Servicing the 8P A3
The Audi A3 is 25 years old in 2021 and seems set to follow in the footsteps of the VW Golf. The second-generation model (known as the 8P) that we are covering here was manufactured between 2003 and 2008.
This servicing guide has perhaps taken the most amount of time to research and compile, thanks largely to the fact that CM adopted the car seen here in 2016 as a project, so everything from the brakes and timing belt to the dual mass flywheel and suspension bushes were tackled five years ago. However, we have yet to produce a service guide that looks at routine maintenance. Thankfully, Rob Hawkins still has the A3 and has conducted annual engine and brake servicing along with all the checks outlined over the following pages.
There are a variety of engines and gearboxes used in the A3 (8P). The one shown here has the 16-valve turbocharged 2.0-litre BKD diesel engine, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. If yours is a different engine (petrol or diesel), it’s worthwhile checking the workshop manual, although we have tried to cater for most variants.
The recommended service intervals do vary and as Haynes state in their workshop manual for instance, the air filter should be renewed every four years or 40,000 miles, but most dealerships do this every two years. Considering the low cost of an air filter and its ease of replacement, we recommend inspecting it at every service interval and if in doubt, renewing it. Haynes recommend the pollen and fuel filters should be replaced every year, so it’s perhaps worthwhile to fit a new air filter at the same time.
