My Fleet - e39 525i & mk1 TT 3.2
Discussion
It's about time I put some pictures up of my new acquisitions, with this being the first time in my life running 2 cars!
A little background.. I was on the look out for a weekend car that didn't need a garage, wouldn't rust and one that could double up as a daily should I ever need her too. This ruled out all soft tops and a lot of the turbo nutter options out there!
Having settled for a TT I went on the hunt for the right one, discounting about 10 through phone calls alone, and looking at 5.. then came across this "beaut" of a car, owned by a TT OC member and serial TT owner!
An 04 plate 3.2 Quattro, 87k, FSH, unusual factory paint job and some nice after market alloys certainly make it look special :-)
We settled on a weekend for the viewing and I waiting impatiently for the day to arrive!
However, the Friday before the Saturday viewing of the TT my daily (Lexus IS200) decided to die on the M6, resulting garage inspection confirmed uneconomical to repair due to block damage, and therefore the IS went to the motoring heavens..
Que a frantic search for a replacement daily, as I needed something for work commute and business miles, 3 days later found a e39 525i on autotrader. Viewing booked for the following weekend and she was mine!
Purchased for the principal sum of £900 and with only 1 known issue - split level fuel tank transfer pump inoperable therefore only 3/4 fuel tank capacity available. I decided this is not an issue, and if it does become one I can get it fixed!
Fair to say I've really taken to her, 2001 plate, 107k, full "cream" leather, dual zone climate control, front & rear parking sensors, everything works as it should and she's a dream to cruise along in! Some pics:
Having sorted the daily, another week passed then it was time to make the train journey up north to view the TT. Subsequently a deal was agreed and I drove her home.
All was good in life, but I did notice some niggles on the 200mile drive home - thermostat possibly sticking and the ride was a little crashy, so I got her booked in for a once over for the oily bits then realised that she actually needed quite a bit of work.. ah well its the risk you take buying privately I guess!
Using the excuse to upgrade some of the parts that would need to replaced anyway has led me to plan in the following for March: H&R lowering springs all round, Bilstein B8 shocks all round, 20mm/15mm wheel spacers (as the wheels look a little lost in the arches), new thermostat, poly bushes for wishbones, new front discs & pads and some other electrical bits n bobs - will be a good transformation hopefully :-)
Anyway some pics:
A little background.. I was on the look out for a weekend car that didn't need a garage, wouldn't rust and one that could double up as a daily should I ever need her too. This ruled out all soft tops and a lot of the turbo nutter options out there!
Having settled for a TT I went on the hunt for the right one, discounting about 10 through phone calls alone, and looking at 5.. then came across this "beaut" of a car, owned by a TT OC member and serial TT owner!
An 04 plate 3.2 Quattro, 87k, FSH, unusual factory paint job and some nice after market alloys certainly make it look special :-)
We settled on a weekend for the viewing and I waiting impatiently for the day to arrive!
However, the Friday before the Saturday viewing of the TT my daily (Lexus IS200) decided to die on the M6, resulting garage inspection confirmed uneconomical to repair due to block damage, and therefore the IS went to the motoring heavens..
Que a frantic search for a replacement daily, as I needed something for work commute and business miles, 3 days later found a e39 525i on autotrader. Viewing booked for the following weekend and she was mine!
Purchased for the principal sum of £900 and with only 1 known issue - split level fuel tank transfer pump inoperable therefore only 3/4 fuel tank capacity available. I decided this is not an issue, and if it does become one I can get it fixed!
Fair to say I've really taken to her, 2001 plate, 107k, full "cream" leather, dual zone climate control, front & rear parking sensors, everything works as it should and she's a dream to cruise along in! Some pics:
Having sorted the daily, another week passed then it was time to make the train journey up north to view the TT. Subsequently a deal was agreed and I drove her home.
All was good in life, but I did notice some niggles on the 200mile drive home - thermostat possibly sticking and the ride was a little crashy, so I got her booked in for a once over for the oily bits then realised that she actually needed quite a bit of work.. ah well its the risk you take buying privately I guess!
Using the excuse to upgrade some of the parts that would need to replaced anyway has led me to plan in the following for March: H&R lowering springs all round, Bilstein B8 shocks all round, 20mm/15mm wheel spacers (as the wheels look a little lost in the arches), new thermostat, poly bushes for wishbones, new front discs & pads and some other electrical bits n bobs - will be a good transformation hopefully :-)
Anyway some pics:
Edited by Jakestar on Saturday 20th February 14:22
Thought I'd provide an update following some upgrades to the TT, she's now sitting a little lower and a little wider courtesy of:
- H&R Sport springs (-25mm I believe) match with Bilstein B8 dampers all round
- 25mm/20mm wheel spacers
At the same time I had the wishbones bushes which were on their way out replaced with poly bushes, and new front discs and pads. Safe to say the car is now transformed and feels so direct and planted :-D
I've also give her a DSG/Haldex/engine oil changes and there's a marked difference from the DSG - garage advise it was well due a change!
The BMW continues to be reliable although it does seem to burn oil at an alarming rate (seems worst when crawling in traffic where the smell of brunt oil soon appears and is very noticeable within the cabin) - using up 1L of oil in less than 1000miles!!! A change to 5w40 seems to have reduced the oil consumption though the smell is still there when in traffic. It's been in to the local garage twice now who couldn't identify a leak, therefore not much to do but put up with it! In any case for £900 I'm not too concerned.
