My (short lived) Audi TT 225 Quattro
Discussion
It's been almost a week since my Audi TT debacle. I thought I'd share...
The car itself seemed like a really good deal. £4500 for a 112,000 mile 225 Quattro with full VW service history. Two owners, the last one having owned it since 2003. It has been off the road for a couple of months after the cambelt snapped (a well known TT problem, as it happens) and in the meantime the owner had bought a new TT. It had seen the benefit of VW's services again after the cambelt snapped, and had a new top end from VW at the cost of some £1400 to the owner. As the car was owning her money, she decided to sell and when she heard I was considering a TT for my next car she let me know she had one that she was selling.
I had always liked the look and feel of the TT's, and despite reports that they are a 'dull' drive, I'd never really found them lacking in that department either. They are never going to be the last word in excitement, but to try and outgun my MR2 Turbo in the excitement stakes seemed like folly. I was after something a little more practical which was still quick and was also predictable and grippy, something I could really drive hard and enjoy but that had four seats and was comfortable too. The TT seemed like a good fit for my criteria.
In fact, the actual experience of owning a TT was not quite so fantastic. The trouble started on the test drive home. It had been over two years since I had last driven a TT Quattro so the cabin seemed a little unfamiliar but I soon settled in. The seats were as sumptuous as I remembered and I was looking forward to driving many a mile in them. Heated too, and once I figured out how to work that function I was very happy. I set off on my drive home, marvelling at how good the Xenon headlights were compared to the bulbs in my MR2. All was not well though.
Knowing the owner of the car personally, I was happy to buy outright without a test drive, which I couldn't really work out as the car was uninsured and was being kept on a drive, off road, since it was a spare car. That said, I had no reason to doubt that it would work perfectly; after all the top end rebuild was VW work and should have been spot on. The car had just been MOT'd a few days before with no advisories. With that in mind, I bought a policy of insurance on it and went to collect it. Upon arriving to collect it, the seller's partner stated that it had failed to start first time that night, but then had started up fine and they'd driven it to where I agreed to meet them. Happy enough with things as they were, I foolishly told myself the car had just had trouble starting as it hadn't been driven in a while. That said, the seller said she had been starting it up every few days and letting it idle a bit to keep the engine working. As a result, the car was showing 6.0mpg.
I started driving it home and once I got to a part of the route where I could open the taps I put my foot down in third, checking it was boosting properly. What I got was hesistating at 5000rpm, the revs dropping back as I held my foot flat to the floor before surging on to the redline. I wondered if there was some sort of 'safe mode' on the engine stopping it being revved hard when it was cold. But I'd driven it four miles and the engine was warm. Cue me breaking out in a sweat, worrying. Off the next roundabout and onto the dual carriageway again I try the same thing. Even worse this time, the engine stutters even more and I eventually get it up to 70mph in 5th gear, as it won't rev to the redline.
I tried to convince myself the car was just needing run in again, and I extended my drive home to include one of my favourite driving roads. When I got there, about 5 miles later, the car seemed fine. Boost was smooth and powerful, and the Haldex AWD was working well. It still felt like quite a heavy little car that could drag itself wide of the line when pushed too hard, but the Haldex was quite at working when you needed it to see the back end right. I was certainly able to cover those B roads quickly. The steering feel was non-existant, as you might expect from an Audi and the throttle was a little soft and laggy but the gearshift just about made up for it. All seemed well, aside from the ventilation system which made a strange noise. Even with the air con off, it made a strange whistling noise, which sounded a bit like a leak from one of the pipes. It seemed to work well enough. The MPG clock had also risen, which had pleased me, though I was wondering why it had stopped at 16mpg.
I got the car home and wound the window down to reverse it onto my drive. As I was doing this I could smell fumes. It instantly struck me as burning oil, a smell I was familiar with after an ill-fated trip to Preston to see a 728i which was spurting oil like it had a gunshot wound. By this time, I had started to worry quite seriously. I said to myself that it was just pungent petrol fumes from the engine running rich, which it seemed to be (although it felt strong when it boosting correctly earlier). Getting out of the car, I could see trails of fumes drifting about in the xenon light beams. The exhaust tips were black and sooty. I told myself the car was just in need of a wash. Nothing to worry about.
Half an hour later, I was back in the car, for another 'test drive' to Tesco. Just to convince myself I had made everything up last time. As I was driving out of the end of my street I noticed I had a yellow engine warning light. Coming back from Tesco, it was hesistating on the boost again, dropping back at 5000rpm and them surging after that. The ESP warning light also came on during that drive - another expensive looking problem that would need attention. The next morning there was condensation on the inside of the windscreen above the vents, giving me further suspicion something was wrong with that system.
