MagpieRacer
Premium
- 14,950
- Wymondham, Norfolk
- Seagull_Racer
- MagpieRacer
For anyone who has seen my previous car thread (https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/my-suzuki-swift-sport-zc31s.412036/), you may know that I had continuous issues with this Suzuki Swift and the time came to get rid, I put it up for sale or trade and got a good deal on an exchange for this Audi A3. Audi A3 was at the top of my list, in either hatchback or sportback variation. Something about them was appealing to me and wanting something bigger and (hopefully) more reliable than the Suzuki. Even then, reliability on older cars is always a tough one to guarantee, so at least something with good and affordable part availability, which these have, and relative ease to work on so that I could do some things myself a not rely constantly on my mechanic (father-in-law, Renault, Volvo and Honda tech by trade). This is the 2.0TDI PD140 variant (pre-DPF and pre CR). Fundamentally identical to the legendary 1.9 PD130 but bored out to 2.0.
So, it is a very late 2006 registered car, it is classed as a MY2007 but that doesn't affect much as the facelift on the 8P didn't come until 2008. It is the S-Line trim, the S-line cars had more sporty looking trims, like the front lip, different grill, skirts and roof spoiler, it sat a little lower than the standard A3 (about 15mm I believe). At the time it was the highest spec before getting into the S3. Interior wise they got lovely S-Line specific sport seats (very similar to the S3 seats of the time), and some other sporty trim pieces that mimic the S3 and TT of the era. Standard S-line trim also featured heated mirrors, traction control, climate control and ISOfix.
This particular one had a few options thrown at it from new, including heated seats, and something I understand to be called the exculsive pack or "exclusive line packaging" as it's named in the brochure. Comprising of black dashboard and carpets, black cloth headlining, exclusive door sill trims, brushed aluminium inlays and a 3 spoke leather sport wheel.
Naturally, since it rolled off the factory floor on 2006 it has had some additions (which mid 2000s VAG hasn't). The main things being a RAMAir Sport Intake upfront, Allard EGR delete (supposedly the Rolls-Royce of EGR deletes) and a Milltek exhaust system (believed to be a cat-back). Combined with a remap of unknown origin or spec, these were 140hp standard (104kw) 236ft-lb (320nm) with a 0-60 of around 9.2-9.5 seconds. I don't know what it delivers now, but it's more than that. Some members of various owners clubs have suggested anything from 185hp (137kw) to 200hp (149kw) and around 300ft-lb (405nm) of torque. Without plugging something in or going to a dyno, I won't know for sure, but it certainly isn't standard power.
It also has S3 wing mirrors and the alloys are from a 2014 Audi S1.
I have had it for almost a month now, and it has proven already to be more reliable than the Swift which gave me a very tumultuous first month of ownership. It is also much more usable as a daily, and while it isn't as rally car like on a country road vs the Swift, it makes up for it in big loads of torque and power.
To drive, I don't know what I was expecting, so many reviewers talk about the lack of steering feel that most Audi's have, this one included, and it isn't as bad as I was expecting. Yes, compared to the Twingo RS and Swift Sport it feels a little less engaging, but it's far from bad and there is enough feedback and feel there to be able to turn in with a good amount of confidence that the car is going to respond. It isn't as sharp and crisp as those other cars but not totally devoid of feel. The power delivery is strong and it pulls extremely well, again a far cry from the Twingo and Swift which are weak until they get to 4k. There is some turbo lag there and as said earlier, I don't actually know what power it is making, but it isn't bad at all and is definitely one of the faster cars I have owned. But it is surprisingly dynamic for a larger car and a lot of fun on the more flowing A and B roads. Ride quality is ok, it sits lower and on stiffer springs than a standard A3 and they were never lauded for their ride quality so it can feel a bit rough on more challenging roads, but it's not uncomfortable. That probably isn't helped by the fact it sits on 18" wheels from an Audi S1 with relatively average rubber on them. Yes the A3 S-Line could come with a set of 18s, most came with 17s and all will have had good quality tyres on them.
Inside is a very nice place to be, even though it is nearly 16 years old, it feels extremely well put together and still feels quite contemporary. Of course, buttons for every function, as was the norm then, betrays it's contemporary feel. Seriously, the HVAC controls are insane compared to what I'm used to in previous cars, which have typically had 3 dials, one for fan speed, one for temperature and one for adjusting where the air is coming in, you then usually have a button for recirculation and that's about it. This has a button for recirculation, a button for automatic recirulation, an economy button (which turns the AC off), an auto button for the auto climate, separate button to aim the air at the windows, you or your legs, 2 buttons for fan speed adjustment AND 2 dials to adjust the temperature, one for the passenger and one for the driver (dual zone climate), plus controls for the heated seats for driver and passenger.. If I hadn't found a manual for the car, I wouldn't have had a clue. It seemed excessive at first but actually works really well once you understand each button. Little touches like the vent surrounds being rotatable to shut them instead of having a seperate wheel underneath keeps everything looking clean and the interior just feels well thought out and still feels good today. The seats are excellent, really supportive, very comfortable and look excellent with the S-Line etching in the leather, the Swift Sport always felt like I was sitting too high and never quite in the seat properly because they were so tight and sat very high in the car, in this I feel like I am in the seat, encompassed by it and quite low in the car which really adds to the driving experience and makes it feel even more sporty.
