My S3 Build Thread

S3Alex said:
That is one really neat,clean,tidy engine bay.
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Cheers Alex, it's untouched other than fitting the cai. I've driven it for nearly 10,000 without a clean. my mk2 golf bay wouldn't look this clean after that many miles ha
 
Gents

Received revo induction kit today, is it necessary to disconnect the battery? Or is this purely for safety measures
 
JayA3sline said:
Gents

Received revo induction kit today, is it necessary to disconnect the battery? Or is this purely for safety measures
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Just got mine in post today, can't see the point myself you only disconnect the MAF sensor. Maybe it throws a code on start-u, but that can easily be cleared. Anyone any ideas on this?
 
audi upgrades
Didn't disconnect mine when it was fitted (Revo CAI), and no issues here.

To the OP, lovely car and some great mods. Engine bay looks a treat. Keep it coming!
 
Next updates lined up in garage, Bilstein dampers and Revo CAI. Hopefully ALKs and exclusive leather armrest turn up this week. Next week off to fit them so hope the weathers good. Might even wash and detail too. New pics coming. Happy days.
 
Noticed the pic had gone so had to repost, love these lol



sussed out big pics by unchecking box in url link
 
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mechanic69 said:
Anyone any comments on the need for a Revo PCV Re-vamp kit for an S3 2011 Stage 1 going to Stage 2+?

Revo PCV Re-vamp Kit 2 0 TFSI
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I was going to ask the same question. My original PCV had to be changed a year after going to Stage 1, luckily it was done under warranty. I wasn't aware of the problem of PCVs failing on tuned engines back then so it's interesting that Revo released this.
 
Forbzeeee said:
I was going to ask the same question. My original PCV had to be changed a year after going to Stage 1, luckily it was done under warranty. I wasn't aware of the problem of PCVs failing on tuned engines back then so it's interesting that Revo released this.
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Good experience there Forbzeeee, see your running a 2009 version wonder if they modified it in the 2011 model? I've had Stage 1 for 3 months now and haven't noticed any symptoms yet but a cheap mod when I get round to it. cheers
 
Finally got round to putting the Bilstein B8s on today, but only got rears on before it rained.

Boxed and ready!



OEM damper before



Wheel arch liner out and bottom arm dropped with spring removed to get the bottom damper bolt out.



New Bilstein ready to go with new top mount, might as well change it its done 30k



Finally shiny new damper ready to go, just re-fit inner arch and rear spring.



Nice short test drive in the rain trying to find bumpy roads to settle it in. definitely notice the difference not as crash as the fronts. Was expecting a harsher ride but not so, really pleased.

Bring on some dry weather for the fronts and the REVO CAI.
 
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Bit of a novice question: what's the benefit of these then? I presume a more stable ride or do they drop the car slightly
 
JayA3sline said:
Bit of a novice question: what's the benefit of these then? I presume a more stable ride or do they drop the car slightly
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Ride height was low enough for me at the rear so just wanted a top quality damper over the stock version. If you don't want to adjust ride height or damper settings these are ideal. 500 for the set over 800 for adjustable dampers and 1400 for full height adjustment.

The springs determine the ride height not the damper, these should give better damping and better handling characteristics over stock units which are always a compromise. Did 30 miles on them today and you can tell the difference over the stock fronts as I haven't change them yet.
 
Excellent thread, just read it from the beginning there. Cracker s3 mate, and some lovely mods so far. Im running the REVO Ceramic CAI if you have any questions on it. I am also really interested in your opinions on the B8's as I was seriously considering these before going with my KW coilovers. Lastly I dont have a great opinion on the REVO PCV revamp. It warped the plastic face of the rocker cover that its attached to, and I am certain the car didnt run as smoothly with it on. Im back to standard now.
 
will see how you fair as needing some dampers soon, bringing out the OCD i would have steamed cleaned them arch liners lol
 
s3_trev said:
Excellent thread, just read it from the beginning there. Cracker s3 mate, and some lovely mods so far. Im running the REVO Ceramic CAI if you have any questions on it. I am also really interested in your opinions on the B8's as I was seriously considering these before going with my KW coilovers. Lastly I dont have a great opinion on the REVO PCV revamp. It warped the plastic face of the rocker cover that its attached to, and I am certain the car didnt run as smoothly with it on. Im back to standard now.
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Pity the problem you had with the PCV valve on yours.

I have the Forge kit on mine currently and I think the issue with the plastic cam cover is down to metal parts being bolted into plastic which isn't always a good mix.

My next kit is doing away with recirculating breathers entirely.
And a new cam cover.
 
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S3Alex said:
Pity the problem you had with the PCV valve on yours.

I have the Forge kit on mine currently and I think the issue with the plastic cam cover is down to metal parts being bolted into plastic which isn't always a good mix.

My next kit is doing away with recirculating breathers entirely.
And a new cam cover.
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Checked out the forge kit and it still looks like a metal plate fitted to the plastic cover, is there a difference I'm missing?
 
s3_trev said:
Excellent thread, just read it from the beginning there. Cracker s3 mate, and some lovely mods so far. Im running the REVO Ceramic CAI if you have any questions on it. I am also really interested in your opinions on the B8's as I was seriously considering these before going with my KW coilovers. Lastly I dont have a great opinion on the REVO PCV revamp. It warped the plastic face of the rocker cover that its attached to, and I am certain the car didnt run as smoothly with it on. Im back to standard now.
Click to expand...