As soon as I got home I called the seller, who agreed for me to drop the car off at VW and she'd have it looked at again. She was more than happy for me to have my money back, with both of us having come to the sad conclusion that the car needs more time and money spent on it before it is 'right'. And what a shame that is, given that it was what I considered my dream spec for an Audi. I expect the car will be put right and then sold on again, though I've moved on now as I needed a car that I could rely on, and quickly. Such a shame, we could have been good together. The seller and her partner were fantastic, and couldn't have been more apologetic or gracious throughout proceedings. If the car had been used and the faults I found discovered I am certain they would not have offered it for sale.
I suppose the moral of the story for me is to stay away from the VAG 1.8T engine, it doesn't seem to be much good. And that the Audi TT is a hideously complex car. The engine is complex unit, hooked up to the expensive and complex Haldex unit, coupled in with expensive ESP technology...there is a lot to go wrong there. Sadly, I suspect the TT is not for me.
Here are a couple of photos taken in the short time I had the car:
The car itself seemed like a really good deal. £4500 for a 112,000 mile 225 Quattro with full VW service history. Two owners, the last one having owned it since 2003. It has been off the road for a couple of months after the cambelt snapped (a well known TT problem, as it happens) and in the meantime the owner had bought a new TT. It had seen the benefit of VW's services again after the cambelt snapped, and had a new top end from VW at the cost of some £1400 to the owner. As the car was owning her money, she decided to sell and when she heard I was considering a TT for my next car she let me know she had one that she was selling.
I had always liked the look and feel of the TT's, and despite reports that they are a 'dull' drive, I'd never really found them lacking in that department either. They are never going to be the last word in excitement, but to try and outgun my MR2 Turbo in the excitement stakes seemed like folly. I was after something a little more practical which was still quick and was also predictable and grippy, something I could really drive hard and enjoy but that had four seats and was comfortable too. The TT seemed like a good fit for my criteria.
In fact, the actual experience of owning a TT was not quite so fantastic. The trouble started on the test drive home. It had been over two years since I had last driven a TT Quattro so the cabin seemed a little unfamiliar but I soon settled in. The seats were as sumptuous as I remembered and I was looking forward to driving many a mile in them. Heated too, and once I figured out how to work that function I was very happy. I set off on my drive home, marvelling at how good the Xenon headlights were compared to the bulbs in my MR2. All was not well though.
Knowing the owner of the car personally, I was happy to buy outright without a test drive, which I couldn't really work out as the car was uninsured and was being kept on a drive, off road, since it was a spare car. That said, I had no reason to doubt that it would work perfectly; after all the top end rebuild was VW work and should have been spot on. The car had just been MOT'd a few days before with no advisories. With that in mind, I bought a policy of insurance on it and went to collect it. Upon arriving to collect it, the seller's partner stated that it had failed to start first time that night, but then had started up fine and they'd driven it to where I agreed to meet them. Happy enough with things as they were, I foolishly told myself the car had just had trouble starting as it hadn't been driven in a while. That said, the seller said she had been starting it up every few days and letting it idle a bit to keep the engine working. As a result, the car was showing 6.0mpg.
I started driving it home and once I got to a part of the route where I could open the taps I put my foot down in third, checking it was boosting properly. What I got was hesistating at 5000rpm, the revs dropping back as I held my foot flat to the floor before surging on to the redline. I wondered if there was some sort of 'safe mode' on the engine stopping it being revved hard when it was cold. But I'd driven it four miles and the engine was warm. Cue me breaking out in a sweat, worrying. Off the next roundabout and onto the dual carriageway again I try the same thing. Even worse this time, the engine stutters even more and I eventually get it up to 70mph in 5th gear, as it won't rev to the redline.
I tried to convince myself the car was just needing run in again, and I extended my drive home to include one of my favourite driving roads. When I got there, about 5 miles later, the car seemed fine. Boost was smooth and powerful, and the Haldex AWD was working well. It still felt like quite a heavy little car that could drag itself wide of the line when pushed too hard, but the Haldex was quite at working when you needed it to see the back end right. I was certainly able to cover those B roads quickly. The steering feel was non-existant, as you might expect from an Audi and the throttle was a little soft and laggy but the gearshift just about made up for it. All seemed well, aside from the ventilation system which made a strange noise. Even with the air con off, it made a strange whistling noise, which sounded a bit like a leak from one of the pipes. It seemed to work well enough. The MPG clock had also risen, which had pleased me, though I was wondering why it had stopped at 16mpg.
