New Scuba blue A3 TDI184

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Scubayorks

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Hi folks,

Just joined, picking up my S-line 184 5dr likely on Wednesday. Wanted an A3 for so long and can’t believe I’ve managed to find an immaculate one in the only colour I’ve always wanted!
Will be keeping an eye on the forum for help and ideas. I’m not into modifying at all as life’s too busy for that, but first thing I’ve found is with the Audi SD card in it picks up Satellites but can’t activate the nav so I’m guessing it’ll need doing by Audi. Is it around £250 for activation? Can imagine it’ll need updating too.

Only other issue I have is the air-con button doesn’t stay on, so the dealer is sorting that before I buy it whatever it needs.
Look forward to reading more here in future
 
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It used to be £600 to activate the navigation system, maybe cheaper now.
 
Scubayorks said:
£600 good god! Thanks for letting me know, I’ll research further anyway
Click to expand...
If I remember right it’s £250 to activate the system then you need to buy new maps which is another £250-350 so that’s where the £600 comes from.
 
Ahh okay thank you, as I say the car can already see the satellites so it sounds like it’s half prepared already. Will update based on what the scenario is. Pick the car up today and changing from an Astra 2.0 CDTI Vxline so it’ll be nice have a few more mod cons and quality around me!
 
Oh also Ila’s I told the dealer I’m not collecting it until the air con is fixed they regassed it on Monday and apparently it’s been fine all week so sounds like it’s just ran low, was wary about possible leaks but we’ll see. Was driven by an older couple so I can imagine the a/c wasn’t used a lot and the seals could have dried out which was my only concern
 
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So new update, interestingly noticed there’s more road noise than in my previous Astra on 19’s but I can deal with that.
Was surprised the stereo seemed to only go upto acceptable levels too, seems either the internal amp isn’t powerful enough or it automatically restricts certain tones such as bass in order to protect the speakers?
Sounds like it’s a VAG issue in general as my brothers Leon does it and a colleagues A5 too.
If only I had the B&O upgrade on it . But not for the cost!!
 
Could be the tyres causing more road noise. I found some really bad for noise like the Michelins when it’s down to 3-4mm of tread.
there’s a lot of folk upgrade the standard speaker system to add a centre and other speakers/subs and it’s meant to be a massive improvement over the standard a-s-s. Think there’s a guide for that on here or a few retrofitters that can do it. Would recommend @DJAlix on here if you looking for retrofits.
 
It’s running continental tyres fitted by the previous owners, fronts are almost new and backs got a few mm on them so ready for changing.

ahh okay so adding a centre speaker? I’ve not investigated yet into where all the speakers are but that’s really useful to know thank you!
 
Neil C said:
A3s are notorious for road noise.
Click to expand...
It’s funny even reading that , when you think of the basics. A premium brand…. renowned for quality, but road noise that you shouldn’t really hear comes as standard? it’s not terrible, just a bit more present than my Astra. I will say this though, that engine….wow it absolutely flies!
 
I have another query too, so we listen to Absolute Radio 00 at home, however the car won’t pick it up on DAB or even when retuning it including the L band. Does anyone have an idea at all?
 
Thanks Neil, I wasn’t sure whether it’s just an incompatibility as the Google home 5 metres from the car picks it up but the car doesn’t. Rescanned channels as well but it didn’t pick up anything extra regarding that one. There is the app though apparently so may just have to stream from that if I want it
 
Scubayorks said:
I have another query too, so we listen to Absolute Radio 00 at home, however the car won’t pick it up on DAB or even when retuning it including the L band. Does anyone have an idea at all?
Click to expand...

How are you doing the retune? Different versions of the MMI have different ways of doing it & some have an "update station list" option.

The most comprehensive way is to go to DAB and the screen to tune manually, take a note of which mulitplex/ensemble you are on (e.g. 10A, 12C etc) and press "seek up" repeatedly with a gap of a few seconds to force it to look for all stations on all Muxs until you get back to the one you started with. It's pretty laborious though. Only store favourite stations after doing this.

If that doesn't work it could be some minor radio interference from a USB charger / dashcam that is drowning weak signals but not enough to kill the stronger stations.
 
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Scubayorks said:
Hi folks,

Just joined, picking up my S-line 184 5dr likely on Wednesday. Wanted an A3 for so long and can’t believe I’ve managed to find an immaculate one in the only colour I’ve always wanted!
Will be keeping an eye on the forum for help and ideas. I’m not into modifying at all as life’s too busy for that, but first thing I’ve found is with the Audi SD card in it picks up Satellites but can’t activate the nav so I’m guessing it’ll need doing by Audi. Is it around £250 for activation? Can imagine it’ll need updating too.

Only other issue I have is the air-con button doesn’t stay on, so the dealer is sorting that before I buy it whatever it needs.
Look forward to reading more here in future
Click to expand...
Hiya
haha first person who likes scuba I hated it when I first got it.. This color will get dirty very quickly
 
AudiRace said:
Hiya
haha first person who likes scuba I hated it when I first got it.. This color will get dirty very quickly
Click to expand...
Not the best blue, Audi cunningly make you upgrade to higher models or pay extra for good blues. Scuba was sooo much better than Cosmos though.
 
