Audi A3 2.0T SE Sportback 2007 - a car bought in haste
Discussion
For several years, I've been running a variety of cars alongside our family van Bus Blue - the latest of which was a 2013 Mini Cooper S. This was sold a few weeks ago due to it being too small and stumbling across a very good price of £8k from a car buying service.
The plan was to be car-less for a few months, while waiting for a new car on lease arriving around March 2019. Unfortunately, there was a development a week ago with my Dad's health, since when he's been in ITU. I am going to be doing the 100-mile round trip regularly to see him for the foreseeable future, with the van not fitting into the hospital multi-storey car park...
After a weekend visit involving disappearing buses, sideways rain and very expensive taxis - I realised that, basically, I need a car *now*!
There hasn't been a lot of time to research what this next car should be. However, I don't want to make an expensive mistake in the fog of a family health situation. I decided to cancel the lease and then fall back on familiar cars in looking for some quickly available wheels.
The shortlist list therefore became a back-catalogue of my old cars and I was fairly set on a Golf GTI or S3 Sportback, of which I found two locally in the £11-13k range. I then also - as somewhat of an afterthought - looked up A3 2.0T's (same engine as the Mk5 GTI), to see what was available.
To cut a long story short, I've ended up buying this car for £4k. It's a 2007 A3 2.0T Sportback in SE trim: finished in Liquid Blue with some nice options and 88k on the clock:
I should add at this point that I used to have a Garnet Red 2006 2.0T quattro Sportback in S-Line trim, about ten years ago:
...and then an S3 Sportback (although I never liked the colour):
This new A3 is the both cheapest and oldest car I've ever bought!
The "old man" SE spec makes for a fairly modest looker, considering what's under the bonnet. I was also pleased to find that it's had only 2 female keepers, with a very complete service record.
Spec highlights include the optional Open Sky panoramic double sunroof, Xenon Plus headlights, rear parking sensors, front fog lights and mudflaps. This is on top of the reasonably generous SE spec, which adds climate control, cruise, auto lights / wipers and various other comforts. I don't mind not having the S-Line bodykit and seats; in fact, it's arguably an assurance of a more genteel life for this 200hp car, capable of 0-60 in around 7s and close to 150mph. We'll see whether I miss the quattro's Haldex 4WD or not, though.
Considering it's almost 12 years old, this is a very clean motor with few notable exterior blemishes:
The interior is a little dusty and the driver's alloy door trim is a bit scratched (presumably ladies' fingernails), but its "Metric" cloth upholstery is almost unworn and it was good to find original mats and a boot liner:
The interior highlight is, of course, that roof. It actually works, too, which is a bonus:
The wheels are kerbed in places, but wearing four matching Kumho Ecsta tyres with 5-6mm tread depth. These were rated 3rd in Auto Express' 2017 test, despite their humble-ish provenance.
Jobs to do include:
- adding my dateless plate
- addressing a lifting trim to the pan roof (dealer to do)
- re-attaching the driver's seat back (not clear in picture, but only just hanging on - dealer to do)
- giving the exterior some minor TLC
- considering wheel refurb (don't want to go OTT, but they're the only thing that let the car down)
The car drives a lot better than I expected - pretty much the same as my old 2.0T quattro did a decade ago, albeit with slightly softer suspension. It's a dull but safe and swift drive.
In addition to the jobs above, the agreed price includes a cambelt, water pump and oil change. The last service was 10k miles ago and the cambelt was done in 2012, so I wanted some peace of mind. There's also a minor rattle to the rear of the car, which the salesman thought was due to the loose spare wheel securing bolt - but I am suspicious of a droplink or something similar (a minor repair if so).
Overall, I'm pretty chuffed - given the backdrop to this purchase and its age.
It may be serendipity, but I do think that this may be more suitable than a lease car anyway. We do about 3k miles a year in our cars, so perhaps this is a better bet (fingers crossed). If I get even just a year out of it and it's worth very little at the end, it will have been cheaper than a year's leasing anyway.
