Going down the Audi TT road...what to expect?

Now that I finally have a "real job" and tax time is closing in, I am finally having the moment of "GOD DAMMIT I'M TIRED OF DRIVING CHEAP 20 YEAR OLD CARS AND ALL THEIR PROBLEMS!" I started with a shortlist that included E46, R53, 9-3SS, and a few other more practical choices...but I've always wanted an Audi TT. My prior experiences with the VAG have been horrendous, but I've yet to own a post-five cylinder Audi, and the TT (to me at least) is one of the most beautiful cars ever put into production that I could actually afford. Also, as a single 23 year old living in Wisconsin, I don't really need four doors and the AWD is nice even if it's some fake-ass Haldex crap. And get this; out of everything I've looked at, including the Saab 9-3SS, insurance on the TT is cheapest...totally blew me away. If you guys knew what I've gone through keeping my current DD 9000 on the road, you'd know that I'm not afraid of any damn Audi...

Anyways, what should I know before jumping? I'm pretty partial to the 225/6spd combo, but could be convinced to go for a 180/5spd if the value was there. I'm aware that these are very timing belt sensitive as well. Anything else?

No direct TT experience, but it's VAG. (shiver)

My only advice, research the leaking brake reservoir causing fires recall and make sure any you are looking at are fixed or not involved in it.

a close friend of mine had his burn to the ground on him

My wife had a 2000. It was simultaneously the best and worst car we have ever owned. We loved driving it and loved looking at it. It had random unrepeatable electrical issues. Sometimes the windows would go down all the way. Sometimes half way. Sometimes not at all. Once down it was always a crap shoot if they would go up. All of this happened sporadically and there were plenty of times my wife would come in cursing like a sailor at the window only to have me walk outside and have it work perfectly. It would also sometimes lock and refuse to unlock from the inside, but usually only from one side, never knew which. The inside door handles are electronic so pulling on them activates an actuator, usually. When it doesn't then you have to roll down the windows to get out of the car, and I've already mentioned the windows.
The TT has a pretty cool composite undertray that is made of glass and is attached with approximately 200 fasteners and must be removed to do an oil change. I could say a lot more about the undertray but I'll let you use your imagination about how bad it can be. It's slightly worse than that.
What finally did us in was the increasingly fragile plastic that made up most of the car. Lots of pieces of the TT are held together with quite clever clips and tabs and such. After a certain point, attempting to undo any of these will result in them breaking. Then its time to try glue and zip ties and other sorts of creative engineering in order to not have to order things like $400 headlight buckets.
I'm glad we owned the TT, but I'd never buy another one. Remember of course that ours was an early 2000 car from early in the production run and the word on street is that they get better as they go along.

Curmudgeon wrote: No direct TT experience, but it's VAG. (shiver)

This. I still shiver at the thought of my b5 A4. POS german electricals (coils on the 1.8t, argh...)

They look great, and my wife really wants one, but I have no love for VAG's of that period.

In my head, they would look awesome with 930 style rear flares and fat tires, even though they don't need them.

Oh, and get the baseball glove seats.

That's all I know about them.

I would guess you should expect to sit and stare at it's beautifulness while it siphons money out of your bank account.

Don't like VAG. Parts are monstrously expensive and many are dealer-only. First thing that will fail is the secondary air injection hose. Its made out of corrugated plastic. Its like split wire loom without the loom. I snaps on both ends with a proprietary o-ring seal that can't be replaced with a piece of 1/2" hose and a clamp. It will cost you $181.90. At this point (after you cough up the coin to order one) you'll realize that your air pump's mounting studs are completely toast and you need some of them. If you're lucky, you won't break the plastic connectors getting the old hose off. If you do, plan on a $310 air pump.

Control arm bushings and ball joints are another common failure. They are cast into the control arms. You have to buy the arms. There are multiple control arms. Not cheap. ABS modules like to take a very expensive dump. New ones are $1800, or you can have yours rebuilt by one of several shady companies for about $360, but don't expect a warranty.

The PCV canister under the intake is a common clog point. Its not too expensive, but it requires removing the intake to get to it. I tried it several times without removing the intake but my hands are WAY too big.

CV axles changed weekly during production, and you can try a few hundred different ones before you get it right. The axle bolts are those special 10-point torx-y things that stripped when they were installed at the factory. At the shop, I gave up on trying to get VW or Audi CV axles from the parts stores. I just called a rebuilder. It took an extra two days but I at least knew it was the right axle.

