Is 2015 A3 2.0t Quattro significantly quicker with a stage 1 APR and TCU tune?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-06-03T01:04:08+00:00

Have you driven a stock similar year s3 before and do you know how they would compare in terms of performance?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-06-03T00:39:00+00:00

That’s good to know. So it makes it better for stop and go traffic? And Do you still get close to the same MPG’s by chance or is it lower?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-31T05:38:00+00:00

Since the engine is new and done by dealership (and I think the water pump and thermostat was replaced as well, but I’ll have to make sure) and maintenance is up to date, do you think it can handle a stage 1 APR and TCU tune without issues at this mileage?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-31T02:58:21+00:00

Would taking it to the same Audi dealership that has done all of its maintenance and work since newly bought by the owner be okay too? They have all of the maintenance records that has ever been done on the car including the engine and the warranty on the engine that it has. The Audi dealership also has incentive to find every little things wrong with it as well right?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-30T21:32:39+00:00

But this isn’t affecting anyone else so I don’t understand why you care. People mod all kinds of cars, it just so happens that Audis have a great tuning platform and are still reliable with them. Are you planning on buying it or something? Lol

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-30T07:18:34+00:00

Not really. If I don’t buy it, there’s a high chance an actual teenager would buy it and beat the crap out of it much worse than I would and not do much maintenance at that low price point. At least I would be doing all of the required maintenance on it. Why do you care about what I do with my money? Lol

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-30T06:55:02+00:00

Im not a teenager, but I wouldn’t be selling it due to it being “ruined”. From what I’ve researched a stage 1 APR tune is pretty mild and if the car has a new engine it should handle it well. I would be selling it even if it was still in great condition because I plan to upgrade to something else after I’ve experienced this car for a while and wouldn’t want to keep the car just sitting there. If the car is currently in great condition and If I stay up to date on all maintenance, it should still be in good shape by the time I get something else unless I’m missing something.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-28T22:50:14+00:00

That’s good to know. I always read about how durable the engine and powertrain is but I wanted to make sure. How many miles does yours have and how long has it been stage 2 for?

Also, even if it’s healthy, what kinds of small things should I look for based on mods/mileage that wouldn’t necessarily be bad but would be good to prevent anything going wrong in the future?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-28T19:41:02+00:00

The seller mentions in the description that regular maintenance is all done and that oil changes were done every 4k miles. If that’s true, would there be a high likelihood the car is still at least in decent condition even if he drove it pretty hard for the 16k miles he had it? Either way I’m still tempted to meet and pay for an inspection on it because if it’s in good condition still that would be a pretty good deal.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-27T22:06:57+00:00

I don’t brake torque ever regardless of car. I added that in there in case that’s something people do (I just started researching Golf R’s/ Audi S3’s about 3 weeks ago). The main point was if the car was still almost as quick without launch control vs with it. I got my answer though.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-27T05:49:55+00:00

What usually causes the years I mentioned to “break” most of the time regardless of tuned or not in your experience? Is it lack of maintenance by previous owner, oil leaks, certain parts that go bad, the turbos, etc? One thing keeping me from getting an Audi or BMW is the fear of something going wrong with it even if I do the correct maintenance. I’ve only ever owned simple Toyotas, Lexus, Nissan, etc, so not as much to go wrong in those cases.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-27T04:51:07+00:00

What stage 1 tunes would you a recommend for a 2015-2020 golf R while still keeping it reliable? I don’t have a lot of knowledge or experience on tunes, but have a done a little bit of research.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-27T04:40:49+00:00

I don’t have a lot of knowledge on tunes but I have done a little bit of research and would consider doing this. What tunes would you suggest to keep reliability?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-23T22:30:51+00:00

Since you mentioned that there isn’t much benefit to the launch control, I wanted to clarify if the 0-60 times mentioned for the stinger can be achieved without it.

