I’m thinking about getting one and I was wondering (no need to give specifics) how expensive has it been to maintain? I’ve heard that Audi’s in general have high cost-of-ownerships.
Great points regarding reliability issues with a lot of German and other higher end performance cars. Reliability across the board with all manufacturers now are pretty good, it's not like 20 years ago. You've touched on understanding the demographics of people on forums complaining about reliability issues and I agree with that. People don't stop to think about the type of people who register on a forum and post. Do you think my 60 year old mom driving her Toyota Camry is going to go on a car forum, register, create a post about her issues with her Camry? No. I'm also very certain that a lot of people who buy $20k Honda Civics, $25k Accords, $25k Camry, $20k Corolla are the type of people that want a car that gets them from A to B and that's it. A lot of sporty, performance oriented cars are for CAR ENTHUSIASTS, which mean they will want to get involved with all things car-related, so of course they're on the forums, posting about issues with their cars, driving their cars hard, trying different mods and possibly messing it up etc.
I love this channel. I am thirteen and somehow convinced my parents to buy an s3. We are buying a one of five colorway on Friday!!! Honestly best 20k dollar car if you can find a 2015 s3.
Awesome! Thank you also. You’ll enjoy it. Right now some of the 1st and 2nd year cars are priced pretty competitively. So absolutely you can go 15 or 16 with 60k miles and pay low 20s. Slap a few bolt ons and a tune and have an 11 second car!
Ive always said this lol. I preach maintenance on any car and it’ll last. Of course some things happen that sometimes you can’t avoid but there’s individuals out there like to overlook their own mistakes
Great video, especially loved your take on reliability and the use of OEM parts. I work in an Audi parts department and I wish more of our clients were more dedicated to using only genuine parts. If you take care of German cars, they will take care of you.
Most Genuine Audi parts are INCREDIBLY expensive. I have a 2004 S4. The Audi fuel pump (when it was still available) was about $900. I bought a VDO pump instead for about $300. VDO is a German brand that makes quality products, like Bosch. VDO may have actually made the OEM part. Audi sources as many parts as they can from suppliers like VDO, Vaico, Recaro, Ronal, Bosch, ZF, etc. Buy those parts through the stealership and you pay through the fuk'n nose. The OEM radiator is $1,143 from the Audi stealership. Aftermarket radiators cost about $200. Will an OEM radiator really last 5 times longer? It's NOT worth it to buy factory parts except for very cheap items. Audi parts are a complete RIP OFF. You parts dept. guys must be laughing your asses off and high 5-ing each other in the back when customers are dumb enough to buy Audi parts.
@@joevarga5982 right? At the end of the day the owner needs to do their research on parts. OEM is so expensive doesn’t even matter if it a German car or not.
@@EldePHX Most Audi owners don't do their own repair work so they're stuck over-paying for parts at the Audi dealer or at an independent repair shop. I've found that some independent shops insist on using genuine Audi parts climing that it's necessary for them to "warranty" their repair. I'm sure they make more money on parts mark-up with OEM parts, or maybe they're charging for OEM parts and installing aftermarket parts instead and pocketing the difference. It can be pretty difficult not to get ripped if you're having other people work on your car.
Thank you! I’m stuck on coilovers or adjustable springs rn because the springs will allow me to retain the mag ride and I’m trying to keep the car fun and comfortable
I'm shopping for a new Audi, currently have a MK1 TT, want to get an S5 coupe tho the practical part of me says 4 doors Sportback looks great but to long, so I've been looking at the S3 sedan, thanks for your video, it's helped me make the choice.
No problem man! Trust me the s5 sport back is an awesome gorgeous car but it’s hard to beat the price of the s3 for what you get in terms of luxury and performance
@@DArias yeah and the 2 litre engine is an important factor, I live in London and we drivers are getting taxes for the environment way too much, from October my 3.2 v6 will cost me £12 a day to drive in London per day if I drive it😡🤬
I bought a 2014 Audi A3 & I love it. Great gas mileage on it. Can’t wait to get back to the states & buy a newer version & hopefully the s3 like yours. Really beautiful car my friend.