- H&R Sport springs (-25mm I believe) match with Bilstein B8 dampers all round
- 25mm/20mm wheel spacers
At the same time I had the wishbones bushes which were on their way out replaced with poly bushes, and new front discs and pads. Safe to say the car is now transformed and feels so direct and planted :-D
I've also give her a DSG/Haldex/engine oil changes and there's a marked difference from the DSG - garage advise it was well due a change!
The BMW continues to be reliable although it does seem to burn oil at an alarming rate (seems worst when crawling in traffic where the smell of brunt oil soon appears and is very noticeable within the cabin) - using up 1L of oil in less than 1000miles!!! A change to 5w40 seems to have reduced the oil consumption though the smell is still there when in traffic. It's been in to the local garage twice now who couldn't identify a leak, therefore not much to do but put up with it! In any case for £900 I'm not too concerned.
Jakestar said:
The BMW continues to be reliable although it does seem to burn oil at an alarming rate (seems worst when crawling in traffic where the smell of brunt oil soon appears and is very noticeable within the cabin)
That is typically the cam cover gasket on these BMW 6 cylinder enginesThis is a bit random but thought I'd ask given your location and the uncommon Papaya orange, but is your TT sometimes sat in a car park visible from the London/Crewe trainline?
Saw one from the train on a trip last month.
On another note, I've hopefully still got first dibs on a local MK1 3.2 Coupe (manual) with 39K on the clock!
Saw one from the train on a trip last month.
On another note, I've hopefully still got first dibs on a local MK1 3.2 Coupe (manual) with 39K on the clock!
_Nathan_ said:
That is typically the cam cover gasket on these BMW 6 cylinder engines
Agreed, however the rocker cover gasket (assuming we are talking about the same thing) had been replaced by a BMW specialist during the previous-owner's tenure - I assumed its now unlikely to be that which is causing the issue?problemchild1976 said:
like that TT
spec/cost??
bhp??
are the 1.8T ones more tuneable??
JJ
The orange (Audi call it Papaya) paint is a rare colour, and mine had the TT sport style 2-tone paint applied by the dealership that sold the car initially. spec/cost??
bhp??
are the 1.8T ones more tuneable??
JJ
Being the top spec model, the 3.2 has most of the goodies that other TT's have as standard, mine also has Bose speakers and cruise control. The previous owner fitted the 19inch alloys that I quite like, so they will remain. Engine wise mine is standard (246 BHP) and has the DSG gearbox. and has covered 87k miles.
The 1.8T is lighter, with better weight distribution (the 3.2 engine is heavy, after all) and much more tuneable. Without spending serious money there is little point in doing anything other than air filter and exhaust (for the sound alone) on the 3.2. Upside is the noise (the best sounding car I've owned) and the torque - it's more than fast enough for me currently!
I was initially looking for a 1.8T Quattro 225, but after calling about 20 sellers and viewing 4 cars I just could not find one in decent enough condition - there are so many dogs out there! Then this 3.2 came up for sale on The TT forum by a serial TT owner, and as I'm impatient, I took the jump!! (turns out quite a bit of work was still needed that I didn't pick up on the test drive, but underneath a solid car chassis/body work/engine wise!).
TTOBES said:
This is a bit random but thought I'd ask given your location and the uncommon Papaya orange, but is your TT sometimes sat in a car park visible from the London/Crewe trainline?
Saw one from the train on a trip last month.
On another note, I've hopefully still got first dibs on a local MK1 3.2 Coupe (manual) with 39K on the clock!
Not me I'm afraid, mine spends most of its days on my drive or in an underground car park at work! I'm ashamed to say I've done less than 1000 miles since purchasing it!Saw one from the train on a trip last month.
On another note, I've hopefully still got first dibs on a local MK1 3.2 Coupe (manual) with 39K on the clock!
Good luck with the 3.2 purchase - 39k is a real gem, though make sure there's no issues with lack of use (or maintenance!). I discounted a low-use 1.8T 225 due to the amount of "renewing" needed as it had sat for over a year without use.
The TT is lovely! 
The orange suits it really well - I'm not convinced about the black bits but it's amazing how up-to-date the car looks!
I've seen some tatty Mk1 TTs that really show their age, but when you see a well looked after one with nice glossy paint and tidy wheels - it still looks new nearly 20 years on!
The orange suits it really well - I'm not convinced about the black bits but it's amazing how up-to-date the car looks!
I've seen some tatty Mk1 TTs that really show their age, but when you see a well looked after one with nice glossy paint and tidy wheels - it still looks new nearly 20 years on!
Jakestar said:
_Nathan_ said:
That is typically the cam cover gasket on these BMW 6 cylinder engines
Quite possibly the crank case breather hasn't been replaced thenhttp://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/BMW-3...
Couple pics of the TT after a clean today!
Took the e39 to a local BMW specialist as the smell of burning oil is starting to frustrate, to my surprise they' we're convinced it's the rocker cover gasket leaking (so much for the local based BMW specialist who billed for replacing it 1 year ago!) so that's on the to-do list.
In fact I'm half tempted to give it a go myself having read the pelican parts how-to guide - would this be do able for a complete novice?? (I haven't even reached such heights as oil & filter changes!!). Seems straight forward according to the guide.
Took the e39 to a local BMW specialist as the smell of burning oil is starting to frustrate, to my surprise they' we're convinced it's the rocker cover gasket leaking (so much for the local based BMW specialist who billed for replacing it 1 year ago!) so that's on the to-do list.
In fact I'm half tempted to give it a go myself having read the pelican parts how-to guide - would this be do able for a complete novice?? (I haven't even reached such heights as oil & filter changes!!). Seems straight forward according to the guide.
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