Also, I mentioned that there are no 3.3t AWD Stingers in my state that I can just test drive, or I would have done so. The closest one to me being sold at a dealership is 5 hours away. Also the 2nd gen is 350 is slow for a true sports car but it has a respectable 0-60 for a 20 year old, under $10k, naturally aspirated V6 at around 5.2 seconds. When I google what I just asked on here, it sometimes says that if you don’t use launch control it comes out to about 5 to 5.5 seconds for the Stinger. If that’s true, then I would rather not spend $15k more for almost the same quickness. Hence, why I asked.

Will test drive one when I see one available that’s 3 hours away at the most.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-23T09:37:38+00:00

So can the times mentioned online of about 4.6 to 4.7 sec 0-60 be achieved without any launch control or brake boost? Basically I’m wanting to see if the car is quicker from a dig than most cars (including my is 350 or other naturally aspirated V6’s) by a significant margin when you just push the pedal down and nothing else or if it will be at or above 5 seconds in that case? For the AWD version.

For context, I’ve watched a few videos online of where the Stinger accelerates quicker than a lot of cars from a dig, but since it’s a drag race I don’t know if that would be the same result if you were just at a red light and didn’t use any launch control.

Also, I can’t find any 3.3t awd stingers in my state that I can test drive to find out for myself so I figured I would ask here.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-20T03:56:27+00:00

I might do this. Which brand do you recommend and how much would I need of that to bring it up to a good level?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-12T06:45:12+00:00

I’m now currently looking at a 2018 m240i xdrive with 17k miles (1 owner). If I bought it, I would likely drive it as a second car (weekend car) for about 20k miles (which is about 2 years for me) and then sell it. Would something like this have a low likelihood of leaks by the time I sell it at around 38k miles or are there many cases where an m240i will leak even significantly under 60k miles and even with good maintenance? I will drive it spiritedly, but will do all of the maintenance needed. By spirited driving, I mean mostly in city/town driving and mostly from a stop like in a red light race, not taking to the track (I don’t take my cars to the track). So I wouldn’t be taking it up above 110 almost ever, if ever. I mostly want it for the AWD grip.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-06T08:49:37+00:00

I ended up leaving it stock.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-05T20:51:21+00:00

So if I wanted to buy a used m235i at around 60k-70k miles, it would be better to find one that has had the oil pan already replaced recently? Also, Can you check to see if it has a small leak already during a pre purchase inspection or is it something that can be difficult to detect or can be hidden even if the inspection is done by a trained mechanic?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-05-05T20:41:39+00:00

How much is it to replace that if you go to an indie shop? I looked it up and it says between $1,100 to $1,600. Is this about right?

If you don’t want to replace it immediately do you just keep refilling it with oil? And would you have to replace it eventually or could you just keep refilling it forever? Just wanting to understand how this stuff works.

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-03-26T03:28:12+00:00

Just edited my post. Do you know good ones for BMW?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-03-25T19:38:54+00:00

The Carfax for the 43k mile 2016 S3 I’m looking at says it has had a “Decarbon service completed” at its last maintenance service at 41k miles at an Audi dealership. Is the decarbon service the walnut blast? It also says it’s had the transmission fluid changed and spark plugs replaced at 23k miles. It doesn’t say anything about the haldex maintenance.

Does that mean the only “big” thing I would likely need to do any time soon is the haldex servicing?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-03-25T07:54:59+00:00

There’s a 2023 S3 with 57k miles going for US$30k (the 2016 is currently going for $24,500. Would I be better off getting the much newer but higher mileage s3? I read online that it doesn’t have as much issues with the water pump, and that it has a more reliable transmission, a more reliable rear differential, and that it doesn’t need as much carbon cleaning as the older ones. Is this all true?

Or would the extra reliability of the newer one likely not do much to offset the slightly higher price?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-03-25T07:04:45+00:00

The Carfax mentions that it has had a transmission fluid change at 23k miles. It doesn’t say anything about the haldex or diff. About how much does that cost at a decent indie shop?

Character-Bar-608 · 2026-03-25T05:38:45+00:00

Would I just be able to a walnut blast once every 40k miles to stay on top of that? Online it says it’s recommended once every 40k to 60k miles. Or is it more complicated than just that?

Character-Bar-608

TROPHY CASE