Marshall's A3 8L

[marshall-12]

hey guys,
im new to the club so thought id say hello and post a few pics up.
i have started a couple threads already so my username may look familiar.

Names chris, or marsh if you wanna call me that.
live in dawlish, devon.
ive previously been into my fiesta zetec s's, owning 2 and 3 fiesta's in total.
i was close to getting anouther one, but i really wanted something 'a bit more grown up' as you say lol
and last sunday purchased my a3 1.8T Sport
i got it for 1k, which i feel i got a pritty good deal.
128k on the clocks (still pulls nicely very impressed, ive also had a golf gt tdi before that was on 181k so know how good german engines are)
service history
mot and tax till august
sunroof
came with a turbo timer, no idea how to wire it up though lol
an awsome jvc cd player, found a speaker on the roof so think theres a handfree wired in.
loads of sub and amp wires in the back.
i also found a box, apparently it produces freeview tv in the car :s no idea why someone would want that but there you go lol

for a grand there will be some sort of issues, theres a slight oil leak i need to have checked out, other then that its just bodywork, i'd say in the region of 200-300 ££ worth. but still.. not too bad and worth sorting IMO

its the fwd version, kinda kicking myself about it not being the quattroo, anyone here want to make me feel better and tell me if theres any up sides to the fwd? lol i know the golf gtis are fwd and the ibiza's so kinda makes me feel equal, id love to do a bit of track someday and quattro is the war forward i would have thought.

Im loving boost and i want more of it haha i started a thread about a cone filter, i fitted one sounds awsome and the DV is great! but it feels laggy so think im gonna go back to standard :/ be great if someone could link me to a good DV that you can hear through a standard box? preferably a single dump i think they sound better. heres a pic of it:

Gash cold feed i know, but it turned out to be alot shorter then i thought, could anyone link me to a cold feed pipe which fits to the standard box?
anyway pic of the car, completely standard atm but i'll list my 'to do' list after lol :

Starting to really like these seats, but un-sure if i want to try find full black ones or not, would work if i went for a silver with a bit of blue theme.:

My 'to do' list, or Want to do list lol wether they get done or not i dunno.

• Sort bodywork out and fit:

1. Spoiler
2. Front splitter

• Have front + rear splitter, spoiler and skirts colour coded
• Coilovers
• Refurb alloys (i want s3 or tt alloys but that may come later)
• Rear wheel spacers
• Aero wipers (fav little mod) bought already
• Maybe light tints (unsure)
• Some sort of exhaust???? please can someone answer this, does the s3 cat back fit straight on? or will it only fit around a 4wd system. or does anyone know a good place to get cat backs?
• DumpValve
• Pillar pod turbo guage (light up red)

Engine wise, im unsure. i want a DV, and i'd love a front mount. i wouldn't remap untill i have a few things so i dont have to spend out again on remap.

I want this one to look smart. nothing over the top.

anyway C+C welcome

 

[Sandra]

​Welcome to ASN. Enjoy the forum.

 

[Jimgrim77]

Hey Chris!

Nice ride

Enjoy the forum

 

[marshall-12]

cheers guys

hopeing some people can answer some of my questions/

bloodyhell jim your mod list is huge! haha

 

[Jimgrim77]

cheers guys

hopeing some people can answer some of my questions/

bloodyhell jim your mod list is huge! haha

I've done a few bits. Take a look at my progress thread. Might give you some ideas. Prawns your man in the 1.8 T though.

 

[marshall-12]

yeah just a few haha
well if i come across him ill ask him to add to here

 

[Jimgrim77]

No gains from cat back. Subjective at best.

No the s3 exhaust doesn't fit but you shouldn't want it too.

What are you trying to achieve?

Power wise...remap, dv and badger 5 tip. Best gains

Cosmetically.. splitter, tints, LEDs, paint calipers, aero blades

Tonnes of things you can do

 

[marshall-12]

im not looking for gains from a cat back,
i know it wont do nothing powerwise i do have some knowledge lol just looking for a bit of noise (not over the top) and i love the look of a twin pipe back box on an s3

 

[slowcoach3]

Go and have a word with Mat at Volkscraft in Exeter, he can sort you out with REVO map and is also a dealer in Forge and Miltek, really sound bloke who knows his stuff and has mapped a couple of my Audis now with great results....If your not into miltek money for exhausts theres a Powerflow place just around the corner from his that will sort you out. Should get you sorted!

 

[camscockle20vT]

Hi chris, good to see you put a few pics up, got a nice car for a grand by the looks of it.

Quattro is not the be all and end all, fwd is adequate on these cars with the right buschs and some decent coilover kit,ebay ones are suppose to be good.

