Back in S3 number 4!
- Thread starter Ian W
- Start date
Couple more jobs done this weekend, the mirror glass on the drivers side has gone a bit manky so that got replaced and I modified by wiper blade so it no longer hangs over the edge of the screen 
Before
After
Before
After
While I was messing with the wipers, I also adjusted how the sat in the screen as I fitted them a bit high when I put them on at Christmas, they look much better now.
Before
After
Before
After
While I was messing with the wipers, I also adjusted how the sat in the screen as I fitted them a bit high when I put them on at Christmas, they look much better now.
Investigated the knocking this afternoon, immediately spotted something wrong, the hanger that comes off the downpipe has snapped. Hoping I can get an exhaust place to weld it back together. It was the first time I have seen a 3" system on an S3 and wow, that is ****** close, with the hanger broken it is hitting the prop, that said, I imagine with the hanger fixed it will still be mighty close.
Took advantage of the half decent weather and gave it a wash and coat of spray wax, looks well.
Took advantage of the half decent weather and gave it a wash and coat of spray wax, looks well.
Spent a couple hours on the S3 on Saturday, three jobs done, all revolving the driver door..
I wasn't really planning on sorting the door blade on Saturday but messing with the door disturbed it even more to the point were it was half hanging off, repaired it by drilling some pilot holes through the plastic backing and screwed it all together, refitted and it looks spot on
Finally, the leather on the door card fell away from the card as soon as we got a bit of sun earlier this year, did the same repair I did on my old one with some contact adhesive which held up fine and so far, looks great.
- Mostly fixed terrible alignment, when I bought it, the door was way off, the bottom poked out a good 4 or 5mm, couple that with the fact that the door blade was pulling away at the opening end just heightening the problem.
- Repaired the door blade.
- Repaired the leather on the door code that had come away.
I wasn't really planning on sorting the door blade on Saturday but messing with the door disturbed it even more to the point were it was half hanging off, repaired it by drilling some pilot holes through the plastic backing and screwed it all together, refitted and it looks spot on
Finally, the leather on the door card fell away from the card as soon as we got a bit of sun earlier this year, did the same repair I did on my old one with some contact adhesive which held up fine and so far, looks great.
I've managed to tick a few other jobs off the list on the S3 recently
Back at the beginning of March, I booked a PDR chap to look at removing a crease and a few little dents on the bonnet, it looked like something had fallen on it while it was in a garage, was only really visible in certain lights but I knew it was there and wanted it gone as the rest of the car is straight as an arrow, long story short, the chap removed the damage but in doing so, damaged the lacquer, straight away arranged for it to be repainted at his cost so no complaints from me there. The painter did a top job and I now have a bonnet with no dents and no stone chips for very little money
Over the Easter weekend I found time to fix the leather trim on the passenger door card and I cleaned and conditioned the leather which has come up lovely, drove it for the first time today since I did it and the leather feels much softer, well maybe it is in my imagination but it is certainly less shiny and looks better.
Finally, I had the DIS replaced as I had a few missing pixels, wasn't too bad but for the relatively small cost I think it makes it much nicer to look at when it works as it should.
All being well, wheel refurb in May and I will have chance to machine polish it soon.
Still loving it
Back at the beginning of March, I booked a PDR chap to look at removing a crease and a few little dents on the bonnet, it looked like something had fallen on it while it was in a garage, was only really visible in certain lights but I knew it was there and wanted it gone as the rest of the car is straight as an arrow, long story short, the chap removed the damage but in doing so, damaged the lacquer, straight away arranged for it to be repainted at his cost so no complaints from me there. The painter did a top job and I now have a bonnet with no dents and no stone chips for very little money
Over the Easter weekend I found time to fix the leather trim on the passenger door card and I cleaned and conditioned the leather which has come up lovely, drove it for the first time today since I did it and the leather feels much softer, well maybe it is in my imagination but it is certainly less shiny and looks better.
Finally, I had the DIS replaced as I had a few missing pixels, wasn't too bad but for the relatively small cost I think it makes it much nicer to look at when it works as it should.
All being well, wheel refurb in May and I will have chance to machine polish it soon.
