Hello all,

I currently am seriously considering getting an 06-08 A3. was looking for cons... as the pros are easy to find. Also i currently have an 06 GTI and have done some mods (apr, intake, forge DV relocate, pcv bypass) im wondering if these changes are similar if not the same for the A3.

Thanks for reading



p.s. i posted in new member area but there is probably more traffic here

 

A A3 is basically the same car, same motor, suspension, transmission. I currently was in your situation and i went with the a3 last month. Mainly becuase the A3 had more room inside, and has leather standard. I got the 06 with the dsg and i love it. Good on gas yet still fast and handles like a dream. Plus with the extra trunk space i had room for my system.
I'm sure you already know VW owns Audi so everything is basically the same besides bodystyle.
The only thing i miss is having a stick shift, but i'm getting to like the DSG, upshifts gears in 8 milliseconds, down shifts are a little slow but thats my only complaint.
ps. the motor is a little noisy, it ticks like a lifter ticking noise, but its normal, all fsi motors do it. The sorta sound like a diesel motor at idle, u get use to it, i just turn the radio up lol. The dealer says there just noisy motors, since some parts are modeled after there diesel motors.

 

Well everything you have on your GTI are available for the A3 your Forge and PCV could be removed and used but the engine bay is different so the intake is different. As for your APR the ECU's are similiar but not the same as the A3 gets a little extra TQ like 2lbs if I remember. Its just longer then your GTI and isnt boy racer in its looks. Other then that its almost the exact same car.

 

They might be based on the same platform and engines, but in no way are they similar cars. VW/Audi is not like Chevy/GMC/Buick/Pontiac/Cadillac, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti, Ford/Mercury/Lincoln, Toyota/Scion/Lexus, Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth in which they are basically the same cars, with different badges in the front, or designed by he same people with slightly different look but basically built in the same assembly line. VW/Audi are not manufactured in the same plants, and they don't report to the same headquarters. They make their own decisions on what they want their car to be like, not like what one head in GM thinks their Chevy customers wants vs what their Pontiac owners want and design accordingly. That is why VW releases separate sales figures from Audi, unlike every of the company listed above.

 

VW= Volkswage, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Bentley

The company owns seven brands, which are organized into two groups or branches.

The Audi branch consists of

Audi
Lamborghini
SEAT

The Volkswagen branch consists of

Volkswagen
Bentley
Škoda
Bugatti
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

These brands have been discontinued by VW:

Auto Union
DKW
Horch
NSU
Wanderer

Porsche now owns ~20% of VW iirc

sorry for going off topic!

 

Porsche tried to buy VW, but when their loans were due, had to succumb to VW buying them off in order to pay off those loans. Anyway, Porsche was adamant not to become a rebadged VW so they are keeping their separate identity.

Anyway, take Audi Nav, no association with VW's unit, even though they have the same parent company.

Or the Toureg/Q7/Cayenne, you can say you put a Porsche or Audi logo on the Toureg and it is exactly the same car, but Porsche and Audi would beg to differ.

 

Back to the OP's original question.

Here are some cons you should know about with the A3:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3366758

One item not mentioned in that thread is the potential for a new Mechatronics controller for the DSG transmission. I've just had mine replaced (at 55K miles, under CPO warranty) and the car is now much smoother at low speeds.

 

Thanks for al this, i am new and also tried to do this. I wil try on the suggestion taht are posted here. Thanks again.