Fade to Grey: Audi RS3 2020 Sport Edition
Discussion
Preamble
It seems I'm a confirmed fan of the four rings: this is my 3rd RS3, my 5th 8V and my 9th A/S/RS3/TTS overall. I run a 2013 custom VW T5.1 camper and a 2023 MK8 Golf alongside, meaning this is not the main car and that fact helped to justifying swapping from a more-sensible 2026 8Y S3 into this car recently.
After nearly a year of owning a brand new S3, I felt the overwhelming "get in and go" A-B-shrinking competence was its main strength; though the comfort, mandatory driver aids and newness overlapped a lot with our family MK8 Golf 150 DSG eTSI. Overall, it reminded me of a nicer version of my old Golf GTD - extremely capable, but not an emotional experience. Frankly, I missed the 5-cylinder sensations of my old RS3s the most, and this was the main reason to swap back. But I also felt there are a list of advantages that this older 8V format has over the newer 8Y - some of which I'll get into below.
Spec & history
Ordered from West London Audi originally by an audi-sport.net forum user, who helped me piece together the history of the car, this is a 2020 model with the following options:
- Audi Sport Edition:
- Gloss Black Styling Pack with exterior mirror housings, radiator grille frame, front blade, and window trims in gloss black, with quattro logo in matt titanium look
- RS Sports exhaust system
- Super Sports seats with electric 4-way lumbar adjustment;
- 19” x 8.5J front and 19” x 8.0J rear ‘5-arm-blade’ design Audi Sport alloy wheels in Gloss anthracite black, diamond cut finish with 255/30 R19 front tyres and 235/35 R19 rear tyres
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- Carbon inlays for dashboard and door trims
- Driver Assistance Package: Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Active Lane Assist, Audi Side Assist, Traffic Jam assist, High-beam assist, Pre-sense Front with pedestrian recognition, Camera-based traffic sign recognition, Emergency assist
- Comfort and Sound Package: Bang & Olufsen Sound System, Advanced Key, Rear view camera
- Audi Sport Package: RS Sport suspension with Audi Magnetic Ride, Tyre pressure monitoring system
- Matrix LED headlights with LED rear lights and dynamic front and rear indicators
- Door Mirrors - Heated-Electrically Adjustable-Folding-Auto-Dimming
This means the car had pretty much every UK market factory option available at the time, in addition to the higher late-model era base specification of these cars.
PDI'd in March 2020, its registration was delayed until June due to the pandemic. It was sold the following October 2021 for an 8Y RS3, and the car has since passed through three more hands - but only clocking up 21,400 miles. I was able to call up its full Audi history as documented on ErWin for further assurance prior to looking at the car:
Service History Mileage Date Supplier Detail
Pre-delivery inspection 0 20/03/2020 West London Audi
Oil change service 1,931 10/03/2021 M&J Cars Additional service by ex-Audi mechanic
Inspection with Oil change (flexible) 7,775 04/03/2022 Bolton Audi
MoT 8,933 31/08/2023
Inspection with Oil change 13,420 24/05/2024 Bridgend Audi
Additonal work 13,420 24/05/2024 Bridgend Audi Oil for all-wheel drive coupling
MoT 14,239 30/08/2024
Oil change service 16,791 16/05/2025 Bridgend Audi
MoT 17,453 13/08/2025 Advisory: nail in rear tyre
Inspection with Oil change, MoT 20,618 14/05/2026 Bridgend Audi Dust and pollen filter
Additonal work 20,619 14/05/2026 Bridgend Audi Brake fluid service
Inspection with Oil 21,382 21/07/2026 JL Automotive Spark plugs; Brake pads 7/8mm, tyres 4.5/5/5/5 F&R (not recorded on ErWin)
Buying & first impressions
What's the best variant of RS3? CZGB, DAZA or DNWA? Take you pick...
Being a 2020, this is one of the very last DNWA RS3s as well as being subject to the post-WLTP 2019> revisions including OPF and various smaller changes. Speaking as the former owner of two CZGB / Pre-Facelifts (one running just a single sports cat), my first impression is that the similarities seem more obvious than the differences. Moreover, none of these 8V RS3s are new cars and so condition was the most important factor for me - ruling out many of the other variants for sale this late summer / early autumn.
