Big mileage log...
Discussion
Dr G said:
Let a girl drive a MK1 TT and you'll come back to it with the seat so high the headliner messes up your haircut and the heated seat on full blast on a 30 degree day. Aircon will also likely be set to 'low' with all the vents closed and the fan speed on minimum.
The missus finally wrestled the key off me this morning. "You're burning through the money by not using the A4 diesel..." were the words ringing in my ears! Sadly for me, she'll be having all the fun today.Your post cracked me up!
Manicminer said:
I have an A4 with the 1.8T engine, my dipstick started to crumble at about 100k and apparently it's a common thing. Get a new one from the dealer before it completely falls apart and you lose bits of plastic down the tube.
As for poor starting, as Dr G says it's quite common for the coolant temp sensor to fail. Mine failed, stuck at a min of about 40 deg so on cold days she really struggled to start. Really easy to change and cost about £30 from a main dealer. You can check the output of the sensor with VAG-COM, note it won't record as a fault as it normally fails within the expected output range.
Funnily enough, the dip stick crumbed last week when I was in Wiltshire and checking fluids before heading back to London. I managed to keep the plastic away from the tube as it dropped down through the engine. Toyed with getting a new dipstick (not the most expensive part, granted!) although it still appears well anchored in the main body of the plastic plug. Out of interest, any idea what kind of damage plastic falling down the tube would do? I'd hope it that in small quantities it would become nothing more than melted down sludge. I'm pretty sure none went down there but would be good to be on my guard... even if that does make me sound more than a little automotive neurotic!As for poor starting, as Dr G says it's quite common for the coolant temp sensor to fail. Mine failed, stuck at a min of about 40 deg so on cold days she really struggled to start. Really easy to change and cost about £30 from a main dealer. You can check the output of the sensor with VAG-COM, note it won't record as a fault as it normally fails within the expected output range.
Kell said:
I just asked her and I was a little high in my estimation. Here's what she had to say.
[quote]Hi Kell,
nice hearing from you
A3DFU has now done 193 884 miles and is still on the first clutch, gearbox, engine.
The car had a new water pump at ~60 000 miles. After that is was totally trouble free until there was a coolant leak at roughly 185 000 miles, which was followed shortly after by a blown resistor in one of the two cooling fans. That's it really. The car is still brilliantly reliable [[size=50]touch wood[/size]]
Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.
Cheers,
[quote]Hi Kell,
nice hearing from you
A3DFU has now done 193 884 miles and is still on the first clutch, gearbox, engine.
The car had a new water pump at ~60 000 miles. After that is was totally trouble free until there was a coolant leak at roughly 185 000 miles, which was followed shortly after by a blown resistor in one of the two cooling fans. That's it really. The car is still brilliantly reliable [[size=50]touch wood[/size]]
Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.
Cheers,
My first major traffic jam in the TT today. Ordinarily I'd have turned the engine off but - still in experimentation mode - I let her tick over with an eye firmly trained on the temp gauge. Absolutely faultless. Hovering quietly on 90oC for the duration (60 mins) before finally getting onto the Tolworth Roundabout and onto our escape to sunny Teddington.
Ran like a charm all day. Much to my delight.
A few extra costs over the weekend. New dipstick (£7) and the key dropped into the locksmith still not returned but likely to set me back £20-50. Ludicrously cheap thrills so far. So much so that I'm on the prowl for another one...!
Only other thing to note is oil consumption. I've managed to clock up approx 1000 miles and used approx 1/4 of the tank. I generally chuffed with that. Although, my old RX-8 has admittedly warped my sense of acceptable oil consumption some time back!
Ran like a charm all day. Much to my delight.
A few extra costs over the weekend. New dipstick (£7) and the key dropped into the locksmith still not returned but likely to set me back £20-50. Ludicrously cheap thrills so far. So much so that I'm on the prowl for another one...!
