luckymacy

Sorry this is going to be a bit long and I posted this also over on audiforums (there are a lot of audi forums!) but...
I'm new to the forum and I have a new-to-me imported 1998 Audi A3 Sport 1.8t (8L chassis). It runs great and is fun to drive. Not to mention I get a lot of looks with the VAG) crowd since they are pretty rare in the States.

Life is great but this is my first turbo car that I've owned and I have some questions about it and I'm not familiar at all with the VAG aftermarket scene though I gather it's pretty strong universally. The car doesn't come with a boost gauge and I'm not really sure the boost is really kickin' in strong. I'm not obsessed with trying to turn this into some kind of showoff car and mod it to heck but I would like get in touch with someone who has experience testing these 1.8t engines for leaks, buying and installing nicely an aftermarket boost gauge and with someone who can first hand recommend a well respected shop in the area to do a remap.

The car is very similar to the Golf MK 4 found here in the states around 2000. Many of the parts, interior included, are interchangeable with the VW.

I hear the stock Audi setup was pretty subdued anyway and everyone in Europe/Australia where these cars were very popular pretty much remapped them satisfactorily. An off the shelf United Kingdom Revo Stage one remap alone would raise the HP and Torque values considerably - folks often say and sometimes show graphs where they went from 150 HP to close to 200 hp and a huge difference in the torque curve for the better. I think though that most of the cars had to be rechipped first as back then it was hit or miss that they could be reflashed without removal first. So I'm looking for a shop that has a lot of experience and has a great reputation locally.

Thanks for your help and hope to see you driving around!

Lucky