For fun, I decided to post a build thread for my A3. In reality, I’m not building anything, so this thread will simply illustrate the path I take and modifications and improvements I make to my A3.

The car…
2009 Audi A3 is Black/Black equipped with the 2.0T and DSG transmission with the Premium, Titanium, and S-line packages.

Why did I buy an A3? Well, I needed to downsize from two cars to one. I wanted one car that could replace my daily driver and my weekend/track toy. I found the Audi A3’s size, shape, four-doors, and sporty nature to fit my needs perfectly.

I’m confident that this A3 is going to be an excellent car because it is luxurious, well built, and fun to drive. The A3’s character reminds me of my previous VW’s, a 2002 GTI 337 and a 2008 R32, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The A3 flaunts a very rich, high-quality interior constructed of high-end materials. The dashboard, interior trim, and the various instruments are all well laid-out and arranged smartly. I immediately noticed the high quality feel of the switch-gear, steering wheel, and the high-grade leather used on the very comfortable seats. Though, I must say, that the seats are a little too ‘flat’ for my tastes, they could offer more support for spirited driving. But, hey, enough about the seats, even the stock Audi sound system is surprisingly impressive for an OEM vehicle.







Overall, Audi’s execution and attention to detail regarding the A3, is truly remarkable.

I chose to buy an A3 with the 2.0T because the engine provides more than enough power to make the A3 fun to drive and it is easily modified to produce more power. I was happy in the past with VW’s 1.8T but, the 2.0T with its quick turbo spool-up and the amount of torque available in the low-rpms make it seem as if the car has a V6 under the hood. For a four cylinder, considering the power, and the fuel economy, the 2.0T is definitely impressive, even in stock form.

I’m a manual transmission type of guy. I normally own one automatic car and one manual transmission car at any given time. However, since I am downsizing to one vehicle, I had to make a compromise and, based on my previous experience with the R32, I knew the DSG is the perfect compromise for my situation. I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of the DSG in auto mode. I find that the transmission in auto mode shifts way too often at low speeds. It is very annoying and, at times, even frustrating to drive in auto mode. I’m pretty sure the super conservative and rapid automatic shift programming is done to conserve fuel but, ironically, I can achieve the same or, better fuel mileage in manual mode. Go figure! Like my R32, I plan to do most of my driving in manual mode.

My A3, as equipped, already looks and drives great. However, I plan to subtlety modify the A3 to suite my personal tastes.

So what needs to be improved?

For performance, my plan is to boost the power output of the 2.0T with an ECU Tune, Intake, Water/Methanol Injection, and Exhaust. To go along with the performance enhancements, I want to add a boost gauge and perhaps a wide-band gauge to monitor the engine vitals. In addition, the DSG will receive an HPA performance stage 2 Tune which will be complimented by a set of S2T Performance paddle shifters (which was the awesome combination I had in my R32).

For appearance, I personally like the way my A3 looks (with the exception of the ride height) so I don’t plan to modify the exterior extensively. There’s a good chance I’ll swap out the current Headlamps and Tail lamps to the HID/LED models that I’ve seen. For wheels, at least for the moment, I’ll stick with the OEM’s. I will, however, be adding window tint immediately!

I’ll need to spend some more time behind the wheel of my A3 before I make any decisions regarding the suspension setup. However, I will be adding a set of height-adjustable coilovers, as soon as possible… I don’t like driving around in what appears to be a 4x4 A3. LOL!

What did I forget???

If you are interested in my build, please stay tuned…

Mike