Only other thing to note is oil consumption. I've managed to clock up approx 1000 miles and used approx 1/4 of the tank. I generally chuffed with that. Although, my old RX-8 has admittedly warped my sense of acceptable oil consumption some time back!
Good to see it's serving you well. My OH is looking at getting one next year (when I need my car back!) and will be looking at the £3-4k mark, hopefully with sub 100k on the clock! Either way, it's very interesting to read your experiences!
WRT the oil consumption, although I think it's on the high side personally, there is a voice in my head telling me that Audi regard 1l per 100 miles as "acceptable", or certainly very close!
WRT the oil consumption, although I think it's on the high side personally, there is a voice in my head telling me that Audi regard 1l per 100 miles as "acceptable", or certainly very close!
Yep - noticed plenty of TT's with lower mileage available for that kind of budget. Not sure I can justify getting another one just yet though and the good lady is keen to keep the Beetle and A4 estate as they all perform very different jobs for us. The only problem with that is when I'm driving the A4 I'm generally frustrated and disappointed. OK so it's no slouch but it just can't compare to the agile, nippy fun I get from the TT... obviously!
An interesting day yesterday. Absolutely been chucking it down with rain. I was very interested to see how she drove/behaved with a ton of water on the roads. She's running on Hankooks as opposed to budgets. As such the grip was pleasing. No grumbles from the engine. I've noticed at the weekend the sidelights have gone and I suspect this is an issue with bulbs. The car is due an MOT and service so I'll be getting them checked out as part of that.I can't be arsed taking the battery panel out and doing it myself when it's about to have our local mechanic get hands on.
Back in the A4 today. Rather annoyingly, the roads were clear this morning so I sailed over to Teddington with minimum fuss. Just my luck. Would have been great fun in the TT!
An interesting day yesterday. Absolutely been chucking it down with rain. I was very interested to see how she drove/behaved with a ton of water on the roads. She's running on Hankooks as opposed to budgets. As such the grip was pleasing. No grumbles from the engine. I've noticed at the weekend the sidelights have gone and I suspect this is an issue with bulbs. The car is due an MOT and service so I'll be getting them checked out as part of that.I can't be arsed taking the battery panel out and doing it myself when it's about to have our local mechanic get hands on.
Back in the A4 today. Rather annoyingly, the roads were clear this morning so I sailed over to Teddington with minimum fuss. Just my luck. Would have been great fun in the TT!
Fair to say the TT has stirred the emotions of the good lady wife and I. So much so, this morning we actually enjoyed a proper stand-up row on the driveway over whether or not I should - once again - be driving the TT on the 36 mile round trip to/from the office... or whether that's more the job for the A4 TDI S-Line. Inevitably the good lady won out and I've been forced to skulk over here in the A4... again! Clearly, the overriding context is of course that the TT has quickly become a family favorite and running it into the ground is something we're keen - in our own very different ways... (!) - to avoid. I'd certainly rather that than be a couple of grand worse off and walk out the door towards the A4, kicking an un-roadworthy pile of silver metal en-route down the drive!
Off to pick up my repaired spare key tomorrow. Not sure I've already mentioned but the knuckle had been smashed on the second key meaning the shaft was able to fall out of the transponder at will. Utterly useless and certainly not something either solder, Araldite or Superglue could be trusted to repair. The Audi dealer wanted £150-ish to repair and more to replace. Thanks to Green St. Green's finest locksmith, I've got a nicely repaired key waiting for me for £25 all in. A nice little tip worth bearing in mind as I'd never have thought of consulting a locksmith for such a job. Oh, and they have replaced the battery for me as part of the job too! Fingers crossed it won't need recoding or anything along those lines... although the Audi dealer did mention inserting the key and holding the unlock button for 15-off seconds if the key did fail. I didn't know the car could be used to reprogram the key and didn't have time to question them further. Either way I'll feed back if there's any problems or anything interesting to say thereafter.
