Bringing the S3 back from the dead. Advice needed!

Big_jim

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Hello.
You may have seen my adverts on Facebook over the past few months trying to sell an Ibis white S3.

Long story I'll quickly run through...

I bought the car in 2012 in Dolphin grey at 108k miles (ish).
I have a mate with a bodyshop and I decided (with him in my ear) to paint the car Ibis white to bring it upto date. Parts of the car were scuffed anyway so needed some paint, but wasn't bad at all.

After I got bored, my sister wanted it so she bought it off my and drove it for 2 years.
Looked after, kept serviced and when the suspension needed changing I got some coilovers for it (cheap ones I might add).

End of last year the she broke down. Would drive in all but first and second gear. Asked on here and looked elsewhere, everybody seemed to think gear selector rivet failure.
The car needed a bit of love, scuffed paint, passenger window regulator, dead pixels... she wanted a new car so bought an A5.

With the car sitting there, I rang around for prices to fix it, gearbox places wanted silly money and my mate who would normally do bits for me as a foreigner, didn't want to do it without a ramp.

I tried to sell the car for her, got a few people interested but no sale.
A mate wanted it but couldn't afford it, I let him have it on the grounds he would pay when he could.
Fast forward 6 months and the car has still not been worked on.
I now need a car as we only have 1 car and when the wife is at work, I'm left with no car (I use my motorbike for work).

SOO!
Here we are, with a new found will to get the car fixed.
I've found a garage that will swop the gearbox for reasonable money.
I've found gearboxes for sale for reasonable money.

Questions!
1. Will other gearboxes fit? Ie from a 2003 TT I have found.

2. Where is the best place to get a clutch and flywheel and do I need to change them really?

3. I thought it was slow, standard bar and induction kit with heat shield, am I going to see much improvement with a TIP and remap?

4. If I want 300 bhp or so, can it be do e without spending big money?

I'm moving house hopefully soon, so don't want it to be a money pit, and I know I'll get bored so probably want to sell it once I have sorted the house out and buy a beast.

Sorry I've gone on, just letting you know the situation if you've wondered why it was always for sale!
 
I'm sure I've seen this car around maypole with your sister driving it she looks familiar too where are you from?
 
It hasn't been driven for months but yeah she might have been round maypole.
 
Questions!
1. Will other gearboxes fit? Ie from a 2003 TT I have found.

Yes... needs to be 02M... there are some gearboxes later than 2003 (LCR is a prime example although not quattro obviously) which are essentially an 02Q and supposedly not as good as the original 02M but I am not sure if these ever got fitted to the TT in the last couple of years the Mk1 was produced...

TT quattro boxes came in 5 speed and 6 speed configurations... make sure its a 6 speed of course :)

2. Where is the best place to get a clutch and flywheel and do I need to change them really?

GSF or ECP for an LuK clutch and flywheel... its advisable to change them if you have no idea when it was done last... DMF's usually last 100k or so and clutches are around 150 quid for a kit (including concentric slave, don't forget to get one of those)... the amount of work required to change a clutch means its well worth doing if the box is coming off anyway especially if getting a garage to do it... use new flywheel bolts though... make sure thats done...

3. I thought it was slow, standard bar and induction kit with heat shield, am I going to see much improvement with a TIP and remap?

Yes... although how much of an improvement is subject to engine wear etc... see alot of these cars/engines and they are all different... old car, old engine...

4. If I want 300 bhp or so, can it be do e without spending big money?

Nope...

<tuffty/>
 
Yes... needs to be 02M... there are some gearboxes later than 2003 (LCR is a prime example although not quattro obviously) which are essentially an 02Q and supposedly not as good as the original 02M but I am not sure if these ever got fitted to the TT in the last couple of years the Mk1 was produced...

TT quattro boxes came in 5 speed and 6 speed configurations... make sure its a 6 speed of course :)



GSF or ECP for an LuK clutch and flywheel... its advisable to change them if you have no idea when it was done last... DMF's usually last 100k or so and clutches are around 150 quid for a kit (including concentric slave, don't forget to get one of those)... the amount of work required to change a clutch means its well worth doing if the box is coming off anyway especially if getting a garage to do it... use new flywheel bolts though... make sure thats done...



Yes... although how much of an improvement is subject to engine wear etc... see alot of these cars/engines and they are all different... old car, old engine...



Nope...

<tuffty/>
Cheers mate.
The car is now on 122k miles.
 
Cheers mate.
The car is now on 122k miles.

Get a compression test and a leak down test done on the engine... it will give a reasonable idea of the state of the bores etc...

