The Mk1 Audi TT Enthusiast Guide

Door Microswitch Info

2011-03-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

If your door microswitch is broken (i.e. your car doesn't recognize your door being open) there's some good info to supplement my previous post on the topic here:

link

Interested in a Boxster?

2010-12-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

These days, the 986 Porsche Boxster can be had for around the price a nice TT would go for. That said, if you're looking for a sportier alternative to the TT, definitely check out a Boxster. Also make sure to check out my work-in-progress Boxster guide:

http://boxsterguide.blogspot.com/

225 Quattro Downpipe for $190

2010-09-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Looks like there are now Chinese made 225 Quattro downpipes:
Ebay link

I'm sure this link will expire but if you search "Audi TT downpipe" you'll find it.

The 42 Draft Designs downpipes by comparison cost $575 and are made of aluminized steel as opposed to stainless. Of course, the 42DD is made in the US and is backed by a reputable US company...but for how cheap the Chinese piece is, I'd give it a shot.

Ultimate control arm upgrade - spherical bearings

2010-07-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who demand the utmost steering response, for whom DEFCON bushings fall short, there's the H2Sport spherical bearing kit:
LINK

for ~$350.

Instead of using rubber bushings, the kit uses solid bearings, eliminating any unwanted play in the front control arms. This improves handling, though it also increases noise/vibration/harshness transmitted through the steering wheel since there is no longer any isolating rubber in there but instead just a solid bearing.

I don't have any experience with them but from what I hear they perform even better than DEFCON adapters and Mk1 bushings, although the DEFCON setup is considerably cheaper (~$160, see my post).

For those that demand the best performance though, the spherical bearings look like a good choice.

Bad Cluster LCD?

2010-04-27T20:53:00.001-07:00

Looks like there's a DIY repair option now for those handy with a soldering iron. This place on eBay sells replacement LCD's:
$120 Replacement LCD

I have no idea how hard it is to solder that ribbon cable...I don't think you'd use a typical soldering iron, more likely some hot pad that solders each contact at once.

Audi TT gated shifter console!

2010-02-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

One of these finally exists, have to order it from Germany for ~130 Euros = ~$180
5-speed version
6-speed version

Complete list of Audi turbocharger part numbers

2010-01-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

Ran accross this today, good for identifying where a turbo came from:

Link

11lb Lightweight Battery for $65

2009-10-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

My battery died recently and took with it my desire to replace it with another clunky, 30lb hunk of battery. So I looked into options for a lightweight battery.

An extremely popular choice is the Deka ETX14. This is the EXACT same 11.5lb battery that Braille sells for $150. At 11.5lbs, it's at least a 10lb savings off any OEM equivalent battery. More important to me though is the size...the thing is TINY! Frees up a whole lot of space in the engine bay. To give you an idea, here's the thing next to a juice box:

Better yet, it can be had for ~$65, which is about the same or less than OEM equivalent batteries. Search around and see what kind of price you can find, but this is where I got mine:
Big Crank ETX14

A lot of places, such as the one above will rebadge this battery with their own name or something but they are all the Deka ETX14.

You'll also need terminals to make the battery work with your battery cables...these are available from Summit Racing:
Summit Racing Battery Terminals

Then, if you want to replace the ugly, clunky, stock mount you can order a fancy aluminum mount from Braille or MMP:

MMP Battery Mount

Braille Battery Mount

DEFCONs: Full Review + Cost Info

2009-09-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

If you don't know what DEFCONs are, read up on MCPi/Vortex/AudiWorld/wherever first.

Anyhow a while back I noticed my tires were worn HORRIBLY unevenly, totally bald on the very inside. How? I had an alignment only a few months before! After asking online, someone on Vortex said that worn control arm bushings could cause such wear. I had definitely noticed my control arm bushings wearing out rapidly after lowering my car.

So I decided to upgrade while I was at it.

COMPONENTS:

Originally, before I purchased the DEFCONs, I had intended to just replace my worn bushings with new OEM bushings to save money. I remembered MJM Autohaus had a really good deal on the bushings...site said they fit all Mk4 cars and the TT...sweet! Got all four bushings for $45.

