Facelift RS3 Project Rebuild

[Simon Zoloiev]

Thanks for having me on board. Although I'm new on the forums, I'm not new to Audi's. In the past I've owned a 2000 TT 225, 2008 S3 and 2013 A3. I'm an English expat, currently living in Ukraine. After 3 years away, I'm back in the driving seat of another Audi. This time a 2018 Facelift RS3. Over the last 10+ years, I have bought, owned and sold various damaged vehicles. I found that, if you are careful, do your research and get repairs done professionally, it is a cheaper way to own some awesome cars. Almost every car since 2008 has been a damaged/repaired vehicle.

So, needless to say, that is what I have bought now - a damaged RS3. Here in Ukraine, they don't write off vehicles until they really are destroyed. So, I had to turn to Europe for my search. I found this one at a specialist dealer in Germany. Here are a couple of photos, including the damage...

https://ibb.co/CQwk30s
https://ibb.co/fQJxyzt
https://ibb.co/dDq2MPX

It's not a terribly difficult repair. The bulk of it is bolt-on parts, and the airbags have gone off. There is a small dent to the sill in the drivers door aperture, but that should be fairly simple for a bodyshop to repair. I plan to source the parts, get a bodyshop to do the bodywork and paintwork, then I'll rebuild the car.

One thing that I am struggling to find on the internet is a parts catalog for Audi's. I have previously repaired a few BMW's and Minis and always used RealOEM as a source of parts info. Is there anything like that available for Audi's? I've done a Google and found a couple of sites, but they don't have anything so new. Can anyone advise?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to posting progress photos soon!

 

[Bluepower]

'small dent' .. I hope the floorplate isn;t damaged, but by the looks of it, I would say that has taken quite a hit too...
May I ask how much your paying for this car?

 

[Terminator x]

Do you ever have trouble selling the cars after you have fixed them / run them?

TX.

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[Simon Zoloiev]

'small dent' .. I hope the floorplate isn;t damaged, but by the looks of it, I would say that has taken quite a hit too...
May I ask how much your paying for this car?

No, the floor plate isn't damaged - just the sill. I'd rather not reveal exactly how much I paid, but it's roughly a 3rd of the price of a undamaged car with the same year, mileage, etc etc...

Do you ever have trouble selling the cars after you have fixed them / run them?

When I used to do this in the UK, I would always be open and honest about the car's history. I kept photographic evidence of the damage and repair work along with all paperwork. Whilst damaged repaired vehicles only attract certain people, in my experience I have never had a problem selling them once they are fixed. People respect and appreciate openness and honesty. I'm yet to sell a damaged car here, but I don't expect it to be any different. Whilst insurance companies here don't record damaged vehicles, they do in Europe. So, you can always run a VIN check and find the history of a car.

 

[Simon Zoloiev]

Things are progressing on the rebuild of my project RS3, just a bit slower than I'd like. I work away a lot and therefore not been at home to oversee the project and push things forward. As you may have seen by my other posts, I have found that the gearbox casing has been cracked during the accident. The dealer did kinda say about this, but dumbed it down as not much of an issue, and that it could be fixed. Well, turns out it can't really.

So, engine and gearbox are out of the car at the moment. Bodywork is all underway. Having the engine on the bench has started me thinking; what would be worthwhile modifications to do at this stage? This isn't going to be a track car, or anything like that. But, it would be nice to add something to it. I've been looking at the Unitronic Stage 1+, which should add ~100bhp. But, I'm open to ideas...

Thoughts? Thanks in advance...

 

[flybynite]

I have previously repaired a few BMW's and Minis and always used RealOEM as a source of parts info. Is there anything like that available for Audi's? I've done a Google and found a couple of sites, but they don't have anything so new. Can anyone advise?

Have you tried ETKA with your chassis number?
7zap ETKA

 

[DW81]

I occasionally use parts24. Pay a tenner then have full access to all manufacturers parts and prices. Set up a dealership address and I believe you can order the parts through them.
Good luck with the build

 

[Simon Zoloiev]

Have you tried ETKA with your chassis number?
7zap ETKA

I occasionally use parts24. Pay a tenner then have full access to all manufacturers parts and prices. Set up a dealership address and I believe you can order the parts through them.
Good luck with the build

Thanks for the information and wishes. I have actually found a Russian site, which also supports English language. You can enter your chassis number for the specific information. I have found it to be 100% accurate so far...

Catalog AUDI

Parts For AUDI

www.ilcats.ru

 

[Simon Zoloiev]

The project is progressing, but very slowly. My repair shop is extremely busy with around 20-30 other repairs at the same time. So, it's taking quite a lot longer than I expected to get this done. But, here are a few progress shots...

