# My new S3 front (some DIY content)



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

It first began just over a month ago when I contacted oempl.us to ask a few questions regarding the S3 front bumper. My questions needed to be answered by Rich, who was out of town until April 1st, so I had to wait patiently.
Fast forward to April, Rich is back! Lucky me, there is an S3 front bumper and a titanium S3 front grill in stock, yessssssssssss! Put me down for 1 please








A very long week and a half pass by until I am able to make the drive down to the UPS holding depot in Niagara Falls, NY to pick up the bumper and grill. I chose this option vs. shipping straight to my door mainly because I'd rather keep $650 worth of shipping/handling/duty/brokerage fees than give it to UPS. So I make the hour and a half drive across the border (in my girl's Altima) and to the UPS depot and pick up my BIG package.








Clearly, it wouldn't fit as it, so I had to cut the box up in pieces and throw everything in the car.
I get home and start unpacking my goodies.
















Notice something missing? So did I! No fog grills








Contacted Josh and Rich at oempl.us, they apologized and shipped the fog grills to me right away. Thank you fellas








More waiting game








But wait, I have plenty of stuff to do to while I wait, such as get the bumper painted, and trim my OEM impact bar so that the S3 bumper fits.
Thanks to neonix and eltonsi for helping me figure out the nitty gritty details for this step. I took some helpful pictures for future S3 front bumper retrofitters:
































Dimensions of impact bar needing to be removed: 2cm x 20 cm from each bottom corner.
















I cut about 60-70% through the bar on the pre-marked lines with my dremel and cut off wheels, but that's as far as I was willing to go. My supply of cutoff wheels was quickly diminishing, I think I went through 9 of them after all was said and done. Finished the job the old fashioned way, with saw in hand. This was UBER tiring
























test fitting time!
















yay everything fits. Now to get the sucker painted. 180 bucks later, here are the results:
































Now the second part of the picture, as you may have seen already, I sold my S-Line bumper + blackout grill to my buddy Chris (eggie) and we did a bumper swap/install day. 
(Note to Chris: send me those pics dude!)
So I on eggie's car is now my (I mean his) S-Line bumper + blackout grill, and on my car, my naked S3 bumper, lol
still waiting, what to do......... I know, DYNO!
















I know, you only see HP, they couldn't find a place to tap into RPM readings (searched 2.0T FSI forum, now I know where and I can tell them when I go back), so no torque for now. I'll post that up when I get that done.
Ok back to the S3 front. The grills have arrived!








FINALLY...








and just for fun...
















The end! 
Again, thanks to Rich and Josh @ oempl.us, neonix, eltonsi, and eggie, for helping to make this happen







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif






















Of course, comments/questions welcome


----------



## LEWXCORE (Jul 7, 2007)

*Re: My new S3 front (kwanja_a3)*

wtf is this another mismatching a3


----------



## Presns3 (Mar 6, 2006)

fock, im insanely jealous
howd u get it painted for only 180$?


----------



## angryquattrorican66 (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: My new S3 front (LEWXCORE)*


_Quote, originally posted by *LEWXCORE* »_wtf is this another mismatching a3

??????


----------



## i_baked_cookies (Aug 28, 2007)

Nice... I don't like the eyebrows though, but other than that, mega plus +


----------



## drew138 (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (i_baked_cookies)*

Looks awesome. Thanks for the pics on the cutouts too. You should pop out the fog inserts and paint the background black as you can see too much white through the mesh.
Congrats! This is my favorite mod for the A3.


----------



## audiant (Feb 12, 2006)

wow not a fan of the s3 bumper too much but i gotta admitt looks f'n clean in ibis white


----------



## angryquattrorican66 (Mar 11, 2007)

FYI
http://www.homedepot.com/webap...02949
this will make cutting the bar much easier. takes all 30 seconds to cut thru


----------



## grubble (Oct 28, 2007)

*Re: My new S3 front (kwanja_a3)*

kwanja_a3, s3 bumper, ibis white and fog grills FTMFW! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif That's a very nice write up on fitting the S3 bumper and almost makes me wanna do it...except I wouldn't have the patience and resources (that's a whole lotta tools there just to get started on something like that!). 
And yeah, minus the eyebrows.