Soon to be on hols for a couple of weeks. Will she (the TT, not the increasingly grumpy wife...!) give me some stick at being two weeks on the drive undriven? Time will tell.
Off to pick up my repaired spare key tomorrow. Not sure I've already mentioned but the knuckle had been smashed on the second key meaning the shaft was able to fall out of the transponder at will. Utterly useless and certainly not something either solder, Araldite or Superglue could be trusted to repair. The Audi dealer wanted £150-ish to repair and more to replace. Thanks to Green St. Green's finest locksmith, I've got a nicely repaired key waiting for me for £25 all in. A nice little tip worth bearing in mind as I'd never have thought of consulting a locksmith for such a job. Oh, and they have replaced the battery for me as part of the job too! Fingers crossed it won't need recoding or anything along those lines... although the Audi dealer did mention inserting the key and holding the unlock button for 15-off seconds if the key did fail. I didn't know the car could be used to reprogram the key and didn't have time to question them further. Either way I'll feed back if there's any problems or anything interesting to say thereafter.
Soon to be on hols for a couple of weeks. Will she (the TT, not the increasingly grumpy wife...!) give me some stick at being two weeks on the drive undriven? Time will tell.
OK, so I said I'd drop in another post if anything interesting happened regarding fixing my key. Delighted to say another brilliant wee learning or two came out of my trip to the locksmith this afternoon. I pitched up, collected my new key - paying my £25 in the process. Very impressed to see that as well as the repair, the key had a new, original Audi cover on it. Literally looking good as new. The battery had been replaced as mentioned... although one small problem, the key had lost it's coding so I couldn't open the door. I tried the '...insert key and hold the unlock button for 30 seconds' tip the main dealer gave me but sadly no dice. At this juncture, the locksmith chap called back into the store and introduced Ben, his son who operates his business - Express Auto Keys - from the same premises. Turns out Ben is behind my key repair and has the skills to reprogram my key for me... I was thinking, this is going to be at least a ton given the quotes I've had from the main dealer. Anyway, I was down there, key in hand and don't have the paitience to bugger about so I've stuck to my task. So, laptop in hand out stroll's Ben who promptly sets to work connecting to the TT and reprogramming the key. 10 mins later and hey-preston the remote is working fine. Ben even took my old key apart and replaced the battery with minimum fuss. You may recall the main dealership couldn't open the fob, suggesting it had likely been super glued together! It turns out they weren't using the correct action to open the remote in the first place! Ben slipped a flat end screw driver just under the surface of the smaller end and gently pulled the two ends apart. Apparently a common misconception at the dealers is to drive an implement down into the remote and force the key open that way. Turns out the trick is far more subtle... if you're well informed!
I waited for Ben's final cost for the re-coding and new battery... "Nothing more to pay. All part of the service! Good luck and have fun!!". Absolutely chuffed. So much so I promised to give him a plug. If you need any keys sorted, Ben is your man:
Express Auto Keys
www.keysinthepost.com
01689 660205
info@expressautokeys.co.uk
I waited for Ben's final cost for the re-coding and new battery... "Nothing more to pay. All part of the service! Good luck and have fun!!". Absolutely chuffed. So much so I promised to give him a plug. If you need any keys sorted, Ben is your man:
Express Auto Keys
www.keysinthepost.com
01689 660205
info@expressautokeys.co.uk
Delighted to say the return from a two week family holiday in the US was greeted with a perfectly restarting TT, much to my delight. Two weeks is by far the longest she has stood idle since we bought it. I thought the generally chilly, damp weather we've had in SE UK whilst I've been away ogling Camaros, Chargers, GT's and chauffeuring the family around in a fully loaded hire SUV in far sunnier climes might have been a test of sorts. Pleased to say she's passed with flying colours.
Next stop, a full service and MOT which are both due this month. This could sting...!
Next stop, a full service and MOT which are both due this month. This could sting...!
