Bald Eagle

You could also get the A5 in the 4WD Quattro version to make much more use of the power. Does Jaguar do an XF in four wheel drive?

Hi Wompa and welcome to the site. Are you saying that the car's performance is way down because the boost pressure isn't getting through to the engine, or just that you aren't getting a good reading from the intake manifold nipple?

Yes, those tuning boxes that people add into the wiring can be quite hit and miss. You are stuck with a selection of about 5 or 6 settings, of which one will be close to optimum for an engine similar to yours. An example is the Tunit V-CR You can have a custom remap done by someone who reprograms the map in your ECU via a laptop or similar system. The advantage here is that they can do minor adjustments to suit your individual engine, if they really know what they are doing. The disadvantage is they can really screw things up if they don't... Also, you have to go back to them to get the original map restored. If they've gone out of business that can be a bit tricky. An example of this is DreamScience. You can have a "standard" remap in a handset that you plug into the diagnostic port of your car and it swaps the map in its memory with the map in your ECU. The advantage here is that you can swap them back again any time you want. If the new map gives you problems or is not as powerful as you wanted, you can plug the handset into your PC and email them a copy of your original map. They can build a stronger map based on that then email it back to you. You can then swap the newer map into your ECU and still keep copies of the original map and the first upgrade. An example of this is the Bluefin handset made by Superchips. DreamScience used to do handsets as well, but then they stopped producing them.

Won't the difference in rolling radius affect the accuracy of your speedometer and odometer?

Hi Andy and welcome to the site! It has been quiet on here from time to time, but it just needs us all to post a bit more and that will fix it! I'm as guilty as the rest!

LOL, I got my A3 down to 9.3 mpg at one point! I can get about 42 mpg on a run and just about do 30 mpg on my 2.5-mile commute, but that's doing the "Driving Miss Daisy" style for sure. Honda did make one really good-looking car, the Mk4 Prelude. Earlier marks were rather plain and the replacement was just plain ugly with its oversize headlights. The Mk1 CRX was a cheeky looker as well, before they replaced it with the mid-engined version. Speaking of the mid-engined one, how about this for mods:- :D Love the R2D2 mock-up but I don't think those side-mounted pulse cannon are going to pass the MOT!!! I'm not getting the A3 anywhere near 9000 rpm, I want to protect my investment. I think 5000 will do for me. I've gone off messing with the oily bits these days. I have had the engine out of my first mini to change the main bearings then had to do a roadside head gasket change because I stupidly replaced the original bypass hose with a flexi easy-change version that later failed. I've helped my mates with replacing an MG Midget gearbox, getting an old Austin Healey 3000 started that had been sitting in a barn for years, and other messy but fun projects. When I found myself underneath my Mondeo struggling to bolt the decat pipe to the dodgy thread in the bracket on the gearbox, I finally thought, "I'm getting too old for this." Of course, if it's a hobby car instead of my daily transport, that may be another matter.

Hi Pritch and welcome to the site from another A3 S Line owner! The Black Edition has some nice kit: HID headlights, flat-bottomed steering wheel, dark alloys (especially if you get the 5-spoke Rotors) and, of course, the black body kit.

Whether or not the Jazz has good build quality, it really looks like a 4-seat mobility scooter. Your S2000 is one of the best-lookers they made. The MX-5 is meant to be fun to drive, but underpowered like the GT86. A guy at the last place I worked had a Fiat Barchetta for sunny days and he loved it. Fun but a bit slow again. It's good to hear that you're mostly OK with your Audi - it did sound like you were seriously unhappy with it but maybe I just misread your posts. I've heard that the electric handbrake is to reduce weight, which helps reduce emissions. I've had loads of fun go-karting: a wet track really sorts out the men from the boys! I'll have to see how many revs I can get out of the A3 when the Mrs isn't with me... :D

Thanks AOC, that's very kind of you! I was spoilt by my last motor and wasn't going to settle for a lower spec when I got rid of it. This Audi has a few other features like auto-dimming mirrors and tyre pressure monitoring, but as these just get on with the job without any input from me, I don't really consider them as "toys". The Driver Info System is really good, showing the route immediately ahead when the sat nav is running.

To be fair, any handbrake that operates on discs can cause hot spots and warps, this is not just limited to the newer electromechanical ones. I did once come across a guy who sold his Mondeo just because of all the things that MIGHT go wrong with it, rather than what ACTUALLY went wrong with it. Please don't work yourself into a depression over discs that haven't warped yet just because they might!

