Optional extras - comments / details wanted

[Scapegoat]

Hello

New to the forums and looking for some advice.

Considering selling my own car and taking the company car option. Previously owned an Audi A3 and have identified the A3 5dr 2.0Tdi 140 [stop/start] Black Edition as a good potential car.

With 115g CO2 emissions its very friendly on the environment and therefore low tax, and the base spec is pretty decent as well. However as I would be keeping the car for 3 years and I like my gadgets/comforts, I am wanting to boost the spec with some options.

This is the area I am looking for some adevice / comments. I have downloaded the brochure, but still have some questions (not had chance to go to a dealer, and previous experience tells me they often don't know the answers anyway). These are the options I am considering, some I have specific questions, but if you have any comments about how good/bad they are in general please post:

• Heated seats - considering the front and rear option. Are the rears fully heated (some brands have partial heating in the back)? How good are the front seats - my Dad has a Honda and they take ages to start to get warm.
• iPod option - will the iPod option charge the latest generation Ipod touch (some charging systems don't work on the latest iPods)? What level of control will I have via the wheel/stereo? Can you only see the track details with the Nav system? If it doesn't charge the new iPods is the usb system more flexible (I presume I can use the iPod lead or just have a memory stick).
• Sound pack - what does it offer over the iPod and Bose options? Is there a way to get DAB radio on the A3? Without LW DAB is the only way to get TMS in the summer...
• Adaptive headlghts - How noticable is the difference over the std Xenons?
• Blue tooth phone - if you don't use a cradle (I'm likely to change phone models to often to have one) is there no benefit to the more expensive option?
• Electric mirrors - Description states electric, heated and folding mirrors. Does the std car not have electric mirrors? Does the option automatically fold when you lock the car or is it a specific button?
• High beam assist - sounds nice touch, but how well does it work?
• Leather seats - the Black edition comes with 1/2 leather seats I think. Are these high quality? The exclusive option is £1k - look nice but worth a significant outlay? Can imagine that the 2 tone colour really makes the car stand out a bit.
• Aluminum rear / interior lights - how much of a difference do people feel these options make? Seem to be an aestheic only benefit, but wondered whether people who have them feel they are worth the cost (2 of the lower cost options available after all).

To remain in budget I can pick around £2000-2500 of options - so I have a reasonable amount to pick but not everything. Considering sunroof and comfort pack as well - but these are fairly straightforward so no questions on these.

Thanks for any responses received.

[engineermk]

I have a 2007 A3 with some of the options you mentioned...

• Heated Front seats - infinaitly variable (unlike some other that onlyhave two settings), heat up quickly but feel warmer on bum/legs than back but it mayr because i have more layers on my torso.
• iPod option - i have this with std radio/CD, the control is usless and I wouldn't buy again. I have read its better if you have sat/nav and AMI
• Blue tooth phone - Audi don't offer cradles for most phones so stick with bluetooth only. It works fine with my blackberry.
• Electric mirrors - std car has electric operated mirror, mine are heated, but not sure if its still standard.
• Interior lights - add lights to sunvisor mirrors, map reading lights front and rear, front footwell lights, lights in door bottoms to illuminate ground as you enter/exit. Nice to have but I don't need them.

I can't comment on your other choices.

I also have auto lights and wipers, i would recommend them if they're not standard.

[Scapegoat]

I have a 2007 A3 with some of the options you mentioned...

• Heated Front seats - infinaitly variable (unlike some other that onlyhave two settings), heat up quickly but feel warmer on bum/legs than back but it mayr because i have more layers on my torso.
• iPod option - i have this with std radio/CD, the control is usless and I wouldn't buy again. I have read its better if you have sat/nav and AMI
• Blue tooth phone - Audi don't offer cradles for most phones so stick with bluetooth only. It works fine with my blackberry.
• Electric mirrors - std car has electric operated mirror, mine are heated, but not sure if its still standard.
• Interior lights - add lights to sunvisor mirrors, map reading lights front and rear, front footwell lights, lights in door bottoms to illuminate ground as you enter/exit. Nice to have but I don't need them.

I can't comment on your other choices.

I also have auto lights and wipers, i would recommend them if they're not standard.

Thanks.

iPod connectivity is a bit of a dissappointment - seen it running in a VW Sirrocco and it was great (that has a large colour touch screen on the dash as well).

Does anyone know if the USB version is any better?

Location of the aux socket is on show, so the cable would be out on show, so like the idea of cable/ipod tucked away in the glovebox out of site and controllable from the steering wheel.

AMI - too expensive as it requires the DVD system as well.



Mirrors. Cannot see any mention of electric/heated mirrors in the std equipment in the brochure (even on the S3), but my old 2000 1.6 A3 sport had this on the std spec.

Don't want manual mirrors, but also don't want to pay over £100 just to be able to fold them back to the car when parked.

[Sooty TDI]

As mentioned the ipod facilities are restricted by the stereo you have, but the latest ipods can be charged.

Adaptive lighting, great if you drive on winding country roads, around town and motorways you won't benefit.

The A3's heated seats are very good.

[Scapegoat]

As mentioned the ipod facilities are restricted by the stereo you have, but the latest ipods can be charged.

Adaptive lighting, great if you drive on winding country roads, around town and motorways you won't benefit.

The A3's heated seats are very good.

Thanks - what stereo do you need to get good use of the iPod then? Sound Pack gives Symphony I think, plus the iPod dock

[Sooty TDI]

Don't know which ones do for definite but I do know the Symphony handles an ipod in a rather basic way, I suspect the sat-nav systems might work better.

The biggest problem is that no mp3 song/artist/album info is displayed, its only track no xx, yes 0-99 the 100th song will display as track 00. The first 5 feature buttons select the first 5 play lists on the ipod treating them as CD's the 6th button plays all tracks.
Sound quality itself is fine, the ipod dock is physically good. You just feel that they missed out no something that everybody else seems to have managed to have done for years!

[Scapegoat]

Don't know which ones do for definite but I do know the Symphony handles an ipod in a rather basic way, I suspect the sat-nav systems might work better.

The biggest problem is that no mp3 song/artist/album info is displayed, its only track no xx, yes 0-99 the 100th song will display as track 00. The first 5 feature buttons select the first 5 play lists on the ipod treating them as CD's the 6th button plays all tracks.
Sound quality itself is fine, the ipod dock is physically good. You just feel that they missed out no something that everybody else seems to have managed to have done for years!

And that VW have done very well - same company!

If the Sirrocco had the CO2 emissions I think I'd go with that, but the A3 is only 115g/km - my tree huuger credentials mean I'll have to do without decent iPod connectivity and TMS in the summer.

[engineermk]

IPOD - A quick search on here will find a better ipod solution using the std radio/CD, the Dension gateway 100 (i think), which appears to be same the price fitted as the Audi system and offers full control of the ipod via the steering wheel and displays everything on the DIS in the instrument cluster.

Mirrors - I'm confident all A3's have electric mirrors (mine does) the option just adds electric folding.

[engineermk]

I also paid for tyre pressure monitoring... its not very good a detecting slow pressure losses.

[Scapegoat]

Sounding as though I might as well save the £180-220 and just use the Aux in.

Denison - looks a decent and well-priced alternative, however the car will be a lease car and I will not be able to fit anything to it that would damage the car.

Will have a search round the forums and see what I can read.