So still love the car, I agree when it’s dirty it doesn’t look anywhere near as good but I think that’s pretty standard!

The power of the engine is impressive though! Coming from an Astra 165bhp diesel with nothing in the low powerband in 5th and 6th this just makes driving effortless! Literally blipping the throttle, especially for motorway driving! Seems that on full blowers not on auto, the drivers side footwell doesn’t blow hot (it does if you slow the fan speed down) so think the heater matrix may be slightly blocked.
Also thinking a Toyota Main dealer would be a reliable method of buyers by has had me think twice, as I’ve found there’s one wheel bearing that’s ready for replacing! When they say they’ve checked over the car…. Unlike CarShop where I got my Astra from and they were very good in comparison!
 
Scubayorks said:
So still love the car, I agree when it’s dirty it doesn’t look anywhere near as good but I think that’s pretty standard!

The power of the engine is impressive though! Coming from an Astra 165bhp diesel with nothing in the low powerband in 5th and 6th this just makes driving effortless! Literally blipping the throttle, especially for motorway driving! Seems that on full blowers not on auto, the drivers side footwell doesn’t blow hot (it does if you slow the fan speed down) so think the heater matrix may be slightly blocked.
Also thinking a Toyota Main dealer would be a reliable method of buyers by has had me think twice, as I’ve found there’s one wheel bearing that’s ready for replacing! When they say they’ve checked over the car…. Unlike CarShop where I got my Astra from and they were very good in comparison!
Click to expand...

Glad you are enjoying the car. What year is it?

Get onto the selling garage quick about the cold air from the drivers side footwell. Could be as simple as a faulty sensor in the vent or a stuck air flap but if the heater matrix is blocked it is a dashboard out job if then you can’t flush and need to replace it. Blockages usually caused by the silica bag in the coolant reservoir bursting - hence my Q about which year the car is. Since you have warm air from the other vents it’s less likely to be a blockage. On Auto the car manages which vents blow hot or cold - you may have checked already but was this when manually set to blow into footwell and climate control set to high temp on both sides of the car, and not on eco (displayed next to temp on passengers side).
 
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Brilliant thank you for that, yes noticed that also it appears the last thing I’ve spotted is just the rear wash wipe doesn’t work…hopefully that’s everything now! Wasn’t expecting perfection at 67k but was expecting near it considering its a main dealer selling it, clearly haven’t done the classic 120 point check etc…
Luckily receipts of cambelt and pump done recently and had a lot of work done by a very fastidious owner (was on older couple so probably didn’t hear the wheel bearing)

The fiancée has asked to take it twice already and loves it too!
 
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Yes so on auto, it did get nice and warm and didn’t notice issues. Was just when I changed it to manual, set blowers to feet (as we’d got back to the car and wanted to quickly warm the feet up) . Her side (the most important really) nice and warm, mine, clearly not heating up!
 
Sounds more like a sensor or air flap issue but when cold, it blows to windscreen (to keep it clear) then feet but that can backfire if inside of windscreen not clean.

The 8V does this gradually - the old A3 8L was clearer in terms of hot air sent low and in summer cold air sent high and in my mind better but that’s a separate issue.

Good that GF is interested - at first, mine was nervous about the S3 but after driving a few times it became ‘shotgun’ for the key. Good luck with that one!

Mileage aside, buying from a dealer (whatever brand), everything should work incl rear wash/wipe unless clearly stated. Rear washer is a common fault due to design.

PS did you get your DAB radio issue sorted?
 
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Matt Titanium said:
Not the best blue, Audi cunningly make you upgrade to higher models or pay extra for good blues. Scuba was sooo much better than Cosmos though.
Click to expand...
Actually sky blue is not extra which I like
But best colour is black, stays cleaner longer after wash.
 

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Scubayorks said:
So still love the car, I agree when it’s dirty it doesn’t look anywhere near as good but I think that’s pretty standard!

The power of the engine is impressive though! Coming from an Astra 165bhp diesel with nothing in the low powerband in 5th and 6th this just makes driving effortless! Literally blipping the throttle, especially for motorway driving! Seems that on full blowers not on auto, the drivers side footwell doesn’t blow hot (it does if you slow the fan speed down) so think the heater matrix may be slightly blocked.
Also thinking a Toyota Main dealer would be a reliable method of buyers by has had me think twice, as I’ve found there’s one wheel bearing that’s ready for replacing! When they say they’ve checked over the car…. Unlike CarShop where I got my Astra from and they were very good in comparison!
Click to expand...
Astra and 165 bhp?? hmm really.
I have tuned a bit to 230 bhp st 1 remap
My heating is all fine , I have only issue with aircon the passengers side doesn't get cold.. just motor flap is busted needs cleaning, is prob jammed.
I have cam-belt and water-pump done today, after 80.000 miles haha. It needed to be done, as I had long cold start sometimes in the morning, cam shaft position sensor fault and burning oil after 6 months 500ml. And tensioner failing, sometimes in morning I started engine it was squeaking for 2 or 3 minutes when stationary . When car was moving squeaking sound gone..
 