----------



## mc1191 (Aug 29, 2006)

*Re: My new S3 front (angryquattrorican66)*


_Quote, originally posted by *LEWXCORE* »_wtf is this another mismatching a3


_Quote, originally posted by *angryquattrorican66* »_??????

I think he meant the colors of the bumper and the body do not match. They seem pretty close but i can tell the difference slightly.


----------



## angryrican66 (Apr 16, 2006)

*Re: My new S3 front (mc1191)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mc1191* »_

I think he meant the colors of the bumper and the body do not match. They seem pretty close but i can tell the difference slightly.
it is slightly off but still looks pretty hot http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif I love the wheels http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## trueunion (Apr 15, 2008)

*Re: My new S3 front (mc1191)*

nice job love the eyelids old school you go boy


----------



## drew138 (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: My new S3 front (trueunion)*

Are you looking to get rid of the blackout grill from your old bumper?


----------



## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

*Re: My new S3 front (drew138)*

looks good kwanja! wish i was able to get the blackout sline, but its good you had a local (friend) buyer.

_Quote, originally posted by *drew138* »_Are you looking to get rid of the blackout grill from your old bumper?

he sold it to his buddy...eggie


----------



## nstotal (Sep 26, 2006)

yeah i think that's why the paint job was $180. I did a $200 paint job on a front bumper, didn't match exactly


----------



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

thanks for the feedback fellas!
I've debated over the eyelids before and in the end, I enjoy them and I like being different








Correct, the blackout and S-Line bumper are now on eggie's A3.
Yes, paint was done locally at http://maaco.ca/ for $180 cash. Yes, the colour is ever so slightly off from the rest of body as it currently stands. I gave them the ibis white colour code to paint the bumper, but instead maybe should have asked them to throw in just a bit of off white to account for the fact that my car has gone through a Canadian winter and is no longer as bright as when I first picked up the car. Hopefully after a clay bar job this weekend, the difference will be even less noticable.


----------



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

_Quote, originally posted by *drew138* »_You should pop out the fog inserts and paint the background black as you can see too much white through the mesh.

This was my initial thought when I first popped the fog grills in and saw so much white. I'll give it a couple days to see if it grows on me and if not, this is an easy and cheap flat black spray paint fix http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

_Quote, originally posted by *angryquattrorican66* »_FYI
http://www.homedepot.com/webap...02949
this will make cutting the bar much easier. takes all 30 seconds to cut thru

I considered my Home Depot options as well! Was looking at the reciprocating saw and the heavy duty grinder. The associates there told me to opt for the grinder because it may be difficult to cut straight with the recip. saw. Either way, both options would run me in the $70-$100 range, or I could get a shop to do it for me for probably $50ish, but considering I already had all the necessary tools at home, I didn't mind saving that cash and getting my hands/arms a bit tired and dirty.


----------



## illudezion (Feb 28, 2008)

Does the S3 bumper hang any lower then the S-Line?


----------



## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

*Re: (illudezion)*

OMFG!!







You got the damn S3 front!! I hate you! Hahaha..I was actually contemplating getting it..idk though..too much $$$. I'm about to PM you for some details.
Looks so sexy btw.


----------



## eltonsi (Mar 17, 2005)

Good stuff Jason! You going to run the euro plate? Or is it just for the pic? Is the white a little "mismatched"? Or is it just the lighting?


----------



## dr0pthehamm3r (Nov 30, 2007)

clean! love it. cant say enough about it


----------



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

_Quote, originally posted by *illudezion* »_Does the S3 bumper hang any lower then the S-Line?

This is the one thing I forgot to measure before swapping bumpers. Just by eye balling it, the S3 front appears to be the same height off the ground as the S-Line front, or just a couple millimeters closer to the ground.

_Quote, originally posted by *Ultimatetaba* »_OMFG!!







You got the damn S3 front!! I hate you! Hahaha..I was actually contemplating getting it..idk though..too much $$$. I'm about to PM you for some details.
Looks so sexy btw.

