My new S3 Black Edition - Brilliant black
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Ok people I'm after a little bit of advice and guidance...
REALLY hankering after a remap and perhaps a CAI to go with it. Now I'm on a PCP with my car and I don't want to ruin the value of it, I know I will probably kiss goodbye to the warranty if something goes pop which is a risk I have to consider but all the pointers are that these cars are so bulletproof if mildly tweaked and looked after properly that I should be OK. The question to those of you running new-ish S3s is: What tends to be the attitude of the dealers themselves to any mods? Hoping that the service guys wouldn't care as long as it doesn't cause them issues, maybe only going to be a problem all round if something went wrong? I'm not overly bothered about a remap as I know that can be kept low-key, but things like CAIs, Rims, lowering?
My dealer's parts guy is happy to sell me an RS3 grille kit so hoping their service team will take a similar attitude to mods... Any experiences?
REALLY hankering after a remap and perhaps a CAI to go with it. Now I'm on a PCP with my car and I don't want to ruin the value of it, I know I will probably kiss goodbye to the warranty if something goes pop which is a risk I have to consider but all the pointers are that these cars are so bulletproof if mildly tweaked and looked after properly that I should be OK. The question to those of you running new-ish S3s is: What tends to be the attitude of the dealers themselves to any mods? Hoping that the service guys wouldn't care as long as it doesn't cause them issues, maybe only going to be a problem all round if something went wrong? I'm not overly bothered about a remap as I know that can be kept low-key, but things like CAIs, Rims, lowering?
My dealer's parts guy is happy to sell me an RS3 grille kit so hoping their service team will take a similar attitude to mods... Any experiences?
Hi batch ,im on pcp with 2years free servicing,never had any problems or questions asked ,when i have taken the car in ,for its first mot and first service,im on stage 2+ revo,lowered and had 19s on ....
You'll only kiss away your warranty for say maybe...a turbo, or engine etc.
If your windows stopped working, or headlights were playing up etc they would still work on your car under warranty as its not directly affected.
Im stage 2, so CAI and Map and full Milltek exhaust.
The car i got new in March of this year, im now over 13k, 12k of which have been at stage 2.
I literally give the car death when i use it, its been faultless so far.
Previous 8P3 S3 i also gave it death, it never missed a beat in 20k hard stage 1 miles....apart from the clutch.....(horrendous map)
If im honest, i wouldnt worry, map it + bolt stuff on.
Luckily, my parts guy from Audi has recently made his own garage nearby and he co - owns it with the Workshop controller from Audi....
And luckily enough...hes a friend of mine.
If i were you, find a good independent specialist, and avoid dealers anyway, usually most people inside are useless, careless and charge too much wonga.
And as for when they take your vehicle on road test.....you dont want to know.
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Thanks guys, that reassures me enough! If I don't go for an RS3 next I shall probably buy this at the end and then I can play properly. In the mean time I'll do my map and maybe CAI then... Black optic RS3 grille and some springs and I reckon I'll be about right!
Well, done NOTHING with the car over the last few months, except some pressed plates and a rather natty pair of ASN window stickers which look pretty tidy beneath the BE tints on the rear side windows!
New plan of action will be:
Hope everyone else is enjoying their cars, thanks for reading this almost pointless update!
New plan of action will be:
- SPRING CLEAN with a detail by the top man himself, N8 @ Kowalski Details
- CAI - At the moment the AmD own-brand one looks the biz to me, considering going orange or blue for the pipework just to make it all stand out on an otherwise subtle car. Anyone using one of these kits?
- Remap - Stage 1, comes down to Shark or APR and will probably be decided by where I am when I have the spare cash!
- Springs and maybe spacers....
Hope everyone else is enjoying their cars, thanks for reading this almost pointless update!
A3Kent
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Little tempter for you! Sorry mate- Classifieds: Audi RS3 Grille - 6 months old
DAMMIT! Looks like it's that or the remap next month then.... Grrr! Haha!
Nice update there bud!!