If it has an 018 or 01A transmission you can count on it being disposable. When it fails (and it will) you can count on it costing about as much to rebuild as it would be to just buy one from the dealer. Plus, they are filled with disposable parts, they are incredibly complex to build right the first time, and they are generally considered by builders to be one of the worst transmissions ever built.

If the car has a sunroof, be prepared to clean out the sunroof drains monthly. They get clogged up, the car fills with water, and destroys the TCM which is under the carpet on the passenger floor. When it destroys the TCM it usually destroys the tranny as well.

I could go on for hours, but those are the "high" points. If I were given a free TT, I would probably sell it for whatever I could get and buy an E46

Lulz at tired of old car problems, yet looking at a used Audi.

They seem to have less sludge issues compared to the A4 of the same vintage. The hoses and oil lines are routed differently since the TT is transverse motored. Buy the best one you can afford, but remember you're driving an exotic luxury car made on the other side of the planet.

Not much love here but its just a complex Golf. Take that for what you will.

It does not share the b5 front suspension as losted above. Its relatively cheap and easy to deal with.

Not sure what trans an 018 is but the 01a is an auto and avoided like most other vag autos. The o2j and 02m are generally good manual trannies as long ad they are not abused. The dogs on the gears are really small and can chew the hubslider if shifted too hard/ground amd you can get locked out of gear. 02m also breaks shift forks and has leaky slave cyls quite a bit.

I'd recommend an e46 as a recent convert. I have seen no downside vs vag other then you can hang out with better dressed shiny happy people :p

Man, there is some HATRED for these cars on GRM! Almost as much as the SN95!

SlickDizzy wrote: Man, there is some HATRED for these cars on GRM! Almost as much as the SN95!

I'd sooner have an SN95. Or walk since the VAG would be broken anyway.

I know someone who has used a TT 225 for a DD for years, I don't see him that often but I have not heard that it was that unreliable, I think most of the problems are related to it having a 1.8t engine that most of the rest of it. It is much more like a new beetle, golf or jetta than any other audis. The one time I rode in it I liked it, it seems like a decent car. The paint and interior have not held up well though, thats the one not so good thing I noticed about it.

Wow, it looks like you have your answer Slick! I figured these things were turds since they're complex Audis, but I had no idea they were this bad!

bizzare electrical issues.

This thread reinforces my rule to only buy old 5 cylinder quattro audis

In reply to porschenut:

Yeah I'm scared to go back to an audi wagon for a daily, I loved the car the way it drove and interior and etc, I just hated how often it failed and how complex it was.

I think I'm gonna look out for a BMW wagon next time.

There is nothing terrible about a TT. I really like them, and they are basically MK4 Golf GTI with a lower roof line. Very simple to maintain, nothing particularly scary about them. If you can live with a Saab, an Audi will treat you well. (That said, I have a 5 Cylinder Audi...)

I've been looking for a VR6 Quattro with a stick for a little while, but the prices are through the roof. Budget up to 16K for a good one with low miles.

I can tell you from first hand experience, the electric pop-up spoiler on the refreshed ones will break fingers of those stupid enough to put their fingers under it.....Also notice, they were pushing it......

One reason I am looking at these is because one of my best friends is a well-known local VAG indie mechanic and he totally hooks me up when I bring him something, so if I reach that "don't wanna deal with it" point I have an easy out. I have heard about the SAI issues but it seems like the aftermarket has solved that. They really are just a VW A4 with Haldex, it just escapes me how they can be THAT bad. I guess I will just have to drive one and see how much I fall in love with it. R53, E46 and 9-3SS are still on the list but none of them appeal to me like the TT.

I think you should go for it, how bad can it be?

EvanB wrote: I think you should go for it, how bad can it be?

A Peugeot owner saying that to a guy who loves Peugeots, hah, that is pretty much my thought!

It seems like every third car I own is a parts devouring nightmare, be it a Saab, BMW, Ford, Subaru, whatever. And most of these were sub-$2k beaters. I figure if I'm going to go through the trouble, it might as well be for a car that's drop dead gorgeous.

OH, I love the cars and can foresee maybe buying one one day. I do however expect all the things mentioned in this thread to happen to it.