Of course, I'm hoping it'll be around for longer.
The plan was to be car-less for a few months, while waiting for a new car on lease arriving around March 2019. Unfortunately, there was a development a week ago with my Dad's health, since when he's been in ITU. I am going to be doing the 100-mile round trip regularly to see him for the foreseeable future, with the van not fitting into the hospital multi-storey car park...
After a weekend visit involving disappearing buses, sideways rain and very expensive taxis - I realised that, basically, I need a car *now*!
There hasn't been a lot of time to research what this next car should be. However, I don't want to make an expensive mistake in the fog of a family health situation. I decided to cancel the lease and then fall back on familiar cars in looking for some quickly available wheels.
The shortlist list therefore became a back-catalogue of my old cars and I was fairly set on a Golf GTI or S3 Sportback, of which I found two locally in the £11-13k range. I then also - as somewhat of an afterthought - looked up A3 2.0T's (same engine as the Mk5 GTI), to see what was available.
To cut a long story short, I've ended up buying this car for £4k. It's a 2007 A3 2.0T Sportback in SE trim: finished in Liquid Blue with some nice options and 88k on the clock:
I should add at this point that I used to have a Garnet Red 2006 2.0T quattro Sportback in S-Line trim, about ten years ago:
...and then an S3 Sportback (although I never liked the colour):
This new A3 is the both cheapest and oldest car I've ever bought!
The "old man" SE spec makes for a fairly modest looker, considering what's under the bonnet. I was also pleased to find that it's had only 2 female keepers, with a very complete service record.
Spec highlights include the optional Open Sky panoramic double sunroof, Xenon Plus headlights, rear parking sensors, front fog lights and mudflaps. This is on top of the reasonably generous SE spec, which adds climate control, cruise, auto lights / wipers and various other comforts. I don't mind not having the S-Line bodykit and seats; in fact, it's arguably an assurance of a more genteel life for this 200hp car, capable of 0-60 in around 7s and close to 150mph. We'll see whether I miss the quattro's Haldex 4WD or not, though.
Considering it's almost 12 years old, this is a very clean motor with few notable exterior blemishes:
The interior is a little dusty and the driver's alloy door trim is a bit scratched (presumably ladies' fingernails), but its "Metric" cloth upholstery is almost unworn and it was good to find original mats and a boot liner:
The interior highlight is, of course, that roof. It actually works, too, which is a bonus:
The wheels are kerbed in places, but wearing four matching Kumho Ecsta tyres with 5-6mm tread depth. These were rated 3rd in Auto Express' 2017 test, despite their humble-ish provenance.
Jobs to do include:
- adding my dateless plate
- addressing a lifting trim to the pan roof (dealer to do)
- re-attaching the driver's seat back (not clear in picture, but only just hanging on - dealer to do)
- giving the exterior some minor TLC
- considering wheel refurb (don't want to go OTT, but they're the only thing that let the car down)
The car drives a lot better than I expected - pretty much the same as my old 2.0T quattro did a decade ago, albeit with slightly softer suspension. It's a dull but safe and swift drive.
In addition to the jobs above, the agreed price includes a cambelt, water pump and oil change. The last service was 10k miles ago and the cambelt was done in 2012, so I wanted some peace of mind. There's also a minor rattle to the rear of the car, which the salesman thought was due to the loose spare wheel securing bolt - but I am suspicious of a droplink or something similar (a minor repair if so).
Overall, I'm pretty chuffed - given the backdrop to this purchase and its age.
It may be serendipity, but I do think that this may be more suitable than a lease car anyway. We do about 3k miles a year in our cars, so perhaps this is a better bet (fingers crossed). If I get even just a year out of it and it's worth very little at the end, it will have been cheaper than a year's leasing anyway.
Of course, I'm hoping it'll be around for longer.