Can you pop up a quick picture of your ASN sticker and where you placed it? Only reason I haven't placed mine yet is due to the windows being pretty dark.
Will try and get one later mate, basically I've put them along the sill of the back windows, inside, at the trailing egde. So from inside just above the black dotted edging, about 3 1/2 inches in from the back corners!
welcome to the black edition club ,thing is with yours it has the full package which mine has'nt got.Personally i would leave it "stock",but if you are keeping it for a long time then i would start modifying it.BTW look after them wing mirrors they cost ver £500 a pair.The brilliant black colour is good but does not hae the same toughness as the mettallic blacks, i have just spent £400 on a front end respray to get rid of motorway driving chips.
yeah I've just given mine a wash today (couldn't wax it as planned as it started snowing again - seriously WTF?!) and it looks awful! Hard to believe it had a full 3-day detail less than 9 months ago?! I need to keep my eye on the ball from now on....
Well, it's been a week of mixed fortunes...
Car had it's first service Monday, simple oil and filter and Tonbridge Audi did themselves proud once again. They're a great dealership!
Today I dropped by a friend of mine, Reuben of Tuningwerkes, Croydon. He's an APR agent and I was to have my ECU flashed with a demo of their Stage 1 map. I've been impressed with what I've seen and heard of their work, and was really looking forward to having my mind blown for a few hours! BUT...
Reuben plugged the car in, APR's software did its stuff and came back with "Single File Upload ONLY!". Basically this means that my car's ECU doesn't have the memory available to store the demo map, which as it expires is placed onto it alongside the original map instead of overlaid like the actual remap. This also means that it can't store the switchable maps which APR use as their selling point; There simply isn't the room on the board! GUTTED isn't the word, not only can I not see for myself what a Stage 1 S3 is like, I also can't get the full programme when I do the remap! I can still have the APR map but it will be overlaid over my original one with no others stored. Very disappointing.
This basically comes down to my ECU being a MY2009 item - not impressed as it's found its way into my MY2012 car! Oh well, I'll make the best of this that I can I guess... Dammit!
The flip side is I've managed to track down a set of anthracite BBS CHs and after speaking to my dad, he reminded me my red centre caps from the VR6s CHs are still in the spare room at home! Every cloud and all that...
So remap, new rims and a CAI then it's just springs and I'm done. He says... Honest!
Car had it's first service Monday, simple oil and filter and Tonbridge Audi did themselves proud once again. They're a great dealership!
Today I dropped by a friend of mine, Reuben of Tuningwerkes, Croydon. He's an APR agent and I was to have my ECU flashed with a demo of their Stage 1 map. I've been impressed with what I've seen and heard of their work, and was really looking forward to having my mind blown for a few hours! BUT...
Reuben plugged the car in, APR's software did its stuff and came back with "Single File Upload ONLY!". Basically this means that my car's ECU doesn't have the memory available to store the demo map, which as it expires is placed onto it alongside the original map instead of overlaid like the actual remap. This also means that it can't store the switchable maps which APR use as their selling point; There simply isn't the room on the board! GUTTED isn't the word, not only can I not see for myself what a Stage 1 S3 is like, I also can't get the full programme when I do the remap! I can still have the APR map but it will be overlaid over my original one with no others stored. Very disappointing.
This basically comes down to my ECU being a MY2009 item - not impressed as it's found its way into my MY2012 car! Oh well, I'll make the best of this that I can I guess... Dammit!
The flip side is I've managed to track down a set of anthracite BBS CHs and after speaking to my dad, he reminded me my red centre caps from the VR6s CHs are still in the spare room at home! Every cloud and all that...
So remap, new rims and a CAI then it's just springs and I'm done. He says... Honest!
I use Tuningwerkes quite a bit as well and Reuben and I were chatting about all the variations on same month (let alone year) cars - whatever is in the parts bin goes on the car ...
Oooh, look what we have here...!
Now a very impatient wait for the new map to be sent back over before flashing it hopefully tomorrow night, prior to a long weekend in the Lake District...