As i said before a remap should sort any feeling of a flat spot but id look into it being a boost or vac leak, so check all the little pipes under the inlet manifold (thats the metal thing with the throttle body attched to it)

Oh and @jim he cant put a badger5 on his ko3 i wish i could have one, bill needs to produce somthing for the ko3 lads

 

[Jay A3]

Totally agree need a badger tip for ko3 /s !!!

Welcome chris, if u want that sound and have a spare cat lying around, c section it and take out the baffle. I did and it gives me that little deep rumble when I put my foot down.

 

[Customboy]

Come join us stage 2 guys!! And welcome mate!! Just stay here long enough and once your bitten by the bug the list of yours will keep getting longer! Trust me I know haha!

 

[marshall-12]

cheers guys.

yeah ive heard about volkscraft being good for maps.
as for leaks etc, i dont think i have any as it was fine before i put cone on, then kinda feels sluggish lol
but i think ill store it away and when it comes to map time ill whack it back on
i found your link to that cold feed custom boy, think ill invest in that

really was kinda kicking myself about not having awd, just for that launch lol is there much difference in speed and mods?

think i need to drop the car to a garage soon, i get a weird grinding noise on cold idle, it doesnt carry on, it comes and goes.. but may be a cause to this slight oil leak i have :/
not good, i still have my old car to sell which is on ebay, and was gonna use the money to do all the bodywork bits. but this would be the safer option haha

i know about the modification virus lol ive suffered before i have a feeling ill suffer again... lol

 

[Benjiman46]

 

[marshall-12]

aero wiper blades have arrived, get them on tomoz.

also ordered some ice blue bulbs and side light bulbs

didnt know this a3 was a h4, thought all models were h7. spose thats a good thing really lol dont need to buy 2 sets

 

[marshall-12]

aero blades fitted, ice blue bulbs fiited, waiting new led side lights and these blue tint ones dont shine blue or white there orange lol

and also just purchased my mates audi S3 alloys they need a refurb (which i would do anyway) but good nick good tyres for 180 quid. barggainnn.

but what colour guys?

silver would look smart imo, but black would stand out the best espically with some of the other stuff i want to do.

any1 recomend a good air compressor? i do quite a bit of spraying, theresa few things i want to spray on the audi including the side skirts so thought i might invest in my own little cheap compressor. found this one:
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

any good?

 

[marshall-12]

havent posted in a while but done a few things.

drilled and grovved disks and mintex pads, also painted the calipers:-

Also sprayed up and fitted a set of audi s3 alloys and fitted a cat back too, which isnt loud at all, its resonated and has a nice purr on idle and in a way quietens down when the turbo kicks in which is great as i didnt want to drown the turbo spoil.. makes me really want a forge 007p, am i right in saying the turbo whistle is louder?

anywhere heres a few up to date pics
C+C is welcome.

Needs lowering, but id like to sort a few bodywork issues out first, may just find a decent boot and rear bumper rather then spend out on spraying etc.

 

[Sandra]

Looking good. Have a look on classifieds for bumper etc. usually plenty up for sale. x

 

[marshall-12]

its getting there lol
yeah i do, dont really see much though.

how do i change the title of this thread and edit posts?

 

[Sandra]

its getting there lol
yeah i do, dont really see much though.

how do i change the title of this thread and edit posts?

Pm me what you want title changed to and what editing you want done, and i will sort for you. x

 

[s33nyboy12]

its getting there lol
yeah i do, dont really see much though.

how do i change the title of this thread and edit posts?

Getting there mate...... I would go maybe facelift lights, and light tints. Also get it mapped once everything is running right, it's worth every penny. Spend couple hours on here looking at others builds I think r tech, revo and custom code are about the best maps for your car. One thing I will add, when I had a induction on my a3t it made it lagg like hell, standard air box is perfect apparently..... On s3 people run STD on big turbo builds and everything.

Cheers, Sean.

 

[marshall-12]

what are facelift lights? ive seen a few people like to do them but whats the difference?
as for map its defo on the list, though i may get a few other mods first. plus i hate the fact its spins in first in any weather, would be worse with a map lol
yeah i dont have that cone anymore, though i will put it back on if i ever map it.

 

[deeman88]

Good progress mate, the facelift lights make the car look younger and better really- they are the lights from 2001+ a3's. and you can buy a HID Kit for a brighter, cooler light.

Safe Motoring

 

[marshall-12]

ahhh i see. might look into it then, i got xeon bulbs at the mo and there crap :/ lol

i think once ive got coils i may spray the wheels a dark purple

 

[marshall-12]

new boot fitted well happy with it.
though the scrappy i bought it from cut the wires rather then unplugging them :/ lol

 

[Sandra]

Your making great progress Marshall. x

 

[Daniel M]

Nice progress mate, plans sound good too.

