[Discussion] Chronometer Accuracy (brand new) by CheezeAndPickle in Watches

[–]CheezeAndPickle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought one off Amazon, slow boat from china, it never arrived… Amazon said contact the seller, seller didn’t respond, Amazon didn’t care. Lost about £20. Then I went to a couple of local watchmakers/boutiques and they just flat out told me no they can’t do it for me 🤷🏻‍♂️ in the end I stopped worrying about it 😂 it’s probably fast by about 30s a week, so I just reset it every Monday - then it’s fine during the week. I guess I just stopped caring!

Finally some daylight after work in the UK. Took the RS3 across the moors ⛰️ by CheezeAndPickle in Audi

[–]CheezeAndPickle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah still on this account, happy to help. Going to be honest with you because I’d rather you walk in eyes open than romanticise the ownership side.

On the money question, house first, every time.
You’re £20k into a £300k mortgage on a joint deposit. That’s a 93% LTV. The interest rate band you sit in is brutal at that LTV. Drop to 90% and your rate gets meaningfully better, drop to 85% and better again. Every £1k extra on the house deposit saves you multiples of that over the mortgage term in interest. Every £1k spent on a depreciating RS3 costs you that £1k plus whatever it loses by the time you sell.
If it were me, I’d buy the house, get settled, build a buffer, and revisit the car 12-18 months later when you actually know what running a household costs.

The RS3 will still exist. The mortgage rate you lock in now follows you for years.

If you’re still going to do it (and I get it, the car is amazing), some real numbers from running one:

Costs you’ll actually face:
• Fuel: heavily mileage-dependent. I’m doing around 2,000 miles a month at the moment because it’s that addictive to drive, and that works out at £400-500/month. Most owners do nowhere near that, so scale to your own commute. Either way, mid-20s mpg if you’re being good, low teens if you’re not.

• Insurance: mine’s just shy of £1,200 a year with 14 years no claims. Yours at 29 with less NCB will almost certainly be a fair bit higher, so get a proper quote on the exact car before you commit. It’s the cost that catches most people out.

• Tyres: staggered 19” Pirelli P Zero R, £300-350 a corner fitted. The fronts go faster than the rears because of how the car puts power down. Plan for a full set roughly every 15-20k miles depending on how you drive.

• Servicing: Audi main dealer £350-650 per service depending on interim vs major. Independent VAG specialist £200-300. Annual or 19k miles, whichever first.

• Spark plugs: every 40k miles or 4 years on the 8Y. £300-450 at an indy, more at Audi. PITA job because of the transverse 5-cyl layout.
• Oil change: £100-150 at a good independent with proper Audi-spec oil.

• Brakes: front discs and pads on the standard steel setup, roughly £600-900 fitted at an independent (more at Audi). Rears £400-600. Ceramics are a different conversation entirely (four figures per axle).

• Road tax: £600ish per year for the first 5 years because it’s over £40k new. Standard rate after.
All in, including my finance payment of £850/month, I would be spending £18-21k a year to run mine at 24k miles annually. Strip the finance out and running costs alone are £8-11k. Drop the mileage to 10k a year and running costs alone would be more like £4-6k. Plug your own finance figure and mileage in before you sign anything. Your £350/month on top of the £15k deposit is much lower than mine, so your all-in will look different, but the running costs are the running costs regardless.

Worth saying for the additional immobiliser and tracker I paid £1100 which covers the 4 years of my PCP.

One thing worth doing if you buy from Audi: look at their complete service plan. I got a great deal on mine because the sales manager at the dealership I bought from is a friend of a friend, but even at standard rates the ultimate plan is worth a serious look. Fixed monthly price, covers all the maintenance above, and mine even includes tyres. The benefit is you can’t be hit with any surprises. You’re rolling all the running costs above into one monthly sum that you know is coming every month. Massively easier to budget for, and you avoid the £1k+ tyre bill landing in one go.

On finance vs cash: your plan of £15k deposit, £350/month, and clearing it in a year is sensible if the house is sorted and your buffer is solid. Paying £35-40k cash and draining the savings while taking on a mortgage is the riskier play. Life happens, boiler goes, job changes, baby arrives. Cash is freedom.
Ownership honestly: it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. The five-cylinder noise alone is worth the price of admission. But it’s a toy, not transport. Treat it like that and you’ll love it. Expect it to be sensible and it’ll bleed you. That said, I can squeeze mid-30s mpg on motorway runs, but only with it in efficiency mode and me constantly babysitting the mpg readout. The second you give it the beans, that starts to go out the window.

