of the main early things to sort was the coil pack recall and the update to the ecu, everything has been running well since then.

I have made some progress though, accumulated some parts, and will soon be making some changes;

* '08 s line front and rear bumpers purchased, together with a bonnet. Will be sprayed up and fitted soon.
* '11 spec rear lights have been sat in the garage for a while, will go on when the bumpers change.
* S3 bi-xenon lights purchased, will be visiting NHN presently to get those sorted
* BBS CH style 18"s purchased, will go on in the spring
* Tailgate debadge possibly

Other than that, not much has changed in the meantime, been enjoying the car

 

[mookster]

Phase 1 is sorted, later spec front and rear bumpers are now on and looking good. Went with the black grill surround on the front but kept the rings chrome, not bothered adding a quattro badge, so it's a bit cleaner. Rear end looks good and I'm de-badging it also. Wheels are about ready to go on, just need the tyres! In touch with NHN at the moment to organise getting the bi xenon headlights fitted.

Not got a rear pic as yet, will get one once the badges are off, but the front looks a bit meatier than the original split grill

Did have some fun and games with painting the bumpers. After some back and forth it seems it is actually Avus silver, not Akoya as first thought. You live and learn

 

[mookster]

So, happy with the rear end now. The S3 bumper looks good, valance painted black to match the black on the front, MY11 rear lights add a touch of class and go well with the factory tints, de-badged tailgate is nice and clean, and the new tailpipes on the exhaust look the part

Have a few other little bits to go on soon too, Dare 943 alloys (CH reps obviously), bi-xenons and an 8V S Line steering wheel - NHN will be busy with those last two! I've got the smoker delete bits to remove ashtray and lighter, and plan to wrap my fading black door/gear gaiter trim - have some titanium brushed vinyl that would be a bit different. Now also contemplating a Bilstein B12 Pro Kit suspension upgrade...

 

[Scottyg]

That is one extremely clean example of an 11 year old car. The interior from your first pics looks pristine.
Looking forward to seeing further updates.

 

[mookster]

Thanks

Also have an intention to get a private plate to better hide the age, something V6 related. I'll then make up the plates in carbon fibre, one of my little sidelines.

 

[Kieren]

Any chance you've still got the original steering wheel? Depending on the price i may take it off you.

Cars looking great too.


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[mookster]

@Kieren , I do indeed, still in the car at the moment. Should be sorted in the next week or so, not a problem holding it back for you

 

[Kieren]

Awesome. Can you pm me a price i dont want you too hold it if i cant afford it matey.


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[mookster]

Done

 

[nothingness]

Are you sure it is Akoya and not Avus? It really looks avus in this picture

Here is my old Avus for comparison

As for fitting 8P2 s-line bumpers on your 8P1, what did you need to do it and was it bolt on bolt off?

What does it sound like with the res delete? Did you delete the silencer at the front too!?
Lovely car!

 

[mookster]

Hiya,

Yup, we did establish, with the fun and games of painting the bumpers and bonnet, that it is indeed Avus silver. The headlight washer jet covers got forgotten when it was redone in Avus so they're a bit more purple than the bumper - dead obvious when them right next to each other!

For me the bumpers were bolt on, no fiddling required. I know others have had to adjust some bits. Not sure if I got lucky or it's an s line thing, or just 8P1 to 8P2 but it was a sinch (bare the painting).

NHN had done his thing now, great service, recommended as always. Bi-xenons are in and working, LED foglights are sorted, rear wiper's fixed, new steering wheel is on and he did me a favour and also fitted the smokers delete bits and bobs I had ready to go on. Have now popped on the new wheels so phase 2 is pretty much done - save a good clean and polish. Plans for phase three are a bit of lows, likely Bilstein/Eibach suspension, and some S3 side skirts

 

[mookster]

And here's the wheel, cig lighter delete and ash tray delete. Have to say the wheel feels lovely, the new cubby in front of the gear gaiter is great and it's nice not catching yourself on the cig lighter, nice clean finish now

 

[nothingness]

Wow, very nice, do prefer the OEM wheels though

And those exhaust tips don't look standard, S3 exhaust?

Howcome you didn't get an MFSW? Was the wheel easy to fit and wire and programme?

How much did it cost to spray the bumpers if you had got them in Avus in the first place?

I dislike Akoya immensly, my 2.0t was Akoya but it just looked pure silver and I sent my parents 380miles to buy it.. Avus is so much better!

 

[mookster]

Thanks mate. I think the wheels will look a little better once it's sitting a little lower, time will tell.

The exhaust is the standard rear box but with new tips welded on. When fitting the S3 bumper it became apparent the exhausts didn't line up with the cutout very well, so it was a cheap option to get something looking half decent

I have a guy that does my work for me so the bumpers and bonnet were £300 mates rates. The rear bumper was a scrappy purchase and it took a lot of effort, filling and smoothing to get it looking good, so I've got my moneys worth for sure.

Not a fan of the MFSW. There wasn't anything on the original wheel so it's not like I'd miss anything. It's a bit different too. Similarly I prefer the round wheel as opposed to the flat bottom one, it just feels more right for an S Line

I thought I quite liked Akoya, seems I quite like Avus *lol*

 

[mookster]

Mildly arty shot. Really shows up the factory tints from this angle

 

[mookster]

Not added anything for yonks, but have been enjoying the car in the meantime

I can also confirm that following the ecu update I've not had any cutting out issues, so for anyone who's still not done that with your 3.2, get it to your dealer, it's worth the few quid to sort.

Had some issues with the rear calipers ceasing up beyond a fixable state so have replaced rear calipers, discs and pads. Also took the opportunity to go a touch lower with some H&R springs, and also replaced rear shocks at the same time as they'd perished and were leaking some fluid. Ride is actually a little more comfy than standard s line harshness, but handling is still pleasant

Got myself a new reg plate, mainly to help promote my graphics business - one of the things I make is carbon fibre number plates using 2mm 5 ply pre-preg carbon then adding the graphic and finishing off with plenty of lacquer. Looking pretty smart on the beast