Goodbye Vauxhall (sort of), well hello Audi S3

[Harvey]

Hi folks, I’m new to the world of Audi ownership and this forum as the wife (who’s a petrol head) and I have been lifelong Vauxhall owners, we still have a few so more on that later. With the PSA take over Vauxhall no longer make anything that attracted us to remain brand loyal. We did test the water and venture away from Vauxhall around 5 years ago when we purchased a VW Touareg V10 Altitude to replace our Frontera estate. The V10 was an absolute pleasure to own and the genuine VCDS I bought at the time more than covered its costs chasing those darn PDC sensors, the thing had 12 which is mental. This sparked my interest in VAG as the build quality was amazing.

I’ve always done all my own vehicle maintenance as it’s a hobby for me but after lots of research and a final decision we decided to replace our faithful Vectra VXR Estate running a Stage 1 map but otherwise stock (300bhp/400lbft) with something a lot newer and so much better. After considering several differing makes and models we both wanted something hatch size with power, nice looking and totally different from what we had ever owned previously. The budget kept creeping up up and up so may I present out new ride being a FL December 2016 S3 with Tech Pack Advanced, a few other choice options and presented in the stunning Navarra blue.

We collected the car on 24th July so a huge thanks to Stoke Audi for pulling together a fantastic deal for us and a massive thanks goes out to Kamil Koziej Sales Executive for getting us exactly what we wanted plus much more than we thought was possible.

This being a rather newer vehicle than I’m use to and still having warranty I doubt I’ll get my hands very dirty but come the time I’ll just dive right in as there is little that scares me.

Back to what I was on about regarding our Vauxhall collect, I know not all of you will be bothered and I’m sure you are all diehard Audi fans but bear with me as you might like what I’m about to show you…….or not but I don’t care so here goes.

This is my garage weight which I’ve owned since 2001 and rarely sees the light of day. It’s one of only 37 produced by Vauxhall in 1997 to celebrate the launch of the Vectra Challenge series that ran as a support race alongside the BTCC. It’s a Vectra Super Touring 200, not to be confused with the lesser Super Touring model, with mine badged as build #0005. I nearly sold it a couple of years ago but the wife said I’d me mad and she was right so I’ll be keeping this one a long long time to come.

The wife bought her Astra mk3 Arctic back in 1999 as a 1.6 8v with aircon as standard. It made me laugh as you could feel the power being lost when you turned on the AC, such a pants engine. Fast forward a good few years and I worked my magic and stuck in a 3L V6 block+heads from an Omega, Calibra Turbo 6 speed greabox with Vectra B ancillaries along with full ABS from a Vectra B as it didn’t previously have it on the Astra. The engine was fully stripped and rebuilt by myself and all work except for the paint was completed by me on my drive. It now goes rather well and you no longer notice the AC being turned on, lol. I have a full build diary but this being an Audi forum you don’t want to see rusty Vauxhalls in pieces, believe me it’s so scary.

The last Vauxhall is my Astra mk2 track car which I purchased as a standard genuine 16v in 2004. It’s still road legal but painful on all the sensors and feels much more at home hooning around Donington Park (my local circuit) or other circuits around the country as and when. I’m planning on Anglesey circuit next year with Snet 300 also on the cards. My vision was a stock looking exterior, cage, buckets and snarly 2L Jenvey TB setup. After a 4 year initial build and 11 years of thrashing I completed a full engine nut/bolt/gasket/seal/shells/rings refresh over last Winter and it’s a little down tuned now, not that it’s noticeable as you floor it and it goes like hot snot through the Quaife SCCR box and Gripper LSD. Rebuilt to thrash all day long over and over again. It’s an on-going project as there’s always something that needs tweaking or sorting as I’m sure those who do track days will tell you. Again, I’ve got a full build diary but this is an Audi forum after all.

Back to the VAG thing as the wifey and I own a VW as the Touareg V10 that I mentioned earlier was replaced with an Amarok which we collected on 9th June. It’s darn huge and tows and carries with ease as well as being less thirsty as it’s a wee V6 with the AdBlue shizzle. This is another one I’m not going to get my hands dirty with for a while, oh well, more time to play with the track car and S3 before I get the Amarok remapped

I hope you enjoyed the read and I’ll keep this post updated as and when I have a tinker with the S3 and possibly some rusty Vauxhalls. First on my S3 list is the mud flaps but not the OE ‘they make me feel sick’ versions so watch this space.