Now a very impatient wait for the new map to be sent back over before flashing it hopefully tomorrow night, prior to a long weekend in the Lake District...
So, a little update - made a few changes, the most significant being, of course, a Stage 1 remap with STS from Shark Performance via N8. I was heading to the Lake District for the weekend, and Ben brilliantly completed my modified map and emailed it back to me at gone 1am for me to upload on the way - eventually flashing the STS box at Starbucks in Bicester Village and then uploading to the car in the car park!
The long trip up the motorway was fairly uneventful; The car felt more lively at higher speeds, but of course that's pretty much all I could assess! Perhaps I got used to the new performance whilst I was on the motorway, or I'm just not easily pleased!, but I had to admit I wasn't blown away. My fiancee said it felt quicker, but whilst I had to agree, it wasn't the huge step, "night and day" I'd been led to believe, bringing the car to life...
I spoke to N8, who was really helpful and supportive. He said I should have been really impressed by a Stage 1 map on this car, and that he'd resolve it. In the meantime, I managed to pick up a Neuspeeed P-Flo, just a couple of months old, from Adamj on here. Top bloke; He actually fitted it for me when I went to collect and one of his mates even gave the car a quick polish! Platinum level service from yet another helpful member!
So here's the kit fitted, with a manifold wrap under heat-reflective tape. I know it's not the most effective CAI out there but it was a steal, and with the heat-resistant additions and only on a Stage 1 motor, it seems to do the trick:
I've also got a modified S3 engine cover waiting to go on which I think will look great alongside the Neuspeed - that OEM-plus look.
Following this, I got in touch with Ben who very helpfully suggested I head up and see him at HQ to check all was well with the map. On top of this, naturally he could tweak anything that I wasn't happy with. So, road trip it was!
Upon arrival Ben took the car onto the rollers and had a look while my mate and I headed off for brekkie. Within 20 minutes, Ben called to say that the car was running just about spot on power for a Stage 1 car. Cue me feeling like a total Nelly for wasting everyone's time! We finished grub and headed back, Ben reporting that he'd been able to tweak things slightly due to the strong engine and the presence of the P-Flo, which he really rates as an intake on the TFSi. I was very impressed with the results...
That's a final figure of 312hp, and a whopping peak 466Nm of torque! Ben then took me out for a blast, and the difference was incredible. As I said, the figures were about right prior to the tweaks but the drive was now just so much more impressive. Nice early torque, a huge shove yet still pulling hard as you hurtle up the revs. It's still lively and eager on the motorway, but it's now a beast on the B-Roads! I know anyone out there with Stage 2+ or above will tell me it's nothing compared to that, but for me it's great and I'm happy as Larry with it! A friend also mentioned that the torque figure is close to that of a Stage 2 car, which is nice to know!
Other developments, on the 20th September I had a new pair of Michelin Pilot Sport 3s fitted on the front, for the superb price of £250 all in, from BUDGET TYRES in BATTERSEA. Good price, great service and very friendly gents, well worth a look. It was mentioned that the rubber I got was only ZR rated, however looking at SETyres and Michelin websites, it seems that Michelin's Z is equivalent to a Y rating so all is good as far as I'm concerned! They feel SO much better than the Bridgestones; Turn in is sharper, overall grip is immense and impressively they're noticably quieter! Almost silent!
Next, I have to get the car detailed ready for winter, also a couple of the rotors have picked up some rash (one my fault, one NOT!) so Diamond Styling in Sevenoaks will be doing the honours there. After that, I have designs on a set of Eibach Pro-Kit springs and that really will be my lot. Honestly. I have a wedding and house hunt to pay for!
Loving the community here; Everyone's friendly and helpful and it's great reading, and hopefully contributing to, all the articles put up. Keep it coming people!
The long trip up the motorway was fairly uneventful; The car felt more lively at higher speeds, but of course that's pretty much all I could assess! Perhaps I got used to the new performance whilst I was on the motorway, or I'm just not easily pleased!, but I had to admit I wasn't blown away. My fiancee said it felt quicker, but whilst I had to agree, it wasn't the huge step, "night and day" I'd been led to believe, bringing the car to life...