That’s the other colour that is stunning! Oh no never sorted the DAB issue out, wondering if it’s just due to the radio can’t pick it up due to its age…

It picks up all the other DAB stations but just not that one I sort of would want, which is weird!!
 
It appears that the heating issue I have is the whole of the drivers side including the fans too, so on low and auto the air is hot as I’d expect. But if I blast up the fan speed on manual it cools down to just slightly warm even with the engine fully upto temp. Does this seem to suggest more the heater matrix itself likely on the drivers side then would you think?
 
Scubayorks said:
It appears that the heating issue I have is the whole of the drivers side including the fans too, so on low and auto the air is hot as I’d expect. But if I blast up the fan speed on manual it cools down to just slightly warm even with the engine fully upto temp. Does this seem to suggest more the heater matrix itself likely on the drivers side then would you think?
Click to expand...
Both sides even
 
Sorry forgot to mention so it’s the drivers side that when the blowers are high (not on auto setting) that doesn’t get hot as the passenger side does.

also would anyone recommend a specific cable for the Audi iPod connection? Or just anything I can find that’s for that car connection?
 
Okay so I got a cable and it’s done exactly what I wanted!

Just thought I’d share too so the car broke down last weekend, slowing down to traffic lights the brake pedal went down another 2 inches! Diagnosis was a red hot rear disk so looks like caliper binding and has boiled brake fluid!

Rang the dealership absolutely furious as car should not have been sold like that. Also noticed slight wobble at motorway speeds through the wheel, rear washer didn’t work and then the manual fan wouldn’t blow hot to drivers side.

Car picked up by garage, they’ve confirmed fitting 2 disks and pads and caliper, brake fluid, fixed rear wash wipe, will pay for heater fix as I need to get that done at Audi. In the meantime I have a courtesy car of a vivaro van, which is a hoot. So much more useful than just a replacement car I wouldn’t choose myself like a Focus
 
Scubayorks said:
Okay so I got a cable and it’s done exactly what I wanted!

Just thought I’d share too so the car broke down last weekend, slowing down to traffic lights the brake pedal went down another 2 inches! Diagnosis was a red hot rear disk so looks like caliper binding and has boiled brake fluid!

Rang the dealership absolutely furious as car should not have been sold like that. Also noticed slight wobble at motorway speeds through the wheel, rear washer didn’t work and then the manual fan wouldn’t blow hot to drivers side.

Car picked up by garage, they’ve confirmed fitting 2 disks and pads and caliper, brake fluid, fixed rear wash wipe, will pay for heater fix as I need to get that done at Audi. In the meantime I have a courtesy car of a vivaro van, which is a hoot. So much more useful than just a replacement car I wouldn’t choose myself like a Focus
Click to expand...
So all faults will be free of charge?
Don't go to audi to fix heating you will end up paying 1000?
 
Yes the car has a years warranty with it and the garage have given it in writing that they’ll pay for the heating to be fixed by Audi.
Bearing in mind I paid £14k for the car it has to be right! Maybe slightly overpriced but try find me another Blue 185bhp one with similar mileage…. Or indeed at the time.
Will update on progress once Audi have fixed the heating
 
Scubayorks said:
Yes the car has a years warranty with it and the garage have given it in writing that they’ll pay for the heating to be fixed by Audi.
Bearing in mind I paid £14k for the car it has to be right! Maybe slightly overpriced but try find me another Blue 185bhp one with similar mileage…. Or indeed at the time.
Will update on progress once Audi have fixed the heating
Click to expand...
For 14k you could go for S3 .. I would
I paid 9k but I part ex mine old 2011 A3 for 4k so I paid 5k ... And then I spent another 3k for repairs upgrades retrofits .. Money pit .. :D
 
I’d love an S3 but I’m 38 and need a 5 door and although power is very attractive, mpg is more important to me . Basically I’m not young enough to have one anymore, but also not old enough to realise I need one
 
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Scubayorks said:
I’d love an S3 but I’m 38 and need a 5 door and although power is very attractive, mpg is more important to me . Basically I’m not young enough to have one anymore, but also not old enough to realise I need one
Click to expand...

Nice way of wording it. It’s personal choice though and yours is MPG. I was older than you when I discovered S cars.
 
Been contemplating an SQ5 for a few years - now I can't afford one again lol.
The TDi Sportback A3 will have to suffice for a while longer.
 
Scubayorks said:
I’d love an S3 but I’m 38 and need a 5 door and although power is very attractive, mpg is more important to me . Basically I’m not young enough to have one anymore, but also not old enough to realise I need one
Click to expand...
Haha are you sure ... :) am 39 I was just driving home on motorway night time and was driving bit faster heh and I just spotted another audi and when I ''zoom across''
by him he started racing me ahaha he couldn't get me first minute on bent I lost him but then on straight lane I was accelerating about 130, 135 then 140 he overtake me and I looked on the back of the car and of course it was S3 :D SO he must shoot about 150 or even 155 :D
I can go max 145 mph
I really would try it out that S3
 
I also love paying £130 a year for insurance and super low tax…. S3 isn’t for me
 
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