 

[Harvey]

The S3 rolled over to have covered 10,000 miles yesterday on our way home from work, the wife & I are lucky enought to car share. Not bad for a 2 years 8 months old used car.

So to celebrate this momentous occasion I had a tweak in VCDS and activated the passenger mirror dip when reversing in bit 2 & 3 long coding for module 52. Works a treat and really does help to stop the nearside rims getting munched against gnarly stuff.

 

[Harvey]

Last weekend I set about doing a few planned jobs on the S3. One of which was to fit the aftermarket mudflaps having used the same flaps on the Vectra VXR Estate. I know it might be classes as a but ‘old man’ fitting flaps but the reason for me is to protect the paintwork from road rash. I’d seen pictures of the OE Audi efforts and to be honest they looked hideous plus they don’t fit the S3 without mods. The aftermarket mudflaps are easy(ish) to fit, great quality and silly cheap at £13.20 for 2x pairs from this eBay seller click me.

First thing was to convert to a flying car as I also had a couple of other plans with the wheels removed.

Front flaps measured with three fixing points made all into the plastic arch liner with the top fixing using a spacer to sit it correctly. While I was there the discs got a coating of Hammerite smooth silver on the bells and edges as they were just starting to turn nasty. All calipers and arch liners also received a clean.

With the wheels removed they got a clean, polish and wax to keep them looking good.

For the rear flaps they had one arch liner fixing hole made and I utilised the existing two lower bumper fixings with spacers to help align everything. I’m pleased with the outcome as the flaps look sleek but purposeful and give it a slightly wider look, but that’s probably my wibbly eyes.

A few arty snaps and token engine bay after it had a wipe over.

One thing I noted when viewing cars before we purchased this one was the state of the tailpipes. Do people always forget to wash them or is that just me being picky. Anyway, I’m please to report our S3 has immaculate tailpipes and I gave them a good Autosol polish a few days after getting it home to keep them bright and shiny.

 

[B5NUT]

Post in the A3 8V section you will get a lot more response as there are a lot of S3 owners on the forum

 

[Harvey]

This will be a long term diary/project so keeping things in here unless an admin thinks it'll be better else where.

 

[Harvey]

To keep the car tidy I had a hunt round for a fitted boot liner which varied in price substantially. In the end I found a brand that I’ve used previous very cheap. As they still slide a little when fitted I bought a 1m x 50mm strip of Velcro hook (rough side), cut it into three equal lengths and stuck to the underside of the liner. I made sure I could still access the boot floor handle and this has worked a treat with no more liner movement.

In the buying mood I grabbed myself a genuine cargo net which required a couple of small holes to fit the rear most fixing loops as the liner got in the way.

I couldn’t resist “Rob the Gecko” so surprised the wifey with a random midweek gift and he now lives in the S3 minus the huge tag.

 

[Harvey]

I couldn’t quite believe my eyes the other week as I car share with the wife traveling 12 miles each way to work. It’s mainly 30mph roads with the odd 40 and 50 and lots of queuing but with the schools off we were moving a little more than usual. Anyway we had 2 miles left before we reached work and I glanced down to be greeted by this! I still can’t believe a performance hatch can do these kind of mpg figures without me even trying, pure bonkers.

Another addition for the S3 was a set of Car Shades which I’d had in the previous daily as I wanted privacy for the rear seat area without getting the windows tinted. After checking out the price at Car Shades I knew they occasionally have 10%/15%/20% sales so I waited. Glad I did as I found a complete used as new set incorrectly listed on eBay for a third of the new price. I know they aren’t to every ones taste but they work for what we wanted.

 

[Harvey]

I said this would be a bit of other car stuff as well as an S3 diary so here’s a some Amarok fiddling. The hardtop that came with the Amarok didn’t have central locking which in todays age of technology was a real ball ache for me. After researching and speak with ‘the experts’ I was told it’s not possible to install central locking on my Avenger XTC hardtop. I wasn’t having this and had a sneaky suspicion I could get it to fit so ordered the kit anyway.

With a view from the underside of the tailgate in the open position. I started with this original none central locking handle.

Then removed the push rods and mechanical part.

Next was to remove the handle and extremely carefully cut the fiberglass away which sits flush with the glass along with opening up the external cover for full access to cut next to the glass.

I could then get the new handle and rear plate along with the central locking motor fitted after a little more trimming of the fiberglass.