Still loving it
What kind of machine polisher do you use? Been thinking of getting one to give mine a go over but wouldn't mind knowing a half decent one to get.
I have a DAS6 dual action, I must have had it a good ten years but it always returns good results with the right pad / product combo
My previous ming blue S3 came up a treat considering it was pretty flat with a lot a defects prior to polishing.
That looks excellent. Mine is also a ming blue one. Over the years you have used one what pads and products have you found works the best?
I'm a little bit out of touch but i've found Hexlogic pads are brilliant, product wise it depends what you want to do, I gave up trying to perform high levels of correction years ago, nowadays, I used Dodo Juice Lime Prime which is great at cleaning the paint and really making the colour show, IMO.
First issue with S3 number 4! Noticed when I was driving home my front fogs where on permanently, then they started flashing 
Did a quick search and comes back as the most likely cause is a faulty switch so will pull that out this weekend and see if any repair can be made before trying to locate a replacement.
In the meantime, fog light fuse removed and everything seems perfectly normal, so in some respects, fixed
Did a quick search and comes back as the most likely cause is a faulty switch so will pull that out this weekend and see if any repair can be made before trying to locate a replacement.
In the meantime, fog light fuse removed and everything seems perfectly normal, so in some respects, fixed
Had some spare time yesterday so took the opportunity to give the S3 a decent clean.
Washed
Clayed
De-Tarred
Washed again
Paint cleaner / wax prep applied with my DA polisher (Dodo Juice Lime Prime)
Waxed (Dodo Juice Orange Crush)
I did some cutting back and polishing on the roof, drivers rear quarter and rear bumper to get rid of some deep marks and to improve the quality of the paint as all these areas were looking a little worse for wear but they came up great, managed to really dull down some scratches that were present on the rear quarter.
Not a paint correction detail, don't have the time for that really, maybe one day in the future but for now it looks nice and clean and bright
Ignore the dirty wheels, they are well past there best and I honestly can't find the effort to clean them in the state they are in, booked in in for a full refurb in 4 weeks.
Washed
Clayed
De-Tarred
Washed again
Paint cleaner / wax prep applied with my DA polisher (Dodo Juice Lime Prime)
Waxed (Dodo Juice Orange Crush)
I did some cutting back and polishing on the roof, drivers rear quarter and rear bumper to get rid of some deep marks and to improve the quality of the paint as all these areas were looking a little worse for wear but they came up great, managed to really dull down some scratches that were present on the rear quarter.
Not a paint correction detail, don't have the time for that really, maybe one day in the future but for now it looks nice and clean and bright
Ignore the dirty wheels, they are well past there best and I honestly can't find the effort to clean them in the state they are in, booked in in for a full refurb in 4 weeks.
Car is now booked in to get the exhaust sorted, the current system is a 3" one but it knocks a bit, has a decat and in my eyes, isn't the best workman ship I have seen as it all hangs quite low.
The initial plan was to refit a standard system but looking at the state of the downpipe and cat, plus the need for a cat to backbox section making up I decided that the time, effort and cost involved didn't make sense to fit 20 year old exhaust components.
Decided to bite the bullet and go with a 3" Pipewerx and sports cat, i'm retaining my Miltek backbox. Booked in for August so a bit of a wait but i'm sure it will be worth it.
The initial plan was to refit a standard system but looking at the state of the downpipe and cat, plus the need for a cat to backbox section making up I decided that the time, effort and cost involved didn't make sense to fit 20 year old exhaust components.
Decided to bite the bullet and go with a 3" Pipewerx and sports cat, i'm retaining my Miltek backbox. Booked in for August so a bit of a wait but i'm sure it will be worth it.
I have the pipewrex downpipe on mine and have the sports cat from them in a v-band so I can swap it out for the decat after the mot. Both are made well and passes the mot no problem with the sports cat on.
I've only heard good things about pipewerx and as they are local, just makes sense. Will be nice to finally be able to give it a bit of boot and not think oh s**t what is that noise and then remember it is the exhaust banging.
Not cheap by any means but I am expecting once it is done that is it and I don't have to touch the exhaust again which suits me down to the ground as I hate exhausts
Yeah its sort of fit and forget about it. Haven't heard anyone having problems with them when on just the fitting can be a bit of a pain to do but I'm sure you will smash it mate.