Cheers trev, glad you like it. I've seen some threads with an additional bracket fitted to the rear right of the engine holding the REVO intake, do you think it needs additional support?

Unlucky with the PCV, seeing as its plastic could it be something to do with how tight the screws/bolts were?
 
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mechanic69 said:
Checked out the forge kit and it still looks like a metal plate fitted to the plastic cover, is there a difference I'm missing?
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You're not missing anything.

I think the issue is going to be how tight it's torqued down and what the alloy vs plastic expansion rates are in determining if it warps the cover a bit.

Mine hasn't given any problems.
 
manor13 said:
will see how you fair as needing some dampers soon, bringing out the OCD i would have steamed cleaned them arch liners lol
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they were a state, think they will be out if we get any sun soon as there was quite a bit of muck behind them too. When it started raining today I just wanted the car back in one piece.
 
mechanic69 said:
any advice on torque settings?
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I'm rubbish at that sort of thing so I'm afraid I leave it to the man who can and so far he's done a superb job.

Sorry I can't help with that.
 
mechanic69 said:
Cheers trev, glad you like it. I've seen some threads with an additional bracket fitted to the rear right of the engine holding the REVO intake, do you think it needs additional support?

Unlucky with the PCV, seeing as its plastic could it be something to do with how tight the screws/bolts were?
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Yeah ive said that a few times on here in different threads. I rate the Revo kit highly but I do not think its "ready to rock" straight out of the box. See below.

You can probably notice the extra bracket at the top there. Trimmed the head shield a bit as well to avoid rubbing. I also made another custom bracket that attaches from the bottom of the heat shield to a mounting on the front of the car. The end result is a rock sturdy system.

And I followed the instructions to a T with the PCV revamp. Possibly something to do with what Alex was saying about metal to plastic. I have seen other revamp kits though with the same design. I also know of people running them without issue. So I really dont know.
 
s3_trev said:
Yeah ive said that a few times on here in different threads. I rate the Revo kit highly but I do not think its "ready to rock" straight out of the box. See below.

You can probably notice the extra bracket at the top there. Trimmed the head shield a bit as well to avoid rubbing. I also made another custom bracket that attaches from the bottom of the heat shield to a mounting on the front of the car. The end result is a rock sturdy system.

And I followed the instructions to a T with the PCV revamp. Possibly something to do with what Alex was saying about metal to plastic. I have seen other revamp kits though with the same design. I also know of people running them without issue. So I really dont know.
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Nice one, see the point of the extra brackets but why trim the heat shield. I read it was supposed to be a tight fit with the bonnet to minimise the heat going into the inlet?
 
Oh yeah that bit is the same. See the wee cutout beneath the silver jubilee clips? I made that a wee bit longer, as the clips were actually rubbing against the heat shield, wheras now they are not. (Bit they were rubbing on is now cut away).
 
s3_trev said:
Oh yeah that bit is the same. See the wee cutout beneath the silver jubilee clips? I made that a wee bit longer, as the clips were actually rubbing against the heat shield, wheras now they are not. (Bit they were rubbing on is now cut away).
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OK think i get it, you mean the under the clips where the filter connects to the pipe?
 
You may have seen the front exclusive leather trims fitted earlier in the thread here are the rears. Thought I'd post the install cos its a 4-5 hour job and you may want to consider that before buying, which i didn't!

Here goes

Pic of the trims old and new



Now you need to take the rear side trims out to swap over the arm rests as they are held from behind with torx screws. That means removing these trims from both sides in this order:

A pillar lower trim
Sill trims, basically pull up the front four connectors then slide the trim forward to release the rest - this is a pain
Remove rear shelf from boot
Remove boot floor trim
Empty the boot, spare wheel and all foam bits, jack etc.



Remove rear seats including seat belts, theres one screw between the seats that holds a bracket - simple.



Nearly there!

Remove centre rear trim right at the back
Remove both boot side trims
Now the rear side trims can be removed - at last

Just go careful with the trim tabs so you don't break them

One empty car and a grage full of trims lol





Then swap over the trims, if you find a place to work.

Before



After



Then simply refit everything carefully! And you have some genuine exclusive leather trims which will largely go un-noticed but I know they are there. OCD.



Just received the final piece of the trim set - Centre Arm Rest, completes the look.



Just the sun visors and roof grabs to complete the look when I take out a second mortgage, Enjoy!
 
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Looks good mate - how much were all the trims ?
 
Probably cheaper to go to a professional trimmer and let him do all the fiddly work
 
Alex_Wil said:
Looks good mate - how much were all the trims ?
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Don't ask they are not cheap an the missus might see this, but they are top quality. Got them off darling-buds on ebay. Doesn't seem to have any listed at the moment but if you search "audi exclusive leather" completed listings you can see how much they went for.
 
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JayA3sline said:
Probably cheaper to go to a professional trimmer and let him do all the fiddly work
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Probably right there Jay if you can find a good one you trust. This guy supplies to Audi and the leather and stitching is a perfect match. It was a bit of a crazy ebay purchase I must admit but I am really happy with the results.
 
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mechanic69 said:
Don't ask they are not cheap an the missus might see this, but they are top quality. Got them off darling-buds on ebay. Doesn't seem to have any listed at the moment but if you search "audi exclusive leather" completed listings you can see how much they went for.
Click to expand...

Common problem I'm seeing with cars these days .... the missus ;)
 
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