Hi everyone,

I have had my 2006 A3 2.0T Premium for about 3 months now and it's an excellent car! With the release of the S3 in Germany and the upcoming introduction of the RS3, I thought I may order the appropriate badges for my car to make it look a little more unique (Since there are no S/RS3's here in the U.S.). I don't know much about [the internals of] cars, but I thought if I am to put S or RS badges, might as well "chip" the car so it has at least a little higher performance. This is where my questions come in...

1) Which chipping software do I go with? So far I have seen that "APR" and "Revo" are the most popular. I looked at "GIAC" but their website looked incomplete, which to me says "Bad business practicie" and makes me want to stay away from their products.
2) Will chipping be visible to the dealer when I take it in for service? Basically I don't want it to void my warranty/maintenance package)
3) Do I have to get a cold air intake also? Is it really necessary for chipping or can I do without it without harming the engine?
4) Handling/Ride quality... how will this change? Will it get worse (i.e. harder to control)?

My last question is, should I get S3 or RS3 badges?

I have found the S3 rear and front grill badges here: eBay Link

Will the front badge easily clip unto my A3 grill or do I need to do any special mods?

I have also found the RS3 rear badge, but am unable to find a front grill emblem anywhere: eBay Link
Any ideas as to where I may be able to get the RS3 front grill emblem?

Sorry for the number of questions and the length of this topic. I have always kept everything stock, so this is my first time attempting to mod my vehicle. Any ideas, tips & tricks and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Emil.

 

Why make the car something that it is not? Might as well put a Type R sticker on it....just my 2 cents. -mJ

 

I disagree. I think that cars are about customization, and if you have done anything to make your car look different (lowering, body kit, wheels) then an S3 sticker is appropriate. I do think, IMO, that the RS3 badge is a little over the top.

The only question I can really answer for you is of ride quality. I have heard that if you aren't careful with the throttle, you can spin your wheels all the way upto 3rd gear. So basically, just be precise and you will be fine.

 

Hmmmm.....the S3 badges are a pretty easy install, just look at my gallery.

The chipping won't change the ride quality at all except if you have full throttle in 1rst or 2nd. Wheel spin will be prominent but otherwise the response and lack of torque steer is just the same. Just think...bigger engine!

Chipping is definitely the way to go and you don't have to do anything extra if you don't want to. A CAI or Exhaust will improve performance, but the chip takes you most of the way there by itself. The dealer won't necessarily notice that you're chipped, or they might not even car if nothing is wrong with your car, except I recommend getting a chip that allows you to switch it back to stock before servicing. Just my $.02 worth.

Cheers!

You won't regret getting the chip!

 

if you're worried about exess wheel spin, get better/stickier/wider tires and get stiffer engine and tranny mounts, the tranny mounts make the most improvements compared to the engine mount,

 

Thanks for all the suggestions and replies. Based on your experience, is there a specific performance tuning software (i.e. APR, Revo, GIAC) that you would recommend? As Chef mentioned, which one has the "switch back to stock" mode and how easy is it to do the switch?

Thanks again.