I got the car home and wound the window down to reverse it onto my drive. As I was doing this I could smell fumes. It instantly struck me as burning oil, a smell I was familiar with after an ill-fated trip to Preston to see a 728i which was spurting oil like it had a gunshot wound. By this time, I had started to worry quite seriously. I said to myself that it was just pungent petrol fumes from the engine running rich, which it seemed to be (although it felt strong when it boosting correctly earlier). Getting out of the car, I could see trails of fumes drifting about in the xenon light beams. The exhaust tips were black and sooty. I told myself the car was just in need of a wash. Nothing to worry about.
Half an hour later, I was back in the car, for another 'test drive' to Tesco. Just to convince myself I had made everything up last time. As I was driving out of the end of my street I noticed I had a yellow engine warning light. Coming back from Tesco, it was hesistating on the boost again, dropping back at 5000rpm and them surging after that. The ESP warning light also came on during that drive - another expensive looking problem that would need attention. The next morning there was condensation on the inside of the windscreen above the vents, giving me further suspicion something was wrong with that system.
As soon as I got home I called the seller, who agreed for me to drop the car off at VW and she'd have it looked at again. She was more than happy for me to have my money back, with both of us having come to the sad conclusion that the car needs more time and money spent on it before it is 'right'. And what a shame that is, given that it was what I considered my dream spec for an Audi. I expect the car will be put right and then sold on again, though I've moved on now as I needed a car that I could rely on, and quickly. Such a shame, we could have been good together. The seller and her partner were fantastic, and couldn't have been more apologetic or gracious throughout proceedings. If the car had been used and the faults I found discovered I am certain they would not have offered it for sale.
I suppose the moral of the story for me is to stay away from the VAG 1.8T engine, it doesn't seem to be much good. And that the Audi TT is a hideously complex car. The engine is complex unit, hooked up to the expensive and complex Haldex unit, coupled in with expensive ESP technology...there is a lot to go wrong there. Sadly, I suspect the TT is not for me.
Here are a couple of photos taken in the short time I had the car:
Baryonyx said:
I suppose the moral of the story for me is to stay away from the VAG 1.8T engine, it doesn't seem to be much good.
no, the 1.8t is a fine engine. The moral of the story, if there is such a thing, is that as a buyer if you fail to do your homework (i.e. inspect and drive the car before you buy it) then expect the get a poor deal..........
I remember you discussing buying this car. You asked about it on PH.
Twin Cam low tolerance engines are badly affected by cambelt failure. Saw a Peugeot 16 valve with broken pistons, ruined bores, destroyed crank, broken con rods all from a bang on the cambelt. Scrap in a word.
Depends exactly how the engine stopped.
Glad you got your money back.
Twin Cam low tolerance engines are badly affected by cambelt failure. Saw a Peugeot 16 valve with broken pistons, ruined bores, destroyed crank, broken con rods all from a bang on the cambelt. Scrap in a word.
Depends exactly how the engine stopped.
Glad you got your money back.
Dr Imran T said:
I am sure all the VW crowd will be saying that the VAG 1.8T motor is one of the best in the business 
When it's working, it's a fine engine. Not particularly characterful or bombastic but useable enough. I suppose it's fairly cheap for them to make too. I should have listened to the advice of a friend who had a Leon Cupra R who was always having trouble with the engine in his car. I dread to think what the final bill will be for the car to be properly fixed. It's already had £1400 of it's sale price demolished by the engine work. Now it needs more attention. Possibly new sensors fitted in the ESP system, which can be damaged by the sudden loss of power caused by the cambelt snapping. Possible oil leak in the engine. And those problems with hesitancy and running rich? MAF troubles, perhaps?
As I say though, a lesson learned is to drive the car before you buy it. In this case, knowing the seller and having spoken to others who had vouched for the car, paying £50 for a day's temporary insurance seemed daft. Maybe it would have saved me hassle in the long run, though as I say, there was never any question of me not being refunded, the seller was most accomodating in that respect.
Edited by Baryonyx on Sunday 4th March 23:15
I think you were just unlucky and purchased a car with a few (probably minor) problems. It sounds like the car was misfiring higher up the rev range, so possibly just an ignition or MAF problem. I reckon a reputable VAG garage would have the engine codes read, problem diagnosed and fixed with an hour or so for a few hundred quid.