PM replied, haha thanks bud. I don't think you have much say in this, your car demands an S3 front. Does it not deserve one? Has it not brought so much joy to your life, enough so to warrant just a simple face lift only to make you smile even more, LOL









_Quote, originally posted by *eltonsi* »_Good stuff Jason! You going to run the euro plate? Or is it just for the pic? Is the white a little "mismatched"? Or is it just the lighting?

Elton, mr. first-S3-front-in-Canada! I will not be running the euro plate on a regular basis, just for pictures/videos, and whenever I feel lucky







I'm installing high strength magnets right behind the plate area for easy mounting/dismounting purposes 
The white is very slightly brighter on the bumper. If the clay bar this weekend doesn't take care of that difference, then natural weathering of the bumper will









_Quote, originally posted by *the4ringer* »_clean! love it. cant say enough about it
 
why thank you Jay







k honestly, there are at least 5 A3 owners on here with the name Jay or Jason







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


_Modified by kwanja_a3 at 5:28 AM 4-24-2008_


----------



## Ultimatetaba (Feb 18, 2005)

*Re: (kwanja_a3)*


_Quote, originally posted by *kwanja_a3* »_k honestly, there are at least 5 A3 owners on here with the name Jay or Jason







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

Through my experience, Jason has always been one of the more less common names, in comparison to "Robert" or "Kevin," etc...until I came to Fourtitude!


----------



## drew138 (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (kwanja_a3)*

I have a quesion on the lower splitter. Does that come pre-painted the darker color, or was that painted seperatly? What is the proper color to match the OEM look. 
As I side note -- its sort of funny that you posted this up the same day official word of the S3portback. FWIW, I think I still like the current S3 front -- Mostly the fog grill area looks more aggressive than the new front. Stil haven't made up my mind.
Again, killer mod and killer DIY -- should be sticky'd or something.


_Modified by drew138 at 7:43 AM 4/24/2008_


----------



## eggie (Mar 8, 2006)

Jay... as i said before, it looks very clean...... i'm bone stock compared to you now.. it's a sad story.


----------



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

*Re: (drew138)*


_Quote, originally posted by *drew138* »_I have a quesion on the lower splitter. Does that come pre-painted the darker color, or was that painted seperatly? What is the proper color to match the OEM look. 
As I side note -- its sort of funny that you posted this up the same day official word of the S3portback. FWIW, I think I still like the current S3 front -- Mostly the fog grill area looks more aggressive than the new front. Stil haven't made up my mind.
Again, killer mod and killer DIY -- should be sticky'd or something.

_Modified by drew138 at 7:43 AM 4/24/2008_

Very kind words, thank you Drew!
the lower splitter was untouched. I looked closely at it before I painted the bumper and noticed that it had a bit of sheen/metallic look to it, just slightly more so than the rest of the primered bumper. So it appears that Audi purposely did something to that front lip area differently than the rest of the primered bumper. Color and darness-wise, it's about the same for the whole bumper. I love how it stands out against the ibis white.
About your side note, I was thinking the same thing last night







Just waiting for OEMpl.us to get their hands on those sideskirts and maybe that rear valence (if they fit). I may be biased, but I too prefer the current S3 front look!


----------



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

*Re: (eggie)*


_Quote, originally posted by *eggie* »_Jay... as i said before, it looks very clean...... i'm bone stock compared to you now.. it's a sad story.

LIES!! If you get your a$$ chipped already, and throw on a downpipe, we'll be putting down the same power mofo!!
You know what's sad? I'm putting my poor baby through Canadian winters and all the harmful salt crap, while you're plowing through in your ballin awd RDX!!!


----------



## SWheat (Feb 1, 2003)

*Re: (kwanja_a3)*

So is the only difference between an A3 and S3 impact beam, those notches?


----------



## Uber-A3 (Feb 23, 2002)

*Re: My new S3 front (mc1191)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mc1191* »_
I think he meant the colors of the bumper and the body do not match. They seem pretty close but i can tell the difference slightly.

My oem bumpers don't match exactly, so unless it is way off, oh well.


----------



## yacoub (Apr 24, 2008)

*Re: My new S3 front (BlownM3)*

awesome thread! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## terje_77 (Dec 19, 2005)

*Re: My new S3 front (yacoub)*

Strong work!