I'm not fitting it mate, would have to take a couple of days off work to get it done and tbh I am not a fan of lying on my back crawling under cars anymore, especially when it is my daily. Pipewerx are doing the lot so I get the drive in / drive out without getting my hands dirty experience
Got a CV boot to sort and I want to drop the sump soon so still a few jobs for me to be getting on with myself!
Another one of the classic 8L issues popped up last week, central locking decided to stop working and make a right noise when I tried to open / close the doors. Big thanks to @MPH for assisting with the diagnosis and tracking down a very well priced MK3 Golf vacuum pump with motor.
Swapped the out the motors this weekend and all is back to normal (for now )
Swapped the out the motors this weekend and all is back to normal (for now
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Another one of the classic 8L issues popped up last week, central locking decided to stop working and make a right noise when I tried to open / close the doors. Big thanks to @MPH for assisting with the diagnosis and tracking down a very well priced MK3 Golf vacuum pump with motor.
Swapped the out the motors this weekend and all is back to normal (for now
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Car is back home from Pipewerx, no more knocking
Only drove the 25 miles or so back from there so far but it was lovely, no knocking over bumps, no sensation of hitting the prop when pulling away. Really reminded me of how an Audi is meant to drive
Got my service items delivered on Monday so i'll get that done in the next few days.
I've also had the wheels refurbed in June so I really need to get some new pictures!
Only drove the 25 miles or so back from there so far but it was lovely, no knocking over bumps, no sensation of hitting the prop when pulling away. Really reminded me of how an Audi is meant to drive
Got my service items delivered on Monday so i'll get that done in the next few days.
I've also had the wheels refurbed in June so I really need to get some new pictures!
Hexlogic pads are brilliant. Team up with Sonax Profiline PerfectFinish for a quality single stage correction. I tend to use orange or green pads
Great little read and it’s fair to say having owned 4 you are probably an expert!
I recently bought a Goodwood Green example (my first S3!) and as you say even 20 years on it still impresses.
I have the ‘little’ jobs to do to, my worst will be a few bits of surface rust in the usual places - roof rails etc.
Tje door car leather has done a similar thing on mine, is it a case of removing the card spraying in some contact adhesive and stretching it into place with a little weight on it to get it sitting nice and tight?
Keep the updates coming!
Si
I recently bought a Goodwood Green example (my first S3!) and as you say even 20 years on it still impresses.
I have the ‘little’ jobs to do to, my worst will be a few bits of surface rust in the usual places - roof rails etc.
Tje door car leather has done a similar thing on mine, is it a case of removing the card spraying in some contact adhesive and stretching it into place with a little weight on it to get it sitting nice and tight?
Keep the updates coming!
Si
Far from an expert but 4 S3's and 7 years with a 225 TT means I am certainly encountering issues that I have faced in the past!
Yes, that is pretty much it for the door cards, just remove from the car and use contact adhesive to hold the leather back in place, I found it goes back down really nicely and doesn't wrinkle at all. I want to do mine again really as I rushed the passenger one and I'm not to happy with it. It makes such a difference to the interior when the leather isn't flopping around.
First service on S3 number 4 completed this week, fair to see it did fight me quite a bit, everything was super tight but persevered and got there in the end. Also installed my new post cat lambda and now no more EML, woo hoo haha.
The inner CV boot has come off the joint and I was hoping I could slip it back on and put the clip on without removing but after trying for a good 15 minutes decided it was never going to be a good enough job so I will whip the driveshaft off and do it properly one day soon.
Pulled the pollen filter to change it out for a new one and in 20 years of driving I have never seen one look this manky..was certainly due!
Need to pick up a few replacement screws for the covers and I want to wrinkle paint the induction kit heat shield but other than that it looks pretty tidy under the bonnet.
Next on the list is a set of rear tie bars hopefully and then full alignment, plus I really want a set of these new Bi-Xenon headlights that people are making but all my car fund cash has been eaten up by an impending house move so that might have to wait until next year.
The inner CV boot has come off the joint and I was hoping I could slip it back on and put the clip on without removing but after trying for a good 15 minutes decided it was never going to be a good enough job so I will whip the driveshaft off and do it properly one day soon.
