Thinking of buying a used 2019 S3 - advice

[cammy0102]

Hi guys, I've thinking about getting a well looked after, non modified, low milage S3. Recenlty I found a 2019 model S3 with very low milage (just over 10K) for sale with a main dealer (not Audi dealer). Having never owned an S3 or a fast car before (I currently have an A3 S line 2018 1.5 TFSI) wondering what I need to look out for.

The dealer said it's had 2 owners before and was registered to a busioness first (so probably a demo car). He said the car has full service history and showed me a copy. I noticed that only 2 oil changes had been carried out. I thought only change every year was the safest? What do you think of the following service history?
-Date of delivery: Feb 2019
-Inspect with oil change: Dec 2020, 4700 miles
-Oil change service; Nov 2022, 9100 miles
-Inspect with oil change: Mar 2022, 7400 miles
Dust and pollen filter
-Additional work : Mar 2022, 7400 miles
Brake fluid service, oil for all wheel drive coupling

Also I noticed that the car has Hankook tyres. I'm pretty sure the car didn't come with these tyres originally. But why did they need to change tyres it it's only done 10K. Could this mean this has been thrashed previously?

They are offering 3 months warranty. I would have preferred Audi 1 year warranty.

Any advice for me? Would you be happy to buy an ex demo model and a car with the above service history? Cheers.

 

[alpesh26]

Also I noticed that the car has Hankook tyres. I'm pretty sure the car didn't come with these tyres originally. But why did they need to change tyres it it's only done 10K. Could this mean this has been thrashed previously?

I wouldn't say so, my mates new A5 came with Hankook tyres - incidentally a 2019 model also.

The car is probably on long life servicing and the oil is likely to be long life oil too so I dont think that's much of a concern either. If its a worry, push the dealer for an oil change but they will most likely put it through their workshop, not Audi. Looks like the servicing is correct to be honest...even the Haldex oil has been done (the filter wont have been cleaned if Audi did the service on the Haldex).

It could also be the dealer registering the car to themselves to get the sales through for that quarter so might not be a demo car. My car was an ex Audi staff car and was registered to the dealership.

 

[cammy0102]

Alpesh thank you very much for that. That put my mind at ease! Now I need to see if we can afford it and convince the missus

 

[Scotty75]

Take the S3 for a decent test drive, big thing to look for is clutch slipping. Get up to 3rd / 4th gear and put your foot to the floor. If you get a noticeable flat spot in acceleration there’s a good chance the clutch may be slipping and that is an expensive repair.

 

[Mr Freeze]

Hi guys, I've thinking about getting a well looked after, non modified, low milage S3. Recenlty I found a 2019 model S3 with very low milage (just over 10K) for sale with a main dealer (not Audi dealer). Having never owned an S3 or a fast car before (I currently have an A3 S line 2018 1.5 TFSI) wondering what I need to look out for.

The dealer said it's had 2 owners before and was registered to a busioness first (so probably a demo car). He said the car has full service history and showed me a copy. I noticed that only 2 oil changes had been carried out. I thought only change every year was the safest? What do you think of the following service history?
-Date of delivery: Feb 2019
-Inspect with oil change: Dec 2020, 4700 miles
-Oil change service; Nov 2022, 9100 miles
-Inspect with oil change: Mar 2022, 7400 miles
Dust and pollen filter
-Additional work : Mar 2022, 7400 miles
Brake fluid service, oil for all wheel drive coupling

Also I noticed that the car has Hankook tyres. I'm pretty sure the car didn't come with these tyres originally. But why did they need to change tyres it it's only done 10K. Could this mean this has been thrashed previously?

They are offering 3 months warranty. I would have preferred Audi 1 year warranty.

Any advice for me? Would you be happy to buy an ex demo model and a car with the above service history? Cheers.

I have a 2019 S3 owned it from new .

So the car your interested in as had 3 services 2 inspections and 1 oil with the brake fluid and Haldex which it rite
mine as had the same but has done nearly 35k .

Not sure why it has Hankook tyres tho mine came with P zero's best thing to do is check the tyre date on them as they
are probably the original tyres the car came with that mileage . My tyres last around 15/16k a set .

Warranty wise you can get Audi all in one plan which includes

2x services
1 oil , 1 inspection
2 years warranty
2 years roadside assistance
2 years mot
For around £720 which is great value .

Hope this helps

 

[george forbes]

Hi all a bit of advice needed ,, just had my 2017 8V S3 serviced and guy told me a slight leak from thermostat,,, quoted me £800 what the hell !!!

Take the S3 for a decent test drive, big thing to look for is clutch slipping. Get up to 3rd / 4th gear and put your foot to the floor. If you get a noticeable flat spot in acceleration there’s a good chance the clutch may be slipping and that is an expensive repair.