I received them and noticed something...the front ones were very small. Having seen a DEFCON setup in person before I had a sneaking suspicion that a call to my dealership verified...these were pre-recall style front bushings! The rear bushings never changed fitment so I could still use them. I called MJM and they said they don't carry any other version of the bushing...I informed them of the fitment issue with recalled TT's and that they might want to revise their website to reflect that...notice their website no longer says the bushings fit TT's...that's my doing ;)

Here's the link: https://www.mjmautohaus.com/catalog/product_info.php?info=Meyle_8N0407181B.4_Control_Arm_Bushings_4-PC_TT_R32&products_id=869

These aren't OEM manufactured bushings...they are OEM equivalent knockoffs. But you know what? For a piece of rubber, I could really care less when I can get all FOUR for the price a dealer wants for ONE.

So obviously this is what lead me to purchase the DEFCONs for $125 shipped. Buying OEM front bushings would have cost almost as much as a set of DEFCONs.

INSTALL:

I pulled the control arms off myself (easy, get a big breaker bar) and cruised over to a local tire shop to have the DEFCONs and bushings pressed in. Came out to $46 for the installation. Put them back in myself and got a front end alignment for $45.

IMPRESSIONS:

I took a cruise around a few back roads - and was disappointed. The steering felt better...but not that much better. I didn't understand what everyone was raving about. Going medium speed the turn-in still wasn't that impressive.

Then I hopped on the highway.

WHOAH!

I can see why Audi undid the control arms from this design. The car responds so well that I can easily see how some dumb bloke would send himself into a wall with an excessive, jerky steering input.

Overall the car is SO much more responsive and controlled at high speed. The steering even FEEDS BACK somewhat. The car's steering is far more accurate at the limit through a high speed turn; you feel much more in control. Amazing!

PRICING:

If you haven't been keeping tabs:
DEFCONs: $125 shipped from Modshack
BUSHINGS: $45 shipped from MJM Autohaus
BOLTS: Just reused the originals and put some Loctite blue on them.
INSTALL: $45 to press the DEFCONs + bushings in at the local tire shop.
ALIGNMENT: $45 at the local tire shop.

=$260

Had I just bought OEM bushings from the dealer, the bushings alone would have cost me $160. Even on online they would have still cost ~$120. A DEFCON setup using the MJM bushings is only marginally more expensive and is a worthwhile upgrade if you're into high speed cornering.

CONCLUSION:
If you track your TT or enjoy taking it around turns at high speed in some form or another, these are great. I couldn't find a cheap OEM/OEM equivalent rubber bushing kit ANYWHERE online for less than the dealer's insane price ($40 for a piece of rubber. Come on AoA...seriously) which makes the DEFCONs + MJM bushings an excellent buy if your bushings need replaced.

NOTE:
It's interesting to note that the Mk4 arms use the pre-recall fitment of bushings (OEM Mk4 bushings are softer though, hence pre-recall TT bushings are a popular upgrade). This makes for an interesting possibility...if you swapped Mk4 control arms (with the pre-recall TT bushings in them), Mk4 ball joints and bought a set of H2Sport spindles (see post about handling below) you could make a TT that handles extremely well...using Mk4 parts.

Doing a timing belt job? Choose your parts carefully...

2009-07-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

So towards the end of last year I purchased a complete timing belt/water pump kit for $280. I got everything I needed, including coolant, I was set! Had the stuff professionally installed, finally had peace of mind over my timing belt.

Recently, about 8 months and 18,000 miles later I start getting an intermittent obnoxious rattle from under the timing cover that only occured between ~1000 and 2000 RPM. After doing research, I realized the kit I bought has had numerous cases of the tensioner (specifically, the tension dampener - what actually creates the tension on the belt) wearing prematurely and making the horrible rattling noise I was hearing.

The reason is the tensioner parts are not made by the same people as the OEM VW/Audi ones - they are made by NTN in Japan. OEM ones are German made.

I started taking the car apart and sure enough I could push the tension roller around with minimal force - the tension dampener was obviously bad. This is the part I'm talking about:

So I started the process of removing the tension dampener. Meanwhile I called up the place I bought the kit from. Although it had been almost a year since I bought it, the customer service rep immediately offered to ship a new tension dampener to me.

So now I have a new one on the way.

My main point is it's not just one kit that carries the NTN tensioner parts...MANY places sell the same Japanes NTN parts as part of timing belt kits. Dieselgeek, ECS Tuning, basically any timing belt kit that costs ~$250 will consist of Japanese NTN tensioner parts and not the OEM German parts.