Mileage means nothing in the grand scheme of things... have seen engines with 150k on them make 300hp (with all the right mods of course) and ones with less than 100k struggle to make much past std power... hugely subjective

<tuffty/>
 
Yup, thought this car went to a bloke in London with the gearbox issue? I'm guessing I saw this car around Solihull, driving around in primer aswell?
 
No it was never sold as such.
Wasn't driven around in primer either.
Car lived in knowle.
Will be back driving in Solihull within the next few weeks hopefully.
 
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No it was never sold as such.
Wasn't driven around in primer either.
Car lived in knowle.
Will be back driving in Solihull within the next few weeks hopefully.
I spotted it once in primer, or sanded down grey, driving between Knowle and Solihull. Other times, I've spotted it in White, driven by your sister, heading into Shirley. I followed her for 2 miles once in my black S3, on the way to work, don't think she noticed though lol....
 
I spotted it once in primer, or sanded down grey, driving between Knowle and Solihull. Other times, I've spotted it in White, driven by your sister, heading into Shirley. I followed her for 2 miles once in my black S3, on the way to work, don't think she noticed though lol....


What have you been told about following people without them l knowing.
 
Haha, yeah that's possible, and was probably me driving. I flat it down at my parents in knowle then drove it to the bodyshop in Tyseley for him to sort out properly.
I doubt she would have noticed you to be honest, she is female!
Pretty sure I saw you one coming out of browns lane.

Gearbox bought and paid for. It's from a 2003 TT 6 speed. Advert said it fit an S3 and he seems to be a breaker so I have faith.
Now to get the car to the garage.

How much damage would it do driving it 5 miles?
 
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Clutch won't be happy if all you can do is pull away in third but once rolling you 'should' be ok...

<tuffty/>
 
I thought that, but was worried if there was bits of rivet knocking around the gearbox!
 
I recognise the car too, good to see it getting back on the roads :)

Who is doing the work for you out of interest??
 
I recognise the car too, good to see it getting back on the roads :)

Who is doing the work for you out of interest??
Friend of a friend. Guys name is Darren but the garage is called Mike Knight. Just off the stratford road next to where the Johnson coaches used to be.
 
@Big_jim I know where you mean, on Farm Road.

Is it just the clutch/gearbox that needs to be done for the car to be back on the road?
 
Yes mate.
Needs a bit of paint, window regulator, fog light switch and the dead pixels in the clocks sorted but can't get it on the road and do them as I go.
 
No he sold it. Now works as a lifeguard.
 
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Bad news!
I'd finally got everything in order.
Gearbox got delivered Wednesday.
Got the clutch Thursday and had a recovery truck booked for Friday afternoon do he could get the gearbox changed today.
All was well (other than it being lower than I remember and an ar5e to get on the truck!)
Got a call at 7.30 this morning to say he didn't realise it was 4 wheel drive.

He thought it was 1/2 a day of work to do it but being 4 wheel drive he said it will take 1.5 days and hasn't got time as hrs going away tomorrow.
He also has no space for it so he's paid to get the car delivered back to me.

Gutted.
Not only is it not getting done but I can't see him honoring the price he'd quoted me.
£400 spent so far and got nothing!
 
A friend of a friend.
Mike Knight near Birmingham.
 
Did you get any further with getting this sorted mate??

Would be a shame not to see it back on the roads again.
 
Not as yet. I'm waiting for him to come back from his holiday.
Hopefully the price won't treble and I'll still get it done.
 
Bad news!
I'd finally got everything in order.
Gearbox got delivered Wednesday.
Got the clutch Thursday and had a recovery truck booked for Friday afternoon do he could get the gearbox changed today.
All was well (other than it being lower than I remember and an ar5e to get on the truck!)
Got a call at 7.30 this morning to say he didn't realise it was 4 wheel drive.

He thought it was 1/2 a day of work to do it but being 4 wheel drive he said it will take 1.5 days and hasn't got time as hrs going away tomorrow.
He also has no space for it so he's paid to get the car delivered back to me.

Gutted.
Not only is it not getting done but I can't see him honoring the price he'd quoted me.
£400 spent so far and got nothing!

Tell him to get felt! Its a 3 hour job. That's on a concrete drive not with the benefit of a 2 post lift and relevant lifting devices. Just one idiot and a couple of jacks.
 
3 hour job on a s3 I'd like to see that

Air tools help. Having done the job 3 times helps too.

Im used to working on beam line reactors and fusion torus' cars are childs play.