I do have to categorically disagree with your assessment of the 1.8T engine as having poor reliability. In fact my own experience is that it is an astoundingly reliable engine. In over 100k miles of driving over 6 years, including many trackdays all over the uk, european trips, 1/4 mile runs and trips to the Nurburgring, the only parts that have broken are a one camshaft sensor and one coil pack. In the former case the car ran perfect but was a little harder to start, in the latter case it ran on 3 cylinders but was still driveable. Both of these problems were fixed in minutes by competant VAG specialists. Costs were approximately £20 for the camshaft sensor and about £40 for the coil pack. It's also no coincidence that the 1.8T is the engine transplant of choice for Mk2 Golfs, Elises, is used in the KTM crossbow etc.
Bad luck with your car, but there will be plenty of good ones out there if you want to try again.
I do have to categorically disagree with your assessment of the 1.8T engine as having poor reliability. In fact my own experience is that it is an astoundingly reliable engine. In over 100k miles of driving over 6 years, including many trackdays all over the uk, european trips, 1/4 mile runs and trips to the Nurburgring, the only parts that have broken are a one camshaft sensor and one coil pack. In the former case the car ran perfect but was a little harder to start, in the latter case it ran on 3 cylinders but was still driveable. Both of these problems were fixed in minutes by competant VAG specialists. Costs were approximately £20 for the camshaft sensor and about £40 for the coil pack. It's also no coincidence that the 1.8T is the engine transplant of choice for Mk2 Golfs, Elises, is used in the KTM crossbow etc.
Bad luck with your car, but there will be plenty of good ones out there if you want to try again.
Dr G said:
What happened to the new engine it was supposed to have had?
Turned out just to be a top end rebuild, but with warranty and bills from VW to go with it. As a replacement I bought my dad's Impreza GX off him, looking for something cheap and reliable to drive about for a while. I'm loving the Impreza and it's permanent AWD, so I will be making another thread on that soon.
Max_Torque said:
no, the 1.8t is a fine engine.
The moral of the story, if there is such a thing, is that as a buyer if you fail to do your homework (i.e. inspect and drive the car before you buy it) then expect the get a poor deal..........
Couldn't agree more. Even if the sellers were my own family, I'd still want to test drive the vehicle before parting with any money!The moral of the story, if there is such a thing, is that as a buyer if you fail to do your homework (i.e. inspect and drive the car before you buy it) then expect the get a poor deal..........
Max_Torque said:
no, the 1.8t is a fine engine.
The moral of the story, if there is such a thing, is that as a buyer if you fail to do your homework (i.e. inspect and drive the car before you buy it) then expect the get a poor deal..........
I was just about to say the same thing! At the end of the day, whilst it's very unfortunate that the car wasn't as expected, and if you knew the seller, I can kind of understand why you did what you did, but really, it's your fault for not checking the car properly. Not the previous owners. Not Audi. Yours. The moral of the story, if there is such a thing, is that as a buyer if you fail to do your homework (i.e. inspect and drive the car before you buy it) then expect the get a poor deal..........
boobles said:
My Leon with the same engine was fantastic with no faults what so ever & with 100k on the clock.
You just bought a "bad one" & although the previous owner seemed like a nice lady, I suspect that somewhere in it's life it's been treated badly.......
Looking through the books there, nothing suggests it had ever been mis-treat in it's life, other than perhaps a leak in the ventilation system somewhere. It was a car that I have seen day in, day out for three years now, the previous owner always looked after it. Over nine years in it she had covered 80,000 miles and the history provided with it was as comprehensive as you could wish for. Every minor issue, from windscreen wiper blades to servicing to bulb changes were handled by VW.You just bought a "bad one" & although the previous owner seemed like a nice lady, I suspect that somewhere in it's life it's been treated badly.......
I suspect rather that the cambelt snapping has been the source of the problems. After all, when I dropped the car off at VW I was met by the technician who had overseen the rebuild and he was quite surprised to see it again so soon. He was quite happy to hook it up to a code reader and see what the problems were, but I was wary by then. It could have been a cheap fix, though I had the feeling it probably wouldn't be. Especially if it was leaking oil from somewhere. I would be very cautious around a car that had had any sort of major repair work now, even from a reputable source like a VW main dealer. I suspect that when I got hold of the car it was the first time it had been driven hard in quite some time and I've managed to make the problems rear their heads. The owner and her partner are not 'car people', nor are they mechanically minded so I suspect they wouldn't spot problems as easily I would. After the experience I was told by a colleague never to buy a car off someone you know, as that makes it all the more unpleasant if something goes wrong!