Mine was recoded because the central locking packed up whilst I was in France last week, which meant that the alarm went off every time I unlocked the door with the key and I also had to open all the doors from inside.
Orpington is not to far from me so if I need keys etc I will use your guys
I am looking at getting a 3.2 TT in the near future
Orpington is not to far from me so if I need keys etc I will use your guys
I am looking at getting a 3.2 TT in the near future
My first major milestone... although I'll leave you to decipher whether it's major! My first 1000 miles in the TT.
By and large it's been hassle free driving. No coughs and splutters, nothing falling off unexpectedly, no prolongued stints on a hard shoulder waiting for the AA (...touching wood as I type this one handed!). I've thrown a few challenges her way since picking her up and she's gobbled them up and performed a treat. By now I've paid - excluding running costs - £2 for every mile driven and have genuinely enjoyed every one of them so even if she rolls over and dies tomorrow, I'll be a (relatively) satisfied guy.
I've lent my A4 to a relative this week so I've used the TT for a busy working week. To and from meetings and the daily commute have meant quite a few extra miles on the clock and a fair bit of motorway driving. Again, all very smooth with precious little to report other than the aircon that clearly needs regassing and the side light bulbs that appear to have both gone.
D-Day (the first Service and MOT under my ownership) approaches a week on Monday (my recovery day post arriving back from Le Mans!) so I'm bracing myself for a few unexpected surprises over and above the obvious aircon and bulbs issues. 'Better to plan for the worse and hope for the best' continues to be my approach and ultimate safeguard against mechanical disappointment. It's a working strategy thus far! The good news is VAGcom continues to report a clean bill of health so fingers crossed.
Only other point to add, I found a bit of time to give the cockpit and external trim some much needed TLC. Cockpit shine spray and a bloody good wipe over have really made a difference to what looked like tired internal trim. Tyre shine, new wipers, a bit of Back to Black and some chrome polish have also done wonders for the externals and engine covers/trim. Okay so it means b@gger all in the long run but it was great seeing a notable improvement on the cosmetics with very little effort at all.
Right, my new found shiny exhaunst and I will leave you to it... Cheers!
By and large it's been hassle free driving. No coughs and splutters, nothing falling off unexpectedly, no prolongued stints on a hard shoulder waiting for the AA (...touching wood as I type this one handed!). I've thrown a few challenges her way since picking her up and she's gobbled them up and performed a treat. By now I've paid - excluding running costs - £2 for every mile driven and have genuinely enjoyed every one of them so even if she rolls over and dies tomorrow, I'll be a (relatively) satisfied guy.
I've lent my A4 to a relative this week so I've used the TT for a busy working week. To and from meetings and the daily commute have meant quite a few extra miles on the clock and a fair bit of motorway driving. Again, all very smooth with precious little to report other than the aircon that clearly needs regassing and the side light bulbs that appear to have both gone.
D-Day (the first Service and MOT under my ownership) approaches a week on Monday (my recovery day post arriving back from Le Mans!) so I'm bracing myself for a few unexpected surprises over and above the obvious aircon and bulbs issues. 'Better to plan for the worse and hope for the best' continues to be my approach and ultimate safeguard against mechanical disappointment. It's a working strategy thus far! The good news is VAGcom continues to report a clean bill of health so fingers crossed.
Only other point to add, I found a bit of time to give the cockpit and external trim some much needed TLC. Cockpit shine spray and a bloody good wipe over have really made a difference to what looked like tired internal trim. Tyre shine, new wipers, a bit of Back to Black and some chrome polish have also done wonders for the externals and engine covers/trim. Okay so it means b@gger all in the long run but it was great seeing a notable improvement on the cosmetics with very little effort at all.
Right, my new found shiny exhaunst and I will leave you to it... Cheers!