@@DArias haha respect audis are great cars I personally prefer the golf r just because here in the uk we are basically family it is hot hatch world. There are also lots of Audi S/rs 3
Oh absolutely man! I wish he were able to get the s3/rs3 here in the states in the hatch version I would have gotten one immediately haha. Golf r has its advantages such as being a little lighter
I was looking to get a 2016 Audi s3 and have been bouncing back and forth the idea of it being a reliable daily (50 miles a day). Do you any opinions, I’ve watched a bunch of your videos and love the content.
Thanks man! So personally the MQB platform is a very reliable one.. whether you choose to stay stock or tune you will be ok. Many many people online on fb groups and forums have well over 100k miles with no issues at all just regular maintenance. Believe it or not a guy in our EQT group on fb had 160k miles on a hybrid turbo setup with spray making over 600whp on a stock engine lol just to use as a reference. This cars are awesome daily’s.. now if you haul a ton of stuff at all times I would def give the trunk space a thought haha
@@DArias thank you so much definitely will keep this in mind! I appreciate the reply I’ve been a big Audi guy forever but just recently getting into the newer platforms specifically the S3. So this really helps .
Thank you man! And tbh Ive been looking at the f56 lately and idk I’m a bit stuck haha I want to add another car to the fleet and have a few options in mind rn
@@DArias that’s awesome man! I got a copper s f56 I’m about to tune it JB4 map 1 bc coils,spacers,jcw big break kit,rear seat delete with a cage, fi catless downpipe, ac schnitzer exhaust, lots of carbon lol so yeah I got a lot of stuff planned!
I do not man! These cars a tricky to make sound good. Imo the best exhaust setup you can do so it isn’t too bad is a catted downpipe of your choice, a res delete to the stock muffler. It’s the perfect combo of quiet when cruising with no drone and decently loud when you step on it
So far nothing with either. Yes the water pump has been said to have issues but Tbh many euro vehicles have little issues with their cooling systems but many times are covered under extended warranties. The sunroof shade is the only annoying thing my sunroof has been stout
I have a 2017 S3 that had a water pump issue. Luckily it was under the original Audi warranty (I purchased used w/ 40K miles last year). The dealer replaced the pump.
You know that’s an awesome question. It depends. If you’re planning to stay stock turbo some bolt ons and tune etc go s3 but if you’re doing a full on build since they have the same engine you would save money going a3 if you’re doing a big turbo .. so it all depends on your vision and direction and if you care about having an “s” over “a” series Audi
@@DArias engine is completely different mate, S3/Golf R EA888 has a completely different head, forged pistons,rods...different engine oil coolings, different water cooling etc.
I'm planning to buy a used Audi S3 (2015). Currently, I'm driving mk5 GTI. Some of my friends suggested buying CLA 45 AMG or cla 220. Everyone says that a used Audi gonna very expensive to maintain compared to Merc. At the present, I'm really confused and a little scared of maintenance. If anyone can give me some suggestions or advice I appreciate that.
Being honest I’m not sure how an Audi would be more expensive in maintenance over a Mercedes for example as Mercedes is known to be one of the most u reliable and costly cars to repair and maintain and I love Mercedes. I eventually want to own a c63 amg one as they’re one of my favorite cars. I’ve had my car for over 2 years and beaten it up with no issues at all. These EA888.3 engines are stout
YES! So it is not required for stage 2 but highly recommend. The stock intercooler isn’t great tbh and heat soaks quickly after a few pulls. Absolutely 100% worth it and arguably the best mod you can do
When your in dynamic mode, not driving it hard, does your car down shift a little hard? I have noticed my a3 sline does, and I can't tell if it's just engine breaking or the transmission is messing up.
@@DArias I think they do offer a manual in all of their cars outside of the USA. Very few people in the US know how to drive a manual, so they wouldn't sell too many more cars by offering it in the USA.
You mentioned the E 85 tune. Are you running that tune on your car and what other fuels other than E85 are you able to safely put in the car in a pinch? Lastly how does E 85 fuel economy differ from stock 93 fuel economy?
I personally haven’t had any issues tbh. Dozens of 1/4 mile passes and hundreds of pulls to redline without skipping a beat..this is a 10 second car now and all I’ve done is routine oil and plugs
Great video. I have a 2015 S3 with an APR stage 2 tune. I drive it hard, about 18k miles per year and have zero problems
These cars are awesome! Glad to hear yours is still going good. If you care for it then it’ll treat ya right!
