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[Audi A3/S3] A3 2.0 TFSI - to buy or not to buy?


Razoo
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I have been considering buying a 2.0T (petrol) A3/Golf/Leon FR for some months now and have just found a 2010(10) A3 2.0 TFSI SE, 5-door, 6-speed manual with under 10,000 miles for £15,000 in (unfortunately) a car supermarket. I'm assuming this is the Sportback SE. The car supermarket isn't very forthcoming with information, or decent resolution pictures.

To see the vehicle is a 200 mile round trip, so I need to do some basic research before committing myself. According to the Audi database, the vehicle is a standard SE with no extras, apart from metallic paint.

I'm trying to establish what the standard A3 SE build included for the 2010MY, or perhaps more importantly, what the build didn't include.

I'm not into unnecessary 'bells and whistles' and prefer a simple, solid, basic car with a slick gearbox and good performance. The 16 inch wheels are fine for the pothole infested roads I drive on and I don't need heated seats, automatic headlights or rain-sensitive wipers, etc.. However, I do like a good audio system and I need MP3 connectivity.

The car does appear to have a multi-function steering wheel, but I don't know what functions this includes.

Can anyone tell me what significant features the 2010 SE build does, or does not include? I've found the 2011 SE build specification online, but I guess this is improved over the 2010 build.

For example:

1. Does the SE build include cruise control?

2. Are the door mirrors and screen jets heated?

2. Does the audio system have MP3 connectivity. If not, can MP3 connectivity be added retrospectively without paying £silly to Audi? If there's an aux in/out on the rear of the audio unit, I can sort it myself. The audio unit appears to have a single CD slot above the display screen, if that identifies it.

Thanks,

Razoo

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Out A3 is even more basic than SE spec, and it's an '08 model year not 10. It does however have heated mirrors and (I assume) washer jets.

It also has a 'concert' stereo, which I think is the standard spec on SE models. Ours didn't come with MP3 connectivity, but it was easy enough to retro-fit, and less than £150 IIRC. This might have been standard by 2010 though I guesss

I'm pretty sure that cruise would have been an extra, but again I think its an easy enough retr-fit. I had it retro fitted to the A4 for around £150 as well +++

Hope that helps!

Peter

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Our A3 is even more basic than SE spec, and it's an '08 model year not 10. It does however have heated mirrors and (I assume) washer jets.

It also has a 'concert' stereo, which I think is the standard spec on SE models. Ours didn't come with MP3 connectivity, but it was easy enough to retro-fit, and less than £150 IIRC. This might have been standard by 2010 though I guesss

I'm pretty sure that cruise would have been an extra, but again I think its an easy enough retr-fit. I had it retro fitted to the A4 for around £150 as well +++

Hope that helps!

Peter

Thanks Peter,

The car doesn't seem to have cruise (which doesn't bother me), nor MP3 connectivity (which does bother me because the radio choice locally is very poor). I've been quoted £199 +VAT to have MP3 connectivity retro-fitted, which seems expensive.

My local Audi Main Dealer told me the 2010 SE spec is the same as the 2011-12 spec, which means the car has 'Stop/Start', which I don't want. If it really has got 'Stop/Start', I hope it can be disabled easily.

Razoo

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If it's anything like the stop/start in the Merc then there's a switch to turn it off. I have a feeling that it defaults to 'on' everytime the car is started though... Seems to make a real difference to economy (per the OBC at least), so might be worth giving it a go!

I had the cruise on the A4 and iPOD kit on the A3 fitted by these guys: All Products - Vw & Audi Sat Nav, Bluetooth , TV Tuners, Cruise Control Installations UK

One more thing; even if you don't have MP3/iPOD connectivity the concert stereo will play MP3s burnt onto a disc, and you can get quite a few tracks on a disc

hth

Peter

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If it's anything like the stop/start in the Merc then there's a switch to turn it off. I have a feeling that it defaults to 'on' everytime the car is started though... Seems to make a real difference to economy (per the OBC at least), so might be worth giving it a go!

I think stop/start would irritate me - stop/start is for cars with electric motors ;)

I had the cruise on the A4 and iPOD kit on the A3 fitted by these guys: All Products - Vw & Audi Sat Nav, Bluetooth , TV Tuners, Cruise Control Installations UK

Thanks, I'll look them up if I buy the A3.

One more thing; even if you don't have MP3/iPOD connectivity the concert stereo will play MP3s burnt onto a disc, and you can get quite a few tracks on a disc

Good point. How much control does the Concert give over the track selection? Do the MP3 tracks have to be in the CD root and the Concert simply plays them sequentially, or can they be put into various folders so a specific genre can be selected and played as suits the driver's mood?

Thanks,

Razoo

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Have to admit I've never tried any file structures on a disc; however if it's the same way as the RNS-E system in the A4 recognises SD cards then you can set up sub-folders +++

I've just read that there may be limitations on the Concert Head Unit reading hundreds of MP3 tracks on a CD. The Concert might (for example) list the first 10 tracks as tracks 1 to 10, and then start over, so that tracks 11 to 20 are also listed as tracks 1 to 10, and then tracks 21 to 30, and so on, ad nauseam. It may not handle folders - it depends on which version of the Concert HU the car has.

Oh well, as long as the Concert plays the MP3 tracks so I don't have suffer either the strident Chris Evans or inane commercial station adverts during the morning drive to work, that will be fine :)

Thanks,

Razoo

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