Edited by The Cardinal on Monday 24th December 22:48
The Cardinal said:
There's also a minor rattle to the rear of the car, which the salesman thought was due to the loose spare wheel securing bolt - but I am suspicious of a droplink or something similar (a minor repair if so).
Good cars and at that sort of money actually quite a nice thing to drive. Being a petrol in today's market you can't see it dropping that much further either.For the rattle in the back have a look on the lower, rear suspension arms for a loose plastic shield. Also check the springs, they're very prone to cracking right near the bottom.
Having now properly digested the history and driven around in it a bit, the list of things to attend to has grown a little - but it drives beautifully and still seems like good value overall.
Surprise, surprise - the garage didn't repair the lifting roof edging, nor the driver's seat back. They said they'd ordered some clips for the roof trim and would call me in to repair it after Christmas. I'm rather suspicious that I won't be getting that call!
The cambelt and water pump were changed as part of the sale, but it was missing the invoice or a stamp in the service book on handover. I thought we'd also agreed to change the engine oil - although it looks rather dark on the dipstick to me. While I do have the service book, there are no bills at all - so it's difficult to tell what has and hasn't been done over time. At worst, that means it's not had spark plugs since 2012...and never had a brake fluid change!
The list of things to do now stands as:
- Fix roof trim;
- Repair loose driver's seat back;
- Repair two central dash air vents (aligning fins have come loose);
- Examine NSR passenger door lock for intermittent unlocking issues (a common issue);
- Investigate noise to rear of car (internet tells me may be stone shields);
- Re-check oil and consider change and;
- Consider brake fluid change.
The first four issues are just part of having a 12-year-old car, while the latter three can be picked up by a trusted local VW specialist. The car had an advisory-free MoT just a week ago, so I'm hopeful that the noise from the rear is a loose trim or other non-suspension part.
The car drives brilliantly, though - so I'm still very happy. It'll be getting used a bit over the coming Christmas holidays as I think it needs a bit of an Italian tune-up.
Surprise, surprise - the garage didn't repair the lifting roof edging, nor the driver's seat back. They said they'd ordered some clips for the roof trim and would call me in to repair it after Christmas. I'm rather suspicious that I won't be getting that call!
The cambelt and water pump were changed as part of the sale, but it was missing the invoice or a stamp in the service book on handover. I thought we'd also agreed to change the engine oil - although it looks rather dark on the dipstick to me. While I do have the service book, there are no bills at all - so it's difficult to tell what has and hasn't been done over time. At worst, that means it's not had spark plugs since 2012...and never had a brake fluid change!
The list of things to do now stands as:
- Fix roof trim;
- Repair loose driver's seat back;
- Repair two central dash air vents (aligning fins have come loose);
- Examine NSR passenger door lock for intermittent unlocking issues (a common issue);
- Investigate noise to rear of car (internet tells me may be stone shields);
- Re-check oil and consider change and;
- Consider brake fluid change.
The first four issues are just part of having a 12-year-old car, while the latter three can be picked up by a trusted local VW specialist. The car had an advisory-free MoT just a week ago, so I'm hopeful that the noise from the rear is a loose trim or other non-suspension part.
The car drives brilliantly, though - so I'm still very happy. It'll be getting used a bit over the coming Christmas holidays as I think it needs a bit of an Italian tune-up.
Matt Cup said:
What’s the common issue and remedy to the nsr door lock? I only ask as we recently had both rear and the front drivers lock replaced because they all failed within a week of each other.
I’ve had this on my mk5 Golf. The whole door lock module can be replaced from eBay for about £25. On the Golf replacement required removing the outer door skin which looks daunting but is quite simple in reality. Don’t know if A3s are the same?italianjob1275 said:
Matt Cup said:
What’s the common issue and remedy to the nsr door lock? I only ask as we recently had both rear and the front drivers lock replaced because they all failed within a week of each other.