I’m thinking about getting one and I was wondering (no need to give specifics) how expensive has it been to maintain? I’ve heard that Audi’s in general have high cost-of-ownerships.
@@Lukas_101diy your repairs you will save a lot of $$
Great points regarding reliability issues with a lot of German and other higher end performance cars. Reliability across the board with all manufacturers now are pretty good, it's not like 20 years ago. You've touched on understanding the demographics of people on forums complaining about reliability issues and I agree with that. People don't stop to think about the type of people who register on a forum and post. Do you think my 60 year old mom driving her Toyota Camry is going to go on a car forum, register, create a post about her issues with her Camry? No. I'm also very certain that a lot of people who buy $20k Honda Civics, $25k Accords, $25k Camry, $20k Corolla are the type of people that want a car that gets them from A to B and that's it. A lot of sporty, performance oriented cars are for CAR ENTHUSIASTS, which mean they will want to get involved with all things car-related, so of course they're on the forums, posting about issues with their cars, driving their cars hard, trying different mods and possibly messing it up etc.
Your channel will take off soon I can tell. Keep up the Audi stuff. Not many people are into the S3 and it's nice to see
I hope so! Thank you. And hopefully more people continue to join the MQB platform. It’s great
Can’t lie wasnt the biggest Audi guy but watching your channel is making me enjoy them more
I like to hear that. Gotta be open minded with cars haha
I love this channel. I am thirteen and somehow convinced my parents to buy an s3. We are buying a one of five colorway on Friday!!! Honestly best 20k dollar car if you can find a 2015 s3.
Awesome! Thank you also. You’ll enjoy it. Right now some of the 1st and 2nd year cars are priced pretty competitively. So absolutely you can go 15 or 16 with 60k miles and pay low 20s. Slap a few bolt ons and a tune and have an 11 second car!
Fast and reliable is awesome! I’m glad you’ve had no issues so far
Nope it’s been a good time haha
That’s the thing. People want higher end cars but don’t want to pay higher end maintenance costs. That’s the problem. Great video! Love the car
Ive always said this lol. I preach maintenance on any car and it’ll last. Of course some things happen that sometimes you can’t avoid but there’s individuals out there like to overlook their own mistakes
Great video, especially loved your take on reliability and the use of OEM parts. I work in an Audi parts department and I wish more of our clients were more dedicated to using only genuine parts. If you take care of German cars, they will take care of you.
Most Genuine Audi parts are INCREDIBLY expensive. I have a 2004 S4. The Audi fuel pump (when it was still available) was about $900. I bought a VDO pump instead for about $300. VDO is a German brand that makes quality products, like Bosch. VDO may have actually made the OEM part. Audi sources as many parts as they can from suppliers like VDO, Vaico, Recaro, Ronal, Bosch, ZF, etc. Buy those parts through the stealership and you pay through the fuk'n nose.
The OEM radiator is $1,143 from the Audi stealership. Aftermarket radiators cost about $200. Will an OEM radiator really last 5 times longer? It's NOT worth it to buy factory parts except for very cheap items.
Audi parts are a complete RIP OFF. You parts dept. guys must be laughing your asses off and high 5-ing each other in the back when customers are dumb enough to buy Audi parts.
@@joevarga5982 right? At the end of the day the owner needs to do their research on parts. OEM is so expensive doesn’t even matter if it a German car or not.
@@EldePHX Most Audi owners don't do their own repair work so they're stuck over-paying for parts at the Audi dealer or at an independent repair shop. I've found that some independent shops insist on using genuine Audi parts climing that it's necessary for them to "warranty" their repair. I'm sure they make more money on parts mark-up with OEM parts, or maybe they're charging for OEM parts and installing aftermarket parts instead and pocketing the difference. It can be pretty difficult not to get ripped if you're having other people work on your car.
I’m glad you are still enjoying the S3. I’m excited to hear you are talking about suspension, so I can’t wait to see what you have planned.
Thank you! I’m stuck on coilovers or adjustable springs rn because the springs will allow me to retain the mag ride and I’m trying to keep the car fun and comfortable
Loving the videos. 1/4 mile video soon please
Thank you! I’m hoping I can make it to a track day soon!