I spoke to N8, who was really helpful and supportive. He said I should have been really impressed by a Stage 1 map on this car, and that he'd resolve it. In the meantime, I managed to pick up a Neuspeeed P-Flo, just a couple of months old, from Adamj on here. Top bloke; He actually fitted it for me when I went to collect and one of his mates even gave the car a quick polish! Platinum level service from yet another helpful member!
So here's the kit fitted, with a manifold wrap under heat-reflective tape. I know it's not the most effective CAI out there but it was a steal, and with the heat-resistant additions and only on a Stage 1 motor, it seems to do the trick:
I've also got a modified S3 engine cover waiting to go on which I think will look great alongside the Neuspeed - that OEM-plus look.
Following this, I got in touch with Ben who very helpfully suggested I head up and see him at HQ to check all was well with the map. On top of this, naturally he could tweak anything that I wasn't happy with. So, road trip it was!
Upon arrival Ben took the car onto the rollers and had a look while my mate and I headed off for brekkie. Within 20 minutes, Ben called to say that the car was running just about spot on power for a Stage 1 car. Cue me feeling like a total Nelly for wasting everyone's time! We finished grub and headed back, Ben reporting that he'd been able to tweak things slightly due to the strong engine and the presence of the P-Flo, which he really rates as an intake on the TFSi. I was very impressed with the results...
That's a final figure of 312hp, and a whopping peak 466Nm of torque! Ben then took me out for a blast, and the difference was incredible. As I said, the figures were about right prior to the tweaks but the drive was now just so much more impressive. Nice early torque, a huge shove yet still pulling hard as you hurtle up the revs. It's still lively and eager on the motorway, but it's now a beast on the B-Roads! I know anyone out there with Stage 2+ or above will tell me it's nothing compared to that, but for me it's great and I'm happy as Larry with it! A friend also mentioned that the torque figure is close to that of a Stage 2 car, which is nice to know!
Other developments, on the 20th September I had a new pair of Michelin Pilot Sport 3s fitted on the front, for the superb price of £250 all in, from BUDGET TYRES in BATTERSEA. Good price, great service and very friendly gents, well worth a look. It was mentioned that the rubber I got was only ZR rated, however looking at SETyres and Michelin websites, it seems that Michelin's Z is equivalent to a Y rating so all is good as far as I'm concerned! They feel SO much better than the Bridgestones; Turn in is sharper, overall grip is immense and impressively they're noticably quieter! Almost silent!
Next, I have to get the car detailed ready for winter, also a couple of the rotors have picked up some rash (one my fault, one NOT!) so Diamond Styling in Sevenoaks will be doing the honours there. After that, I have designs on a set of Eibach Pro-Kit springs and that really will be my lot. Honestly. I have a wedding and house hunt to pay for!
Loving the community here; Everyone's friendly and helpful and it's great reading, and hopefully contributing to, all the articles put up. Keep it coming people!
Thanks mate, I love her! Can honestly join the club now of those that say a remap brings them to life. Pity I don't get to enjoy it as much as I could!
XFi
In need of a V8.
I also thought the same when I got my remap it wasn't night and day like my 8L S3 was but turbo technology has moved on and the map was a lot more progressive which makes it more use able but for me less fun!
Yeah I get what you mean. This is my first turbo car, this map seems to have the best of both though!
You won't be disappointed mate especially if it works as well as mine! My mate, who has a VERY rare Evo 9 estate with HKS(?) software, looked over the graph and was very impressed, even more so when he drove it!
Just need to find the heatshield for the P-Flo filter that seems to be a very uncommon addition!
Just need to find the heatshield for the P-Flo filter that seems to be a very uncommon addition!
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Only just got round to reading this now. Glad it was all sorted in the end, I'm sure it's fabulous to drive now! Your one of the good guys Rich!
Dan-Jnr
Registered User
Thanks Dan, I've ordered the Eibach kit and will probably fit an RS3 Optic grille, but that's my lot.