The modifications are well done, these cars are known for EGR faults so the fact that the delete has already been done on this was a nice weight off the mind, and the fact that it is a high end kit adds to the peace of mind. The RAMAir intake is effective and gives some nice turbo whoosh noises, because no, I'm not 33, I am a child and they entertain me greatly. The Milltek, I'm unsure of the exact model or how far back it goes, previous owner didn't know either. Based on my research it is most likely a cat back. It sounds pretty good for a diesel, the PD engines are quite agricultural and getting them to sound 'good' by any sporty car standards is a challenge, it's a challenge for any diesel but not impossible. So with that taken into account, it takes what is a very tractory sounding engine and does give it a bit of grumble, and elevates the intake and turbo noise a bit as well.
So, what's the plan? Well, firstly, iron out a couple very minor issues. Rear fog light error message won't go away so I will code that out imminently. It's a bit reluctant on cold mornings to start, it has never failed to start and once it is started has no issues. Given that the car came with no service history or any paperwork (other than paperwork for the cam position sensor, cambelt and front springs/top mounts which were done on day of collection), it's no surprise that it may need some basic service level maintenance. So I have new oil filter, new fuel filter and new glow plugs ready to go in, cabin filter I've already done. Hopefully that will alleviate it's cold start reluctance (most likely glow plug related). I also want to find out how much power it is actually putting out so I can tailor it's maintenance accordingly.
Once basic maintenance is done and established, I will then look at some vanity parts to start making it my own. It needs some attention to the rear wiper, the motor doesn't work and it didn't come with a wiper or anything. For £4 I bought a wiper blanking kit to just tidy it up for now, combined with a good clean and hydrophobic cleanse it should be sufficient for now. I would like to do the black honeycomb grill, I really like how they look and gives it a nice lift. Black S-Line badges, respray the B-Pillars (driver side has faded and the passenger side looks very rough) and touch up the gear surround which looks pretty scuffed up. Also need some interior mats (can't stand not having carpets) so will look for some good quality bespoke mats to fit the car well.
I think it is on it's way to needing some love around the rear suspension, couple light knocks coming from there, nothing bad but will need doing. When that time comes I will need to decide if I want to sit it on lowering springs or coilovers or just keep it simple and stay standard. The wheels, whilst I don't hate how the S1 wheels look, I don't love them, so will probably look at doing something different with the wheels and dropping a size to 17s or maybe even 16s depending on what's out there.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far and keep an eye out for future updates.
So, it is a very late 2006 registered car, it is classed as a MY2007 but that doesn't affect much as the facelift on the 8P didn't come until 2008. It is the S-Line trim, the S-line cars had more sporty looking trims, like the front lip, different grill, skirts and roof spoiler, it sat a little lower than the standard A3 (about 15mm I believe). At the time it was the highest spec before getting into the S3. Interior wise they got lovely S-Line specific sport seats (very similar to the S3 seats of the time), and some other sporty trim pieces that mimic the S3 and TT of the era. Standard S-line trim also featured heated mirrors, traction control, climate control and ISOfix.
This particular one had a few options thrown at it from new, including heated seats, and something I understand to be called the exculsive pack or "exclusive line packaging" as it's named in the brochure. Comprising of black dashboard and carpets, black cloth headlining, exclusive door sill trims, brushed aluminium inlays and a 3 spoke leather sport wheel.
Naturally, since it rolled off the factory floor on 2006 it has had some additions (which mid 2000s VAG hasn't). The main things being a RAMAir Sport Intake upfront, Allard EGR delete (supposedly the Rolls-Royce of EGR deletes) and a Milltek exhaust system (believed to be a cat-back). Combined with a remap of unknown origin or spec, these were 140hp standard (104kw) 236ft-lb (320nm) with a 0-60 of around 9.2-9.5 seconds. I don't know what it delivers now, but it's more than that. Some members of various owners clubs have suggested anything from 185hp (137kw) to 200hp (149kw) and around 300ft-lb (405nm) of torque. Without plugging something in or going to a dyno, I won't know for sure, but it certainly isn't standard power.
It also has S3 wing mirrors and the alloys are from a 2014 Audi S1.
I have had it for almost a month now, and it has proven already to be more reliable than the Swift which gave me a very tumultuous first month of ownership. It is also much more usable as a daily, and while it isn't as rally car like on a country road vs the Swift, it makes up for it in big loads of torque and power.
