Going green in an Audi RS3
Discussion
The Cardinal said:
Jeez, if ever there's a prompt to get the car I want then this is it.
An RS3 in green won't be everyone's cup of tea. But, please, if you are reading this and have a car in mind that you want - just do it now. Life is full of surprises and my parents expected to have another decade before they stopped being able to live life as they wanted.
My Dad died from cancer in 2018 and I've felt the same way since that happened. I was glad he was able to have a short go in my Z4M, I'm sure he would have been thrilled at my new family car the E63 AMG.An RS3 in green won't be everyone's cup of tea. But, please, if you are reading this and have a car in mind that you want - just do it now. Life is full of surprises and my parents expected to have another decade before they stopped being able to live life as they wanted.
That green colour is lovely. I got my Mum a 2014 A3 1.8 turbo when she was on her own and I'm often amazed at what a complete package the thing is. With her driving she can often get the thing to over 50mpg, but it also has 180bhp if she ever needs to get a move on.
Edited by Polarbert on Friday 26th August 07:26
The Cardinal said:
The previous owner was the car’s first and only, and they had it for nearly 6 years before me. It’s also one of the last pre-facelift models, which only had a 2015-16 production run anyway.
From what I can gather, it wasn’t a dealer specified car. The selling dealer told me that it was one of a collection of RS and M cars, which were all uniquely spec’d. The address on the V5 was an upmarket Surrey property.
The smell has gone without me having to resort to anything other than a filter change.
Ah, makes sense. I used to work for Audi and the RS customers were always interesting..(in a good way).From what I can gather, it wasn’t a dealer specified car. The selling dealer told me that it was one of a collection of RS and M cars, which were all uniquely spec’d. The address on the V5 was an upmarket Surrey property.
The smell has gone without me having to resort to anything other than a filter change.
^
Sadly I don't think I can justify becoming a new customer, not for an equivalent spec'd RS3 at ~£60-65k at today's prices anyway. It seems you'll never get to find out how special I am...
In the meantime, I haven't been using the car much and its mainstay is 100-mile round trips to see my parents. I did sneak it out of the garage today to give it a clean and then to pop it back in, before heading out tomorrow on another visit.
Another day, another shade of the same green...
As I locked-up the garage, a man called over asking for some jump cables. Unfortunately I didn't have any, but helped him try to bump start it before parking up when it didn't work. It was an old Saab 9-3 and he was probably in his mid-50s, on his way to work, and quite distressed - he didn't have enough money to afford a replacement gear knob for his car, let alone breakdown cover. My garage is in the grounds of a local authority tower block and I guess he lives there - I offered him a lift, but he wouldn't take it. What a day he was having.
I left with really mixed feelings. How did it end up that I am tucking-up a pampered RS3 into a garage during a break in my Teams-based working day; my third vehicle, a total luxury - and yet he is there bump-starting his shed, in distress? It can't be down to life choices alone. Such is the world we live in.
Sadly I don't think I can justify becoming a new customer, not for an equivalent spec'd RS3 at ~£60-65k at today's prices anyway. It seems you'll never get to find out how special I am...
In the meantime, I haven't been using the car much and its mainstay is 100-mile round trips to see my parents. I did sneak it out of the garage today to give it a clean and then to pop it back in, before heading out tomorrow on another visit.
Another day, another shade of the same green...
As I locked-up the garage, a man called over asking for some jump cables. Unfortunately I didn't have any, but helped him try to bump start it before parking up when it didn't work. It was an old Saab 9-3 and he was probably in his mid-50s, on his way to work, and quite distressed - he didn't have enough money to afford a replacement gear knob for his car, let alone breakdown cover. My garage is in the grounds of a local authority tower block and I guess he lives there - I offered him a lift, but he wouldn't take it. What a day he was having.
I left with really mixed feelings. How did it end up that I am tucking-up a pampered RS3 into a garage during a break in my Teams-based working day; my third vehicle, a total luxury - and yet he is there bump-starting his shed, in distress? It can't be down to life choices alone. Such is the world we live in.