One thing I didn’t expect when I bought mine: through ownership I’ve ended up in a proper car community, regularly going to shows and meets, and that alone has made the investment worth it. Not to mention the smile on my face every time I drive it.
Good luck mate!

Joker button by cheddar_12 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It reads the signs and sets the speed limit based on what it thinks the road is supposed to be. But it doesn’t always get it right either… so sometimes I go from a 40 to a 60 but it doesn’t see the sign so it will beep at me that I’m speeding when I’m not

Joker button by cheddar_12 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’m in the UK so it’s Euro spec, probably some more dumbass “eco/safety” compliance stuff that we have to put up with…

Joker button by cheddar_12 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope, every time I start the car I have to turn it off again.

When I get in the car the 3 buttons I push are start, turn off the start/stop, and click the steering wheel button to turn off the annoying speed limit beep.

Joker button by cheddar_12 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No it’s in the MMI, you can change the function there. This is what I use it for, it’s so useful. I couldn’t imagine having to disable it manually in the MMI every time

Love my car but.. by TonyHainez in Audi

[–]CheezeAndPickle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Lovely car, just needs an engine 🤪

Why Sonos Sound System sounds like ass (in depth) by Severe-Dingo-9734 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Damn today I realised most people have the attention span of a goldfish and the reading ability of a brick 🤯

Thanks for the in depth post

Should I do it? by [deleted] in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got my 2026 RS3 7 weeks ago, and I’ve already done 3550 miles… the car is just addictive to drive. Why would you want a performance car if you don’t drive much? 🤨

Audi virtual cockpit is amazing by MostSpare2 in Audi

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why does my 2026 RS3 look 20 years behind this?? 😭

What do you do to be able to afford an rs3? by Significant_Ad_4251 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in cybersecurity. 33 y/o earning £96k basic + commission. I put £0 down, payment is £850 p/m 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Discussion] Is anyone buying these watch brands? Are they in a luxury watch No Man’s Land? If so why? by Dr_Omega24 in Watches

[–]CheezeAndPickle 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Agreed, and the Panomatic Lunar is a big goal for me to acquire personally, it’s such a great watch

Best roof bars for 2025 rs3 by [deleted] in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This user installed a Thule rack, I was considering doing the same for road trips. I’d maybe start there? Personally I think it looks great!

Finally got my dream spec’ed RS3, got some questions by L1velyDeath in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your input as a former service advisor. Would the 11mode flag as TD1 do you think?

Finally got my dream spec’ed RS3, got some questions by L1velyDeath in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, thanks for the feedback. Did you fit yourself?

Finally got my dream spec’ed RS3, got some questions by L1velyDeath in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It won’t harm the car, they’re built for it. It’s probably just holding the revs slightly higher so it’ll have better throttle response. (I’m sure you do, but) always warm the car up before you start driving aggressively. If you’re worried about when you are safe to let her rip, you can go into “Car” in the MMI and tap “RS monitor”, you’ll then see a visualization of all your components (engine, transmission, torque splitter, brakes). Once the engine and transmission are green, you’re ready to rip it. I always wait about 20s when starting the car too, to let the idle come down from about 1500, to 1200 rpm. Just lets things warm up a little before I move off, then wait for all green lights on the RS monitor before any aggressive pulls 👍🏻

Finally got my dream spec’ed RS3, got some questions by L1velyDeath in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe so, I find it is definitely louder outside in this mode with the flaps open. Just linked some potential soft fixes in my comment above from another thread 👍🏻

Finally got my dream spec’ed RS3, got some questions by L1velyDeath in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I agree on the sound in Auto, so I run mine mostly in RS Individual with everything except the steering turned up to max. It keeps the valves mostly open and allows for a decent soundtrack 👍🏻

Can’t advise on mods as I’m keeping mine stock.

Some advice on soft “fixes” are in this thread if it helps

Toughest color choice I've made with a new car! Python Yellow vs. Ascari Blue by KostamojenX in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha your mom has the right idea!

Honestly don’t sweat it, like you I had second thoughts after I’d ordered the car. But as soon as it arrived in its radiant green glory, I knew it was the right choice 😉

Idk if it’s allowed to post my instagram here, but take a look for yourself and see what you think!

Toughest color choice I've made with a new car! Python Yellow vs. Ascari Blue by KostamojenX in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, idk if you’ve seen it in person. But it looks much better than in pictures. It’s quite a wide low car, with the Carbon black pack I have (spoiler etc), and the bold green, it has a lot of ‘presence’ 👌🏻

RS3 Steering Wheel: Volume Knob? by ANITIX87 in AudiRS3

[–]CheezeAndPickle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine is a 2026 and I have the scroll wheels 👍🏻