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Alright so better late than never decided to start a build thread about the S3
Bought June 2014
2002 S3 8L "facelift" model 150k on the clock Black with white (silver) interior (looked better in the photos)
Spent a while looking for one. Ended up flying to Sydney for it. Turns out it might not have been all it seemed.
Been having issues from day one with it but decided to stick with it and replace parts and improve on the car so that eventually it might be what I'd actually wanted in the first place.
First issue was the car bogging down under boost. Once it was back to Brisbane and a proper look under the bonnet the whole TIP was shredded so ordered a new one from badger5 along with a new filter.
got the car a proper service and oil flush then noticed the PCV system was also splitting and just in a really bad state. replaced some bits with forge silicone off ebay and other pipes straight from audi.
Seemed to be ok for a while but issue kept coming up.
Bought some roof racks off Richard from this forum, he managed to point out my roof rails were rusting. something I hadn't noticed yet. Had a bit of a read online, took it to Audi brisbane and after about 5 months of constant nagging they covered it under their anti corrosion warranty.
While it was in I got the coilpacks done thinking they might be the cause of my engine woes. No luck.
ARB Bushes went about a week after this, along with strut top mounts and a few other rubbers up front. Got them all replaced by Prestige and Performance just with stock audi stuff for now wasn't keen to harshen up the ride just yet. they had happy news for me that my AWD system wasn't working and had no idea why but that it was going to be expensive.
Wasn't overly happy with that result. By this point I'd moved house and the car was due another service so I took it into wayne park auto at milton got them to do spark plugs and fuel filter they noticed a brake switch was gone, replaced it and suddenly AWD back up and running!! Pretty good for a $35 fix
Tyres that were on the car were some budget brand so they're now shagged 6 months into owning it. And it's still not boosting properly. No more bogging down but it just doesn't seem to want to go at all. I get more boost when lifting off the accelerator than when I have my foot planted (air issue??)
Posted on here about my issue with the car and Gavin was kind enough to bring his computer down to brisbane airport and have a scan and the EGT sensor was gone. Did a dig around turned out it wasn't even plugged in so did that. Seemed to be ok but still not driving right.
Anyway it's drivable now just not quite what it should be and I'm lost for what to do next. Weird clunking from the front when turning and over bumps so I had the wheels off a week or two ago and my struts are on their way out along with the strut hats. So the engine is on hold for now. Coilovers are next. hopefully buying them this week and getting them fitted before lakeside on the 14th.
So now everyone is up to date on what has gone wrong. I look forward to every post from here on in being happy and about improving the car. I promise not to whinge about it.
Bought June 2014
2002 S3 8L "facelift" model 150k on the clock Black with white (silver) interior (looked better in the photos)
Spent a while looking for one. Ended up flying to Sydney for it. Turns out it might not have been all it seemed.
Been having issues from day one with it but decided to stick with it and replace parts and improve on the car so that eventually it might be what I'd actually wanted in the first place.
First issue was the car bogging down under boost. Once it was back to Brisbane and a proper look under the bonnet the whole TIP was shredded so ordered a new one from badger5 along with a new filter.
got the car a proper service and oil flush then noticed the PCV system was also splitting and just in a really bad state. replaced some bits with forge silicone off ebay and other pipes straight from audi.
Seemed to be ok for a while but issue kept coming up.
Bought some roof racks off Richard from this forum, he managed to point out my roof rails were rusting. something I hadn't noticed yet. Had a bit of a read online, took it to Audi brisbane and after about 5 months of constant nagging they covered it under their anti corrosion warranty.
While it was in I got the coilpacks done thinking they might be the cause of my engine woes. No luck.
ARB Bushes went about a week after this, along with strut top mounts and a few other rubbers up front. Got them all replaced by Prestige and Performance just with stock audi stuff for now wasn't keen to harshen up the ride just yet. they had happy news for me that my AWD system wasn't working and had no idea why but that it was going to be expensive.
Wasn't overly happy with that result. By this point I'd moved house and the car was due another service so I took it into wayne park auto at milton got them to do spark plugs and fuel filter they noticed a brake switch was gone, replaced it and suddenly AWD back up and running!! Pretty good for a $35 fix
Tyres that were on the car were some budget brand so they're now shagged 6 months into owning it. And it's still not boosting properly. No more bogging down but it just doesn't seem to want to go at all. I get more boost when lifting off the accelerator than when I have my foot planted (air issue??)
Posted on here about my issue with the car and Gavin was kind enough to bring his computer down to brisbane airport and have a scan and the EGT sensor was gone. Did a dig around turned out it wasn't even plugged in so did that. Seemed to be ok but still not driving right.
Anyway it's drivable now just not quite what it should be and I'm lost for what to do next. Weird clunking from the front when turning and over bumps so I had the wheels off a week or two ago and my struts are on their way out along with the strut hats. So the engine is on hold for now. Coilovers are next. hopefully buying them this week and getting them fitted before lakeside on the 14th.
So now everyone is up to date on what has gone wrong. I look forward to every post from here on in being happy and about improving the car. I promise not to whinge about it.
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