To drive, I don't know what I was expecting, so many reviewers talk about the lack of steering feel that most Audi's have, this one included, and it isn't as bad as I was expecting. Yes, compared to the Twingo RS and Swift Sport it feels a little less engaging, but it's far from bad and there is enough feedback and feel there to be able to turn in with a good amount of confidence that the car is going to respond. It isn't as sharp and crisp as those other cars but not totally devoid of feel. The power delivery is strong and it pulls extremely well, again a far cry from the Twingo and Swift which are weak until they get to 4k. There is some turbo lag there and as said earlier, I don't actually know what power it is making, but it isn't bad at all and is definitely one of the faster cars I have owned. But it is surprisingly dynamic for a larger car and a lot of fun on the more flowing A and B roads. Ride quality is ok, it sits lower and on stiffer springs than a standard A3 and they were never lauded for their ride quality so it can feel a bit rough on more challenging roads, but it's not uncomfortable. That probably isn't helped by the fact it sits on 18" wheels from an Audi S1 with relatively average rubber on them. Yes the A3 S-Line could come with a set of 18s, most came with 17s and all will have had good quality tyres on them.
Inside is a very nice place to be, even though it is nearly 16 years old, it feels extremely well put together and still feels quite contemporary. Of course, buttons for every function, as was the norm then, betrays it's contemporary feel. Seriously, the HVAC controls are insane compared to what I'm used to in previous cars, which have typically had 3 dials, one for fan speed, one for temperature and one for adjusting where the air is coming in, you then usually have a button for recirculation and that's about it. This has a button for recirculation, a button for automatic recirulation, an economy button (which turns the AC off), an auto button for the auto climate, separate button to aim the air at the windows, you or your legs, 2 buttons for fan speed adjustment AND 2 dials to adjust the temperature, one for the passenger and one for the driver (dual zone climate), plus controls for the heated seats for driver and passenger.. If I hadn't found a manual for the car, I wouldn't have had a clue. It seemed excessive at first but actually works really well once you understand each button. Little touches like the vent surrounds being rotatable to shut them instead of having a seperate wheel underneath keeps everything looking clean and the interior just feels well thought out and still feels good today. The seats are excellent, really supportive, very comfortable and look excellent with the S-Line etching in the leather, the Swift Sport always felt like I was sitting too high and never quite in the seat properly because they were so tight and sat very high in the car, in this I feel like I am in the seat, encompassed by it and quite low in the car which really adds to the driving experience and makes it feel even more sporty.
The modifications are well done, these cars are known for EGR faults so the fact that the delete has already been done on this was a nice weight off the mind, and the fact that it is a high end kit adds to the peace of mind. The RAMAir intake is effective and gives some nice turbo whoosh noises, because no, I'm not 33, I am a child and they entertain me greatly. The Milltek, I'm unsure of the exact model or how far back it goes, previous owner didn't know either. Based on my research it is most likely a cat back. It sounds pretty good for a diesel, the PD engines are quite agricultural and getting them to sound 'good' by any sporty car standards is a challenge, it's a challenge for any diesel but not impossible. So with that taken into account, it takes what is a very tractory sounding engine and does give it a bit of grumble, and elevates the intake and turbo noise a bit as well.
So, what's the plan? Well, firstly, iron out a couple very minor issues. Rear fog light error message won't go away so I will code that out imminently. It's a bit reluctant on cold mornings to start, it has never failed to start and once it is started has no issues. Given that the car came with no service history or any paperwork (other than paperwork for the cam position sensor, cambelt and front springs/top mounts which were done on day of collection), it's no surprise that it may need some basic service level maintenance. So I have new oil filter, new fuel filter and new glow plugs ready to go in, cabin filter I've already done. Hopefully that will alleviate it's cold start reluctance (most likely glow plug related). I also want to find out how much power it is actually putting out so I can tailor it's maintenance accordingly.
Once basic maintenance is done and established, I will then look at some vanity parts to start making it my own. It needs some attention to the rear wiper, the motor doesn't work and it didn't come with a wiper or anything. For £4 I bought a wiper blanking kit to just tidy it up for now, combined with a good clean and hydrophobic cleanse it should be sufficient for now. I would like to do the black honeycomb grill, I really like how they look and gives it a nice lift. Black S-Line badges, respray the B-Pillars (driver side has faded and the passenger side looks very rough) and touch up the gear surround which looks pretty scuffed up. Also need some interior mats (can't stand not having carpets) so will look for some good quality bespoke mats to fit the car well.
I think it is on it's way to needing some love around the rear suspension, couple light knocks coming from there, nothing bad but will need doing. When that time comes I will need to decide if I want to sit it on lowering springs or coilovers or just keep it simple and stay standard. The wheels, whilst I don't hate how the S1 wheels look, I don't love them, so will probably look at doing something different with the wheels and dropping a size to 17s or maybe even 16s depending on what's out there.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far and keep an eye out for future updates.
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