Discussion
My names Tom and I am purchasing an S3 which is local to me, a bit of a gamble but its first job is to transport myself & my better half around france for 2 weeks in August!
Any advice will be greatly received as to problem areas to check before we leave and maybe some tools/spare to take along the way.
Regards
Tom
ps 2 known problems are the glove box catch is knackered and wont stay shut which is a pain and the driver electric window isnt currently working - hopefully both of these will be easily sorted!!
Any advice will be greatly received as to problem areas to check before we leave and maybe some tools/spare to take along the way.
Regards
Tom
ps 2 known problems are the glove box catch is knackered and wont stay shut which is a pain and the driver electric window isnt currently working - hopefully both of these will be easily sorted!!
Hi Tom and welcome to the forum, If they are the only faults then you have bought well 
lets see some pictures and maybe who you bought the car off which might give you some history ?
Spares for a trip like that I would say should be the regular stuff for a roadside repair but as long as you have recovery and repatriation insurance theres no point in going daft, that said I would (do) carry:
Tyre infating cans
tyre inflator
hose bandage
hose clips
fuses and relays
electric cable and terminal blocks and connectors
throttle cable
duct tape
spare plug(s)
spare rotor arm
spare HT lead
spare coil
fan belt
and if youve still got room left, take the missus too
enjoy!
K
lets see some pictures and maybe who you bought the car off which might give you some history ?
Spares for a trip like that I would say should be the regular stuff for a roadside repair but as long as you have recovery and repatriation insurance theres no point in going daft, that said I would (do) carry:
Tyre infating cans
tyre inflator
hose bandage
hose clips
fuses and relays
electric cable and terminal blocks and connectors
throttle cable
duct tape
spare plug(s)
spare rotor arm
spare HT lead
spare coil
fan belt
and if youve still got room left, take the missus too
enjoy!
K
ShinGaz said:
Hi Tom,
Welcome from another new S3 owner here (got mine on Saturday just gone), and good luck on the trip. ^_^
Hi Gareth and Hi again Tom... dont forget to enter your details on the owners list here :Welcome from another new S3 owner here (got mine on Saturday just gone), and good luck on the trip. ^_^
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... to S3 Owners List
and familiarise yourselves with the great information contained within the various Wiki's at the top of the forum and of course the FAQ's page.
K
Hi Tom
Nothing to add to Kevs list of spares I did a trip to France recently and you will really enjoy it make sure you get off the motorways.
Do you have a friendly local garage? If you do get it on a ramp and have a good check underneath for cooling leaks and loose bolts etc. Even if you think you know the car it is still worth doing as you can see much better when in is 6ft up in the air not 1ft.
Andy
Nothing to add to Kevs list of spares I did a trip to France recently and you will really enjoy it make sure you get off the motorways.
Do you have a friendly local garage? If you do get it on a ramp and have a good check underneath for cooling leaks and loose bolts etc. Even if you think you know the car it is still worth doing as you can see much better when in is 6ft up in the air not 1ft.
Andy
I've had my S3 since new (Feb 91) and the mpg has varied. First few years it was a "weekend" car and I can't remember anyway, but then it became a daily use car for about 5 years when I was only doing a 5 mile journey twice a day. This put the consumption down to well below 25 and caused a bit of a stutter when accelerating.
It was only when I started using it for a 25 mile journey twice a day that the stutter disappeared and the consumption improved to 28. Having said that, I think the milometer was understating by about 5% so that 28 could be 30. I had the speedo replaced and after a while it went erratic but now seems to have settled down, as it happens.
The biggest problem I've had with it over the years is overheating. I've had 2 recores in the radiator, the head has been skimmed and finally a new water pump and fingers crossed it's been OK for a while. It takes 10 minutes for the temp gauge to get up to just above the line and well below the red, then stay rock steady there. If you get any dramatic wavering or if it's in the red I think you would have a problem.
I'd definitley have a couple of litres of water available at all times, as I do. Even though mine seems currently OK, it still loses a pint or so every month so I'm still topping up. Oil usage is fine though, almost non-existent.
I've had the electric windows pack up and new motors put on. However, the last time it happened it was down to the switch on the console. These can be prised out and cleaned as long as you dont let the spring fling everything everywhere! Might be worth a try.
Finally, check the condition of the throttle cable at the pedal linkage. I went for twelve years on one cable then I had a succession of breakages. Fingers crossed that has now stopped and I think this is down to the plastic grommet on the bulkhead where the cable passes through - it had weakened and wasnt stopping the cable moving excessively causing wear at the pedal end, or so I contend. The apparent cure was to place a metal washer behind the plastic grommet.
Can't think of anything else off the top of my head - I could always write it's life story from my service records, but hopefully thats enough for now!
It was only when I started using it for a 25 mile journey twice a day that the stutter disappeared and the consumption improved to 28. Having said that, I think the milometer was understating by about 5% so that 28 could be 30. I had the speedo replaced and after a while it went erratic but now seems to have settled down, as it happens.
The biggest problem I've had with it over the years is overheating. I've had 2 recores in the radiator, the head has been skimmed and finally a new water pump and fingers crossed it's been OK for a while. It takes 10 minutes for the temp gauge to get up to just above the line and well below the red, then stay rock steady there. If you get any dramatic wavering or if it's in the red I think you would have a problem.
I'd definitley have a couple of litres of water available at all times, as I do. Even though mine seems currently OK, it still loses a pint or so every month so I'm still topping up. Oil usage is fine though, almost non-existent.
I've had the electric windows pack up and new motors put on. However, the last time it happened it was down to the switch on the console. These can be prised out and cleaned as long as you dont let the spring fling everything everywhere! Might be worth a try.
Finally, check the condition of the throttle cable at the pedal linkage. I went for twelve years on one cable then I had a succession of breakages. Fingers crossed that has now stopped and I think this is down to the plastic grommet on the bulkhead where the cable passes through - it had weakened and wasnt stopping the cable moving excessively causing wear at the pedal end, or so I contend. The apparent cure was to place a metal washer behind the plastic grommet.
Can't think of anything else off the top of my head - I could always write it's life story from my service records, but hopefully thats enough for now!
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