The bells and whistles on mine are: full leather seats (great for spills from the kids), heated seats (great for cold mornings), storage pack (great for all my junk), auto lights (great for tunnels and underpasses) auto wipers (great for rain in gusty wind), sat nav (great for getting places I've not been to before), heated door mirrors (another great for cold mornings), privacy glass (great for hot sunny days and for hiding stuff that passengers leave on the rear seats), Bluetooth (great for hands-free phone calls), electric lumbar support (great for my dodgy back), interior light pack (great for dark mornings and evenings) and voice control (great for a laugh). So I'm afraid I have to disagree with you over how useful or useless they are. Perhaps you should have taken the Audi for a longer test drive before you bought it? And read the last few years' JD Power survey results?

I don't get too het up over whether a car is a "driver's car" or not. My Audi is quick enough for me, comfortable, good-looking and holds its value better than the alternatives I can afford. It also has a good selection of toys that make it more desirable than a lot of others. Although I think Audi could do more to stop rain from the roof dripping into an open window or door. Those ridiculously small rain channels are pathetic compared with the ones on my wife's Fiesta.

I'm not an especially fast driver either, but I have had a racetrack session in a Lamborghini Gallardo, which gave me some great tips on high-speed driving. I am also part-way through driving instructor training which massively raises road situation awareness and anticipation of the actions of other drivers. It also teaches analysis and correction of one's own driving habits as well as how to maximise the vehicle's stability. And I did start my mods with tyres and suspension like you said! :D In fact, the performance mods were less for top-end speed and more for the ability to accelerate into gaps that would have escaped me before. And to have a bit of fun surprising drivers of BMWs and, ahem, Audis...

I had a newish A3 as a courtesy car and needed to reverse uphill away from my inlaw's garage. It seemed to release the handbrake a bit early, so the car rolled forward a few inches before i got to the biting point. I kept chickening out and pushing the footbrake. So I kept edging onto a steeper slope and nearer the brickwork!!! In the end I just had to bite the bullet and give it a bit more wellie and lift the clutch a bit faster. Phew - finally moving away from the building!!! I think that one was in need of some adjustment as well.

I agree, Audi should repair it at no cost to the customer, then claim against the supplier of the faulty components. Maybe if you write back saying this, they might move on the cost? The US government brought in the "Lemon law" decades ago, so if a car is not up to the job and the owner can prove it, they get their money back. As a result, the manufacturers have had to work on their quality control. The long-term effect is that everyone wins, because bad cars get withdrawn and cars get better reputations over time. Why can't this happen over here?

Wow, your S is a beaut, and you did all the mods and rebuilds yourself so you know they were done properly. Mondeos: I can't speak for the Mk4 but I have owned a Mk1, a Mk2 and two Mk3 Mondies. The Mk1 & Mk2 were only 1800 petrol motors and the first Mk3 was a 115 bhp 2.0 turbo diesel, so none of these was especially quick but all were very sure-footed and able to pull well even with four people plus a full load of luggage across a lot of France in all kinds of situations. The last one was a total beast. When I bought it, it was on Marangoni Mythos tyres and had badly set up tracking all round. The first time someone carved me up in the wet on the M25, I braked hard and the car steered hard left. I had four-wheel tracking done after that and it transformed the feel of the car. The cruddy tyres had to go as well, so I got Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas and that gave it a lot of grip. Only then could I really use the performance from the 155 bhp 295 lb ft motor. Then I cleaned out the EGR valve, intake manifold and MAF sensor, added a remap by Bluefin, a decat and a bigger intercooler. A Ford mechanic then told me that my motor drove better than any other Mondeo he had ever driven. I would recommend that you test drive a Mondeo just to see how good they are. A lot of people sneer at them because of badge snobbery, but as you have heard, Ford really got the Mk3 practically perfect in every way! The ride and handling are very well balanced, it can carry a lot of luggage but still fits in a normal space, it is eager to go but still economical it is reasonably priced but handsome to look at. In fact, I had a little burn up a sliproad to a motorway against a Porsche Boxster before I modded it, and we were pretty evenly matched. Gearchanges caused each of us to alternate pulling a little ahead then falling a little behind the other. Once we joined the heavy traffic on the motorway, we both gave a good-natured wave before joining different lanes and separating in the traffic. I would like to have met the same car after my mods! I only drive about 5 miles a day and I wanted to get a newer car, so petrol was the way to go. I miss the Mondy now and then, but the A3 has grown on me. I love the looks and the performance, and when it has been back to Audi, the people are very good at customer service and they have even fixed faults free that were not covered by the warranty. The Ford dealership has been good, but I was put off when I took then Mondy in due to a rattling sunroof and was told "Sunroofs rattle". That is what put me off another car from there. Again, your S2000 looks a cracker!

