Should my S3 have a traction control light?

[pj123]

So i bought my 1999 S3 APY in 2003 on just 26k and now it has just covered 90k and going strong. It must be one of the first S3's.

Something that has always puzzled me is that I have never had a traction control light that flashes when the traction control is kicking in. I do not have a switch to switch it on or off which is fine for me as I know i would just play with it. The traction control works great, impossible to spin a wheel, running standard 210bhp.

There is a small round circle top centre between the dials that i presume is where the light would be. Anyone any clues?

 

[Nilz]

Nope, dont think the 99 models had TC at all mate....just after 2000 was it introduced.

 

[bennn]

There isnt traction control as standard on the APY's (its an optional extra) i think the extra traction you are getting is from the Haldex 4wd system.

 

[pj123]

No TC at all on an s3? Really? Doesn't sound right.

I cannot even spin wheels on wet grass, sounds like abs system starts grabbing and prevents wheel spin so assume i have traction control installed else what else would stop wheel spin? Still no light when this happens.

 

[s3dave]

I thought they all had esp but the earlier ones had no button to turn off...

 

[pj123]

Dave, that sounds believable. 99 and some 00 models had no button to turn it off is my understanding.

If you can't turn it off does that mean you dont get a light do you think?

 

[DaveA3]

unless its the EDL kicking in which uses the ABS in a similar way up to speeds of 20mph

 

[s3dave]

Dave, that sounds believable. 99 and some 00 models had no button to turn it off is my understanding.

If you can't turn it off does that mean you dont get a light do you think?

No button no lighty.....

 

[dany2k]

Hi mate,
You definitely DO have traction control, but no light because you can't switch it off... I remember this only because I read it somewhere. Don't ask where :-D

Danny

 

[Mpathe]

mine doesn't have traction control neither but can spin all four wheels in the wet if I give it enough revs.

definitely doesn't have tc, if you remove the fuse for the haldex mine spins for fun they only seem to have the haldex system to kick in when it detects the fronts spinning.

 

[Andrew@A.L.D]

mine doesn't have traction control neither but can spin all four wheels in the wet if I give it enough revs.

definitely doesn't have tc, if you remove the fuse for the haldex mine spins for fun they only seem to have the haldex system to kick in when it detects the fronts spinning.

Same here

mines a 1999 no TC and can spin all four wheels also.

 

[pj123]

Thanks for your responses guys. Conclusion is I have TC but just no light. I do think the TC is very very good as no matter what I do, I don't get wheel spin.

What I am suprised about though is there are S3's with no traction control. I didn't realise this was an option from new. Are you sure that you dont have TC and it is just not functioning? There is no light to tell either way after all...

 

[bennn]

It was my understanding that on the pre facelift S3's (which yours is by the sounds of it) traction control was an optional extra and if you dont have the button you dont have traction control.

 

[pj123]

I think you might be right which has left me slightly stunned that I have owned this car for 6 years and been ignorant to this fact all along! It must be that I have EDS (electronic diff lock) at low speed and no TC at all. I assumed because i had EDS that I had ESP. Might explain why i have never had any probs with a lat on long sensor Wonder what has been keeping me on the roads all these years!

I've just been to dig out the original brochure and neither ESP or traction control are mentioned in the optional extras. EDS is in the standard spec and this is what i thought was ESP or traction control because it was stopping my wheels spinning. All I can say is EDS works much better pulling out of a wet junction than ESP does in my A4. Just trying to justify my stupidity now really!

So later S3's with ESP still have EDS aswell?

 

[Mpathe]

it's not an electronic diff, it's a haldex coupling between the rear diff and the prop. it's a hydraulic clutch with a electric pump and ecu

 

[DaveA3]

its the EDL like i mentioned above mate seemed to be ignored lol

heres what it does:

EDL is an electronic system, utilising the existing Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), which brakes just the one spinning wheel on an axle, therefore allowing the transfer of torque across the axle to the wheel which does have traction.