Well, my latest update is that I've ordered a brand new car.
It has a digital dash, pan roof, adaptive cruise control etc...
Bah ha ha ha ha! Had you fooled didn't I?! The replacement isn't for the RS3 but instead our trusty Skoda Fabia, which has been doing sterling service as an urban runabout.
The RS3 and van are coming up to 7 and 10 years old respectively, meaning more extensive maintenance and (thanks to a low emission zone) partial retirement for our van. While the Fabia is actually only 6 years old and hardly a ticking time bomb, I thought it'd be good to have a new little car as it's the one we absolutely depend on to work and is used most often.
The replacement is a Polo with DSG auto, pan roof, parking sensors and a few other bits and bobs. Due April next year:
In the meantime I've covered our van in anticipation of using it only sparingly this winter:
I've also gotten a cover for the RS3, handily in a matching green at a bargain price. The alleyway in front of the garage is a bit of a wind channel and so it's good to keep it away from the inevitable dust. You can see in the pics below how I have to carefully park this car in the garage so that I can get out of it! The RS3 is at the absolute limit of what will fit in the garage and so you can see why this car makes sense given 5 seats & doors are a must.
Annoyingly, I seem to have picked up a faint paint crack to the offside front lower bumper valance - running about 10cm along the sticky-outey bit under the offside air intake. I guess it was either a very unfortunate stone chip or perhaps a speed bump?
I took it out today to fill up on fuel. The work journeys I was expecting this month are switching to the rails, but instead we'll be doing some big journeys over the next few weeks to visit friends and family in the RS3. I'll report back afterwards.
It has a digital dash, pan roof, adaptive cruise control etc...
Bah ha ha ha ha! Had you fooled didn't I?!
The replacement isn't for the RS3 but instead our trusty Skoda Fabia, which has been doing sterling service as an urban runabout. The RS3 and van are coming up to 7 and 10 years old respectively, meaning more extensive maintenance and (thanks to a low emission zone) partial retirement for our van. While the Fabia is actually only 6 years old and hardly a ticking time bomb, I thought it'd be good to have a new little car as it's the one we absolutely depend on to work and is used most often.
The replacement is a Polo with DSG auto, pan roof, parking sensors and a few other bits and bobs. Due April next year:
In the meantime I've covered our van in anticipation of using it only sparingly this winter:
I've also gotten a cover for the RS3, handily in a matching green at a bargain price. The alleyway in front of the garage is a bit of a wind channel and so it's good to keep it away from the inevitable dust. You can see in the pics below how I have to carefully park this car in the garage so that I can get out of it! The RS3 is at the absolute limit of what will fit in the garage and so you can see why this car makes sense given 5 seats & doors are a must.
Annoyingly, I seem to have picked up a faint paint crack to the offside front lower bumper valance - running about 10cm along the sticky-outey bit under the offside air intake. I guess it was either a very unfortunate stone chip or perhaps a speed bump?
I took it out today to fill up on fuel. The work journeys I was expecting this month are switching to the rails, but instead we'll be doing some big journeys over the next few weeks to visit friends and family in the RS3. I'll report back afterwards.
Great to see a thread on an RS3, and a stunning one at that! They get a lot of negative press on pistonheads due to image unfortunately which is a shame as it’s a brilliant all rounder which sounds like a supercar at times. Easily the best car I’ve owned to date, so good I’ve replaced my PFL of the last 3 years with a FL!
I would recommend the following from my experience:
- Exhaust Valve Controller: Keeps the valves open all the time rather than just above 3.5k rpm. Makes an amazing sounding car sound even better when you want it to.
- Rear Anti Roll Bar & Drop Links: really helps tighten up the vague rear end and eliminates a lot of understeer when pushing on.