That said, it was an enjoyable drive and had the makings of a nice car, though I was not so in love with it that I would go back and look for another one, especially when I am enjoying my Impreza so much.
I appreciate that the car came with full service history etc & that you knew the previous owner had looked after it but how about before that? Was it warmed up properly or thrashed when cold? This could damage the engine & only now these problems are coming to light.
I am just trying to shed some light on it.
I am just trying to shed some light on it.
Entirely possible that the car could have been thrashed by the original owner. Mind you, the paperwork seems to suggest that it was a motorway car then, having been kept for a year and a half and covering some 30,000 miles with a full service history and a paperwork even from back then. Given that there was good history for it even from back then, I was of the opinion it had been fairly unstressed during this time. Mind you, this is a risk we all take when buying cars as the previous owners could have hammered them and we can only make a judgement based on the condition of the car at present and the evidence of their ownership in terms of paperwork from them and repair and maintainence work done since it left their hands.
Much more pertinent to me was the previous owner having it for nearly a decade and 80,000 miles. Any problems then would have surely been apparent then, and I am quite certain she would never have offered the car for sale to a colleague knowing it had problems. I suspect the real issue is the cambelt snapping, it has likely done more damage then was at first thought. I had the vehicle report from VW with the receipt for the work and it passed their tests before the owner got it back and I spoke to the technician when I took the car back. He was most surprised to see the car being driven back onto the forecourt, but as I reasoned, the car is massively complex even by modern standards and some 50 miles of driving from me had unearthed a few gremlins in that machine.
As I say, the greatest shame is that it was my dream TT, just how I wanted one. And they've been cars I've liked for a long time. It was even a pretty good drive, I could have had a lot of fun in it, especially since part of the fun of the car was driving it quickly, and well, as Audi no doubt intended before it became a big hit with girls and hairdressers! (this was part of the appeal of my MX5
)
And those seats, oh those seats. Almost gave the seats in my S60 a run for their money.
Much more pertinent to me was the previous owner having it for nearly a decade and 80,000 miles. Any problems then would have surely been apparent then, and I am quite certain she would never have offered the car for sale to a colleague knowing it had problems. I suspect the real issue is the cambelt snapping, it has likely done more damage then was at first thought. I had the vehicle report from VW with the receipt for the work and it passed their tests before the owner got it back and I spoke to the technician when I took the car back. He was most surprised to see the car being driven back onto the forecourt, but as I reasoned, the car is massively complex even by modern standards and some 50 miles of driving from me had unearthed a few gremlins in that machine.
As I say, the greatest shame is that it was my dream TT, just how I wanted one. And they've been cars I've liked for a long time. It was even a pretty good drive, I could have had a lot of fun in it, especially since part of the fun of the car was driving it quickly, and well, as Audi no doubt intended before it became a big hit with girls and hairdressers! (this was part of the appeal of my MX5
)And those seats, oh those seats. Almost gave the seats in my S60 a run for their money.
Edited by Baryonyx on Monday 5th March 14:36
Shame the TT didn't work out but I'd take the 125bhp Impreza over a TT any day, no matter what the difference in performance was.
With regard to the 1.8T engine, I found the engine in my Cupra to be tough mechanically, but boost leaks are common, and there are so many breather pipes going this way and that it can be a nightmare to locate a small split that becomes a gaping hole at higher boost pressures.
My experience with the 1.8T went brilliantly for the first few months, but when my Cupra R started running curiously (full engine cut out at high revs on full boost) the only fault recorded was excessively high intake temperature, a few degrees above the upper tolerance. New intake sensor, MAF was nearly brand new but cleaned anyway, coilpacks were all nearly brand new, tested anyway. The car ran fine when datalogged contemporaneously with VAGCOM and nothing seems to be mechanically or electronically wrong with the car. The fault was intermittent - even on the coldest nights with a very dense cold air charge, or on a hot afternoon it could trip, but it was never 100% reproducible. In the end, it just seemed to stop happening, as mysteriously as it started. I thought that a new, big FMIC could perhaps help it a lot - the car was modified and had obviously been remapped, it was absolutely savage when it came on boost and judging from similar setups (CAF'd open cone with heatshield, aftermarket exhaust) a revo stage 2 map would make between 260 and 270bhp. I think in reality it was probably just tuned up more than the 2 smaller intercoolers were really happy with, but then, as it would cut out on freezing cold nights just as much as hot days, maybe not.