All sorted and tapped into the fuel flap wiring and working perfectly. I then remade the external cover using perfectly colour coded gaffer tape to a full factory finish, looks just like l’d never been in there. Needless to say I dropped a note to ‘the experts’ to advise you can fit central locking the an Avenger XTC hardtop.

 

[Harvey]

To join soft & cuddly Rob I grabbed a cheap as chip smelly & hard ikle Robby to add some freshness to the inside of the S3

 

[Pedrödelabongo]

Hi und wilkommen zumAudi!

I also left Vauxhall - I don't think they'v made a decent car since the Omega B.
I had a drive in a mate's B7 3.0 diesel Quattro and it was miles better than any Vauxhall I'd had and I've had quite a few, from HB Vivas to Lotus Carlton.......ish.

Oh, don't expect Rob the air freshener to last very long....................

 

[Harvey]

I was on holiday earlier this month spectating at the WRC over in Wales when the DPF light popped on the Amarok dash. First time I’ve seen it since having a brand new DPF fitted under warranty back in July. Luckily I was cruising down a dual carriageway so I popped the auto box into manual and dropped down a couple of gears holding the revs above 3,000rpm, less than 10 mins later and the regen was done and the DPF light went out. It’s done just shy of 2,000miles since the DPF was fitted so I’ll keep a note of the mileage for the next time the light comes on for my own interest.

On the S3 front with Winter rapidly approaching and the weather turning nasty I’ve bought a set of genuine rubber mats so I can keep the Audi fluffy mats nice and fresh for using during the better parts of the year. Unfortunately you can’t buy genuine S3 branded floor mats in rhd so I’ve gone back to the cars roots and have the A3 logo in there to break up all the splattering of S3.

I was at Donington Park performing service crew duties for my mate with his Astra mk2 at the Dukeries Rally last Sunday. I ended up double servicing on the Nova as well as I’ve helped the Father/Son duo out in the past. Only issues on the Astra were 2nd gear wouldn’t select after the new Quaife direct rod shift was installed the other week plus a sticky brake pedal not returning to the top position. Gears were fixed by moving the lever forward 10mm and the brakes had an additional return spring added to the brake pedal and the pedal box got copious amounts of WD40 on the pivot mechanism. Both easy fixes and no further dramas. Car finished 22nd overall out of 80, 10th in class out of 22 with a very strong and competitive field on the day. If it wasn’t for the gear and brake issues we would have been further up the order and possibly in the fight for a class podium. Next upgrade on the car is a Quaife dog box as the current Quaife SCCR just isn’t cutting the mustard anymore.

Getting things ready for the day.

Lunchtime full spanner check.

Mid-afternoon pre stage prep.

All done for the day with no chicane or barrier damage plus both wing mirrors still attached which is a miracle.

 

[Harvey]

I also left Vauxhall - I don't think they'v made a decent car since the Omega B.

I've also had an Omega back in 2006 to 2008. A manual 2L base model estate but solid as a rock, mega comfy and reliable. Sold it for more than I bought it for which is always pleasing

After finding the VAG side I won't be going back to Vauxhall for daily drivers that's for sure.

 

[Harvey]

I decided to get the S3 on the rollers to get an official power figure so booked in with my local RR being Dyno-Tech in Ripley, Derbyshire. They are only 10 mins down the road from me and I’ve used them a few times over the years. I have always found their rollers very accurate and they look after your vehicles unlike others out there. They offer 2wd or 4wd runs so I opted for 4wd, not that it matters if I had only ran in 2wd with the fuse pulled.

Loaded, strapped and ready for action.

The real world scores on the doors are 298bhp/314ftlb with the Audi claimed book figures of 306bhp/295ftlb. I’m more than happy with what it’s producing and with currently 11,172miles under its belt I now have a base figure should I decide to go down the tuning route…mmm POWER!!!

For those keen eyed folks yes I’ve changed the plate as it’s a private reg and I have the same on the Amarok with the last two letters transposed, I know, posh or what

 

[jimojameso]

Congrats on the new purchase. Very nice. Interesting collection of cars you have there as well. Good work!

 

[Damo S]

I had a Cavalier V6 many moons ago. Lovely sounding engine (2.5 v6), stupid gear ratios (70 in 2nd, 110 in 3rd), not hugely quick really, handled like a wheelbarrow full of water, but loved the car anyway.

 

[pburv]

I had a Cavalier V6 many moons ago. Lovely sounding engine (2.5 v6), stupid gear ratios (70 in 2nd, 110 in 3rd), not hugely quick really, handled like a wheelbarrow full of water, but loved the car anyway.

Had a vectra with a 2.5 v6 also...Lovely under stressed engine. I took it to France many moons ago and was puzzled at the fuel gauge going up in miles??? Travelling around Normandy at 40mph everywhere. lol

 

[Jcbmally]

Hi folks, I’m new to the world of Audi ownership and this forum as the wife (who’s a petrol head) and I have been lifelong Vauxhall owners, we still have a few so more on that later. With the PSA take over Vauxhall no longer make anything that attracted us to remain brand loyal. We did test the water and venture away from Vauxhall around 5 years ago when we purchased a VW Touareg V10 Altitude to replace our Frontera estate. The V10 was an absolute pleasure to own and the genuine VCDS I bought at the time more than covered its costs chasing those darn PDC sensors, the thing had 12 which is mental. This sparked my interest in VAG as the build quality was amazing.

I’ve always done all my own vehicle maintenance as it’s a hobby for me but after lots of research and a final decision we decided to replace our faithful Vectra VXR Estate running a Stage 1 map but otherwise stock (300bhp/400lbft) with something a lot newer and so much better. After considering several differing makes and models we both wanted something hatch size with power, nice looking and totally different from what we had ever owned previously. The budget kept creeping up up and up so may I present out new ride being a FL December 2016 S3 with Tech Pack Advanced, a few other choice options and presented in the stunning Navarra blue.

We collected the car on 24th July so a huge thanks to Stoke Audi for pulling together a fantastic deal for us and a massive thanks goes out to Kamil Koziej Sales Executive for getting us exactly what we wanted plus much more than we thought was possible.

This being a rather newer vehicle than I’m use to and still having warranty I doubt I’ll get my hands very dirty but come the time I’ll just dive right in as there is little that scares me.

Back to what I was on about regarding our Vauxhall collect, I know not all of you will be bothered and I’m sure you are all diehard Audi fans but bear with me as you might like what I’m about to show you…….or not but I don’t care so here goes.

This is my garage weight which I’ve owned since 2001 and rarely sees the light of day. It’s one of only 37 produced by Vauxhall in 1997 to celebrate the launch of the Vectra Challenge series that ran as a support race alongside the BTCC. It’s a Vectra Super Touring 200, not to be confused with the lesser Super Touring model, with mine badged as build #0005. I nearly sold it a couple of years ago but the wife said I’d me mad and she was right so I’ll be keeping this one a long long time to come.

The wife bought her Astra mk3 Arctic back in 1999 as a 1.6 8v with aircon as standard. It made me laugh as you could feel the power being lost when you turned on the AC, such a pants engine. Fast forward a good few years and I worked my magic and stuck in a 3L V6 block+heads from an Omega, Calibra Turbo 6 speed greabox with Vectra B ancillaries along with full ABS from a Vectra B as it didn’t previously have it on the Astra. The engine was fully stripped and rebuilt by myself and all work except for the paint was completed by me on my drive. It now goes rather well and you no longer notice the AC being turned on, lol. I have a full build diary but this being an Audi forum you don’t want to see rusty Vauxhalls in pieces, believe me it’s so scary.

The last Vauxhall is my Astra mk2 track car which I purchased as a standard genuine 16v in 2004. It’s still road legal but painful on all the sensors and feels much more at home hooning around Donington Park (my local circuit) or other circuits around the country as and when. I’m planning on Anglesey circuit next year with Snet 300 also on the cards. My vision was a stock looking exterior, cage, buckets and snarly 2L Jenvey TB setup. After a 4 year initial build and 11 years of thrashing I completed a full engine nut/bolt/gasket/seal/shells/rings refresh over last Winter and it’s a little down tuned now, not that it’s noticeable as you floor it and it goes like hot snot through the Quaife SCCR box and Gripper LSD. Rebuilt to thrash all day long over and over again. It’s an on-going project as there’s always something that needs tweaking or sorting as I’m sure those who do track days will tell you. Again, I’ve got a full build diary but this is an Audi forum after all.

Back to the VAG thing as the wifey and I own a VW as the Touareg V10 that I mentioned earlier was replaced with an Amarok which we collected on 9th June. It’s darn huge and tows and carries with ease as well as being less thirsty as it’s a wee V6 with the AdBlue shizzle. This is another one I’m not going to get my hands dirty with for a while, oh well, more time to play with the track car and S3 before I get the Amarok remapped

I hope you enjoyed the read and I’ll keep this post updated as and when I have a tinker with the S3 and possibly some rusty Vauxhalls. First on my S3 list is the mud flaps but not the OE ‘they make me feel sick’ versions so watch this space.

Welcome (I;m late to the party ahem) and very nice collection, I'm an ex Astra GTE (D reg) and loved the car, rev counter was futuristic in its day IMO. The rare Vectra looks cool as well mate. Enjoy the S3 as they are a remarkable car.

 

[Scottk]

I’m also an ex Astra owner. My first 2 cars were a 1985 GTE 4 door with the 1.8 l engine and then a 1988 16v GTE. Great cars but got rear ended on the north circular in the first one! Insurance was mental though.
Digital dash and great recaro seats. Quite often came out of my flat and found a dent, wing mirror hanging off or the front washers on the ground. Eventually left the front washers in the car. (we lived in Wood Green, London and the parking wasn’t great)

 

[THQuattro]

Welcome mate and good work with your cars
I had a GTE as a company car and i did love it but it nearly killed me a few times.

 

[Harvey]

Thanks for the fab welcome folks. The S3 has certainly opened the wife's & my eyes to life after Vauxhall dailys as we both love it to bits.

As the wife seems to tell everyone "The S3 is mine (hers) & the Amarok is ours". I'll have to get her a t-shirt with that quote on as it always makes me chuckle.

 

[Jcbmally]

Thanks for the fab welcome folks. The S3 has certainly opened the wife's & my eyes to life after Vauxhall dailys as we both love it to bits.

As the wife seems to tell everyone "The S3 is mine (hers) & the Amarok is ours". I'll have to get her a t-shirt with that quote on as it always makes me chuckle.

Like most of us we know our place, I've said it before mate that I'm number 5 on the list behind wife, daughter and 2 x dogs BUT I'M IN CHARGE of the TV remote control when SWMBO is out lol

 

[Damo S]

Had a vectra with a 2.5 v6 also...Lovely under stressed engine. I took it to France many moons ago and was puzzled at the fuel gauge going up in miles??? Travelling around Normandy at 40mph everywhere. lol

The vectra had a chunk more power I believe: 195bhp instead of 170 for the cavalier. The difference was the cams, which was something I had wanted to upgrade but never got around to doing.

 

[Damo S]

Like most of us we know our place, I've said it before mate that I'm number 5 on the list behind wife, daughter and 2 x dogs BUT I'M IN CHARGE of the TV remote control when SWMBO is out lol

haha same (wife, 2 daughters, 2 cats, many fish, me)

 

[Harvey]

Gave the S3 a wash last Sunday and as the weather was nice the tailpipes got a good going over with Autosol. So far so good with no pitting and all four still looking fresh and clean but it’s only a matter of time so I’ll do my best to prolong their life.

Popped to Costco this week and found Castrol on offer so grabbed a tub for topping up both daily’s should I ever need to. Bargain at less than £20 for 4L.

The all-important VW 504.00 spec for the petrol (S3 in my case or is that the wife!) and 507.00 for the diesel (Amarok).

 

[reefer110]

I cant see ay pics in this thread, just me?

 

[Jcbmally]

I cant see ay pics in this thread, just me?

They are all there for me.

 

[reefer110]

They are all there for me.

Strange, can see them via Safari but not using Chrome.

 

[Harvey]

Had a slight issue with the S3 which I noted in late October. The right rear outer tail light had damp inside the unit. Below is a daytime and night-time picture showing the ingress which was getting worse. It's the LED cluster version so I'm sure the damp would eventually have killed the unit.

I contacted Audi Customer Servicers who didn't want to know and simply informed me it wasn't covered under warranty and to try my local Audi dealers. I popped to Nottingham Audi who insisted I needed to book the car in for them to investigate. I went through the process of booking it in and near the end I was informed there would be a £198 diagnostic change if it's not covered under warranty and this would be retrospective charge depending on how long the diagnostics took. Alarm bells rang in my head at this point as Audi Customer Services had already said it wasn't covered under warranty and I wasn't getting the helpful main dealer vibes so I told the dealer to stuff their ridiculous charge and walked out.
A bit of research later and I obtained a mint used lamp cluster for £50 delivered. When it arrived it was indeed perfect and 5 mins later it was fitted and the issue is now sorted. The old cluster has been left to dry out and is now fine, so I'll keep it as a spare just in case I have issues with the replacement.