Mines done that since 26k and now on 57k and has never gotten any worse so not always a sign of the clutch on the way out. Never affected my use of the car over the last 4 years.

 

[cammy0102]

Take the S3 for a decent test drive, big thing to look for is clutch slipping. Get up to 3rd / 4th gear and put your foot to the floor. If you get a noticeable flat spot in acceleration there’s a good chance the clutch may be slipping and that is an expensive repair.

Cheers, will keep that in mind. This is a dual clutch auto (S tronic)by the way

 

[cammy0102]

I have a 2019 S3 owned it from new .

So the car your interested in as had 3 services 2 inspections and 1 oil with the brake fluid and Haldex which it rite
mine as had the same but has done nearly 35k .

Not sure why it has Hankook tyres tho mine came with P zero's best thing to do is check the tyre date on them as they
are probably the original tyres the car came with that mileage . My tyres last around 15/16k a set .

Warranty wise you can get Audi all in one plan which includes

2x services
1 oil , 1 inspection
2 years warranty
2 years roadside assistance
2 years mot
For around £720 which is great value .

Hope this helps

That does sound like gerat value. Will Audi still provide that even if I don't buy the car from Audi? And are you sure that price for this year? (it soujnds a bit cheap - Audi's 2 year service plan alone costs over £500 I think).

 

[S32B]

Also I noticed that the car has Hankook tyres. I'm pretty sure the car didn't come with these tyres originally. But why did they need to change tyres it it's only done 10K. Could this mean this has been thrashed previously?

I wouldn't let that you put you off, when I had my S3 I did 17,000 miles before I sold it on the original tyres. I then bought an A5 coupe and fronts needed changing after 6,000 mile and then fronts (again) and rears at 14,000 mile, mainly because my driving changed from long distance to short stop-start journeys around town. Rolling tyres last longer than tyres that keep stopping and starting in and around town.

 

[John Pilkington]

Hi guys, I've thinking about getting a well looked after, non modified, low milage S3. Recenlty I found a 2019 model S3 with very low milage (just over 10K) for sale with a main dealer (not Audi dealer). Having never owned an S3 or a fast car before (I currently have an A3 S line 2018 1.5 TFSI) wondering what I need to look out for.

The dealer said it's had 2 owners before and was registered to a busioness first (so probably a demo car). He said the car has full service history and showed me a copy. I noticed that only 2 oil changes had been carried out. I thought only change every year was the safest? What do you think of the following service history?
-Date of delivery: Feb 2019
-Inspect with oil change: Dec 2020, 4700 miles
-Oil change service; Nov 2022, 9100 miles
-Inspect with oil change: Mar 2022, 7400 miles
Dust and pollen filter
-Additional work : Mar 2022, 7400 miles
Brake fluid service, oil for all wheel drive coupling

Also I noticed that the car has Hankook tyres. I'm pretty sure the car didn't come with these tyres originally. But why did they need to change tyres it it's only done 10K. Could this mean this has been thrashed previously?

They are offering 3 months warranty. I would have preferred Audi 1 year warranty.

Any advice for me? Would you be happy to buy an ex demo model and a car with the above service history? Cheers.

My 19 plate s3 came with hankook tyres nothing wrong with them pal

 

[Mr Freeze]

That does sound like gerat value. Will Audi still provide that even if I don't buy the car from Audi? And are you sure that price for this year? (it soujnds a bit cheap - Audi's 2 year service plan alone costs over £500 I think).

Yes Audi will provide this my car as it and its a 19 plate .
If you buy the car just phone your local dealership and ask the about the all in one plan you take the car in let them check it over and if there is
no issues they will set it up for you . Its well worth it for the piece of mind alone

 

[NHN]

Very low mileage & 2 owners, now that's not impossible but make sure you do a full list of checks hpi etc to make sure it's not been a quiet repair job.

Check all the panel join points, open the doors, behind seals, boot lines for any change in paint, lacquer lines just to be safe.

Check with the main dealer who sold or did services for any records they may have of the car to be sure of no repairs.

Like I said it's not impossible to do just 10k in 4 years, but it does beg the question for peace of mind.

 

[cammy0102]

Cheers Joh

Very low mileage & 2 owners, now that's not impossible but make sure you do a full list of checks hpi etc to make sure it's not been a quiet repair job.

Check all the panel join points, open the doors, behind seals, boot lines for any change in paint, lacquer lines just to be safe.

Check with the main dealer who sold or did services for any records they may have of the car to be sure of no repairs.

Like I said it's not impossible to do just 10k in 4 years, but it does beg the question for peace of mind.

Hi NHN, I was surprised at the very low mileage as well but the car has full service history with Audi so I doubt there's anything dodgy. Also it's been sold by another main dealer (Jaguar).