In the end, it seemed to be running happily again, but I had lost my confidence in the car by then. It was a car that was meant to be hooned, but I had no faith in the car and I was hungering for a rawer, less VAG experience, I wanted something Japanese. I flogged it and bought a Civic Type R and I've never looked back.
With regard to the 1.8T engine, I found the engine in my Cupra to be tough mechanically, but boost leaks are common, and there are so many breather pipes going this way and that it can be a nightmare to locate a small split that becomes a gaping hole at higher boost pressures.
My experience with the 1.8T went brilliantly for the first few months, but when my Cupra R started running curiously (full engine cut out at high revs on full boost) the only fault recorded was excessively high intake temperature, a few degrees above the upper tolerance. New intake sensor, MAF was nearly brand new but cleaned anyway, coilpacks were all nearly brand new, tested anyway. The car ran fine when datalogged contemporaneously with VAGCOM and nothing seems to be mechanically or electronically wrong with the car. The fault was intermittent - even on the coldest nights with a very dense cold air charge, or on a hot afternoon it could trip, but it was never 100% reproducible. In the end, it just seemed to stop happening, as mysteriously as it started. I thought that a new, big FMIC could perhaps help it a lot - the car was modified and had obviously been remapped, it was absolutely savage when it came on boost and judging from similar setups (CAF'd open cone with heatshield, aftermarket exhaust) a revo stage 2 map would make between 260 and 270bhp. I think in reality it was probably just tuned up more than the 2 smaller intercoolers were really happy with, but then, as it would cut out on freezing cold nights just as much as hot days, maybe not.
In the end, it seemed to be running happily again, but I had lost my confidence in the car by then. It was a car that was meant to be hooned, but I had no faith in the car and I was hungering for a rawer, less VAG experience, I wanted something Japanese. I flogged it and bought a Civic Type R and I've never looked back.
Baryonyx said:
Possibly new sensors fitted in the ESP system, which can be damaged by the sudden loss of power caused by the cambelt snapping.
I suggest as a priority you stop listening to people who spout out stuff like that^^^^^^^Please ask the source exactly how the "ESP sensors" can be damaged in this fashion.
(hint, there are roughly 3 groups of "ESP" sensors (wheel speed sensors, yaw sensor and accelerometer, and brake valve block pressure sensors. None of those can be damaged by excessive engine roughness..........)
Max_Torque said:
I suggest as a priority you stop listening to people who spout out stuff like that^^^^^^^
Please ask the source exactly how the "ESP sensors" can be damaged in this fashion.
That was something I pulled from google checking out ESP sensor issues in Audi TT's. The problems encountered in that instance was the ESP warning light coming on intermittently after a battery failure, coupled with advice from other forum users that the ESP sensors can be damaged in such circumstances. From that I drew the conclusion that the cambelt snapping would have been a fairly similar matter of sudden power loss. Could this have damaged the ESP system? It was certainly showing some fault that it shouldn't have been showing. Was the potential for bork in this system there? Indeed it was, and it sounded like a further heap of trouble that my wallet could have been answering to. I supposed there could have been a 'soft stop' system in place, operated by the shutdown of the engine in the normal fashion. Please ask the source exactly how the "ESP sensors" can be damaged in this fashion.
I'm not au fait with the intricacies of the ESP system in the TT, suffice to say that I was not best pleased to see that it had issues as well as the engine itself.
Evidently, something was up the ESP. Could it have been something as minor as a dirty wheel speed sensor? Yes, but by then I had sort of lost faith in the car. It was a nice drive, but not nice enough that I wished to throw myself head first into repairing a car I had just bought with the intention of being 'right' from the start.
No offence intended to yourself atall, but I never have any sympathy for people who snap cambelts on mainstream unfettled cars, especially sports cars. And ones made by VAG seem to be some of the worst treated, people leave servicing and belt changes because theyre German.
Anyway glad you got your money back and its a shame your experience was tainted. I personally dont get on with the way they drive as you say theyre too numb, but theyre good to look at and are ageing well in my eyes. Friend of mine had one for a couple of years and he's in one of the big single seater series, so despite them not being to some peoples likings clearly its horses for courses and some are more drawn in by ability than feedback.
Anyway glad you got your money back and its a shame your experience was tainted. I personally dont get on with the way they drive as you say theyre too numb, but theyre good to look at and are ageing well in my eyes. Friend of mine had one for a couple of years and he's in one of the big single seater series, so despite them not being to some peoples likings clearly its horses for courses and some are more drawn in by ability than feedback.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff