My Belated build thread

[S3AMJ]

Hi everyone,

Some may remember me and some of you are new. I’ve come back on to the scene after about a year and a half as things were changing. Now working and living in London and settled in, I’m now able to give my S3 a little bit of TLC that it deserves. Nice to see a few of the old school owners still on here and sorry to hear about those that are no longer. Life throws all sorts our way.

Anyway, I should have started this thread about 3 years ago when I first bought the car, but to bring everyone up to speed.... the following is what I have fitted/changed.

Bilstein B8 shocks
Apex 30mm springs
Milltek non-res catback
Audi RSTT 18” genuine alloys
Goodyear Aysemetric 3 225/40/18
20mm spacers rear and 10mm spacers front

Nice subtle changes to bring the car up to date. The things I did have but have removed were.

De-cat pipe
Oddessy extreme racing 680 battery
Large K’n’N filter like @superkarl

Only reason why I removed the race battery was because the car went into storage and those batteries really don’t like being fully discharged.

 

[S3AMJ]

Some things I did today, gave the car a deep clean in and out, I use autoglym car shampoo and conditioner, clay bar, poorboys black hole and collinite no 845 wax.

Changed the light module which was looking very sorry for itself, the replacement isn’t soft touch but you wouldn’t notice to being on its own

Changed the gearknob and gater for an Audi S3 8P, the chrome on mine had gotten sharp and was cutting my hand!

I also made a start on my PCV simplification! Nothing worse than vacuum leaks, so ripped it all out and it was split in 3 places, and the elbow coming from the oil filter housing was a F@#ker to get out!

Still waiting on parts to come to finish this, so won’t be another couple weeks until I get another chance to do more.

Lastly I changed the steering wheel badge, was contemplating changing the steering wheel for the S3 8V flat bottom.... might still do it later on down the line a long with the RNS-E.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tj 0785]

Some things I did today, gave the car a deep clean in and out, I use autoglym car shampoo and conditioner, clay bar, poorboys black hole and collinite no 845 wax.

Changed the light module which was looking very sorry for itself, the replacement isn’t soft touch but you wouldn’t notice to being on its own

Changed the gearknob and gater for an Audi S3 8P, the chrome on mine had gotten sharp and was cutting my hand!

I also made a start on my PCV simplification! Nothing worse than vacuum leaks, so ripped it all out and it was split in 3 places, and the elbow coming from the oil filter housing was a F@#ker to get out!

Still waiting on parts to come to finish this, so won’t be another couple weeks until I get another chance to do more.

Lastly I changed the steering wheel badge, was contemplating changing the steering wheel for the S3 8V flat bottom.... might still do it later on down the line a long with the RNS-E.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

if doing the flat bottom steering wheel you don’t want the s3 8v one you want the s4/5 one with mode button on as when I spoke to HazzyDayz they said the other you won’t get the controls working properly

 

[S3AMJ]

Cheers TJ I’ll keep that in mind if I decide to do it, alternatively could use the S3 8P steering wheel and bypass the secondary airbag sensor. That said it’s far far away from happening, power steering hose was leaking today so I’ll be replacing that next. Along with various other stuff.

 

[S3AMJ]

Treated my leather seats to colourlock mild cleaner and conditioner cream with UV protection. The cars outside and not used so trying to keep them from getting damaged

Fitted my genuine floor mats as well, can certainly see the difference from what the original carpet should have looked like!

After I put everything almost back together in the engine bay, still waiting on my oil catch can, I have it a good soaking in engine degreaser, I sprayed all the electrical connections with WD40 beforehand to protect them before rinsing.

3 years ago when I bought the car I noticed a smoke smell, previous owner was a heavy smoker. An almost impossible thing to rid of! But I researched into “fogging” basically you buy/hire and o-zone generator, plug it in, shout the doors and windows, turn it on and leave for 2 Hours..... it breaks down bacteria, odours and anything else that lives in your car, I.e. spiders, flys you name it. With that said, do not inhale for long periods the stuff that comes out of this device, it WILL kill you.

I bought this off amazon for around £100 and has 5000 hours before you need to change the plate inside. You can use it in your house, etc too.

Once it’s finished doing its thing, leave for about an hour before entering in the car again.... odours all gone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

Typically I get back home to London and what’s that in the porch? My new oil catch can, will have to wait a couple weeks before I can fit it when I go to where my cars stored.

This will give you a comparison of the two as I’ve not sent it back yet, waiting on the eBay seller......

As you can see, similar, but build quality is miles apart!

The new one has a much bigger baffle and it looks like it’s in 2 stages, removable as well for cleaning.

Holds just under a pint of oil/gunge and a very easy, simple way to empty. Less is more they say!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

Nothing to interesting to note, ordered a load of parts, paint, bits and bobs to tidy up the car. Contemplating on going ahead with a hybrid setup...

Bought a lovely pair of LCR brembo’s from @SamHendry which I’m going to give an overhaul, and he kindly threw in some braided lines and a pair of MTEC 323mm drilled and grooved discs.

The discs had a fair amount of rust on them, but nothing this old trick can’t sort out!

That’s right folks good old £4 bottle of white vinegar!

I left the discs to soak for around 48 Hours as you can see the vinegar boils the rust off, all I did then was empty the bucket and rinsed them off with water! Taa daaa. Almost like new. It does inside the vents, the lot.

I’ll give them a good spray with clutch and brake cleaner, let them dry fully and a light dusting a VHT Matt silver paint at the weekend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

Decided to get these done before the weekend. Freeing up some time to spend with the misses.... got to keep her sweet!

Lots of brake cleaner and wiping to remove all the residue left from the vinegar.

Then a couple thin coats of VHT matte silver paint. Don’t think they turned out to bad at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

Little update, been trying to catch up with stuff on the car.... time is not on my side. That and my car is 170miles away from me!

So finished all the forge coolant hoses and replaced my expansion tank and cap, filled up and no leaks! That was the easy job

Then I went on to replace both power steering cooler pipes, one from the power steering pump to steering rake had rusted badly and split, the other one that loops under the radiator to two flex hoses under the passenger wheel area had rusted beyond belief! Only a matter of time before that split..... so out with the old and in with the new.

Filled up with power steering fluid, turned the steering wheel left to right several times, checking for leaks and all good to go again.

Finally got round to finishing my PCV simplification! So removed the old servo pipe and replaced with a silicone hose, I pulled all the old PCV pipework out a month or two ago, badly split in 2-3 areas. Had to fabricate a mounting bracket for my catch can to attach to the bulkhead.

Made this from 0.9mm stainless steel, kind of wished I’d gone for 1.2mm. Might change this again at some point.

Just mocking it up making sure it fits and doesn’t foul on anything.

Sprayed it up with my favourite paint VHT black wrinkle!

As you can see, it’s nicely tucked out the way, retaining full OEM-ness. To empty all I have to do is pull the air box out and unscrew the bottom of the catch can. However I’ll be changing the airbox somewhat when I further progress with the hybrid set up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stuart B]

When are you junking the stock tip and air intake?

 

[S3AMJ]

When are you junking the stock tip and air intake?

That’ll be all going when I give the car to Bill to whack on the AET hybrid turbo setup.... just want to get the car all ready before hand. Get rid of all the niggggly bits that I can do. Fitting brembo’s and FMIC will be next on my list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

A busy weekend to catch up on a few things, managed to get my Airtec intercooler fitted.... getting the bumper back on took longer than anything else!

While I had the bumper off I cut this section out to allow more cooler air into the engine bay, will look at covertly adding some ducting here.

I didn’t like where Airtec suggested fitting the horns and ambient air temp sensor, so I tucked it away under the passenger side headlight, using there brackets and the one off the original for the Ambient air temp sensor.

All a bit of a squeeze, the pipes are right up against the bumper, even after lots of trimming!

But with plenty of patients and a few ciders.... I trimmed everything so the bumper and grills went on nicely.

While I had the bumper off it was time to finally fit my lovely headlights I bought off Trups. You can see the difference between the old tired headlights and the new ones!

Now because I removed the center connecting pipe between the two SMIC’s I needed to make up a couple brackets to hold the lower powering steering cooling pipe. I made these brackets out of the off cut from the crash bar. I’ll paint these at some point.

After I done all this and packed my tools away, I’d realised I forgotten to connect the washer hose back to the headlight jets...... typical! Anyway that’s for another day.

Next will be fitting my brembo brakes and relocating the battery into the boot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JonnyDerv]

It’s not as easy to fit as airtec make out is it?

 

[S3AMJ]

It’s not as easy to fit as airtec make out is it?

Haha no is it hell! Took me 4 Hours to do it in the end?! 2 of those was trimming the bumper! I’ve still got to work out how I’m going to connect up the MAP sensor pipe. I’m pulling out the original and replacing it with a bigger one. I’ve got the room now the battery isn’t going to be there. But the Airtec silicone pipe to it is at completely the wrong angle for a straight connection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

Busy on with the car this weekend, suffering from a bad back has hindered me so had to do some low key stuff.

Managed to get the battery in the boot thanks to @Tuffty write up in his thread. Got all the bits I needed and got stuck into it.

As you can see, just part of an Audi A3 8P boot high density foam spacer, requires some trimming. Will fit the rest when I get more time.

Fitted my RNS-E as well thanks to lots of info on here. Had to swap round some pins in one of the sockets oddly, but fits fine now.

Fitted a treat, I decided to keep the chrome trim at the bottom, mainly because I hashed up a bit of trimming on the head unit. It wasn’t straight for about an inch on the left. The chrome trim hides it well and gives it a clean look I think.

Bought a VCDS cable and installed Windows 10 on my MacBook Pro, coded the RNS-E and did a few other adaptions while I was at it! Buying the VCDS cable is something everyone should budget for £225 well spent! I only opted for the 3 VIN as I figured I’d be keeping my S3 for a long, long time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[basil brush]

Lol , I considered installing windows on my Mac to run VCDS but gave my head a wobble and decided it would be like putting a 1.6 pinto in a Lamborghini I opted for a cheap windows laptop just for car stuff
The RNSE looks awesome , wish I could be bothered to do it .

 

[S3AMJ]

Lol , I considered installing windows on my Mac to run VCDS but gave my head a wobble and decided it would be like putting a 1.6 pinto in a Lamborghini I opted for a cheap windows laptop just for car stuff
The RNSE looks awesome , wish I could be bothered to do it .

Thanks mate, honestly I couldn’t believe how easy to to, fitting is a job of going back and forth with the trimming... coding was straight forward. Well worth it plus I managed to get my RNS-E for £200 with 2018 maps and radio code! Real bargain....

Getting windows in Mac now is much easier with BOOTCAMP. You can boot up between the two with ease, just make a small partition on the Mac with bootcamp and a install a (Free) copy of windows 10 Pro 64 Bit from Microsoft’s website and your away. Just needed the VCDS cable and a USB-C to USB-A dongle and good to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[<tuffty/>]

Getting windows in Mac now is much easier with BOOTCAMP

I use virtual box and run win 7 in a VM... not quite as good as running natively but I have windows machines and just want to be able to use windows like any other app on my Mac for looking at my logs or doing map tweaks

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

I use virtual box and run win 7 in a VM... not quite as good as running natively but I have windows machines and just want to be able to use windows like any other app on my Mac for looking at my logs or doing map tweaks

<tuffty/>

That’s a good way of doing it, I was going to do that, saves having to rebooting between the two. I was quite surprised how well the Mac ran windows 10 on it natively! The track pad kicks *** still against any other windows based laptops I’ve used in the past.

I was doing some logs yesterday on Block 032..... I’ve still had to run the car without the MAF plugged in, either that’s faulty or I’ve got a serious air leak somewhere because the second you plug it in, car dies and will not start with it plugged in. I was getting 6.9% short term and 0% long term, would I be right in assuming I’ll be getting that over-fuelling because the MAF is unplugged. Trying to diagnose weather it’s either the MAF or an air leak


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[<tuffty/>]

If its adding fuel (positive) on short term it could be an air leak in the PCV...

MAF's normally under read when faulty so that too can cause more fuel to be added

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

If its adding fuel (positive) on short term it could be an air leak in the PCV...

MAF's normally under read when faulty so that too can cause more fuel to be added

<tuffty/>

Thanks PT, I think I’m going re-position my catch can now I’ve got that extra space in the engine bay and do a smoke test. Once that’s sorted and I’m happy with it, can only be the MAF then I guess. Couple more bits and bobs and I’ll be then booking it in with Bill


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[S3AMJ]

Little bit of tinkering this weekend. Nothing too exciting!

Fitted my OEM Audi Bluetooth module and 12 pin AUX cable.

Took a little bit of patience with the coding side getting it all to communicate with each other, but the DIS, RNS-E and Aux cable all work in harmony now. Very happy with the results.

This is the OEM microphone I bought which fits perfectly in the little slot. Some slight trimming is needed though so you can fit the interior light trim back on.

Then was the issue with the colossal amount of cabling with two adaptors required, one for the RNS-E quadlock to the Audi S3 8L radio sockets, one for the OEM Audi A3 8P Bluetooth module to quadlock and microphone. But fortunately on the left hand side of the headunit (glovebox side) there’s plenty of room to tuck it all there so the headunit slides back without any issues.

I fitted my Bluetooth module behind the glovebox like this, this was the perfect place for it, almost as if it was meant to be put there! Couple of cable ties to secure it and all done.

Last thing I needed to do was to make a small drill hole at the bottom of the glovebox to allow the AUX 3.5mm jack lead to poke through.

I have bought a Bluetooth receiver to plug into this so I can connect my phone up to it, but I forgot to bring it with me. So I’ll add a 12v feed into the glovebox next time and add this as well. All hidden nicely in the glovebox.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hydro s3]

I'm liking these headunits that are fitted. It really smartens the inside up. This will have to go on my to do list.

 

[S3AMJ]

I'm liking these headunits that are fitted. It really smartens the inside up. This will have to go on my to do list.

They are becoming a much more affordable upgrade now. It’s cost me £410 all together. That’s for the a really good condition RNS-E mk1 headunit, S3 8L adaptor, GPS, A3 8P Bluetooth module, RNS-E mk1 adaptor, microphone, 12 Pin Aux cable and an Anker 3.5mm Bluetooth receiver with auto connect.

 

[hydro s3]

Where did you get the head unit? Was it of the usual places like eBay,gumtree or face book?

 

[S3AMJ]

Where did you get the head unit? Was it of the usual places like eBay,gumtree or face book?

I found it on eBay, it was one of the many items I keep a look out for.... I can get a bit OTT when it comes to things like this. Making sure I get the best for my money. All comes down to doing the research mate. Making sure you get the ones with the right codes, if it’s come off a car with low mileage, etc. I was lucky and picked up a real bargain because it’s in mint condition, no scratches on the screen or buttons, came with the latest firmware and 2018 maps and the most important thing, the radio code! But I believe there are ways around the radio code.....

You do have to have VCDS too, or know someone who has it for coding.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hydro s3]

What codes should I look out for?
Is it best to look out for one from as new a car as I can?

 

[S3AMJ]

So my RNS-E is - 8E0 035 192 (D) H72 0450

The last letter is an indication of its manufacture year. So mines 2006... The last letter that came out for the RNS-E mk1 was (T) I believe. So that would be the best one to go for, as it’s the youngest. That being said, any of them as long as it’s in good condition. Because the firmware will get updated with the latest Audi maps DVD. So this RNS-E I got had the firmware version 0450 when it was manufactured, but now with the 2018 Audi maps DVD it’s 0650. Hope that makes some sense.

As for cable adaptors, etc. That’s easy to find via a quick search on eBay usually from a German seller.

The Audi Bluetooth Module you will want is - 8P0862335H

Then you’ll need to get hold of an adaptor for the RNS-E quadlock to the module and microphone. Again a quick search on eBay.

Then there’s the coding you need to do once fitted with VCDS.

Which basically means going into navigation or radio in VCDS and then coding. Change the value depending on your setup. i.e. CD changer, Bose, aux, telephonics, etc.

I ended up with the code - 0509751

And I changed the code for the Bluetooth module as well. To do that you have to go to Direct entry 77. You have to do that because there isn’t a 77 entry button to press on. Once in there go to coding.

I ended up with the code - 0010322

Soon as I done this, I had full integration with my Phone, DIS, RNS-E, Bluetooth Module and Aux 3.5mm cable.

Hope this helps you out a little


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[<tuffty/>]

Does it need to be a 'H' model for the bluetooth? found quite a few 'A's... looks essentially the same but different label position... some revision on the case or electronics maybe but not functionality?

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

Does it need to be a 'H' model for the bluetooth? found quite a few 'A's... looks essentially the same but different label position... some revision on the case or electronics maybe but not functionality?

<tuffty/>

From what I researched mate, the “H” model is the last one they made, latest model. So it would be able to connect with newest mobile devices. Read people had bought models below this and having issues connecting there iPhone 6, etc. I’ve got an iPhone 8 and works perfect.

*update*
Sorry just seen models “M” available.... so the “H” model is the minimum then for the latest mobile devices.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tj 0785]

I got the “f” and it would never connect to my iPhone all codes right thought it was a faulty unit no fault codes seeker sealed it for another still wouldn’t work

 

[S3AMJ]

I got the “f” and it would never connect to my iPhone all codes right thought it was a faulty unit no fault codes seeker sealed it for another still wouldn’t work

Did you change it for a newer model than “F” TJ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tj 0785]

Yeah think it was g just left it I’m in no rush won’t be able to use it for a while yet anyway will order the h one next week I’ve got everything needed then to get steering wheel working

 

[S3AMJ]

Yeah think it was g just left it I’m in no rush won’t be able to use it for a while yet anyway will order the h one next week I’ve got everything needed then to get steering wheel working

I’m doing these little jobs now while I’m saving up for the hybrid build. So we are in the same boat more or less. You’ll have to post up what you’ve ordered to get the steering wheel working


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[<tuffty/>]

From what I researched mate, the “H” model is the last one they made, latest model. So it would be able to connect with newest mobile devices. Read people had bought models below this and having issues connecting there iPhone 6, etc. I’ve got an iPhone 8 and works perfect.

*update*
Sorry just seen models “M” available.... so the “H” model is the minimum then for the latest mobile devices.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks dude... thankfully while I have a Mac I steer clear of IOS devices with a passion... will check older model compatibility with Android devices...

<tuffty/>

 

[hydro s3]

Thanks mate for the advice. Those codes for getting the best unit will help.

 

[Tj 0785]

Thanks mate for the advice. Those codes for getting the best unit will help.

Any a4 b6/b7 will work all the same.the mk2 (one with media button) has a better screen display and more memory storage than the 1st one

 

[hydro s3]

Cheers Tj I will look out for a mk2 one.
So many options for them lol.

 

[S3AMJ]

What ever your budget is go with that, a Mk1 will set you back between £200-270. The cost of a MK2 is £400+ the only differences between them is the Mk1 has a LCD screen and max storage of 2x 4GB SD cards. The MK2 has a LED screen and a max storage of 2x 32GB SD cards. That’s without factoring the price for adaptors, Bluetooth module, etc.

By the way TJ not dissing your choice of getting the MK2 it’s just personal preference that’s all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tj 0785]

What ever your budget is go with that, a Mk1 will set you back between £200-270. The cost of a MK2 is £400+ the only differences between them is the Mk1 has a LCD screen and max storage of 2x 4GB SD cards. The MK2 has a LED screen and a max storage of 2x 32GB SD cards. That’s without factoring the price for adaptors, Bluetooth module, etc.

By the way TJ not dissing your choice of getting the MK2 it’s just personal preference that’s all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha no worries I have the mk1 might update it to the mk2 but that’s last on my things to do, they seem to be common now on s3’s I got mine already Trimmed from a s3 and have seen another 2 from s3’s being parted out on eBay in the last two months