Replacement unit installed, happy and dry inside.

 

[Harvey]

I noticed the front wipers were getting smeary so only the best will do when it comes to safety and I did my usual and purchased Bosch, more specifically the Aero A864S (twin pack, rhd, front pair).

As you can see from the packaging these are a direct fit for all the 8V range.

 

[Harvey]

Happy birthday S3 as it’s 3 years old yesterday from first registration

To celebrate I booked it in at my local indy garage Betta Fit Auto Centre who are opposite Ikea Nottingham. I’ve been using them for a few years and they’ve done bits ‘n’ bobs for me when I don’t have time as well as all my MOTs, top peeps who come highly recommended and specialise in VAG plus everything else. I usually do all my own servicing but as the car is so young I thought I’d keep the garage service records flowing for a little while longer. It’s only covered a smidge over 2k since Stoke Audi did the works & serviced everything including Haldex oil, brake fluid plus MOT back in June. The cars now covered 12,048 miles and so far all is good keeping those fingers tightly crossed…it’s an Audi so what could go wrong! The license for the MMI was due to expire today but a mail to Audi Stoke last month sorted another 12 months free Google maps overlay and online POI search as that’s all the wife and I use it for.

 

[Jcbmally]

Happy birthday S3 as it’s 3 years old yesterday from first registration

only 12048 miles isn't even run in yet

 

[pburv]

only 12048 miles isn't even run in yet

I had to force myself to reduce the mileage on my car when I first had it..Just over 5k in the first year.....PCP on 5k a year....It was very difficult to do I can tell you lol

 

[pburv]

Happy birthday S3 as it’s 3 years old yesterday from first registration

To celebrate I booked it in at my local indy garage Betta Fit Auto Centre who are opposite Ikea Nottingham. I’ve been using them for a few years and they’ve done bits ‘n’ bobs for me when I don’t have time as well as all my MOTs, top peeps who come highly recommended and specialise in VAG plus everything else. I usually do all my own servicing but as the car is so young I thought I’d keep the garage service records flowing for a little while longer. It’s only covered a smidge over 2k since Stoke Audi did the works & serviced everything including Haldex oil, brake fluid plus MOT back in June. The cars now covered 12,048 miles and so far all is good keeping those fingers tightly crossed…it’s an Audi so what could go wrong! The license for the MMI was due to expire today but a mail to Audi Stoke last month sorted another 12 months free Google maps overlay and online POI search as that’s all the wife and I use it for.

Blatant plug lol Hope you get a discount.

 

[Harvey]

I decided to rotate the wheels front to back today to even tyre wear.

While they were removed they had an inside rim clean and came up lovely. Also gave the calipers a wipe clean while I had the access.

My trusty Ryobi impact gun is a decent piece of kit and comes recommended if you’re thinking of investing. If anyone needs to know wheel torque is 120Nm.

All done and back on the ground looking fresh and clean.

A mate of mine had a customer commission some VW emblems earlier this year so he gave me one of the samples in brass. It finally got hung on the Christmas tree after I found it having totally forgot about it. The wife loves it, so glad she’s a petrol head

 

[Harvey]

The wife & I attended our annual Boxing day racing fix with a trip to Mallory Park for The Plum Pudding event. It’s a good mix of racing with both motor bikes and cars with all sorts turning up and split into Saloon and Sports for the cars and this year all the motor bikes in a single race. The day was very wet so a number of car and bike crashes were inevitable, poor things. If you have never attended it’s well worth the trip. This was the grid for the Saloon race with a mishmash of tin tops. The Escort Cosworth at the back was darn quick but the Astra mk2 ever so nearly had the win in a very wet race two pushing the Escort all the way to the end.

Christmas day came and went as fast as ever and the ikle S3 wasn’t left without as the bro-in-law bought it a new Gecko air freshener. This white one smells a little spicy compared to the red one we had in their previously.

 

[Peto]

Last weekend I set about doing a few planned jobs on the S3. One of which was to fit the aftermarket mudflaps having used the same flaps on the Vectra VXR Estate. I know it might be classes as a but ‘old man’ fitting flaps but the reason for me is to protect the paintwork from road rash. I’d seen pictures of the OE Audi efforts and to be honest they looked hideous plus they don’t fit the S3 without mods. The aftermarket mudflaps are easy(ish) to fit, great quality and silly cheap at £13.20 for 2x pairs from this eBay seller click me.