I’ve had this on my mk5 Golf. The whole door lock module can be replaced from eBay for about £25. On the Golf replacement required removing the outer door skin which looks daunting but is quite simple in reality. Don’t know if A3s are the same?In answer to the above: the near side passenger door is not unlocking reliably.
I managed to tick one job off the list yesterday. The two dashboard central air vents had become a bit of a mess, as the small metal aligning rod of the air vent fins was unhooked and now bent - resulting in the fins themselves floating about all over the place.
A quick scour of eBay netted me two complete new units for £19.98. Unfortunately, the "new" units were cosmetically worse than the old ones.
To resolve things, I gutted the inside of the new units - and replaced the fins and connecting rods on the old units. I did this by popping off the external silver rings and prising out the fins. The steel connecting rod is quite delicate, but by holding it from behind, it was possible to re-build the fin assembly in its new home with good alignment.
eBay units, gutted:
Refurbished originals units:
I managed to tick one job off the list yesterday. The two dashboard central air vents had become a bit of a mess, as the small metal aligning rod of the air vent fins was unhooked and now bent - resulting in the fins themselves floating about all over the place.
A quick scour of eBay netted me two complete new units for £19.98. Unfortunately, the "new" units were cosmetically worse than the old ones.
To resolve things, I gutted the inside of the new units - and replaced the fins and connecting rods on the old units. I did this by popping off the external silver rings and prising out the fins. The steel connecting rod is quite delicate, but by holding it from behind, it was possible to re-build the fin assembly in its new home with good alignment. eBay units, gutted:
Refurbished originals units:
Hmmm.
The Check Engine light came on today, accompanied by an unwillingness to rev above 4,000rpm (as posted in the VAG forum here). It drives totally fine otherwise.
I'm not looking forward to going back to the trader, given Christmas hours and (I presume) their need to have it looked at. I know that issues come with the territory of a 12-year-old car, but this car was meant to keep me mobile to see my Dad in Hospital!
The Check Engine light came on today, accompanied by an unwillingness to rev above 4,000rpm (as posted in the VAG forum here). It drives totally fine otherwise.
I'm not looking forward to going back to the trader, given Christmas hours and (I presume) their need to have it looked at. I know that issues come with the territory of a 12-year-old car, but this car was meant to keep me mobile to see my Dad in Hospital!
Phew (...I think).
On the basis that it's been running fine below 4,000rpm, I chanced a possibly rash 110-mile round trip to my parents' house today complete with family (and AA card) on board.
Apart from the Check Engine light, it ran fine. I was driving it a little gingerly at first, but it did rev cleanly up to the red line and later at what felt like full boost.
I will be taking it to my trusted VAG specialist as soon as I can anyway, as it's due an oil change and some minor works.
I've added two jobs to my "to do" list:
- Fix or replace the fuel filler cap (broken retainer strap)
- Repair the front central armrest cover (broken catch)
On the basis that it's been running fine below 4,000rpm, I chanced a possibly rash 110-mile round trip to my parents' house today complete with family (and AA card) on board.
Apart from the Check Engine light, it ran fine. I was driving it a little gingerly at first, but it did rev cleanly up to the red line and later at what felt like full boost.
I will be taking it to my trusted VAG specialist as soon as I can anyway, as it's due an oil change and some minor works.
I've added two jobs to my "to do" list:
- Fix or replace the fuel filler cap (broken retainer strap)
- Repair the front central armrest cover (broken catch)
The Cardinal said:
Phew (...I think).
On the basis that it's been running fine below 4,000rpm, I chanced a possibly rash 110-mile round trip to my parents' house today complete with family (and AA card) on board.
Apart from the Check Engine light, it ran fine. I was driving it a little gingerly at first, but it did rev cleanly up to the red line and later at what felt like full boost.
I will be taking it to my trusted VAG specialist as soon as I can anyway, as it's due an oil change and some minor works.