Coupled with the spec, mileage & history; the car was fitted from new with paint protection film to the whole body and wears a complete set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. The selling dealer failed to list the PPF, MagRide and matrix LEDs which might have led to it being overlooked by others. These were reasons enough to narrow down the search and investigate in-person:
Having verified everything above, plus used two tools to check the low mileage and just 8 launches, I took the car and drove it home.
Compared to my two PFLs, there is definitely that lightness at the front end and a further polish to the way this low mileage car drives that there wasn't on my other two that were also low milers (respectively bought in 2022 at 24k and 2024 at 38k miles). It was a delight to step back into a familiar cabin with a "just right" blend of ergonomics, quality and tech - one of my favourite things is how I can drop the centre screen to have a clean dash. This is also, with no modifications, a great performer with plenty of noise & sensations - somewhat quieter than a PFL but not as much as you might expect given the online chat.
One thing that really stands out about this particular car is that it has all the modern aids - adaptive cruise, lane assist, side assist, speed limit warnings - but you can turn them ALL off! Bliss... Oh, and the sound system is considerably richer and louder than the most modern ones.
Condition notes & what needs fixing?
With a very acceptable modern Golf for most daily duties, and with this car having its own off-site garage, I'm free to use this for occasional long personal and business trips. The situation also gives me time to get the car perfected to my own standards without worrying about having it out of use: I cycle to work and / or can use public transport. In other words, I can enjoy the car when I want and don't need to worry about any improvements being undone by daily use.
You'd expect a car like this to present well but of course should also expect some cosmetic shortcomings compared to a brand new car. In the flesh it looks like it's been cared for but not pampered and, to be honest, my previous RS3s were in better "first impression" cosmetic condition. However, as I will list here, I took the view that the defects are small & very resolvable... not least because the car is PPF'd; whereas I couldn't find another car with the "unfixable" combination of low miles, spec, history and lack of abuse.
A week driving the car around confirms that there's little to be done service-wise and nothing needed mechanically. Nonetheless, I'll get the oil changed for DSG, Haldex, transfer box and diff in the coming months.
The most obvious areas for improvement are small and on the outside of the car. Firstly, the PPF is missing on two sections of the front bumper blocks beneath the headlights and the driver's wing, meaning there are minor stone chips to these areas:
The whole rear bumper is also missing its PPF, perhaps explained by what looks like a minor paint repair to the lower passenger side bumper. You can see a line where the lacquer has run slightly here:
There are also some small defects and marks to the PPF in these places, in line with having been on the car for 6 years:
The wheels look fine from a couple of paces and even in these photos, but 3 of them have a combination of lacquer lifting and / or poor repairs. You can also see some small marks to the front calipers from (re)fitting wheels and although the discs and pads are healthy the brake bells are pretty corroded:
Inside, it's in excellent condition - with just some small marks to the leather presumably from child seats:
The bonnet liner keep falling out of place, but the overall condition of the engine bay is pretty good:
Finally, I find exhaust tips are often overlooked and this car is no exception. These have some tar spots on the black outers and carbon build up inside:
Improvements & next steps
I've already given the car a good clean inside & out and added my own boot mat, net and rear door sill protectors (can't believe the latter weren't standard):
I've also done the following jobs:
- Taped OSR rear bench latch, to remedy the typical 8V slight clunk
- Investigated & solved the OSF inner door panel rattle when playing music at high volume
- Deep cleaned the engine bay and inner bonnet
- Investigated the bonnet sound proofing trim, and ordered a replacement
- Mapped all the PPF snags and bodywork imperfections
- Cleaned & inspected brakes
In the next few weeks and months, my jobs list is as follows:
- Look into full wheel refurbishment and TPMS valves, plus some local touch-up paint to front calipers
- Get the car inspected by a local detailer, with a view to getting the front end chips & rear bumper wet sanded and re-taped as necessary, plus small defects addressed
- Sand & paint the brake centres in silver
- I'm inclined to keep this car standard as it's such an original find, perhaps just adding an exhaust flap controller to improve the noise a touch
Thanks for reading. I'll be getting on with driving the car and will keep the thread updated.
It seems I'm a confirmed fan of the four rings: this is my 3rd RS3, my 5th 8V and my 9th A/S/RS3/TTS overall. I run a 2013 custom VW T5.1 camper and a 2023 MK8 Golf alongside, meaning this is not the main car and that fact helped to justifying swapping from a more-sensible 2026 8Y S3 into this car recently.
After nearly a year of owning a brand new S3, I felt the overwhelming "get in and go" A-B-shrinking competence was its main strength; though the comfort, mandatory driver aids and newness overlapped a lot with our family MK8 Golf 150 DSG eTSI. Overall, it reminded me of a nicer version of my old Golf GTD - extremely capable, but not an emotional experience. Frankly, I missed the 5-cylinder sensations of my old RS3s the most, and this was the main reason to swap back. But I also felt there are a list of advantages that this older 8V format has over the newer 8Y - some of which I'll get into below.
Spec & history
Ordered from West London Audi originally by an audi-sport.net forum user, who helped me piece together the history of the car, this is a 2020 model with the following options:
- Audi Sport Edition:
- Gloss Black Styling Pack with exterior mirror housings, radiator grille frame, front blade, and window trims in gloss black, with quattro logo in matt titanium look
- RS Sports exhaust system
- Super Sports seats with electric 4-way lumbar adjustment;
- 19” x 8.5J front and 19” x 8.0J rear ‘5-arm-blade’ design Audi Sport alloy wheels in Gloss anthracite black, diamond cut finish with 255/30 R19 front tyres and 235/35 R19 rear tyres
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- Carbon inlays for dashboard and door trims
- Driver Assistance Package: Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Active Lane Assist, Audi Side Assist, Traffic Jam assist, High-beam assist, Pre-sense Front with pedestrian recognition, Camera-based traffic sign recognition, Emergency assist
- Comfort and Sound Package: Bang & Olufsen Sound System, Advanced Key, Rear view camera
- Audi Sport Package: RS Sport suspension with Audi Magnetic Ride, Tyre pressure monitoring system
- Matrix LED headlights with LED rear lights and dynamic front and rear indicators
- Door Mirrors - Heated-Electrically Adjustable-Folding-Auto-Dimming
This means the car had pretty much every UK market factory option available at the time, in addition to the higher late-model era base specification of these cars.
PDI'd in March 2020, its registration was delayed until June due to the pandemic. It was sold the following October 2021 for an 8Y RS3, and the car has since passed through three more hands - but only clocking up 21,400 miles. I was able to call up its full Audi history as documented on ErWin for further assurance prior to looking at the car:
Service History Mileage Date Supplier Detail
Pre-delivery inspection 0 20/03/2020 West London Audi
Oil change service 1,931 10/03/2021 M&J Cars Additional service by ex-Audi mechanic
Inspection with Oil change (flexible) 7,775 04/03/2022 Bolton Audi
MoT 8,933 31/08/2023
Inspection with Oil change 13,420 24/05/2024 Bridgend Audi
Additonal work 13,420 24/05/2024 Bridgend Audi Oil for all-wheel drive coupling
MoT 14,239 30/08/2024
Oil change service 16,791 16/05/2025 Bridgend Audi
MoT 17,453 13/08/2025 Advisory: nail in rear tyre
Inspection with Oil change, MoT 20,618 14/05/2026 Bridgend Audi Dust and pollen filter
Additonal work 20,619 14/05/2026 Bridgend Audi Brake fluid service
Inspection with Oil 21,382 21/07/2026 JL Automotive Spark plugs; Brake pads 7/8mm, tyres 4.5/5/5/5 F&R (not recorded on ErWin)
Buying & first impressions
What's the best variant of RS3? CZGB, DAZA or DNWA? Take you pick...
Being a 2020, this is one of the very last DNWA RS3s as well as being subject to the post-WLTP 2019> revisions including OPF and various smaller changes. Speaking as the former owner of two CZGB / Pre-Facelifts (one running just a single sports cat), my first impression is that the similarities seem more obvious than the differences. Moreover, none of these 8V RS3s are new cars and so condition was the most important factor for me - ruling out many of the other variants for sale this late summer / early autumn.
Coupled with the spec, mileage & history; the car was fitted from new with paint protection film to the whole body and wears a complete set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. The selling dealer failed to list the PPF, MagRide and matrix LEDs which might have led to it being overlooked by others. These were reasons enough to narrow down the search and investigate in-person:
Having verified everything above, plus used two tools to check the low mileage and just 8 launches, I took the car and drove it home.
Compared to my two PFLs, there is definitely that lightness at the front end and a further polish to the way this low mileage car drives that there wasn't on my other two that were also low milers (respectively bought in 2022 at 24k and 2024 at 38k miles). It was a delight to step back into a familiar cabin with a "just right" blend of ergonomics, quality and tech - one of my favourite things is how I can drop the centre screen to have a clean dash. This is also, with no modifications, a great performer with plenty of noise & sensations - somewhat quieter than a PFL but not as much as you might expect given the online chat.
One thing that really stands out about this particular car is that it has all the modern aids - adaptive cruise, lane assist, side assist, speed limit warnings - but you can turn them ALL off! Bliss... Oh, and the sound system is considerably richer and louder than the most modern ones.
Condition notes & what needs fixing?
With a very acceptable modern Golf for most daily duties, and with this car having its own off-site garage, I'm free to use this for occasional long personal and business trips. The situation also gives me time to get the car perfected to my own standards without worrying about having it out of use: I cycle to work and / or can use public transport. In other words, I can enjoy the car when I want and don't need to worry about any improvements being undone by daily use.
You'd expect a car like this to present well but of course should also expect some cosmetic shortcomings compared to a brand new car. In the flesh it looks like it's been cared for but not pampered and, to be honest, my previous RS3s were in better "first impression" cosmetic condition. However, as I will list here, I took the view that the defects are small & very resolvable... not least because the car is PPF'd; whereas I couldn't find another car with the "unfixable" combination of low miles, spec, history and lack of abuse.
A week driving the car around confirms that there's little to be done service-wise and nothing needed mechanically. Nonetheless, I'll get the oil changed for DSG, Haldex, transfer box and diff in the coming months.
The most obvious areas for improvement are small and on the outside of the car. Firstly, the PPF is missing on two sections of the front bumper blocks beneath the headlights and the driver's wing, meaning there are minor stone chips to these areas:
The whole rear bumper is also missing its PPF, perhaps explained by what looks like a minor paint repair to the lower passenger side bumper. You can see a line where the lacquer has run slightly here:
There are also some small defects and marks to the PPF in these places, in line with having been on the car for 6 years:
The wheels look fine from a couple of paces and even in these photos, but 3 of them have a combination of lacquer lifting and / or poor repairs. You can also see some small marks to the front calipers from (re)fitting wheels and although the discs and pads are healthy the brake bells are pretty corroded:
Inside, it's in excellent condition - with just some small marks to the leather presumably from child seats:
The bonnet liner keep falling out of place, but the overall condition of the engine bay is pretty good:
Finally, I find exhaust tips are often overlooked and this car is no exception. These have some tar spots on the black outers and carbon build up inside:
Improvements & next steps
I've already given the car a good clean inside & out and added my own boot mat, net and rear door sill protectors (can't believe the latter weren't standard):
I've also done the following jobs:
- Taped OSR rear bench latch, to remedy the typical 8V slight clunk
- Investigated & solved the OSF inner door panel rattle when playing music at high volume
- Deep cleaned the engine bay and inner bonnet
- Investigated the bonnet sound proofing trim, and ordered a replacement
- Mapped all the PPF snags and bodywork imperfections
- Cleaned & inspected brakes
In the next few weeks and months, my jobs list is as follows:
- Look into full wheel refurbishment and TPMS valves, plus some local touch-up paint to front calipers
- Get the car inspected by a local detailer, with a view to getting the front end chips & rear bumper wet sanded and re-taped as necessary, plus small defects addressed
- Sand & paint the brake centres in silver
- I'm inclined to keep this car standard as it's such an original find, perhaps just adding an exhaust flap controller to improve the noise a touch
Thanks for reading. I'll be getting on with driving the car and will keep the thread updated.
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