Too right!!! You think you are paying the extra cash for a better car because they spend more on research & development and have a higher build quality, but you get:- Not one but two sources of vibration in the rev range used in normal driving, that the selling dealership (Nottingham) acknowledged on the test drive but did not fix in the week before the handover, A "155-point used car check" that misses the fact that the nearside front tyre is a different brand from the other 3, is the wrong load index, and has an illegal repair in the sidewall, Door seals that rattle unless you apply some weird "Gummi Pflege Stift" every month or two, A Sat Nav that only accepts the first 5 characters of UK postcodes and does not include some 1950's roads in 2010 data, A handbrake lever that is set up for left hand drive in a right hand drive car, so you have to reach over the armrest and clout the passenger's arm when you use it, An armrest that gets in the way of the handbrake lever when it's down and rattles when it's up A blower fan that doesn't want to clear the windscreen until the engine is supplying warm water to the heater, No door pockets for rear passengers My Mondeo had a few things go wrong over 5 years of ownership, but I expected a lot better from an Audi. Although to be fair, my local dealership (Birmingham) have been absolute stars and fixed everything free of charge, including one or two things that are not covered by the used car warranty. They also insist on either providing a courtesy car or giving me lifts from and to their site. So that's what we are paying for, a better level of service - as long as you bought from Audi.

Good solution! Mine made a buzz from near the RHS face-level air vent at 2100 rpm especially when decelerating. The dealership found it was two problems: a faulty clip on the turbo wastegate and a harmonic vibration in the fuel pipe. They changed the clip and applied foam tape to the pipe and silence now reigns! All under warranty too! I also had a rattle from the top of each front door in warm weather. The dealer stripped out the b-pillar trim and stopped the noise as a goodwill gesture, because the warranty does not cover trim. After a few months it came back, only nearer the front of the doors. I found a post on another Audi site recommending "Einszett Gummi Pflege Stift", meaning Rubber Care Stick. You have to apply this stuff to the velvet part of the door seal - it worked a treat!

I changed from a Mondeo 2.2 TDCi Titanium X (with "sport" suspension) to my current A3 2.0 TFSi S Line and the harder ride of the Audi took a bit of getting used to - but it's no worse than my wife's Fiesta Zetec. And the upside is that the Audi is very chuckable. The Audi steering certainly feels dead compared with the Ford, but it goes where I point it, thanks to the Goodyear Asymmetric 2's that I bought. The Audi sat nav is in a far more sensible place than on the Ford - it was at knee level! I still miss the Mondy, but I think the A3 is a better car. It's not surprising you miss your old car, we grow attached to them. Why not swap back to an S2000? There's a nice one here:- http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201310219382281/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/model/s2000/make/honda/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/b904aa/page/1/radius/1500?logcode=p

I think we also need a thread called "Why do we hate our Audi's?" :D

It's not the most visited Audi website, is it? But there are helpful people who will answer if they can help. Maybe the lack of a reply is because no-one on here has tried this mod? Still, chin up, you never know, eh?

The RX7 was a nice motor. And older... One of my mates had a Mazda 110S, mostly good looking but the cabin looks a little too far forward. Flying !Removed!, yes it does look truly awful, but an excellent Q-car after you've breathed on it!! The A5 sounds a peach - enjoy!

Hi Brett & welcome to the site. Rotary - so you've been into RX7's and RX8's then? I googled Flying !Removed! but didn't really get any the wiser! :D A5 is a beaut: what spec, engine and colour did you go for?

I used to work with a guy who had an S3 and he got rid of it due to petrol costs. He went for a 1.9 diesel Saab instead. Still a fairly lively motor, but not quite the oomph of the S3 (250 bhp?) My A3 is a 2-litre 197 bhp turbo petrol and I can get a silly 9.1 mpg if I really push it. Or I can get a respectable 42 mpg on a run. I might get even more in the 50 mph traffic management bit of our local motorway. I have exactly the same point of view as you: I want decent performance when I want to move it, and respectable economy when I need it, but why have a quick car and drive it slowly. It's quite a battle between enjoying the car and making the fuel last. My last motor was a 2.2 diesel Mondeo that I took from 155 bhp and 295 lb ft to 180 bhp and 325 lb ft with a few mods. It was a lot of fun but could still give me over 60 mpg when I was gentle. Why not test drive a 2-litre diesel A3 and see if it's fast enough for you? If it is, you can have a bit of fun when you want and be frugal in between! Audi motors hold their value simply because the price when new keeps numbers down, so there are not the numbers on the road compared with Focuses and Astras.

It also depends on the age of the car you are looking to buy. If it's the new shape (2012 onwards) then my local used Audi sales people claim that the diesel particulate filter problem (due to it clogging caused by not doing 50+ mph for at least half an hour each week) is no longer an issue because they have changed the technology. On older cars, it can cause big problems with the engine if the filter isn't cleared regularly by a decent journey. I went for petrol because my higher-speed driving is not frequent enough.