Edited by safehandsgk1 on Thursday 13th June 13:53
Edited by safehandsgk1 on Thursday 13th June 13:53
TT fails it's first MOT under my charge. The good news is that it's nothing serious. Just a couple of front bulbs, a couple of rear tyres and two rear brake discs. Everything else sounds spot on. Just waiting for parts cost confirmation before pick up tomorrow. Pretty sure that was the best case scenario I was hoping for so all in all I'm pretty chuffed.
I'm just back from Le Mans (my first time at the 24 Heurs) where I was surprised to see a healthy smattering of 1.8 TT's Brit cars of the same age nipping around town. Having spent the weekend driving the PH Mini Clubman there and back I'm confident the TT has got it in her, especially given this latest reason to be chipper. I've made Le Mans 2014 my next target for her... unless some kind soul finds it in them to honour their promise regarding a certain Camaro SS...!!?!
Back tomorrow with news of exact costs and - hopefully - no unexpected discoveries in the service bay between now and then.
I'm just back from Le Mans (my first time at the 24 Heurs) where I was surprised to see a healthy smattering of 1.8 TT's Brit cars of the same age nipping around town. Having spent the weekend driving the PH Mini Clubman there and back I'm confident the TT has got it in her, especially given this latest reason to be chipper. I've made Le Mans 2014 my next target for her... unless some kind soul finds it in them to honour their promise regarding a certain Camaro SS...!!?!
Back tomorrow with news of exact costs and - hopefully - no unexpected discoveries in the service bay between now and then.
I'm doing ok out of my local car businesses! As mentioned, the MOT failed as I needed two rear boots, two new rear brake pads, two xenon front side bulbs... plus a full service. The mechanic sorted all the work for £350 including a pair of Firestones. He also gave her a full once over both on ground and up on the ramps including VAGcom diagnostics just to double check my own readings. It's all absolutely fine. A little bit oily under the engine but nothing to worry unduly about. The general feeling is given the age of the engine and high mileage, just keep an eye on the oil levels but - typically - don't expect levels to diminish more than usual.
Nice to finally have side lights working again!
Apparently the rear brakes were getting dangerous. Even without running the new ones in the difference is massive. Obviously the tyres will also be helping. OK so they are not exactly Pirellis but they'll no doubt fair better than low budget ditch finders.
I took it for a quick blast right after collection and engine performance is certainly improved. Looking good for LM'14!!
Nice to finally have side lights working again!
Apparently the rear brakes were getting dangerous. Even without running the new ones in the difference is massive. Obviously the tyres will also be helping. OK so they are not exactly Pirellis but they'll no doubt fair better than low budget ditch finders.
I took it for a quick blast right after collection and engine performance is certainly improved. Looking good for LM'14!!
So, I'm now flinging her around corners (courtesy of my grippy new tyres), stopping on a six-pence (courtesy of new brakes) and enjoying the new lease of life the thorough service has given the now 180k TT. I'm still grinning with every single mile added whlst desperately trying to avoid complacency!
I've just confirmed our place at the PH/Vauxhall Sunday Service which should raise a chuckle or two as she snuggles in next to the PH performance auto glitterati. Still - assuming she makes it there in once piece - if anyone fancies wandering over and helping me listening for tell tale signs of impending mechanical doom, you'll be more then welcome!
I've just confirmed our place at the PH/Vauxhall Sunday Service which should raise a chuckle or two as she snuggles in next to the PH performance auto glitterati. Still - assuming she makes it there in once piece - if anyone fancies wandering over and helping me listening for tell tale signs of impending mechanical doom, you'll be more then welcome!
Edited by MulsanneKinky on Wednesday 3rd July 17:12
Dr G said:
Revving the engine before turning it off? Hmmm, strange. No need to do this.
It's a rotary thing, certainly no need on 'normal' piston engine car.Basically the fuel injectors are cut when you turn off the ignition but the oil injectors are mechanical and keep lubricating as the engine spins down. This has the effect of removing excess petrol from the housing and coating stuff in oil. Supposedly warding off the evil spirits of water seal failure which is a common cause of premature death with the mazda rotaries.
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