- Fit decent tyres: Easily the biggest difference I felt was putting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres on mine, although mine didn’t have the wider front wheels. A lot of owners who do go with the square set up and have had no issues. For comparison my FL has the Pirelli’s on and they are awful compared to the Michelins!
- Tuning: Sounds like you’ve gone for stage 1. Hopefully dialled in on the Dyno with Ecotune/MRC and not an off the shelf tune (Revo/APR). I owned the 8J TTRS which had the CEPB engine tuned by one of the latter and it nearly ended in tears due to poor mapping. Stage 2 apparently isn’t worth the cost (Fuel Pump etc.) due to owners who have gone from stage 1 to 2.
Keep the updates coming please, love seeing and hearing about others enjoying these brilliant cars!
I would recommend the following from my experience:
- Exhaust Valve Controller: Keeps the valves open all the time rather than just above 3.5k rpm. Makes an amazing sounding car sound even better when you want it to.
- Rear Anti Roll Bar & Drop Links: really helps tighten up the vague rear end and eliminates a lot of understeer when pushing on.
- Fit decent tyres: Easily the biggest difference I felt was putting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres on mine, although mine didn’t have the wider front wheels. A lot of owners who do go with the square set up and have had no issues. For comparison my FL has the Pirelli’s on and they are awful compared to the Michelins!
- Tuning: Sounds like you’ve gone for stage 1. Hopefully dialled in on the Dyno with Ecotune/MRC and not an off the shelf tune (Revo/APR). I owned the 8J TTRS which had the CEPB engine tuned by one of the latter and it nearly ended in tears due to poor mapping. Stage 2 apparently isn’t worth the cost (Fuel Pump etc.) due to owners who have gone from stage 1 to 2.
Keep the updates coming please, love seeing and hearing about others enjoying these brilliant cars!
Thanks for the positive comments, and I'll be working my way through some of the items on that list.
Last weekend was typical of the sort of use that led me to a progression of AWD hot VAG models. It started off with a 4-up motorway run of >100 miles in poor weather, at which point the car was still looking presentable:
We then drove a further 35 miles or so to the in-laws' country cottage, which has filthy roads at the best of times. Now looking slightly less presentable:
I think it's safe to say that a car with such detailed grilles, brakes etc as this - and a light interior - is definitely not the right choice for country living!
However, the return drive across many miles of Salisbury Plain's finest rain and winds showed just how capable the car is. I've driven this many times in S3s and A3 2.0T quattro models of several generations over 15 years, with a little time in a supercharged Golf R32 for good measure. All these cars are ideal for this sort of driving, which is undemanding so far as corners and handling go - but where the traction and torque benefits are huge in poor weather.
The RS3 has a curious nature to the way it drives in these circumstances. I've always found S3s especially to be unstressed, though the RS3 takes it a big step further. It's almost nonchalant in "Comfort" mode for the gearbox and adaptive dampers. Lots of suspension travel helps, too. Torque on this unmapped car is slightly slow to build in this setting and, when added to the sense of weight at the helm, it feels can feel quite lazy. The main benefits are comfort, security and deceptive speed. Again, all very mini-RS6.
Two experiences point to some other benefits:
- I was followed by some high-spec Merc convertible as I exited a village and approached a T-junction. I gave it some modest beans as I joined the A-road, no drama whatsoever in this car. But the Merc put down its power and quite dramatically fishtailed from one side of the wide A-road to another, completely out of control until the driver corrected it before suffering a second fishtail. They were *extremely* lucky that no cars were coming the other way, or indeed to hit a kerb on either side. 4WD and good tyres are not a gimmick!
- A twin motor Polestar 2 repeatedly had a go out of some roundabouts while I was holding 3rd gear. All within safe and legal limits, I was surprised at how lacking this 400+hp car was compared to my own 4-up (and the noise was a lot nicer ). I mustn't be too smug about electric cars though... the numbers for Tesla's models look frightening. Nonetheless, even with straight line speed, there are clearly still a lot more factors at play than just the horsepower.
