MK1 Audi TT - Living with one.

[JoPo1]

Hi,

Been looking at these recently, Namely the 225 models.
What are they like to live with, Known problems etc?
Fuel consumption isn't an issue really as it'll be a weekendish car.

Anyone owned one or know anything about them?

Thanks in advance!

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Same as usual buy on condition and proper evidence of servicing. They are VAG so spares are plentiful.

[Riknos]

A lot of car for the money at the moment. With a few tweaks they can be made pretty capable cars. A few suspension upgrades and a remap and they're very capable.

[Prof Prolapse]

Never owned but, electronic dash is an expensive bd to replace I believe?

I can't think of any reason why it would be hard to live with. It's a premium VAG so predictable and shares a lot of common tried and tested components.

Not full time AWD and turbo so drive sensibly and it should be reasonable on fuel I would think.

[Spedz]

Supposed to be quite good usually.

My mums one is the exception. a 51 plate 180 quattro. fk me, this thing is evil..

- Her dash occasionally lights up for no reason (Common faulty dash apparently, £400 odd fix)
- The alternator sometimes refuses to charge (Broken cable, not sure if common)
- Passenger window refuses to close all the way, refuses to be fixed.
- Bubble in brakes apparently, so barely have any brakes until you're standing on them. (Garage has told her it's common. Happily passed the MOT on it )
- Few things braking off, lately the passenger seat stops reclining & radio cover just fell off.

Still, it drives well and looks good enough.

[Baryonyx]

I expect it would be a hoot if you don't end up with a lemon. I like these cars, nearly bought one myself last year.

[Emeye]

I had one last year for 6 months - only sold it cost the baby was on it's way - I miss it, get the right spec and they feel special even though they are based on a Mk4 golf platform. I enjoyed driving mine.

Make sure you get leather - mine was Metallic Green with black leather and I loved the colour but for resale black or silver are probably a better bet. Even though my car was immaculate with the two previous owners (and me!) having loved it better than a child, the colour did put some people off when I came to sell it.

There are some issues, have a look at the TT forum for details, but my 225 one of the last pre-facelift with 17" alloys - I was very happy with it and had no issues - check out the car tax too - IIRC some can be in the higher bracket, but I could be wrong......

[nonuts]

Suspension bushes, coil packs, antiroll bars, airflow sensors and a few other things tend to need replacing quite often however other than that they're not too bad. Engines st themselves sometimes too which can be a big bill however I'm just unlucky.

[was8v]

Check roof rails, inside boot edges, bottom of wings, leading edge underside of sills for tin worm.

Check windows drop correctly on opening.

Thermostat fairly common but easy to swap. Check temp gauge goes to the middle of the gauge and stays there. its software weighted to stay in the middle at operating temps. If it stays low probably thermostat has failed and it will be running cold start enrichment and use more fuel.

Check dashpod function (fuel level, temp level, oil pressure warning) ££££ to replace at main dealer. I swapped my dashpod for a good one for about £60 using a laptop and software / wires from ebay. Most will have a few dead pixels unless it has already been replaced.

Coils snap and roll bars rust out.




Mechanically they are the same as a golf / S3 - Italian made dashpod aside they are very reliable. Much more special to drive than a golf / S3 due to position and weight distribution.

They aren't a sports car though - more like a super hot hatch - hence I replaced mine (225 1999 coupe) with a 350z.....

Edited by was8v on Wednesday 27th April 16:39

[Parrot of Doom]

Boring to drive. Had one, sold it four months later, bought a Chimaera. Much better.

[Hark]

Had mine for four years, suspension needs tweaks to improve it, remap gives it a hefty shove of torque.

Good car, odd things like Mafs, coilpacks, N75 etc went, but then I needed a new clutch before 70k so it got used 'properly'.

I've been quite a long term member on the TT Forum and never heard of bubbles in the brakes? Very odd?

Can't they bleed the system and refill it?

[was8v]

The ABS units can be difficult to bleed if you get air in them.

I suspect they spent hours trying to bleed it and gave up.

A decent specialist will plug it into the computer and have the ABS unit open all its valves when bleeding.

I'd get your mums car looked at by a VAG specialist with the correct software.

[nonuts]

doogz said:

Don't these eat plastic water pumps?

Not really, but it's a good idea to replace the water pump when the belts are done and that's every 60k.

[redstu]

Parrot of Doom said:

Boring to drive. Had one, sold it four months later, bought a Chimaera. Much better.

I'd think most cars would be boring when compared to a chimaera!

[p4cks]

Parrot of Doom said:

Boring to drive.

I can also echo this sentiment. You feel so detached from the steering that you might as well be driving any other mundane VAG thing.

Also, the handling isn't the best either. IMO they're made for people who pose rather than enjoy driving.

Edited by p4cks on Thursday 28th April 12:59

[aka_kerrly]

doogz said:

Don't these eat plastic water pumps?

pump maybe but not pumps as there is a replacement metal bladed part available an there really cant be that many mk1 TT still on their original.

I'm quite a fan of TTs, have tried a 225hp model with a Revo remap an I certainly wouldn't describe it as dull. I do wonder what other cars people have driven or if they have actually been on a proper blast in a TT before trotting out the TG it's a golf in a dress an its boring comments. Yes the engine note leaves you thinking you're not making much progress but checking the speedo the speeds do creep up pretty quick.

I'm very tempted to try and get a drive in a 3.2 VR6 one!

[Mark-C]

p4cks said:

Parrot of Doom said:

Boring to drive.

I can also echo this sentiment. You feel so detached from the steering that you might as well be driving any other mundane VAG thing.

Also, the handling isn't the best either. IMO they're made for people who pose rather than enjoy driving.

Edited by p4cks on Thursday 28th April 12:59

My experience is from the POV of occasionally borrowing the other halfs - it's a perfectly fine car to live with on a day-day basis but a sports car it isn't.

[Motorrad]

All the above plus terrible visibility from the driver's seat. Wouldn't be a deal killer for me but another fault compared to an S3 which is essentially the same vehicle.

[TTwiggy]

One of the big advantages is the AWD system.

I had a TT roadster 'back in the day' and its ability in the wet and even snow was very impressive.

I'm struggling to think of another AWD convertible (though I realise, that as this is PH, someone will be along in a minute with a list of 30...)

[ADEuk]

Feels like driving a letterbox