2005 Audi A3 3.2 Sport Quattro S-Line
Discussion
First of all, yes that's really the full model name. 
So after 6, nearly 7 years of custodianship, (and a few requests
) I thought I'd finally do a bit of a right up on my trusty daily.
It's a 2005 Audi A3 8P1 3 door with the lovely 3.2 24 valve VR6 engine, mated to the 6 speed manual gearbox.
It was fitted from new with a votex bodykit in a lovely colour brilliant red.
It's a really high spec car with auto xenons, a sunroof, bose, full leather, and the light pack.
I've since retrofitted cruise control, and heated seats.
The car has a lot of sentimental value to myself and my family, as it was bought almost new by my mum.
I took over in January 2015 at around 70k miles, and it's now on 158k.
It's still on it's original chains, clutch and flywheel, and after a fair bit of preventative maintenance (don't worry we'll get into all of that) it's still going very strongly.
This is how the car sits now, and is pretty much exactly how I always wanted it to look, but it took quite a while to get to this point!
I remember going to collect the car in June 2005, and took the photos of it sat at the supplying dealer Smith Knight Fay in Stockport.
It did go very well with my Dad's S6 at the time, my favourite era of Audis definitely
And even better with the RS6 that replaced it!
Hopefully people will enjoy my ramblings on a slightly newer car than what I usually talk about!
Like my other projects I've got hundreds of pictures of the various things I've done with it, so if people want a read, I'll start writing it up!
Joe
So after 6, nearly 7 years of custodianship, (and a few requests
) I thought I'd finally do a bit of a right up on my trusty daily. It's a 2005 Audi A3 8P1 3 door with the lovely 3.2 24 valve VR6 engine, mated to the 6 speed manual gearbox.
It was fitted from new with a votex bodykit in a lovely colour brilliant red.
It's a really high spec car with auto xenons, a sunroof, bose, full leather, and the light pack.
I've since retrofitted cruise control, and heated seats.
The car has a lot of sentimental value to myself and my family, as it was bought almost new by my mum.
I took over in January 2015 at around 70k miles, and it's now on 158k.
It's still on it's original chains, clutch and flywheel, and after a fair bit of preventative maintenance (don't worry we'll get into all of that) it's still going very strongly.
This is how the car sits now, and is pretty much exactly how I always wanted it to look, but it took quite a while to get to this point!
I remember going to collect the car in June 2005, and took the photos of it sat at the supplying dealer Smith Knight Fay in Stockport.
It did go very well with my Dad's S6 at the time, my favourite era of Audis definitely
And even better with the RS6 that replaced it!
Hopefully people will enjoy my ramblings on a slightly newer car than what I usually talk about!
Like my other projects I've got hundreds of pictures of the various things I've done with it, so if people want a read, I'll start writing it up!
Joe
Edited by 1275 GT on Tuesday 23 November 18:37
I always wanted one of these... got so close with an 8P A3 2.0T quattro, 8P facelift S3, Golf Mk5 R32, 8P A3 2.0T (plus more recent similar cars). All were great cars in their own way, but somehow I never crossed the threshold with an 8P A3 3.2. Lovely to see yours so well cared-for.
If I'd have to pick one car to have lasted me, then it would have been my first 8P A3 2.0T quattro: very rare S Line Special Edition spec, rare colour and rare options. Ran it from 9-20k or so from 2009-11, but it would have covered everything I want from a car in the decade since. Would have been even better as a 3.2 mind, despite its remap!
If I'd have to pick one car to have lasted me, then it would have been my first 8P A3 2.0T quattro: very rare S Line Special Edition spec, rare colour and rare options. Ran it from 9-20k or so from 2009-11, but it would have covered everything I want from a car in the decade since. Would have been even better as a 3.2 mind, despite its remap!
integraf40 said:
Looking forward to the posts on this, good/interesting to see they'll go that distance without having to worry about the chains too much!
Timing chains is always a hot topic in the 3.2 community! There's certainly cars that had issues with that, and as soon as you get the dreaded cam position error EML, or get near the -8 adaption value you are due. But at this point in the cars age, they've either been replaced or are good for a while to go! It's like everything, with regular oil changes with good quality oil gives them a really good life. I've been monitoring my cam adaption values since I've had it, and apart from the same tensioner noise it's had since new, they're still good!
Brett748 said:
Properly cool engine in an otherwise mundane car. If inanimate objects had feelings imagine how happy that shell would be receiving the 3.2 VR6 whilst all
It’s mates were afflicted with the 2.0 TDI.
Enjoy OP!
Oh definitely, most people when they see it assume it's a dressed up 2.0tdi. I even saw a car a few years ago, same colour, body-kit, everything, and was so disappointed when i reg checked it to find it was a diesel! It’s mates were afflicted with the 2.0 TDI.
Enjoy OP!
I've tried to dress it a little more than when it was new to match the cool hidden powerplant.
Mike1990 said:
I really like that. Proper left-field hot hatch.
They're definitely an underappreciated hot hatch option. They're certainly not the sharpest option with the vr6 hanging over the front axle, or the fastest anymore, but I think they're the more the sophisticated option, and it does sound good! The Cardinal said:
I always wanted one of these... got so close with an 8P A3 2.0T quattro, 8P facelift S3, Golf Mk5 R32, 8P A3 2.0T (plus more recent similar cars). All were great cars in their own way, but somehow I never crossed the threshold with an 8P A3 3.2. Lovely to see yours so well cared-for.
If I'd have to pick one car to have lasted me, then it would have been my first 8P A3 2.0T quattro: very rare S Line Special Edition spec, rare colour and rare options. Ran it from 9-20k or so from 2009-11, but it would have covered everything I want from a car in the decade since. Would have been even better as a 3.2 mind, despite its remap!
Cheers, it's a shame to see so many of them fall into quite a state. If I'd have to pick one car to have lasted me, then it would have been my first 8P A3 2.0T quattro: very rare S Line Special Edition spec, rare colour and rare options. Ran it from 9-20k or so from 2009-11, but it would have covered everything I want from a car in the decade since. Would have been even better as a 3.2 mind, despite its remap!
You really have had almost every related car apart from a 3.2 A3! Excellent taste
Yes options of the A3's really do make the difference. I picked up some parts off a guy with a really nice S3, but he was a bit gutted when he realised all the options he was missing compared to mine! The 2.0T, and S3 I bet would put lengths on a 3.2, like i said, not the fastest, but the noise is intoxicating, as I'm sure you're aware with the R32.
trevalvole said:
What's the ride quality like?
It's not great! Everyone seems to comment that it's overly harsh, but I've got used to it. It's still on it's original springs, but i changed to Bilstein shock inserts about 3 years ago. That definitely helped having some damping back, but it's still harsh. So my journey with the 3.2 began in 2015, after dailying a 1978 Mini 1275GT for over 2 years I'd finally decided I needed a more grown-up option. My mum had recently bought a replacement Z4, and the A3 was on the driveway while my dad decided how he was going to sell it.
We came to an agreement, where i could take the A3 off their hands as long as I sold the mini. So of course I parked the mini up, put a car cover on it and promptly left it there for the next year. (It's still sat in my parents garage to this day
) Not a bad car to have at 22!
Apart from a wheel colour change to Audi dolphin grey, and about 70k miles, it looked the same as when it was new.
My first small modification was to install a pair of genuine brushed RS mirror caps.
Semi sacriligous on a non-S or RS car, but I like the way they look.
I inherited the car with 2 faults, an intermittent traction control light, and a slow coolant leak.
Minor faults, but ones that needed sorting.
The traction control was definitely the most frustrating, sometimes it worked perfectly, but when the light came on, no traction control or 4wd! Meaning every journey was a gamble!
After weeks of trying various electrical connectors, cleaning earths, and trying to second guess the fault, an investment in a VCDS cable (definitely essential for audi ownership) showed the fault was electrical and with the haldex controller.
It wasn't immediately obvious, but a very common fault with gen2 haldex controllers is the OEM sealant breaks down and lets water into the controller causing corrosion to the circuit board.
Some internet research returned auto fault finders, a company near Crewe. (they're still going as Haldex Repairs I believe)
After a re-assuring conversation and timed with a holiday where I could leave the car alone for a week. I sent off my controller.
Waiting for me when i got back was my newly refurbished controller. Popped it back in, reset everything, and low and behold, error free! With the power of time I can also say it's been error free ever since!
We'll come back to the radiator.
Next up was the wheel fitment, the rear wheels especially on the stock +54 offset wheels really bugged me.
I couldn't afford different wheels, and really love the C5 RS6 style wheels. So I went for the easy option. Spacers.
10mm front 15mm rear H&R hubcentrics sorted it right out.
Made a big difference to me.
Brought them nice and flush without looking silly. Well I thought so.
Joe
I've always liked the idea of these and tried to get a couple of people to buy one (as I didn't need one personally, and they had asked for suggestions on what car to buy) but never made it.
Always nice to have a car with a bit of history too. Weirdly I've just been messaging a company about getting replica dealer number plates and window stickers made for an Audi 80 I bought last week, which came from the same dealer in Stockport back in 1994!
Always nice to have a car with a bit of history too. Weirdly I've just been messaging a company about getting replica dealer number plates and window stickers made for an Audi 80 I bought last week, which came from the same dealer in Stockport back in 1994!
Thanks for starting this thread Joe. 
Back in the mid 2000s I really fancied one of these, but as I was doing business miles and getting mileage rates I did what most did and bought a 4 cylinder turbo-diesel.
By the time that situation no longer applied I had become a BMW straight 6 convert and should have bought a 130i a few years ago, but I couldn't find one for sensible money so I got an E90 330i instead. It never occurred to me to revisit the 3.2 litre A3 option.
Yours looks great, especially in red because we all know red cars are faster!
I'd love to read a bit more about it.
Back in the mid 2000s I really fancied one of these, but as I was doing business miles and getting mileage rates I did what most did and bought a 4 cylinder turbo-diesel.
By the time that situation no longer applied I had become a BMW straight 6 convert and should have bought a 130i a few years ago, but I couldn't find one for sensible money so I got an E90 330i instead. It never occurred to me to revisit the 3.2 litre A3 option.
Yours looks great, especially in red because we all know red cars are faster!
I'd love to read a bit more about it.
Max M4X WW said:
I've always liked the idea of these and tried to get a couple of people to buy one (as I didn't need one personally, and they had asked for suggestions on what car to buy) but never made it.
Always nice to have a car with a bit of history too. Weirdly I've just been messaging a company about getting replica dealer number plates and window stickers made for an Audi 80 I bought last week, which came from the same dealer in Stockport back in 1994!
Well i definitely approve of your recommendations Always nice to have a car with a bit of history too. Weirdly I've just been messaging a company about getting replica dealer number plates and window stickers made for an Audi 80 I bought last week, which came from the same dealer in Stockport back in 1994!
That's really cool, mine was on it's original plates until a year or so ago, probably a bit new to be of any use to you though. They were looking a little tired though after 15 years, so I had some made up by my local dealer, that's what it's wearing now.
Who are you using for that if you don't mind me asking? I want to get some plates made up for my Rover.
Mr Tidy said:
Thanks for starting this thread Joe.
Back in the mid 2000s I really fancied one of these, but as I was doing business miles and getting mileage rates I did what most did and bought a 4 cylinder turbo-diesel.
By the time that situation no longer applied I had become a BMW straight 6 convert and should have bought a 130i a few years ago, but I couldn't find one for sensible money so I got an E90 330i instead. It never occurred to me to revisit the 3.2 litre A3 option.
Yours looks great, especially in red because we all know red cars are faster!
I'd love to read a bit more about it.
You know it didn't take much convincing! Back in the mid 2000s I really fancied one of these, but as I was doing business miles and getting mileage rates I did what most did and bought a 4 cylinder turbo-diesel.
By the time that situation no longer applied I had become a BMW straight 6 convert and should have bought a 130i a few years ago, but I couldn't find one for sensible money so I got an E90 330i instead. It never occurred to me to revisit the 3.2 litre A3 option.
Yours looks great, especially in red because we all know red cars are faster!
I'd love to read a bit more about it.
Very sensible decision, I don't even want to know how much I've spent on fuel over the years.
I certainly won't begrudge you turning to the blue roundel
I've been working for them for over 3 years now. I actually went out in a friends 130i recently, had an epic exhaust on the thing sounded so damn good. Really made me look at them again. I do also love a 330i, the N52 is a lovely engine. I really like my dads E90.
Cheers, I do like red cars!
AI1601 said:
Must have had a nice life seeing as it's still on original clutch and flywheel! The 8P generation really has aged gracefully from the outside, interior not as much. Must be quite thirsty though?
It's got a really bitey clutch, meaning it's tricky to launch so it's easier to give it a slight rolling start then floor it. That's probably helped with the clutch life! I think it's aged well too, people seem to have a bit of an ugly duckling opinion with the split grill 8P1's, but I've always thought with the right mods it can look brilliant. The interior has dated, but I like the simplicity of it. I did feel it needed a little something to make it feel more special though.
Definitely one of my favourite changes I've made.
So back to Audi faults!
It didn't really take that long to find the cause of my coolant leak.
Ooh that looks expensive, so I began to plot to change that. Of course the bumper has to come off to do that.
With that in mind I also started to plan another project. One part of the car that I really didn't like was the front grills. Not because it wasn't a big frame car, just the design. I always though the slat design was rubbish!
I'd always loved the C5 RS6, and thought that the car would look so much better with honey comb! Of course nobody makes anything like that for the 8P1, so after reading a thread on converting a B7 A4 grill to honey comb I came up with a plan.
Turns out the A3 has a really wide grill, much wider than almost any i could find! But after a lot of phone calls asking people to measure grills, I finally found one that was wide enough!
If anyone's wondering it's an aftermarket B8 S4 honeycomb grill. I even got lucky and the manufacturer had a damaged one that was perfect for me.
You can really see how tight the frame is to how much honeycomb I've got!
I did buy a replacement 8P1 grill incase I bodged it, or incase I wanted to swap back at some point.
But after cutting out the centers, I liked what I was seeing!
It really turned into a big job with so much trimming to get everything to fit.
But eventually I had an insert!
Managed to get the curve of the original grill too.
One of my better projects, one I'm really proud of actually
Joe
Max M4X WW said:
RetroPlates. You will find them on Facebook or Instagram and you can get a 10% discount if you mention the Instagram account M635BMW
Brilliant, ahh I've been following him for a while, I love his collection. Spoke to RetroPlates, should have some Austin Rover Dealer plates designed on the dealer sticker I have in the window on the Rover soon
Court_S said:
These are pretty forgotten about cars. A colleague had a blue one around 2008/9, it felt a fair punchier than my 325ti and sounded really good even on the stock exhaust. I remember him having a load of clutch / gearbox problems with it that bought about its demise.
They really are, shame as I think they're a good option! That's a shame, on a manual tool? I know the DSG's sometimes suffer from mechatronic problems. I've not heard of too many problems with manuals though. I love the sound, quite muted with the stock exhaust, I've fitted an OEM S3 exhaust that's a straight swap, gives it a bit more noise
So to combine two plans the radiator and the grill, the front end has to come off. It's like I was planning this.
Putting my Dad to work again!
Original top grill is screwed in on the top, and then clipped in, these are almost impossible to remove without taking the bumper off!
The bottom grill is just clipped in and can be pulled out.
Radiator can be slipped out from behind the air con condensor when you unbolt the front structure.
You can see where the original radiator has let go.
Replaced with a brand-new radiator from Audi, this is a good few revisions later, and should have fixed the problems with the original. Certainly not the cheapest option but worth it in the long run.
New rad slipped in and all connected.
First grill clipped in, so happy with it
I then finished up the bottom grill ready to fit it.
Exactly the same principal as the top grill. Original slats cut out, honey comb cut to size, epoxied into place.
Sounds so simple, but again hours of my life!
Completed! Sorted coolant system, and grills installed.
Joe
Takemeaway said:
I used to have one of these, on a 55 plate.
Probably my favourite car owned, it had the lot, especially when coupled with the DSG gear box i loved it!!
I'd love to try a 3.2 with the DSG gearbox, I've heard good things but never tried one for myself. Probably my favourite car owned, it had the lot, especially when coupled with the DSG gear box i loved it!!
I have thought about replacing it once or twice, but can never come up with a car that I'd want to give it up for! Especially for how little they're worth now.
mercedeslimos said:
Is this an FSI one?
The 24v is a beautiful sounding engine. A mate has a 3.2 in a MK2 Golf. Rabid doesn't come close with the turbo nailed to the back...
No, the A3 just got the port fuel injected version as in the mk5 R32 golf, I've the sound too, they sound like something else with a turbo bolted on! I'm not brave enough for that! Maybe if I ever retired it from daily use...The 24v is a beautiful sounding engine. A mate has a 3.2 in a MK2 Golf. Rabid doesn't come close with the turbo nailed to the back...
So like most things in life, not eveything goes to plan.
One morning I came out to this.
Some scrotes had decided that I, and every car parked on the street didn't need a door mirror.
I think 4 cars in total, I did call the police and report it, but never heard anything after.
Left me with one broken mirror cap, broken mirror base, but luckily the mirror was still hanging by the wiring and was undamaged. Being heated and dimming they're not cheap to replace!
I could have put the red caps back on, but I really liked the brushed aluminum ones. I started to search for a genuine replacement, but they're not easy to source.
I glued the base back together too.
Not ideal, but will serve as a temporary fix until proper replacements could be fine.
Back to fun stuff!
So one part of the car that I thought never lived up the the rest of the car was the interior, specifically the front seats.
My car was optioned with full black leather from new, but the front seats are lackluster!
My dad had owned an RS3 back in 2012 which really hadn't helped one of my favourite features was the optional Recaros.
I do have some pics of the cars together but I can't find them at the moment, so you get a pic from when we first went to view it.
Sadly that one didn't stick around for very long for a few different reasons, another car of my Dad's I would have loved to keep.
I also looked at Recaro CS's which give a good look, but aren't anywhere near as comfortable. I also looked at Recaro Pole Positions, but being fixed wouldn't have worked. So it had to be the Audi Recaro seats.
After some research on what was needed I found my options were quite limited. Being that I needed folding seats for a 3 door meant my options were from an S3, RS5, or R8!
After a good few months of looking I found the right seats from a seller who didn't seem dodgy!
Drove down with no passenger seat, so I could pop both in and put my drivers seat in the boot!
Perfect fit!
Parked up for lunch on the way back next to a Mk5 R32 too
Gloss black backs really do look cool too.
Really lifted the interior, gave it that "something" it was missing before.
Joe
I really like those seats.
I loved the Recaro seats in my uncles B7 RS4 and fair play for tracking down a set from a good source.
I love the sound, quite muted with the stock exhaust, I've fitted an OEM S3 exhaust that's a straight swap, gives it a bit more noiseYeah it was a blue manual with beige leather. I don’t think it came from the best garage and had had a really hard life.
I loved the Recaro seats in my uncles B7 RS4 and fair play for tracking down a set from a good source.
1275 GT said:
Court_S said:
These are pretty forgotten about cars. A colleague had a blue one around 2008/9, it felt a fair punchier than my 325ti and sounded really good even on the stock exhaust. I remember him having a load of clutch / gearbox problems with it that bought about its demise.
They really are, shame as I think they're a good option! That's a shame, on a manual tool? I know the DSG's sometimes suffer from mechatronic problems. I've not heard of too many problems with manuals though. I love the sound, quite muted with the stock exhaust, I've fitted an OEM S3 exhaust that's a straight swap, gives it a bit more noise
Edited by Court_S on Sunday 28th November 17:00
si_xsi said:
Looks in great shape for the mileage, not much can beat the sound of n/a 3.2 VR6 at this price point!
Where did you find the seats out of interest?
It's recently gone through quite a few cosmetic upgrades! I'll put up the pictures of the poor front end before it went off for paint, it was looking quite sorry for itself. Where did you find the seats out of interest?
Seats were from ebay actually, but from a company that had had them in their show car.
Court_S said:
Yeah it was a blue manual with beige leather. I don’t think it came from the best garage and had had a really hard life.
I do like the sound of that spec! Shame it didn't live up to your friends expectations! One of the options that my car wasn't specced with was cruise control.
This again was much more complicated than it should have been.
There was a retrofit kit compatable with my age of car, but of course years later this was NLA, Audi did offer an updated kit, but my dealer wasn't sure if it was compatible. So I went for it.
Initially it of course didn't work, but I read on a forum post that earlier cars were missing a trigger wire from the engine ecu under the scuttle panel. So of course I went digging and removed the scuttle and found the correct red with yellow tracer wire already fitted.
Ahh well.
Should have checked the multiplug to the steering ECU!
I then did a little more digging and found that my steering ecu wasn't a high enough spec, and needed an 8P0 spec one, not a 1K0 one like I had.
Revision F is needed for a multi-function steering wheel, but a non suffix will work for just cruise!
Hello working cruise! Very happy to see that little green logo.
I'd also got a residual airbag warning from installing the seats, for whatever reason the new safety belt receivers weren't talking to my car. So out came the seats so I could swap in my original ones.
And one airbag warning light taken care of. Being from an S3, the wiring was plug and play apart from this.
Another option my car was missing was heated seats. The new buckets all have them from factory, but I was then missing the activation on the climate control module.
This was even more involved, and also required a repair loom from KUFATEC.
Required quite some disassembly to run the loom from the seats to the convenience module behind the glove box.
It also required a new climate control unit, as the heated seat controls are built into the facia.
They're also different for single and double DIN cars... something I found out later.
Eventually I did find a correct climate control donor unit.
And after some testing, working heated seats
Joe
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