Full rebuild & Amd tuning Essex experience

[Julian smith]

Well after nearly 3 long years I have finally got my car remapped and couldn't be happier!!!
My storry started nearly 3 years ago now after my A3 2.0 tfsi quattro's engine blew. I decided to go for it and sourced a really good clean strong forged motor with just 5k miles on it along with a few other goodies including a milltek exhaust from Amd tuning in Essex which came with a half price map offer. My car already had an iffy Stage 1 tune which I wanted rid of and now I had the hardware to go to stage 2 along with the great offer from Amd.
So my mechanic and myself started the rebuild everything went together really well (thanks to my mechanic) The big day arrived and off I went to Amd tuning, a few hours later they called to say unfortunately I had a runner flap motor issue and couldn't do the tune.
A bit deflated I got back home in west sussex and swapped the old part for a spare I had in the shed, but the car then developed another fault this time with the hpfp.
Covid had not long started so my work had all but dried up, so the car had to be shelved as we couldn't afford to run it let alone repair it. Over a year later I contact Ben at Amd again and explain what had happened, he said this never happens but he would still honour the half price map offer, after over year... Wow!!!
New hpfp fitted I'm just about to book in for the map and I end up in ****** hospital.
I've contracted a serious lung problem leaving me bedridden for over another year. Pretty down and out I think is this car ever going to happen. Anyway a few weeks ago I contact Ben at Amd again, I tell him of my issues and cheekily say "I know it's a long shot mate but does the offer still stand" Ben replies and amazingly the offer does still stand.
At long last the big day arrives and off we go back to Essex,
Drop the car off and Ben recommends a great CAFF up the road, a quick mooch around Bluewater and the phone goes, it's Ian at Amd they can't put it on the rollers as a couple of my tyres are starting to perish (that's how long the cars been sat) I've come to far to go home again so Ian recommends a tyre place up the road who sort me out. Drop the car back and have to endure a very very long browse around IKEA with the Mrs. After what seemed like an age in Swedish hell Ian calls back at last..... I'm thinking something else has got to have gone wrong surely, he says the cars all done.
HALLELUJAH
I want to thank Ben and Ian at Amd and can't recommend them highly enough, top top class customer service. the car is transformed from a unpleasant twitchy on off throttle into something with such a smoooooth torquey feel. The guys did explain it wasn't a full stg 2 though as unfortunately I only have a pipercross panel filter and the alloy S3 fmic. Unfortunately I didn't realise the S3 intercooler I bought was so restricted and being an old boy of 54 I didn't want the load sound of a cai. I am interested to know how much difference these mods would make along with uprating the hpfp and going stage 2+ though if anyone could tell me?
Anyway I've uploaded before and after Dyno runs graph if anyone's interested. Just to note the motor is a 2.0tfsi AXX bottom end with integrated engineering drop in rods, S3 bhz top end, turbo back milltek with sports cat, pipercross panel filter and all alloy S3 fmic.
Huge thanks again to Ben & Ian at Amd tuning, Gray's, Essex. See you soon

 

[Pany]

This is a great story and it’s good to hear AMD treated you well.

I am actually down at AMD today for the first time and I am very happy so far with the service from Ian and Ben.

Patiently waiting for my car to be finished!

 

[Julian smith]

This is a great story and it’s good to hear AMD treated you well.

I am actually down at AMD today for the first time and I am very happy so far with the service from Ian and Ben.

Patiently waiting for my car to be finished!

Hi, thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope it reasured you. We never really know going to a new car tuners and handing our pride and joy over for the first time do we. You can rest assured these guys are one of the best in the business down south.
Let us know your results and what you think buddy. Hope you don't have to wait much longer.