 

[NHN]

Service history has nothing to do with quiet repairs mate.

Just because it's a different brand main dealer that means absolutely nothing tbh as I've seen dealers sell repaired cars either aware or non aware of the damage caused & played stupid when challenged.

Do your checks online & over the car, 10k in 4 years seems exceptionally low for this car.

It maybe perfectly ok, but when it's not, after sale, you'll be ****** & on here complaining lol

 

[alpesh26]

Service history has nothing to do with quiet repairs mate.

Just because it's a different brand main dealer that means absolutely nothing tbh as I've seen dealers sell repaired cars either aware or non aware of the damage caused & played stupid when challenged.

Do your checks online & over the car, 10k in 4 years seems exceptionally low for this car.

It maybe perfectly ok, but when it's not, after sale, you'll be ****** & on here complaining lol

Agree with this! I bought an A5 a few years back which had been in an accident a week before I bought it but the Audi dealer never disclosed it. The car was wet (raining) when I viewed it so I didn't notice the damage.

As @NHN says, check, check and check because it was a ball ache getting the rejected! I now have a paint depth gauge for when I get a new car...trust no one!

 

[NHN]

Exactly, trust no one in these situations.

 

[The Kelty Caveman]

I nearly bought an S3 from Arnold Shark recently.
Reserved it with a deposit, car looked lovely and a decent spec too.
Vcheck on the car revealed it’d had a 50k mile haircut. I got my money back and told them to ram it.
The car has since sold with no mention of this, they have no shame.

 

[NHN]

Shame isn't in the salesman manual.

 

[Mr Freeze]

Stuff like this is one of the reasons I try and buy new

 

[Scotty75]

I have to totally agree with the comments here. Nearly bought a 19 plate S3 back in June 22 from an independent dealer. 41k miles. £20k, looked stunning but upon test drive , blatantly had clutch slip and I also suspect a not so good map.

Challenged the dealer , played dumb and offered £1k off the car to cover the clutch , told him it would be clutch and DMF plus labour . In the end got fed up with listening to his b*****ks and walked away.

Went to local Audi dealer the same day , walked away with a 17 plate S3 , warranty, servicing and peace of mind. Not to mention the S3 drove and sounded completely better.

As said earlier don’t chance it. If it sounds too good to be true then unfortunately it most likely is and fixing S / RS cars ain’t cheap !

 

[S32B]

Do your checks online & over the car, 10k in 4 years seems exceptionally low for this car.

I worry when I come to sell mine because of the low miles!!! With lockdowns and being off work since March last year the car hasn't been used much!! but at least I can show them the service history and MOT's lol:

 

[MikeTV]

Did the OP buy in the end?

in a similar position myself - main dealer or independent- indy selling approx £1,500 cheaper than main but am aware of the reassurance(ish) a main gives.

 

[John Pilkington]

Did the OP buy in the end?

in a similar position myself - main dealer or independent- indy selling approx £1,500 cheaper than main but am aware of the reassurance(ish) a main gives.

I have 2019 plate s3 sport back 10400 miles nearly 5 years old so low mileage s3s do exist

 

[MikeTV]

I’m just considering a 2019 S3, what’s your views on this service history

Service History
Date of Service Type of Service	Vehicle Mileage
19/08/2023 MOT (passed)	31,439
01/07/2023 Brake Fluid Change	30,605
01/07/2023 Oil Change Service	30,605
13/08/2022 MOT (passed)	25,553
17/06/2022 Haldex Oil Change	24,237
29/06/2020 Used Car MPC	10,481

It looks like it has done 10,481 in 10 months from new. No service in 2021?

 

[Scotty75]

Should really have had oil service in 2022 and full service in 2023 by my estimation but otherwise seems legitimate.

Have you had a test drive ? Check for clutch slip and coolant leaks, chalky white deposits under the bonnet and around hoses .


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[Mr Freeze]

I have 2019 plate s3 sport back 10400 miles nearly 5 years old so low mileage s3s do exist

That is low mileage mine is a 2019 S3 Sportback and it is on 46k from new which is just over 9k miles a year
and I don't consider mine high mileage .

 

[MikeTV]

Should really have had oil service in 2022 and full service in 2023 by my estimation but otherwise seems legitimate.

Have you had a test drive ? Check for clutch slip and coolant leaks, chalky white deposits under the bonnet and around hoses .


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No not tested it just enquired.

I rang Audi and they advised that it is still eligible for the All In One care package mentioned previously however cost is £850 for 2years warranty, 2x Services etc which I think is still really good at that price

There’s another I’m contemplating from a main dealer too but like said slightly more expensive.

 

[Scotty75]

Personally I’d go with the main dealer but that’s based on personal experience. I know you pay extra but this is more peace of mind and they’re generally better to deal with.


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