----------



## duglas (Oct 6, 2005)

So what was the total cost for the swap??


----------



## OpenSkye (Jan 4, 2007)

*Re: (duglas)*

iiiiii LOVE it http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
btw we want MOAR pics!!!!


----------



## mack73 (Jan 2, 2002)

*Re: (OpenSkye)*

Awesome, this mod is in my future http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## kwanja_a3 (May 22, 2007)

*Re: (duglas)*


_Quote, originally posted by *duglas* »_So what was the total cost for the swap??

approx. $1500, minus the amount I sold the S-Line bumper, blackout S-Line grille and blackout plate holder bracket for.

_Quote, originally posted by *OpenSkye* »_iiiiii LOVE it http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
btw we want MOAR pics!!!!

I knowwwwwwwwwwwww I've been waiting to get the bumper repainted PROPERLY to better match the body, doing that on Tuesday, getting the car back Thursday, then I can finally pic whore it up http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## OpenSkye (Jan 4, 2007)

*Re: (kwanja_a3)*


_Quote, originally posted by *kwanja_a3* »_
getting the car back Thursday, then I can finally pic whore it up http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

cant wait to see more shots from further away- sick sick sickkkk http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

ready for whorage...


----------



## OpenSkye (Jan 4, 2007)

*Re: (krazyboi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *krazyboi* »_ready for whorage...

hells yea i wanna see some purdy fu.ckin a3's. we are way too "subtle" in the scene.


----------



## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

i'd like to go s3 front...but i'm not a baller


----------



## Mianol (Jun 23, 2007)

where did u pick up that bumper from?


----------



## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

*Re: My new S3 front (kwanja_a3)*

that s3 bumper looks cool but isn there a crome grill one 2 i think the crome one might stand out more.


----------



## tpsolid (May 21, 2008)

chrome grill is too chrome.
the mesh is chrome too


----------



## terje_77 (Dec 19, 2005)

*Re: My new S3 front (rick89)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rick89* »_that s3 bumper looks cool but isn there a crome grill one 2 i think the crome one might stand out more.

Whatever melts your butter.


----------



## Ernieboy (Nov 1, 2004)

*Re: My new S3 front (terje_77)*

Very very nice http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
IMO, black on white better than chrome on white


----------



## eltonsi (Mar 17, 2005)

*Re: (tpsolid)*


_Quote, originally posted by *tpsolid* »_chrome grill is too chrome.
the mesh is chrome too

Only the horizontal lines are chromed. You can hardly notice the difference from a regular one until you walk close to it. I like the chrome one on dark cars and the titanium grill on lighter cars.


----------



## tpsolid (May 21, 2008)

ohhhi thought it was the whole thing chromed, nga style


----------



## terje_77 (Dec 19, 2005)

*Re: (tpsolid)*

Chrysler 300M stylee


----------



## eltonsi (Mar 17, 2005)

S6, S4 B8, TT-S all have the same horizontal chrome.


----------



## tpsolid (May 21, 2008)

i dont know how i feel about chrome.


----------



## 3lfk1ng (Apr 10, 2008)

*Re: (tpsolid)*

chrome makes me gag...
But FK automotive is the manufacture of chrome A3 grills.


----------



## Doobster (Jul 15, 2012)

RS3 Grill fit the S3 Bumper?


----------



## tp. (Nov 12, 2009)

Doobster said:


> RS3 Grill fit the S3 Bumper?


 yes will fit on facelift models only


----------



## Fellow Gaucho (Aug 3, 2011)

Zombies...


----------



## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Fellow Gaucho said:


> Zombies...


 Hey man, at least he searched and didn't make a new thread :thumbup:


----------



## Fellow Gaucho (Aug 3, 2011)

TBomb said:


> Hey man, at least he searched and didn't make a new thread :thumbup:


 I guess if you want to find a silver lining :laugh: 

Could have been asked in one of the other threads though.


----------



## Doobster (Jul 15, 2012)

Fellow Gaucho said:


> I guess if you want to find a silver lining :laugh:
> 
> Could have been asked in one of the other threads though.


 trying to make improvements!


----------



## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

Doobster said:


> trying to make improvements!


 :thumbup:


----------