Great as always. Glad it’s all been good
Thanks man! Always appreciated
I'm shopping for a new Audi, currently have a MK1 TT, want to get an S5 coupe tho the practical part of me says 4 doors Sportback looks great but to long, so I've been looking at the S3 sedan, thanks for your video, it's helped me make the choice.
No problem man! Trust me the s5 sport back is an awesome gorgeous car but it’s hard to beat the price of the s3 for what you get in terms of luxury and performance
@@DArias yeah and the 2 litre engine is an important factor, I live in London and we drivers are getting taxes for the environment way too much, from October my 3.2 v6 will cost me £12 a day to drive in London per day if I drive it😡🤬
Loving the Audi stuff man
Always appreciate that man!
I bought a 2014 Audi A3 & I love it. Great gas mileage on it. Can’t wait to get back to the states & buy a newer version & hopefully the s3 like yours. Really beautiful car my friend.
Great video like always. Glad you’ve had a good time with the car. For sure was a great purchase
Thank you man! And I agree I can’t wait to go further with it
I like how you included the golf r ty
Golf r is amazing haha was going to pull the trigger on one but I’ve had so many vws I just wanted to say I had an Audi pretty much
@@DArias haha respect audis are great cars I personally prefer the golf r just because here in the uk we are basically family it is hot hatch world. There are also lots of Audi S/rs 3
Oh absolutely man! I wish he were able to get the s3/rs3 here in the states in the hatch version I would have gotten one immediately haha. Golf r has its advantages such as being a little lighter
@@DArias oh I didn’t even know you guys couldn’t get the hatch version but that’s interesting because over here the saloon s3/rs3 is more sort after 😂
Great video. Non of the horsing around like some videos.
I respect that lol
I was looking to get a 2016 Audi s3 and have been bouncing back and forth the idea of it being a reliable daily (50 miles a day). Do you any opinions, I’ve watched a bunch of your videos and love the content.
Thanks man! So personally the MQB platform is a very reliable one.. whether you choose to stay stock or tune you will be ok. Many many people online on fb groups and forums have well over 100k miles with no issues at all just regular maintenance. Believe it or not a guy in our EQT group on fb had 160k miles on a hybrid turbo setup with spray making over 600whp on a stock engine lol just to use as a reference. This cars are awesome daily’s.. now if you haul a ton of stuff at all times I would def give the trunk space a thought haha
@@DArias thank you so much definitely will keep this in mind! I appreciate the reply I’ve been a big Audi guy forever but just recently getting into the newer platforms specifically the S3. So this really helps .
I’m thinking about getting 2016 with 69k miles in great condition
The s3 is sick
You’re goated
Awesome vid. Did you ever look at f56 jcw’s? There great cars.. love your s3
Thank you man! And tbh Ive been looking at the f56 lately and idk I’m a bit stuck haha I want to add another car to the fleet and have a few options in mind rn
@@DArias that’s awesome man! I got a copper s f56 I’m about to tune it JB4 map 1 bc coils,spacers,jcw big break kit,rear seat delete with a cage, fi catless downpipe, ac schnitzer exhaust, lots of carbon lol so yeah I got a lot of stuff planned!
Awesome Videos well explained everything he said is true
Thank you! Always appreciated!
Would you recommend straight piping an s3? Will it sound good?
I do not man! These cars a tricky to make sound good. Imo the best exhaust setup you can do so it isn’t too bad is a catted downpipe of your choice, a res delete to the stock muffler. It’s the perfect combo of quiet when cruising with no drone and decently loud when you step on it
It's like every other car out there every car has its own issues but if you keep up with the maintenance you'll be good
Any issues with the water pump? And creaking sunroof? I heard that's a common issue.
So far nothing with either. Yes the water pump has been said to have issues but Tbh many euro vehicles have little issues with their cooling systems but many times are covered under extended warranties. The sunroof shade is the only annoying thing my sunroof has been stout
I just hit 100000km and I noticed my sunroof starting to creek..
I have a 2017 S3 that had a water pump issue. Luckily it was under the original Audi warranty (I purchased used w/ 40K miles last year). The dealer replaced the pump.
Great video again bro. Keep it up. Glad the car is working out for you
Thank you! It’s been great
Would you recommend the s3 over the a3? Or what’s your take on it?
