Audi S1: Everything Wrong With It

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Car
Audi S1 2014 2.0 Petrol Manual Yellow
Inspired By
Top Gear, The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May

[@eddiearies]

UPDATE: The liquid in the boot is screen wash, so it must be a loose pipe internally.

[@smudge9851]

Good vid mate, im looking to purchase one of these would you recommend it, ive heard the lot about how small they are and what not but ive test drove one and with my current situation space doesnt bother me but living with it day to day is it worth it over something like a polo gti or fiesta st?

[@eddiearies]

Thanks for your comment, mate. The first thing I'd ask is, how much do you like driving? It depends if you want something different, which an S1 is, and quite rare. What age Fiesta? A Fiesta is by all accounts driving perfection, they sound better, but you wouldn't look twice at one on the street. A Polo GTI, I haven't actually driven, but I would say from riding in one (see my video), they're a bit sterile. If you can wait, in the next week or two I will be uploading an epic Wales road trip with the S1, Hyundai i20N and Abarth 595. In that video, I stretch the S1 to the limit, so I'd definitely recommend a watch in your situation. Subscribe to be notified. None of the hot hatches you've mentioned are bad though i.e. I wouldn't recommend a 208 GTI based on reliability!

[@veefource]

These cars are often criticised as dull but can easily be great with relatively little money spending on them. The main reasons the stock car feels dull are:
1. Numb steering
2. Sloppy gear change
3. Poor accelerator response curve (nothing happens for most of the travel and it's almost switch like at the end)
Rectifications:
1. Disable 'straight line running' with vcds (stops the car auto compensating for cambers, crosswinds etc and brings significant interactivity to the drive).
2. a. Use superglue in the lever linkages (have to keep working them back and forth to prevent them glueing solid but tightens them up amazingly well).
2.b. Add a helper tension spring to the gear lever to provide more centering force (in the horizontal shifting plane).
3. DTE pedal box.
It's a far better value proposition than say the usual BMW M1XX/M2XX route with lsd, m4 front wishbones & new shocks.
Don't forget S1s have the same gen 5 haldex of the mk7 golf R with fully independent rear suspension so they're inherently very well balanced when cornering up to the limit.

[@eddiearies]

This is a fantastic comment, full of useful information for any S1 owner or potential S1 owner. They sound like some great modifications you can make to help transform the car into more of a "driver's" car. I've got to admit the car has been growing on me, especially when on some stunning winding roads. There's a couple of road trips coming up with my S1, so definitely stick around. Thanks again!

[@RobWoodhouse46]

Watch the washer for the rear wiper causing the water on the bootlid, my wife's Audi A3 had that fail

[@eddiearies]

Thanks for sharing this. The liquid in the boot is in fact washer fluid, so there must be a loose pipe internally.

[@AndrewTSq]

Only bad thing ive heard is that the clutch is easily worn.

[@eddiearies]

I've heard that. I haven't got any paperwork to say that it has been replaced, but it still feels strong at 85K surprisingly!

[@giovannigallo8429]

Sorry to hear you are having issues with your S1, maybe you should move it on. I have owned a lovely S1 for over 6 years and not had major issues with mine. However mine is very high spec which I think make them allot more special. Yours seems quite a low specification.

[@eddiearies]

There doesn't seem to be anything major, other than potential wheel/suspension issues, which is likely a result of previous owners messing with the setup. There are the various small items though. It's been a great experience, and as shown in an upcoming video, the drive can be very rewarding. It could just be a less cared for example, with an interesting specification. I'm glad you've enjoyed your S1 over all those years!

[@Whiponized]

why are u roasting bro 😂😭

[@eddiearies]

😂

[@NomadJRG]

Worth getting a separate microphone, it is quite difficult to hear you while driving.

[@eddiearies]

I appreciate the feedback, I usually use a mic but was testing a new camera in this video. Thanks for letting me know; time to get the mic back out!

[@AndrewTSq]

Or run the audio thru something like rtx audio that can remove backgroundnnoise

[@eddiearies]

@@AndrewTSq Good shout, thank you very much for the recommendation!