I visited the car last week and it was in the booth being prepped for paint. I imagine by now that she is already one color...

 

[Simon Zoloiev]

Progress continues to be slow on the RS3 project. Unfortunately, I was away with work for 3 months and in that time it looks like the repair shop have kicked back on their heels. One thing that I have learnt about Ukrainian culture is that they are not organized or proactive. The build has been delayed so much because they never look ahead to what is needed; instead they wait until they start a task and then find they don't have what they need.

I've had to take charge of sourcing the major parts like the gearbox. Fortunately, I found one with the same code, completely refurbished and including the mechatronic unit for a fraction of the cost of a new one. This has meant recently the engine and gearbox have been put back in the car. We are just waiting on filters and liquids for both before the first startup.

Here are a couple photos of the latest progress...

One thing that isn't visible is the ECE Dogbone Mount; the first upgrade of many. Unfortunately, this caused a huge argument with the repair shop as they don't want to fit anything apart from genuine parts. I have no idea why; they aren't an official dealer in any way. So, further upgrades will be done when I get the car back.

I'd like to have the car back before the end of the year, but they aren't able to give me any idea when it will be ready...

 

[Simon Zoloiev]

I just realized that my last post was December 2021. A lot has happened since then. The good news is that the RS3 lives and is back on the road again. There are a few minor details that need to be completed, but 99.9% of the work is done.
Unfortunately, the car has had a hard return back to life. She was finished and registered on the road on the 22nd February. On the 24th February, war broke out in Ukraine and my family started fleeing. We managed to get the car out of Ukraine - this was an overnight stop in either Slovakia or Hungary (I don't remember):

Since then, we have been right across Europe and now we are in the UK while I am on a work assignment. This is how the car looks after her first proper wash. No time for any professional detailing or anything yet...

It's a bitter sweet feeling right now. My wife and daughter are safe. I have the car that I dreamed of and saved another car from getting scrapped. But there are still family and friends left behind in Ukraine.

 

[Terminator x]

Forgot you were out there fella. Trust your entire family can stay safe.

Brings any little problems I have into focus.

TX.

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[The Cardinal]

I was recalling this thread recently when war broke out. It’s unimaginable to think of this happening in the 21st century in Europe.

It sounds like you might have had a connection with the UK prior to these terrible last few weeks?

I am full of admiration for someone who not only has the inclination to rebuild such a great car - but so pleased to hear you and your closest family made it to safety against all the odds. I hope everyone is welcoming of you all in this heart-breaking situation.

 

[JohnM100]

Glad you and your family are safe - it’s an unimaginable situation over there. Jus the thought of leaving your life behind is something most of us cannot comprehend, let alone for those still there and what is happening.

Car looks good too.

 

[Simon Zoloiev]

I was recalling this thread recently when war broke out. It’s unimaginable to think of this happening in the 21st century in Europe.

It sounds like you might have had a connection with the UK prior to these terrible last few weeks?

I am full of admiration for someone who not only has the inclination to rebuild such a great car - but so pleased to hear you and your closest family made it to safety against all the odds. I hope everyone is welcoming of you all in this heart-breaking situation.

I am an English expat, living in Ukraine for the past five years. My wife and daughter are Ukrainian, so their link to the UK was me.

Sadly, the UK has made it very difficult for us. It took 4 weeks to get through the visa application process (we put our names down the day after the Ukrainian scheme was announced). Upon arrival, we are expected to fend for ourselves. We have been told that we are not eligible for any housing or government support. The only option is private rental. However, 2 applications have been declined and 7 other applications have been ignored completely (in just one week). That doesn't cover the telephone calls where I have been told I cannot even apply. All because we do not have a previous UK address in the last 3 years. As if that all wasn't enough, we have been harassed by the police for having a Ukrainian car in the UK. I've even been told to f**k off back to Ukraine and fight, if I feel so strongly about the country.

So, we aren't staying. I am only on a short-term contract which will finish in about 4 weeks time. Then, we'll head to Dover and get out of here...

Thank you for your kind words about the car. I am very pleased. Whilst the major rebuild is pretty much complete, there is still a lot I'd like to do.

 

[Paulbean]

Sorry to hear about your awful treatment upon reaching the UK, makes me ashamed to be British.

 

[Evolution_Roy]

Sorry to hear about your awful treatment upon reaching the UK, makes me ashamed to be British.

.

 

[wuta3]

Sorry to hear about your awful treatment upon reaching the UK, makes me ashamed to be British.

That's absolutely shocking.