You know that’s an awesome question. It depends. If you’re planning to stay stock turbo some bolt ons and tune etc go s3 but if you’re doing a full on build since they have the same engine you would save money going a3 if you’re doing a big turbo .. so it all depends on your vision and direction and if you care about having an “s” over “a” series Audi
@@DArias engine is completely different mate, S3/Golf R EA888 has a completely different head, forged pistons,rods...different engine oil coolings, different water cooling etc.
Weird question, what’s the trunk space like??
I have an eqt stg 2 e30 S3 as well!
Awesome! Love that EQT is really making their way around the community. Absolutely amazing tunes
@@DArias yeah extremely happy with the tune. I've smoked a lot of more expensive / more tuned cars with it.
That’s the best part lol ive done my fair share as well and it never gets old
I'm planning to buy a used Audi S3 (2015). Currently, I'm driving mk5 GTI. Some of my friends suggested buying CLA 45 AMG or cla 220. Everyone says that a used Audi gonna very expensive to maintain compared to Merc. At the present, I'm really confused and a little scared of maintenance. If anyone can give me some suggestions or advice I appreciate that.
Being honest I’m not sure how an Audi would be more expensive in maintenance over a Mercedes for example as Mercedes is known to be one of the most u reliable and costly cars to repair and maintain and I love Mercedes. I eventually want to own a c63 amg one as they’re one of my favorite cars. I’ve had my car for over 2 years and beaten it up with no issues at all. These EA888.3 engines are stout
@@DArias Thank you very much for your advice
Honestly from my experience they are equally expensive I’ve had two audi tt as well as a cla250.
@DArias do you still have it? How's it hanging in there? This might be the video that makes me grab one in the near future....
Do you think an intercooler is worth it if ur running stage 2 91 eqt? I also have an s3
YES! So it is not required for stage 2 but highly recommend. The stock intercooler isn’t great tbh and heat soaks quickly after a few pulls. Absolutely 100% worth it and arguably the best mod you can do
Intercooler upgrade is a must! Especially now with the hot temperatures. Doing mines next month. Go for it bro.
When your in dynamic mode, not driving it hard, does your car down shift a little hard? I have noticed my a3 sline does, and I can't tell if it's just engine breaking or the transmission is messing up.
Take care of your car and it’ll take of you
Absolutely so true
If they made one with a manual transmission I'd be interested.
Would have been great if Audi still offered a manual. I’m sure many more people would go the s3 route
@@DArias I think they do offer a manual in all of their cars outside of the USA. Very few people in the US know how to drive a manual, so they wouldn't sell too many more cars by offering it in the USA.
Turbo upgrade soon Please
That will def be coming eventually I wouldn’t say too soon though
Why would you anticipate any probs in only 6 month ?
Car has over 50k miles which is why
I have literally everything you have just a 2015 s3 in sepang blue and my intake manifold just went bye bye
What year is yours?!
2017 bro!
@@DArias I’m looking to get a daily an i been eye balling these!
You mentioned the E 85 tune. Are you running that tune on your car and what other fuels other than E85 are you able to safely put in the car in a pinch? Lastly how does E 85 fuel economy differ from stock 93 fuel economy?
At 6 months this shit better be working tf 🤣
Sick
Thank you!
Besides 3 blown tires I can say the same lol
I feel you on that man lol I had one myself. That 35 sidewall kills
MQB stomps so hard
Always! I can’t disagree
Case N point you need money to have this car your right never go cheap on parts it’s probably the dumbest thing Audi isn’t Toyota🤣
The A/S3 is probably Audi's most reliable vehicle. The 4 and 6 series not so much.
Bruh talking about dirty cars I'll legit wash my e90 and the next day all this fucking Pollen ruins it
Your e90 is goated. And the pollen is our enemy since we have black cars lol
@@DArias it's the absolute worst
Update???
Big turbo over 500hp and still running strong!
Trust Omega Garage. These engines are garbage.
I personally haven’t had any issues tbh. Dozens of 1/4 mile passes and hundreds of pulls to redline without skipping a beat..this is a 10 second car now and all I’ve done is routine oil and plugs
You’ve owned it for 6 months! 😂
@@Ac22768he’s had it over 2 years when he replied to you 🤡
Fast for someone that comes from a miata. Not fast for someone who had a GTR LOL
Very true lol