Hi All

I have been following this forum for a few days and have a few questions that some of you may be able to answer....

I am a proud owner of a '98 1.8T A3 and have a few problems which I don't think should exist!!

1.) When driving the car on a straight road it pulls to the left when I let go of the steering wheel! I have had it checked by my dealer who insists there is no problem and that this is normal! (Torque from the engine) I have also had a full geometry check done on it by tyre specialists. After the full geometry the outcome was that the front right and rear right "Partial toe" was out. The guys could only adjust the front as there is no rear adjustment. Even after this the problem still exsists. Has anyone else had this problem???

2.) The doors on the car now don't seem to close properly anymore. They seem to hang down and consequently knock on the locking mechanism. Again the dealer has had a look at this and have managed to improve it but I am still not 100% satisfied with the result!

3.) As far a performance tuning is concerned AMD seem to be the best option in the UK, but while I was working in France I heard of a option whereby you didn't have to remove or re-program you current Chip but you could add an additional box/device which gave the same performance increase.... Has anyone heard of this???

Thank for any (if any) help and sorry about the long post!

Tony
PS I would be interested in track days

Hi Tony,

Nice choice of car - what colour/options??

I can give my views on your questions (don't know how much you know about your car - sorry if the following is too wordy!)

1) I am assuming you are in the UK, as such any car will go slightly to the left following the camber of the road although I don't beleive that the A3 has an unusually marked habit of doing this - my car will slowly drift towards the kerb if left alone although less markedly so than my last car. Does your problem exist when coasting along or when on the throttle? If it is the former then obviously the torque of the engine has nout to do with it and the garage is selling a line. I have not noticed much "torque steer" on my car although again, it is a characteristic of FWD cars in general. I assume also that the tyres have been checked out?? What about the brakes - a sticky/binding caliper or dodgy wheel bearing can give the problems you describe.

2) The doors on the A3 are big an heavy and prone to a wee bit of sag! They can be adjusted at the locking mechanism and hinge (I think!) and also the black surround at the top where the window sits can be tilted in or out for a better fit. Subjective view - my doors are clunky and heavy sometimes to close requiring a good push - again what you describe might be an exacerbation of what is "normal" on the A3 - although from experience you need to pester the dealers to get it fixed if you feel there is a problem. Why not try the doors on a showroom A3 for comparison just to check the actual difference.

3)I am a little vague on this point, sorry, but I agree, AmD in Oxford sound great and whilst I have not taken the plunge yet I am getting closer and closer. (see multiple posts below) With regards to the device you refer to, yes they do exist but largely to provide a means to alter cars where the standard ECU cannot be remapped /changed (I think some BMWs have this problem) In the VW/Audi context they are prevalent in TDi engines. I am of the opinion that if you are going to chip it, get it done properly, the last thing you want is your piggy-back ECU working loose and being towed to the dealer!

Hope this helps - and hopefully someone else can give some more info on no.3!

With re track days etc, there was a suggestion of a meet at BTCC events although we need more interest - let us know where you are etc....

Regards

David
`00A3 1.8TS Silver

Thanks David. I am UK based in London and am always keen to hear from other A3/S3 owners.

The only reason I hav'nt chiped my car yet is the warranty, but oh well only another year to go!!!!!

Cheers
Tony

hi there

3) think that's only for diesel enginges. the box fakes some sensor data to the ECU to get more power from the motor.

I think you may be right. The person I spoke to had a 110 tdi.

Hi Tony

Check these out
http://www.auto-amd.com/
http://www.psi-motorsport.com/
http://www.vanaaken.com/indexcont.htm
http://www.tuningbox.com/ANG/introanglais.html
http://www.superchips.co.uk/

Read all their tech stuff and compare explanations

I'm looking at chipping a Tdi 110 and so far AmD seem to have the most honest and logical explanation of things and also most realistic on Power & torque gains. I'm probably going to have an external box for ease and quick removal if something stuffs up!

Also phone a couple of other Audi dealers (except your own) and you may find one that will support the warranty if he knows of the chip upgrade company.

Good luck

Darryl

Thanks David - I think?

It probably does sound a bit daft, but if you you do find a dealer that is sympathetic then it may be possible to play him off against your own.
This is of course before you have any mods.

Also you can test the water without blowing your warranty with your own dealer.