I've added two jobs to my "to do" list:
- Fix or replace the fuel filler cap (broken retainer strap)
- Repair the front central armrest cover (broken catch)
fuel filter?On the basis that it's been running fine below 4,000rpm, I chanced a possibly rash 110-mile round trip to my parents' house today complete with family (and AA card) on board.
Apart from the Check Engine light, it ran fine. I was driving it a little gingerly at first, but it did rev cleanly up to the red line and later at what felt like full boost.
I will be taking it to my trusted VAG specialist as soon as I can anyway, as it's due an oil change and some minor works.
I've added two jobs to my "to do" list:
- Fix or replace the fuel filler cap (broken retainer strap)
- Repair the front central armrest cover (broken catch)
I've managed to tick a few minor jobs off the list today and, earlier this week, I booked the car in for a service.
The fuel cap strap had broken, which is pretty inconvenient when filling with fuel. £13.75 scored me a "new" used replacement cap, as the strap isn't available separately nor easily repaired:
I also fixed the armrest cover with a new retaining clip, at £2.37. Prior to this, the top flap was falling back into the passenger area when lifted:
Unfortunately, the driver's seat back is going to be harder to repair than I first thought. There are three retaining clips that run along the top of the seat back panel, of which two are snapped off. These in turn hold metal clips, which are easier to source and replace.
The car is booked in to my local VAG specialist for an inspection service (plugs, fuel filter etc), plus brake fluid that may not have been changed in 12 years!
Since clearing the codes that were thrown up recently when having trouble revving over 4,000rpm, they haven't come back. Fingers crossed.
The fuel cap strap had broken, which is pretty inconvenient when filling with fuel. £13.75 scored me a "new" used replacement cap, as the strap isn't available separately nor easily repaired:
I also fixed the armrest cover with a new retaining clip, at £2.37. Prior to this, the top flap was falling back into the passenger area when lifted:
Unfortunately, the driver's seat back is going to be harder to repair than I first thought. There are three retaining clips that run along the top of the seat back panel, of which two are snapped off. These in turn hold metal clips, which are easier to source and replace.
The car is booked in to my local VAG specialist for an inspection service (plugs, fuel filter etc), plus brake fluid that may not have been changed in 12 years!
Since clearing the codes that were thrown up recently when having trouble revving over 4,000rpm, they haven't come back. Fingers crossed.
I don't think you can really tell a car's condition until you wash it. Thankfully, my initial positive impression stands after giving it some TLC.
Really, it's in very good condition for its 12 years. The bodywork would be good for a car half its age, with almost no front end stone chips and no notable blemishes. There's just a tiny scrape to the front bumper (see original post) and a slightly poor repair to a small bit of the rear bumper.
Tar spots were to be found all along the car's underside. Before:
After a first pass with tar cleaner and a little polish:
The wheels have seen better days and I doubt there's much I can do to improve them, short of repainting:
I was pleased, however, to be able to restore 15 of the wheel bolt caps with a little sandpaper and soapy water. I will need to buy another 5, which are missing. Before / after example below:
Given its value and our city centre location, I'm unlikely to do much more than continue to give this little Audi a bit of elbow grease and possibly refurbish the wheels.
I must say it's immensely satisfying to get this stuff in working order and looking the best it can!
Really, it's in very good condition for its 12 years. The bodywork would be good for a car half its age, with almost no front end stone chips and no notable blemishes. There's just a tiny scrape to the front bumper (see original post) and a slightly poor repair to a small bit of the rear bumper.
Tar spots were to be found all along the car's underside. Before:
After a first pass with tar cleaner and a little polish:
The wheels have seen better days and I doubt there's much I can do to improve them, short of repainting:
I was pleased, however, to be able to restore 15 of the wheel bolt caps with a little sandpaper and soapy water. I will need to buy another 5, which are missing. Before / after example below:
Given its value and our city centre location, I'm unlikely to do much more than continue to give this little Audi a bit of elbow grease and possibly refurbish the wheels.
I must say it's immensely satisfying to get this stuff in working order and looking the best it can!
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