Last weekend was typical of the sort of use that led me to a progression of AWD hot VAG models. It started off with a 4-up motorway run of >100 miles in poor weather, at which point the car was still looking presentable:
We then drove a further 35 miles or so to the in-laws' country cottage, which has filthy roads at the best of times. Now looking slightly less presentable:
I think it's safe to say that a car with such detailed grilles, brakes etc as this - and a light interior - is definitely not the right choice for country living!
However, the return drive across many miles of Salisbury Plain's finest rain and winds showed just how capable the car is. I've driven this many times in S3s and A3 2.0T quattro models of several generations over 15 years, with a little time in a supercharged Golf R32 for good measure. All these cars are ideal for this sort of driving, which is undemanding so far as corners and handling go - but where the traction and torque benefits are huge in poor weather.
The RS3 has a curious nature to the way it drives in these circumstances. I've always found S3s especially to be unstressed, though the RS3 takes it a big step further. It's almost nonchalant in "Comfort" mode for the gearbox and adaptive dampers. Lots of suspension travel helps, too. Torque on this unmapped car is slightly slow to build in this setting and, when added to the sense of weight at the helm, it feels can feel quite lazy. The main benefits are comfort, security and deceptive speed. Again, all very mini-RS6.
Two experiences point to some other benefits:
- I was followed by some high-spec Merc convertible as I exited a village and approached a T-junction. I gave it some modest beans as I joined the A-road, no drama whatsoever in this car. But the Merc put down its power and quite dramatically fishtailed from one side of the wide A-road to another, completely out of control until the driver corrected it before suffering a second fishtail. They were *extremely* lucky that no cars were coming the other way, or indeed to hit a kerb on either side. 4WD and good tyres are not a gimmick!
- A twin motor Polestar 2 repeatedly had a go out of some roundabouts while I was holding 3rd gear. All within safe and legal limits, I was surprised at how lacking this 400+hp car was compared to my own 4-up (and the noise was a lot nicer
). I mustn't be too smug about electric cars though... the numbers for Tesla's models look frightening. Nonetheless, even with straight line speed, there are clearly still a lot more factors at play than just the horsepower.I really like the look of this RS3 in particular.
My 2002 S3 had an unusual spec - pearlescent purple (from the factory) and a very light grey leather interior.
I had 2 kids under 2 at the time....
At my local DIY store this morning, an Audi burbled into the car park.
It was white. Very understated. I'd not seen a white RS3 before!
Keep the updates coming, OP.
My 2002 S3 had an unusual spec - pearlescent purple (from the factory) and a very light grey leather interior.
I had 2 kids under 2 at the time....
At my local DIY store this morning, an Audi burbled into the car park.
It was white. Very understated. I'd not seen a white RS3 before!
Keep the updates coming, OP.
Spot the difference:
No?
Ok, well it's the brake calipers. There was always something that bugged me about the look of the car, and it the calipers were the most cost-effective place to start. I think it's toned things down and is much more in keeping with the otherwise subtle look of the car.
Someone implored me not to paint the calipers green earlier in the thread, but it's too late now...
If the interior had been black then perhaps I'd have left the calipers red, but I think it was one contrast too many with the light interior.
I'm pretty chuffed with it now. December's light makes the photos very dull, but I can assure you it looks well in the flesh once a bit of light is shining through the interior especially.
I've also recently had another stage 1 remap, taking the torque and power modestly into 400+hp & lb/ft territory - bust most importantly by +25-30% at in the 1,500-3,000rpm range. It's a much better map and it's savage as opposed to just a brute now.
None of this comes cheap, but I am expecting to own this car for the foreseeable future and with any luck the costs over time should work out a fair bit lower than a newer hot hatch.
No?
Ok, well it's the brake calipers. There was always something that bugged me about the look of the car, and it the calipers were the most cost-effective place to start. I think it's toned things down and is much more in keeping with the otherwise subtle look of the car.
Someone implored me not to paint the calipers green earlier in the thread, but it's too late now...