 

[marshall-12]

I'm after a pair of bucket seats and harnesses to suit?
Anyone got any selling?

Preferably black seats but let me know what you got

 

[16Klappe]

I'm after a pair of bucket seats and harnesses to suit?
Anyone got any selling?

Preferably black seats but let me know what you got

Don't do it.

 

[marshall-12]

I should of started with that im turning it into a track/daily driver lol
Im going trax to do my first track time around silverstone at end of august

so im looking for a set of buckets to hold me in and harnesses.

im not doing it to pull all the little 12 years old haha

Oh update coilys ordered

 

[16Klappe]

I should of started with that im turning it into a track/daily driver lol
Im going trax to do my first track time around silverstone at end of august

so im looking for a set of buckets to hold me in and harnesses.

im not doing it to pull all the little 12 years old haha

Oh update coilys ordered

Buy a CG lock, and spend the rest on track tuition.

Unless you've got £10,000 (realistic figure) I would recommend you leave it alone and focus on making it a tidy daily driver. The 8L chassis does not make a good track car unless you spend a lot of money and time on it, and have a good understanding of the chassis itself. If you want a cheap track car I suggest a standard Clio 172 Cup, strip it and abuse the hell out of it.

What coilovers did you order?

You know that "Prawn" bloke that was mentioned earlier in this thread? He's my best mate, and the undisputed god of all things A3 (not even I argue with him). This is his "track" car which he's owned for over 6 years -

It's the only A3 I've ever seen I would class as "track ready". He's got over two grands worth of tyres, 4 sets of wheels, enough spares to build another car, done all the modifications himself and built the knowledge base to maintain it, a mortgage to build it etc. You get the idea? He'd owned the car as a 230bhp daily driver, taken it to the ring a couple of times and done several track days with it before taking the plunge to turn it into a dedicated track car.

Three of the people in our circle of friends and myself have had "track" A3's and we've all sold them and given up, because after you've stripped it you need SO much time, money and expertise to make it right. And as far as I know Nick is the only person in he world with an A3 as high spec as his, because everybody else has realised how totally retarded it is when compared to the alternatives. Google "Audi A3 track car" and you get two results in the images, load of pictures of Prawns car and load of pictures of my car; that's it.

I would also recommend you don't start on track, get yourself booked to a coned "airfield" day. It's a much cheaper way to learn your limits.

 

[Munch]

Interesting thread, I'm in exactly the same boat as you, have a standard a3 1.8t sport that I'm planning on keeping as a comfortable, yet tuned car.

Have been researching prawns thread for hints and tips on what to and not to do

Good luck with it. Me and the missus normally go on holiday in dawlish once a year, so may have to arrange a mini meet up. Also shall see you at trax, is my annual show that I never miss

 

[marshall-12]

i see what your trying to say klappe but im not planning a track event each week, would be occansionally for track like trax, maybe ill go castle combe in a few months etc. i dont have the space, money, time or knowledge to have a car dedicated for track, but in time i hope i will. for now im just looking to have some fun and have my first experience at a track day. yet maintain it as my daily until i move out with some space for 2 cars.
Trax is a good place to start, have 3 types of sessions. Novice, Intermidiate and Expert. so obviously ill go for Novice and be with people who are looking for first experince too.
Im not going for the extreme like prawns though i'd love to have that sitting outside lol but i do see what your saying, "if" i was going to go for the extreme then i will fail and that prawn is one of the few who has managed to make an a3 an outstanding track car.
thanks for the input klappe keep it coming and ive gone for cheapy coilovers, yes they will be **** but in my head i got to fail to realise, just like thousands of others haha

hey munch, you go on holiday to dawlish? theres nothing here! haha
yeah im game for mini meets, ive been chatting to sandra (admin) about regional threads so we can get some mini meets on the go.

 

[Munch]

Well, we normally stay at dawlish sands holiday park and then travels around from there. We come for the piece and quiet, living in Essex, dawlish is a much needed break for us, lol.

Plus with all the back roads.....makes for much fun

 

[marshall-12]

ahh yeah i understand why then lol dawlish is extremely quiet.
and yes... lots of back roads! lol

 

[marshall-12]

hmmm box of goodies

 

[marshall-12]

went devonshow on the weekend with my old club ZSOC

heres a few recent pics with how it stands atm on coilys also fitted sunstrip and sprayed mirror caps gloss black as they were scratched.

my fav:

C+C Welcome