The OEM parts literally costs almost twice as much. ECS now sells a completely OEM kit and guess what, it's $550:
ECS Genuine Ultimate Timing Belt Kit

Their cheaper kit uses NTN parts as stated in the description:
ECS Ultimate Timing Belt Kit

Notice Dieselgeek's kit uses the same NTN parts as well:
Dieselgeek Timing Belt Kit

That said, not all these tensioners go bad so fast, obviously. A lot of people have had no issues with the NTN parts, however it might be a good idea to fork out the $130 for the genuine VW/Audi tensioning dampener if you're not comfortable with possibly having to replace the tensioner yourself or pay to have it replaced early. My OEM tensioner lasted 92,000 miles.

So choose what you buy carefully.

TT Suspension Geometry Analysis: How Bad is Lowering for Handling?

2009-06-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

I've always known that lowering cars past a point starts to impact handling...yes, for those of you unfamiliar with this logic, it seems counter intuitive. Lower car = lower center of gravity = better handling, right?

Problem is most cars' suspension geometry is not designed to sit low, hence when you lower a car, it can introduce things like bump steer or it can throw off static and dynamic camber.

Recently, I decided to look into the relationship between lowering and handling specifically in the case of the TT. I discovered this thread:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1363022

I must commend pyce on all the work he did to make those simulations...absolutely brilliant.

While it mostly deals with Mk4 VWs, the TT's front suspension is identical to a Mk4's, except for one critical component: the spindles (and matching control arms and ball joints to accommodate them)...more on that later.

Note: In that thread, "A4" refers to the Volkswagen A4 chassis which the Mk4 Golf/Jetta and also the Audi TT are built off of. It does not refer to the Audi A4 sedan.

The whole thread is a good read if you understand basic suspension concepts...I'll summarize my findings from that thread here.

First off, what's on everyone's mind: how can lowering hurt a car's handling? The TT uses a MacPherson strut design in which as the suspension starts to compress, the camber goes more negative (the top of the wheel tilts towards the inside of the car more). This is what you want for cornering to compensate for the large load being placed on the outer wheels to maintain as great a contact patch as possible. However, past a point, the camber starts to go more positive (bottom of the wheel tilts inwards towards the car), which is the opposite of what you want.

Lowering a car can often put its suspension geometry at the point where the camber is already more negative and as the car turns and the suspension compresses, the camber on the outer wheels goes more positive, which is opposite of what's desirable.

So just how much does lowering affect camber? Here's a graph based on a simulation pyce ran in the thread above:

(the graph is VERY close to true values...my car is lowered right around 2" (50mm) and its static camber is 1.3 deg)

Now you can see why anyone driving a lowered Mk4 VW is liable to complain about the handling. The stock Mk4 spindles lowered anywhere over about a half inch are in the region where suspension travel causes camber to become more positive...and very rapidly! At just over 3" of travel the suspension is back to zero camber.

The TT, due to its different spindle design, has a far better camber curve. TT suspension can travel about 2" before the camber starts to become more positive and even then it doesn't go anywhere near as positive as Mk4 suspension. Notice how within an inch of travel (from 55mm to 80mm), it only goes about .1 degrees more positive.

The third spindle is the H2Sport spindle for Mk4s. It has an even more optimized design, as you can see in the camber curve. The key to the TT's highly improved camber curve over the Mk4 is in the placement of the ball joint on the spindle:

giving it far better camber characteristics.

The above graph however is with the wheels pointing straight, which is obviously not going to be the case going around a turn. When you turn the wheels, the camber changes, thanks to the ~8 degrees of caster built into the system. Here's a graph of what happens with the camber at various steering angles:

As you can see, when the wheels are turned the camber goes even more negative with the TT...meanwhile the Mk4 is still sucking at life and at one point actually sees positive camber.

So now, the bottom line...how much worse are the camber characteristics of a lowered TT versus stock ride height, taking steering and now body roll into account?

Here's the graph:

As you can see, surprisingly the 60mm lowered TT actually has more negative camber (!!!) than stock ride height up to 4 degrees of body roll. As mentioned before, this is generally desirable in a turn. Past 4 degrees of body roll, the OEM ride height starts to have an advantage that at most (at 6 degrees body roll) is a half degree of camber.