If the interior had been black then perhaps I'd have left the calipers red, but I think it was one contrast too many with the light interior.
I'm pretty chuffed with it now. December's light makes the photos very dull, but I can assure you it looks well in the flesh once a bit of light is shining through the interior especially.
I've also recently had another stage 1 remap, taking the torque and power modestly into 400+hp & lb/ft territory - bust most importantly by +25-30% at in the 1,500-3,000rpm range. It's a much better map and it's savage as opposed to just a brute now.
None of this comes cheap, but I am expecting to own this car for the foreseeable future and with any luck the costs over time should work out a fair bit lower than a newer hot hatch.
Nice one Ben, glad you are intending to keep hold of it. Where did you go for the map in the end and what type is it? Guessing you have to use 99 Ron fuel only.
Currently at VRS investigating an oil leak on the R32, suspected sump drain hole.. They have a very nice RS3 in for some work, it sounded like thunder when they moved it out the workshop.
Currently at VRS investigating an oil leak on the R32, suspected sump drain hole.. They have a very nice RS3 in for some work, it sounded like thunder when they moved it out the workshop.
Hope your R32 gets sorted Si. Yes these 2015/16 pre-facelift cars, with sports exhaust, are amongst the loudest I've heard.
The gold standard on a car like this is a custom map by the likes of MRC. However, in doing a lot more homework this time the feedback was that the off-the-shelf maps from respectable tuners are quite similar to a custom one, for stage 1.
I went with a Revo map in the end, based around 97RON fuel. I felt satisfied that it's a much more extensively developed map than the first one I tried and it's markedly different to drive despite similar peak outputs around 410-420hp & lb/ft.
Here's another pic of those newly-painted calipers in better light:
I'm due to do about 1,300 miles of business and family driving over the course of this month. I'd definitely take the RS3 if the weather looked dry, but with lots of cold weather forecast (stone chips, salt) and some ambiguous parking situations I'm going munch at least some of the miles in our Fabia.
The gold standard on a car like this is a custom map by the likes of MRC. However, in doing a lot more homework this time the feedback was that the off-the-shelf maps from respectable tuners are quite similar to a custom one, for stage 1.
I went with a Revo map in the end, based around 97RON fuel. I felt satisfied that it's a much more extensively developed map than the first one I tried and it's markedly different to drive despite similar peak outputs around 410-420hp & lb/ft.
Here's another pic of those newly-painted calipers in better light:
I'm due to do about 1,300 miles of business and family driving over the course of this month. I'd definitely take the RS3 if the weather looked dry, but with lots of cold weather forecast (stone chips, salt) and some ambiguous parking situations I'm going munch at least some of the miles in our Fabia.
Staggered by the tyre setup?
Having taking the Fabia one the first of this month's reasonably long runs in winter weather, I was happy to step back into the creature comforts of the RS3 - a much more suitable vehicle for covering distances.
During the course of a 450-mile weekend to Sussex to help my brother and his family move house, something just didn't quite feel right though. The car was tracking straight, but felt slightly askew - tramlining on the M25, a bit unsure of itself in sweeping corners and somewhat wibbly on country roads.
By the end of the first day of driving, I'd worked out what it was. The last people to work on the car (painting the brake calipers) had put the staggered wheels on back to front.
The RS3 is one of the very few cars that comes with an optional staggered setup, where the wider 8.5J wheels and 255-section tyres are on the *front*. To check that I was not going mad, I looked at the build sheet for the car and it said:
"Alloy wheels - 19” x 8.5J at front and 19” x 8J at rear ‘5-arm Rotor’ design in anthracite black high-gloss finish, diamond cut alloy wheels with 255/30 R19 tyres at the front and 235/35 R19 tyres at the rear"
This helps address the tendency to oversteer and is what black or grey wheels denote on an RS3, as opposed to those with silver wheels that have 8J and 235s all round. But, as you can see in a previous post, the narrower 8J wheels were actually now on the front axle with their 235-section tyres.
