Is ESP standard on Y reg A3 1.8T Sport ?

[AlexP]

Hi,
We have an A3 1.8T Sport Y reg recently bought and we were told that the car does not have ESP(although it has an ESP button).
But then we discovered that the ESP warning light was on since the car was purchased. The garage arranged for a AUDI specialist to come and fix the warning light - they said that the power steering sensor needed to be reset.
Now the warning light is gone and it only appears when you press the ESP button ( indicating that the ESP is switched off). I assume that the car has ESP after all although the garage said otherwise. Is the ESP standard or it is an optional extra for this kind of car( although I decoded the service codes and there was nothing about ESP there)?

[robwat]

Find a quiet roundabout and drive hard around it. See how the car holds the road. Then press the ESP button and observe if the car handles the same, being driven the same way. You should also notice when the ESP is not lit and you lose traction, you should see the light come on and off.

[r8rob]

not quite the safest way to see if you have ESP i must admit. If you have the button to turn it off, you have ESP

[RickT]

Standard on the 1.8T.. if theres a buttom and you press it and it lights up on the dash.. you have ESP..

RickT