 

[prt57]

Normally, the all alloy S3 FMIC is the one to use if you are running a BWA / AXA engine.
on an S3 at stage 1+ you will see maybe 335bhp 335 Lbs ft of torque with no real issues with the standard intercooler so not too sure what the issue is here especially as it is still chilly outside.
So you have a decent exhaust flow from the engine with the Milltek, you now need to have a decent flow into the engine and this is where the standard airbox is restrictive. If you take it to pieces, you will see that there are some internal supporting struts that can be dremelled away and other pieces that can be smoothed. Take care with the Pipercross as I have had a couple that have collapsed.
the best route is to have a CAI, you say you are old at 54, you are only a boy compared to me and I have the full kit on my S3 as in the photo!!
The hpfp upgrade with either an insert or the whole pump increased the torque massively and this is what you feel as acceleration.
I assume you are still using the standard K03 turbo, these spool up quickly at lower revs but run out of puff more at higher revs compared to the K04 turbos but the map should stretch this out.
you don’t say if your car is manual or DSG. If manual you need to watch out that the clutch does not start slipping if it is still standard.
If you had not spent money on your tune already, I’d be recommending RTech in Nuneaton. Absolute experts with these cars and they will get the best from your particular hardware.

 

[Julian smith]

Normally, the all alloy S3 FMIC is the one to use if you are running a BWA / AXA engine.
on an S3 at stage 1+ you will see maybe 335bhp 335 Lbs ft of torque with no real issues with the standard intercooler so not too sure what the issue is here especially as it is still chilly outside.
So you have a decent exhaust flow from the engine with the Milltek, you now need to have a decent flow into the engine and this is where the standard airbox is restrictive. If you take it to pieces, you will see that there are some internal supporting struts that can be dremelled away and other pieces that can be smoothed. Take care with the Pipercross as I have had a couple that have collapsed.
the best route is to have a CAI, you say you are old at 54, you are only a boy compared to me and I have the full kit on my S3 as in the photo!!
The hpfp upgrade with either an insert or the whole pump increased the torque massively and this is what you feel as acceleration.
I assume you are still using the standard K03 turbo, these spool up quickly at lower revs but run out of puff more at higher revs compared to the K04 turbos but the map should stretch this out.
you don’t say if your car is manual or DSG. If manual you need to watch out that the clutch does not start slipping if it is still standard.
If you had not spent money on your tune already, I’d be recommending RTech in Nuneaton. Absolute experts with these cars and they will get the best from your particular hardware.

Thanks for the reply mate all usefull info. I wish I felt like a boy again lol.
Yes I thought I did my homework re the alloy S3 intercooler but Ben and Ian said although an improvement on stock its still not great. I am aware if/when I go to the ko4 or maybe hybrid ko3 it may need upgrading.
I have seen before about the Dremel work that can be done on the airbox but would it really make that much difference?
I forgot to add the Mrs still thinks the cars stock lol, The milltek is resonated so nice and quiet I think the cai would give the game away as she knows what I'm like, I am very tempted though what is yours? it looks very smart and tidy.
Would it make that much difference in performance mate, are they much louder and If I got one would I need to have the map tweaked again to accommodate it? Very very tempted now LOL.
Its manual sadly and it was a concern pushing the torque to much more than it is right now for the very reason you mentioned. If I remember rightly isn't the S3 and 2.0tfsi clutch the same?
Im sure i have read this before, if so surely I'd be ok so long as I'm running the ko3? Even maxed out I'm not going to get more than 290bhp out of it. Or would an uprated hpfp give me a lot more torque than an S3?
I was chatting a fair few times to Ben and Nikki at r-tech but as I'm in west Sussex and will be returning I thought Amd would be a bit easier as only 50 miles up the road.
Thanks again buddy

PS I just looked up the torque of the S3 8p and mine is now already higher. Question is how much can that clutch handle and how much more would the hpfp add.......

 

[prt57]

My best tip would be to ask the same questions on TFSI tuning Facebook. A massive amount of knowledge there.

 

[Julian smith]

My best tip would be to ask the same questions on TFSI tuning Facebook. A massive amount of knowledge there.

Ok mate will do, can I just ask though what's the make of you're cai, does it make a difference in performance and is it much noisier please?
Cheers buddy

 

[prt57]

My CAI is made by Revo which is the best for these cars. However, I did not want to use the Revo foam filter as I had heard reports of it crumbling as it gets older and the bits damaging the turbo. I also modified the length of the tube to prevent the filter rubbing on the back of the headlight.
yes you can certainly hear the CAI breathing. At times it is like having Darth Vader in the glovebox! However, there are lots of good noises as I give the car the beans.
So personally, I don’t mind the noises but my son prefers the standard intake noises.
Time to look for some sound clips on YouTube.

 

[Julian smith]

Thanks buddy very usefull and yes heard the same about the foam Revo you tube time haha cheers