Being so far from home, I visited several tyre places with a view to swapping them over for the return journey. It was a busy Saturday, and most were fully booked - but the fitters at two places were also adamant that the fatter tyres on the rear was the correct setup, and the only place that could do the job simply refused to because they were so sure of it!
This was nearly also the case this morning, when I finally got the wheels somewhat reluctantly switched back over by the same people who had incorrectly fitted them back to front. I think my parting words were something like "you are going to think I am mad until you've Googled this for yourself".
Apart from this quirk of ownership, the car has continued to perform brilliantly. Its performance has two dimensions - it's now just barking quick when needed thanks to the remap, yet capacious and practical. With seats down, it actually has more room inside than my brother's Mk7.5 Golf:
I'm loath to use the car in this week's forecast poor weather because the front end is such a pain to clean, so I now need to decide whether to use it again for an upcoming 450-mile motorway run I have planned for work. I'd like to take the train, but who knows if they'll be working properly... and I certainly won't be using the Fabia for a trip of that length.
Having taking the Fabia one the first of this month's reasonably long runs in winter weather, I was happy to step back into the creature comforts of the RS3 - a much more suitable vehicle for covering distances.
During the course of a 450-mile weekend to Sussex to help my brother and his family move house, something just didn't quite feel right though. The car was tracking straight, but felt slightly askew - tramlining on the M25, a bit unsure of itself in sweeping corners and somewhat wibbly on country roads.
By the end of the first day of driving, I'd worked out what it was. The last people to work on the car (painting the brake calipers) had put the staggered wheels on back to front.
The RS3 is one of the very few cars that comes with an optional staggered setup, where the wider 8.5J wheels and 255-section tyres are on the *front*. To check that I was not going mad, I looked at the build sheet for the car and it said:
"Alloy wheels - 19” x 8.5J at front and 19” x 8J at rear ‘5-arm Rotor’ design in anthracite black high-gloss finish, diamond cut alloy wheels with 255/30 R19 tyres at the front and 235/35 R19 tyres at the rear"
This helps address the tendency to oversteer and is what black or grey wheels denote on an RS3, as opposed to those with silver wheels that have 8J and 235s all round. But, as you can see in a previous post, the narrower 8J wheels were actually now on the front axle with their 235-section tyres.
Being so far from home, I visited several tyre places with a view to swapping them over for the return journey. It was a busy Saturday, and most were fully booked - but the fitters at two places were also adamant that the fatter tyres on the rear was the correct setup, and the only place that could do the job simply refused to because they were so sure of it!
This was nearly also the case this morning, when I finally got the wheels somewhat reluctantly switched back over by the same people who had incorrectly fitted them back to front. I think my parting words were something like "you are going to think I am mad until you've Googled this for yourself".
Apart from this quirk of ownership, the car has continued to perform brilliantly. Its performance has two dimensions - it's now just barking quick when needed thanks to the remap, yet capacious and practical. With seats down, it actually has more room inside than my brother's Mk7.5 Golf:
I'm loath to use the car in this week's forecast poor weather because the front end is such a pain to clean, so I now need to decide whether to use it again for an upcoming 450-mile motorway run I have planned for work. I'd like to take the train, but who knows if they'll be working properly... and I certainly won't be using the Fabia for a trip of that length.
The car blotted its copybook over Christmas for the first time, making a loud and constant pulsating from the front of the engine. This was evil-sounding enough for me to decide that leaving it in its garage over the holiday period was sensible, and so festive mile-munching plans were rescued by our van.
With the RS3's codes, oil & coolant levels and idle speeds all being normal I initially hoped it was something like a heat shield, yet of course feared worse. However, after a closer look and some help from a Facebook group, the closest-sounding guess was a faulty alternator pulley.