First thing was to convert to a flying car as I also had a couple of other plans with the wheels removed.

Front flaps measured with three fixing points made all into the plastic arch liner with the top fixing using a spacer to sit it correctly. While I was there the discs got a coating of Hammerite smooth silver on the bells and edges as they were just starting to turn nasty. All calipers and arch liners also received a clean.

With the wheels removed they got a clean, polish and wax to keep them looking good.

For the rear flaps they had one arch liner fixing hole made and I utilised the existing two lower bumper fixings with spacers to help align everything. I’m pleased with the outcome as the flaps look sleek but purposeful and give it a slightly wider look, but that’s probably my wibbly eyes.

A few arty snaps and token engine bay after it had a wipe over.

One thing I noted when viewing cars before we purchased this one was the state of the tailpipes. Do people always forget to wash them or is that just me being picky. Anyway, I’m please to report our S3 has immaculate tailpipes and I gave them a good Autosol polish a few days after getting it home to keep them bright and shiny.

I wash exhausts quite often

 

[Peto]

Post in the A3 8V section you will get a lot more response as there are a lot of S3 owners on the forum

What are you talking about? There is no any separated a3 section or s3 it combined together here with all audi series.. Don't understand your meaning

 

[Peto]

I decided to get the S3 on the rollers to get an official power figure so booked in with my local RR being Dyno-Tech in Ripley, Derbyshire. They are only 10 mins down the road from me and I’ve used them a few times over the years. I have always found their rollers very accurate and they look after your vehicles unlike others out there. They offer 2wd or 4wd runs so I opted for 4wd, not that it matters if I had only ran in 2wd with the fuse pulled.

Loaded, strapped and ready for action.

The real world scores on the doors are 298bhp/314ftlb with the Audi claimed book figures of 306bhp/295ftlb. I’m more than happy with what it’s producing and with currently 11,172miles under its belt I now have a base figure should I decide to go down the tuning route…mmm POWER!!!

For those keen eyed folks yes I’ve changed the plate as it’s a private reg and I have the same on the Amarok with the last two letters transposed, I know, posh or what

You NEVER EVER use front wheels only dyno run ON quattro cars! As dyno rotates fronts only and rears are stooped you overheating drastically and destroying gears on the back where gears are connected to the rear wheels!!! So never do it : for proper explanation and some un-knowledged owners did it on s3 when tuning here :


Repair and diagnose starts at 7:20 so skip to that time...

 

[B5NUT]

What are you talking about? There is no any separated a3 section or s3 it combined together here with all audi series.. Don't understand your meaning

This thread was originally started in the "The Project room" section of the forum and it's been moved here.. (After my post) Also I talked about the A3 8V section not the S3 section, I just said there are a lot of S3 owners on the 8V section..

 

[Harvey]

Since purchasing the S3 we known the paint required some proper loving as it was swirltastic everywhere, especially so in bright sunshine. I’m good at keeping my vehicles clean and tidy but don’t have the expertise for pro detailing so arranged for a friend to sort it. The car was dropped off at 9am on Saturday and for the first time ever someone else washed a vehicle wifey and I owned. Heavy detergent wash then rinse before the good stuff started.

As there was nothing I could do and I love walking I headed the 10 miles home on foot. During this time I was send some alarming pictures before the first pass using the cutting compound. You really don’t realise just how bad it is unless you use an ultra-bright torch up close and personal.

Some parts were that bad the wet ‘n’ dry came out!

As my mate does this as a hobby at home he cracked on with it late into Saturday night and with both cutting passes done the ceramic coat was applied and left to cure overnight.

On Sunday morning the top sealer was applied, tires dressed and some minor interior leather cleaning was completed before I was collected early afternoon.

Here’s some of the products used to help turn a swirly mess into a lush finish. A sponge pad was initially used on the machine polisher, but it was swapped for a microfibre pad for a better finish. I'm sure all you detailing peeps will know what this lot is but all I know is how to keep my vehicles clean and running sweet.

I popped the car round to my parents after collecting it and had a good look round. The finish is amazing and I’m over the moon now all the darn swirls have been banished. As I said I’m no detailer but hopefully now I can keep it clean without any swirls shouting “HELLO” every time the sun pops its head out. Huge thanks to Alex for his skills and determination…keeeeeep polishing.