Used car guide

2003 Audi A3: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2003 Audi A3s, from 1,234 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

1,234MOT tests in 2025
58%pass first time (all 2003 cars: 59%)
5,900typical miles a year
2×the usual rate for drive shaft (cv) joints

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2003 Audi A3s than on all cars registered in 2003.

  • Drive shaft (CV) joints2× usual
    Audi A3
    13.3% All 2003 cars
    6.6%

    Failed outright at MOT: 4.5%, against 2.9% of all 2003 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £60–£350 our estimate

    At the viewing: Drive slowly on full steering lock in both directions and listen for clicking. Look for split rubber boots behind the front wheels.

  • Sub-frame2× usual
    Audi A3
    11.1% All 2003 cars
    5.6%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.6%, against 0.3% of all 2003 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £300–£1,000 our estimate

    At the viewing: Look underneath at the frame the suspension bolts to. Flaky rust or holes are expensive to fix.

  • Side repeaters2.8× usual
    Audi A3
    4.8% All 2003 cars
    1.7%

    Failed outright at MOT: 1.5%, against 0.9% of all 2003 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Individual direction indicators2× usual
    Audi A3
    6.3% All 2003 cars
    3.1%

    Failed outright at MOT: 1.9%, against 1.4% of all 2003 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

  • Suspension arm1.9× usual
    Audi A3
    6.7% All 2003 cars
    3.6%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.2%, against 0.3% of all 2003 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

Better than most

Rust around suspension or steering mountings: 3% here, against 6.6% of all 2003 cars.

By area

The share of 2003 Audi A3 MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Suspension
    52% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Lights and electrics
    43% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Brakes
    42% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Tyres
    31% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Oil and fluid leaks
    17% of testsRough price £80–£600

    At the viewing: Look under the engine and on the ground where the car is usually parked for fresh oil or fluid.

  • Exhaust and emissions
    15% of testsRough price £100–£1,200

    At the viewing: Look for black soot in the tailpipe, listen for blowing from the exhaust and check for engine or DPF warning lights.

Known faults

Reported by owners, mechanics and buying guides for this model and age. Check which engine the car has, as some apply to one engine only.

  • Flywheel recall (2003 to 2005)
    Early cars

    Early cars were recalled because the flywheel could fail.

    At the viewing: Ask for proof the flywheel was replaced.

    If it needs doing: Clutch and dual-mass flywheel, about £650–£1,200. ClickMechanic

    Source: What Car?: common Audi A3 (2003-2012) problems

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2023951Tyres 21%
202217,771Tyres 32%
202120,621Tyres 30%
202015,780Tyres 29%
201920,857Tyres 29%
201826,892Tyres 29%
201733,712Tyres 29%
201638,712Tyres 30%
201541,485Tyres 30%
201438,607Tyres 31%
201326,952Tyres 33%
201224,856Suspension 41%
201120,520Suspension 46%
201023,082Suspension 49%
200920,114Suspension 49%
200816,251Suspension 51%
200712,204Suspension 52%
20069,748Suspension 55%
20056,094Suspension 54%
20042,576Suspension 54%
2002966Suspension 51%
2001725Suspension 48%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2003 Audi A3s registered in 2003. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score