If you are going for the Eibach lowering ,i recommend Elite in Rainham [h=2]01708 527 205[/h].They will supply and fit and have the most advanced geometry setup system .they do German cars every day and my golf GTI was spot on when they done it.(BTW) i dont work for them just recommend them.They have the Harris alignment system see their web site .
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Thanks mate, I've actually acquired the springs through a work account so will just need fitting and geo done!
So I made the trek up to UNIT 18 AUTOMOTIVE in Milton Keynes yesterday, to have the Eibach springs fitted and a 4-wheel laser alignment setup done. Alistair and the guys are very friendly, happy to chat through everything and their work was very professional and diligent. Plus the job came in at a very reasonable price including a VCDS scan after I mentioned the Haldex issues!
First impressions? Well, after getting lost leaving MK centre (I met a mate for lunch and a spot of Superdry therapy) I ended up taking the A5 cross country to Luton. I would imagine, when free of traffic, that it's a decent bit of tarmac but I still found the odd empty roundabout and twisty stretch. I have to say I was really impressed; The car turns in much sharper, holds its line much neater (understeer is seriously reduced), brakes more positively and feels less jerky when pulling away. Of course this is all down to lowering the front, how Audi passed through the S3 for production with such horrendous reverse rake is beyond me! Pics will follow once the new setup has settled, it's not a dramatic difference but to my eye the front now tucks nicely over the wheels without enough space to park a Q5 in the arch gap! On top of all this, the other thing I've noticed is actually a mild improvement in ride. It's far less crashy over potholes/bumps than it used to be - I can only assume that the huge ride height beforehand meant the rebound of the dampers was having to work overtime. It feels better than the standard setup! Thanks to WarrenS3 and others here whose reviews and comments of the Eibach kit convinced me. Can't wait for my favourite roads and some dry, cool spring days to go play now!
As said, pics to follow when I can get some.
First impressions? Well, after getting lost leaving MK centre (I met a mate for lunch and a spot of Superdry therapy) I ended up taking the A5 cross country to Luton. I would imagine, when free of traffic, that it's a decent bit of tarmac but I still found the odd empty roundabout and twisty stretch. I have to say I was really impressed; The car turns in much sharper, holds its line much neater (understeer is seriously reduced), brakes more positively and feels less jerky when pulling away. Of course this is all down to lowering the front, how Audi passed through the S3 for production with such horrendous reverse rake is beyond me! Pics will follow once the new setup has settled, it's not a dramatic difference but to my eye the front now tucks nicely over the wheels without enough space to park a Q5 in the arch gap! On top of all this, the other thing I've noticed is actually a mild improvement in ride. It's far less crashy over potholes/bumps than it used to be - I can only assume that the huge ride height beforehand meant the rebound of the dampers was having to work overtime. It feels better than the standard setup! Thanks to WarrenS3 and others here whose reviews and comments of the Eibach kit convinced me. Can't wait for my favourite roads and some dry, cool spring days to go play now!
As said, pics to follow when I can get some.
Boring packaging shot, the night before...
AND, a quick pic of the beast before the suspension surgery!
AND, a quick pic of the beast before the suspension surgery!
MorkC68
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Thanks Mr_Sixx, it's my pride and joy!
Here's a quick snap of the new look, it's not the best position on a slope but you get the idea. Just tucks the front down discreetly but compared to standard it makes all the difference!
Here's a quick snap of the new look, it's not the best position on a slope but you get the idea. Just tucks the front down discreetly but compared to standard it makes all the difference!
stetheo
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Looks really really good, a nice subtle drop but definitely sits better.
I thought I kept my car clean but this is just next level clean! This also clarifies that I need some rotors in my life immediately.
I thought I kept my car clean but this is just next level clean! This also clarifies that I need some rotors in my life immediately.
The Governor
Registered User
That actually does look a lot better, for such a subtle mod.
How does it affect handling? Were the any insurance issues?
How does it affect handling? Were the any insurance issues?