Pulled the pollen filter to change it out for a new one and in 20 years of driving I have never seen one look this manky..was certainly due!
Need to pick up a few replacement screws for the covers and I want to wrinkle paint the induction kit heat shield but other than that it looks pretty tidy under the bonnet.
Next on the list is a set of rear tie bars hopefully and then full alignment, plus I really want a set of these new Bi-Xenon headlights that people are making but all my car fund cash has been eaten up by an impending house move so that might have to wait until next year.
I've developed a sticky front caliper on the S3 so while confirming that diagnosis on Saturday I did what every S3 owner needs to do and pulled out the arch liner to clear mud out from the inner wing, I also went around the lip on the wing as that was full of packed in mud and grime. It really is shocking how much collects there. While I was there I gave the inner arch a good degreasing and spray.
I had a bit of a fight getting the liner back in, I really don't recall having the same issue on previous S3's i've had but trying to slot it in behind the wing lip was not an easy task!
New caliper next so i'll do new pads at the same time, while the wheel is off the passenger side I will give that the same cleaning treatment...
I had a bit of a fight getting the liner back in, I really don't recall having the same issue on previous S3's i've had but trying to slot it in behind the wing lip was not an easy task!
New caliper next so i'll do new pads at the same time, while the wheel is off the passenger side I will give that the same cleaning treatment...
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They are notorious for collecting mud behind the back of the arch liner wise to take them off every so often for a good clean preventing wing corrosion looks good BTW.
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Replaced the sticky caliper and added new pads to both sides this weekend, must have been failing for a while as the difference in pad wear between the driver side and passenger was quite significant. I recall thinking back in December that it felt like it was being held on the brakes at times but I must have forgotten about it.
Either way, drives like a dream now, feels a lot quicker as well now I am not effectively driving with the brakes partially on.
No pictures of that because it was messy job but I did give the interior a hoover and fed the seats with some leather conditioner..
Either way, drives like a dream now, feels a lot quicker as well now I am not effectively driving with the brakes partially on.
No pictures of that because it was messy job but I did give the interior a hoover and fed the seats with some leather conditioner..
Thanks, would stay like that if is wasn't for a two year old who loves to drop crumbs everywhere!
It had a tracker fitted earlier in it's life and is something to do with that. From the drivers seat if is obscured by the steering wheel so it doesn't bother me
Needs a clean but it was looking quite nice in the sun earlier so snapped a picture
Hopeful that sooner rather than later I can give it clean and get some winter protection on it.
Hopeful that sooner rather than later I can give it clean and get some winter protection on it.
I was never 100% happy with the job I did on the lights back in December so I tackled them again this weekend, must say they are looking really fresh now.
Sealed them with 3M Headlight Clear Coat which gives them a lovely bright finish.
I'll get some decent pictures when the car the is clean.
Sealed them with 3M Headlight Clear Coat which gives them a lovely bright finish.
I'll get some decent pictures when the car the is clean.
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And I thought I was the only one still driving one after 20 years! Welcome back.
A couple more pictures without the blue tape this time, lenses look lovely and clear
Another job or two off this list at the weekend, MOT is due in December but I'm hoping to avoid messing about with it then so I did the inner CV boot, the existing boot was fine but somehow had ended up with no clip on it (was like this when I bought it). Bought a cheap kit from ECP for the grease and clip, grease was fine but the clip seemed to big, managed to get it pretty tight but as I was refitting it (5 of the 6 bolts in!) it popped off again, so I ended up just putting a bit jubilee on it, nice and tight now.
Despise doing CV boots, ****** grease everywhere but done now.
Seemed a good time to tackle the inner arch cleaning, wasn't looking too good beforehand and as expected, a lot of muck was stuck behind
Looking better now
Just to fit my replacement light switch next so my fogs work and then hopefully that should be all the known issues covered.
Despise doing CV boots, ****** grease everywhere but done now.
Seemed a good time to tackle the inner arch cleaning, wasn't looking too good beforehand and as expected, a lot of muck was stuck behind
Looking better now
Just to fit my replacement light switch next so my fogs work and then hopefully that should be all the known issues covered.