My Audi specialist has taken it apart today and it turns out that this was sort-of correct. It's to be confirmed whether it's just the alternator's clutch pulley, or if a complete new unit is needed. Complete alternator prices (and more pertinently, availability) seem to vary wildly for the 2.5T and given that the existing unit looks so new it would be a shame to replace it wholly.
So, I'm taking bets as to whether it's either:
Or....
I'm in it for the long haul with this car, but after almost a year of ownership the outcome of the above will be the first proper test of my policy of self-insuring via a dedicated savings account.
With the RS3's codes, oil & coolant levels and idle speeds all being normal I initially hoped it was something like a heat shield, yet of course feared worse. However, after a closer look and some help from a Facebook group, the closest-sounding guess was a faulty alternator pulley.
My Audi specialist has taken it apart today and it turns out that this was sort-of correct. It's to be confirmed whether it's just the alternator's clutch pulley, or if a complete new unit is needed. Complete alternator prices (and more pertinently, availability) seem to vary wildly for the 2.5T and given that the existing unit looks so new it would be a shame to replace it wholly.
So, I'm taking bets as to whether it's either:
Or....
I'm in it for the long haul with this car, but after almost a year of ownership the outcome of the above will be the first proper test of my policy of self-insuring via a dedicated savings account.
Dr G said:
I've no idea what Audi charge for the above; but the P/N in your photo is <£180 all in on Autodoc if genuine is ridiculous.
Unfortunately it was the whole alternator and, yes, the price was ridiculous - but I have nonetheless gone for a genuine part as I am keeping the car long term. The air con has been re-gassed at the same time because apparently the condenser needed to come off to complete the changeover. Hopefully all set for better weather now.
Edited by The Cardinal on Tuesday 17th January 14:38
I do love the car's light interior - but it's proving quite hard to maintain.
Mainly it's the fact that small scratches show where they wouldn't with a black dye - but my daughter also managed to get biro on a rear bolster on a trip during the autumn. In a moment of stupidity, I tackled the mark with nail varnish remover and, um, here's the result:
Touching up with matching paint didn't give a good finish, so - having sold my Skoda Fabia for a bit more than I'd hoped - I decided the difference could be put towards sorting this out. I visited a specialist trimmer today, whose view is that modern painted leathers are much less durable than older dyed finishes.
They're going to match a new piece of leather for the bolster above and do the same for a couple of other scratched areas. Hopefully that'll set me up ahead of some big trips this spring.
On a brighter note, the rest of the interior is still near spotless and in great condition for a car coming up to 7 years age. Plus the sun is coming out so the green paint is shining... and the noise, the noise!...
Mainly it's the fact that small scratches show where they wouldn't with a black dye - but my daughter also managed to get biro on a rear bolster on a trip during the autumn. In a moment of stupidity, I tackled the mark with nail varnish remover and, um, here's the result:
Touching up with matching paint didn't give a good finish, so - having sold my Skoda Fabia for a bit more than I'd hoped - I decided the difference could be put towards sorting this out. I visited a specialist trimmer today, whose view is that modern painted leathers are much less durable than older dyed finishes.
They're going to match a new piece of leather for the bolster above and do the same for a couple of other scratched areas. Hopefully that'll set me up ahead of some big trips this spring.
On a brighter note, the rest of the interior is still near spotless and in great condition for a car coming up to 7 years age. Plus the sun is coming out so the green paint is shining... and the noise, the noise!...
The Cardinal said:
I do love the car's light interior - but it's proving quite hard to maintain.
I've done quite a few minor repairs on Lunar Silver leather. Proper cleaning first (I like Autoglym interior cleaner and a detailers scrubbing pad). I have a colour matched leather paint by Gliptone (sent them a headrest to copy) and apply in fine, stippled layers with makeup sponges, feathering out to the edges to lose the join. They also sell a product called shine enhancer that used carefully also does a good job blending the 'new' repair to 'old' leather.It is a tricky colour to work with, however. Sometimes the only way to make a perfect repair is to replace the marked piece of leather, and even that will need some months to wear in before it matches.
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