Just want to say thank you so much for the effort & time that went into creating this video! Looking at purchasing a FL 8V S3 later this year and this is by far the most informative & useful video out there 👏🏼
Nice video. Simple yet informative and straightforward. Just a comment on the water pump or thermostat housing, the housing itself leaking is in fact a common enough issue with this 2.0 TSI. But you're right in terms of the pump or thermostat itself being reliable. Just wanted to share this. I have an S3 (8V) from 2020 and really enjoying it.
I just bought an 8V 2016 RS3 yesterday. Relatively low kilometres, 2 years Audi warranty, 2 years servicing, 2 years roadside assist. Thanks for the tips!!
Hi Jerry, what is it you'd like to know about the engines? They're generally good, but you have to remember they're old cars now. Components of any older vehicle (particularly a performance car) will begin to suffer the affects of age and simple wear.
@@FontainMotorsLtd I test drove it Wednesday. It’s a 2016 prefacelift. It drives very nice. The sound and power is what got her to the top of the list. I’ve test driven al lot of cars too: (my car) 2013 BRZ and Octavia RS 2015, current GR86, GR Corolla, GR Supra, Megane RS, FK8 Type R and i30 sedan N.
It irks me that these don't come with adaptive cruise control as standard. Maybe that sounds stupid, but the RS3 is meant to be a "do it all" car, a super practical pocket rocket. Adaptive cruise IMO is a big part of that - its a big deal that you can drive for hundreds of miles with ease. Something that even fairly basic VW Golfs have as standard. It's totally dumb. The worst thing is, a lot of people don't spec it, because its fairly expensive, and I can imagine that a very large percentage of people even these days don't really know what it is, or don't care because they'll never use it. My dad has had it on his last two cars and never once dared to try it. I really hate Audi for this kind of thing. There are other worse examples, like how the TT mk3 didn't come with climate control as standard (or even sat nav). So basically it just means that the used market has loads of "meh" cars that only exist because Audi are dicks with their standard equipment. I'd much rather Audi charged more for their cars and included all the tech. Things like not having climate control is just plain ridiculous, and even now, not having adaptive cruise really dates a car IMO (to those who actually use it), especially when the car is meant to be high end.
Awesome video. After watching this video, I have confidence in buying an Audi S3 or any other powerful German whip{car}. I respect the honesty, elucidation and presentation of this Audi A3 S3 video. Respect to you Alex from Fontain Motor LTD. Peace.
Just to add to some of the points in the video for any prospective buyers from a 2016 owner; Brakes - the braking system is great in terms of capabilities, but esp on the pre-facelift, the front wavy discs are crap and overheat a lot under any extended spirited driving. Highly recommend you avoid them at all costs - they are a grand a set from Audi and you can get much much better ones for that money (I personally use Tarox, but there's plenty of others out there). Replace the discs and maybe the pads if you're really keen and the brakes are absolutely excellent. Suspension - generally no issue, same as any other car. Check dampers for leaks (mag ride dampers are 500 quid a corner) and for things like broken springs. Notable on RS3's are when going over ramps or larger bumps you hear a bit of a knocking, it could well be the top mounts! They are reasonably cheap and easy to fix but they are known to need replacing every say 50-60k miles Tyres - as mentioned the stock Pirelli's that came with the early cars especially are absolute crap, Michelin PS4s or as I have right now - Continental SportContact 7's are a great choice and are night and day better. DO check your tyre wear on the inside, it can creep on you... Exhaust - the 'spring retensioning' trick did not work for me, or only for a while. The bearings on my exhaust valves had completely degraded at ~70k miles and no amount of tension was going to resolve it. The best value option overall is a replacement Audi sport exhaust - my replacement was £1600 and seems to have revised bearings for the valves that are metal and not plastic. If you are in the mood for a little bit more 'spice' to the exhaust, a very common mod is to swap in secondary decat pipes. It sounds absolutely awesome but is strictly speaking not MOT compliant. it is however pretty easy to swap even yourself. Last point here, my primary catalytic converter was complete toast at 80k miles and throwing warning lights. I had to replace this - I went with an Armytrix one (AU8VR-ACD) over the Audi one as it was cheaper ($1600 imported) and seemed better made, and you have very few options otherwise without doing further exhaust changes as the primary cat on the RS3 downpipe is quite bespoke. If you like your pops and bangs, it's not uncommon for these to need changed well under 100k miles. Insurance - absolutely check your insurance rates beforehand - my insurance costs on this car (in northern ireland) have been all over the place. Some years barely more than my last A3, some years I struggled to find any insurers to cover it at all (with no changes in circumstances). The prices can and sometimes do swing wildly. I know some of those costs above may sound a bit scary, but generally as was mentioned in the video, the car has been excellent, very reliable and most services have been straightforward and perfectly reasonable.
I'm supposed to be buying a Skoda yeti - but as an S4 can be bought, insured & taxed at about the same money.......humm I should buy the yeti......but!
Mega video! Really helpful information. I’m in the market for the s3, and seen a lot of videos. Not one is this realistic and feels like talking to a person. Great work thanks for the information:)
Based on your input in terms of machinery needs to keep moving to prevent AC pump failure and other lubricated mechanical components, is it better to consider a higher mileage say 65k over a 25k mile car?
They're old enough now that you have to make condition the priority. It's a safe bet that whatever R8 you buy you'll be fixing something to make it perfect (wise to budget some money annualy for repairs as well as routine stuff).
To budu mít taky!!! A 30 Aventadorů :D Dělají ze mě milionáře :D Ale nemůžu ani v klidu pracovat :D Je to mafie :D Celý to řídí :D Šlechta pražskýho podsvětí :D
Thank you guys i always wanted a S3 been put off by many as i was with mt 08 tfsi2.0 quattro a3 which ha sbeen a dream car, this video is a very informative and helpful video thank you now i will be searching for my S3
I have a 2014 model and love it (160k km). Most common problem with mine is everything regarding front suspension. I change yearly the front lower arm assembly, 21 inch and DRC dont like pot holes that much. Very reliable car for me, not once did it break donw. DRC is a very good suspension but air suspension is still good and more reliable overall.