So it looks like lowering doesn't impact the camber characteristics too badly. However, one thing that does change is the roll center. I won't go into detail with roll centers, but shifting the roll center can actually increase your car's tendency towards body roll. The roll center is positioned ideally right around stock ride height. The rule of thumb is that the roll center is optimized when the control arms are at or close to parallel with the ground. This is something to consider.

So what do I think?
From what the study shows, it is possible to have a reasonably low TT and not have it handle like crap. A lowered TT still maintains good dynamic camber characteristics, as shown in the graphs. At lesser degrees of body roll, the lowered TT's camber is actually more desirable than a TT at factory ride height.

As far as the roll center is concerned, while it tends to make the car more prone to body roll, there's all kinds of things you can do to inhibit body roll anyway:

-By lowering your car, you lower the center of gravity, which decreases the car's tendency to roll.
-Most coilover kits have stiffer springs than stock to help with body roll. Many of the springs are also progressive rate, meaning their spring rate gets higher (stiffer) the more they compress.
-Swaybars, the rear bar being an ever popular TT mod, also work to inhibit body roll.
-Tires can reduce body roll. Tires act like springs - when you apply a given force to them they give way somewhat based on how stiff the sidewall is and how large it is...just like the spring rate and length of a spring. Low profile tires with stiff sidewalls can work wonders in inhibiting body roll. A slight tire stretch can stiffen a sidewall even further. I used to run 19" wheels (which I don't suggest you do, they're too heavy) the fronts being 8.5" wide with a 225 series tire. It cut an amazing amount of body roll off of the stock suspension.

So there you have some brilliant research by pyce and my TT specific conclusions based on it. Hopefully this will shed some light on the TT's suspension to help you all choose your setups.

-Filip

Vmaxx coilovers review

2009-05-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Vmaxx coilovers are the subject of a good bit of debate between TT guys, VW guys and even BMW guys. Basic issue is that they're so cheap, they can't possibly be good no matter what anyone says, right?

Not in my book.

I went ahead and bought a set of Vmaxx to replace my aging stock suspension. Having ridden in/driven numerous cars with aftermarket suspension, I had a pretty good basis for evaluating the performance of my Vmaxx coils.

That said, here are my impressions.

Build quality/fitment/ease of installation:
Build quality seems solid, nothing blatantly cheap about it. Installation was the same as any coilover install, except for one issue; there's no provisions to clip the brake line to the strut. I ended up using zip ties to hold the brake line down and make sure it doesn't rub. No big deal.

They come with a two year warranty on them as well, so frankly, I'm not too concerned about them wearing out early or something like that because I can get replacement parts for the next two years.

Ride height:
Since a lot of other aspects of this review depend on the ride height, figure I'll mention it first. They go plenty low for me, with more room to go. The fronts still have 3/4 - 1" left to go down. The rears are all the way down with perches in. This picture isn't exactly on flat ground but it gives you a rough idea:

(if the pictures are cut off, right click and and click "view image" or "show image")

And one in the grass for better to look supar low! w3rd!

My height is set pretty low but still driveable. I don't subscribe to the "as low as you can go" school of thought. My subframe is close enough to the ground as it is, I'd rather it not be any closer. It doesn't rub at all daily driving either. Sometimes if I hit a bump/incline taking a turn real fast it'll rub up front a tad, but it's minimal. I'm running 8" wide ET35 wheels with 15/20mm spacers front and rear, respectively.

Technically it's too low for optimum handling right now, since the control arms are tilted upwards slightly, throwing off the roll center. When I hit the track this summer, I'll pick it up some, but for now I'll leave it this way for looks.

Ride quality:
The ride is great. It's obviously rougher than stock, but it's not uncomfortable by any means. It has not elicited complaints from any passenger's so far, including females.

I've actuallye ridden in cars that ride far, far worse. My car rides about the same as my buddy's Mk4 GTI on Koni coilovers. It's only rough enough to be slightly annoying when you're on really TERRIBLE roads, but what can you expect from a lowered car? I think the moral is that as long as you don't slam the crap out of them, they will ride fine. Then again what coilovers actually ride nicely when slammed to the ground? I doubt any do...

Handling:
Night and day over stock. Body roll is almost completely gone. What impressed me a lot however was that the car does not lurch forward and back anywhere near as much under braking/acceleration/corner lifting like it did with the stock suspension. This is excellent for braking stability and leaves some margin for error when going too fast into a turn (i.e. you can slow down and not lose the back end). They also don't bump steer or anything like that.

I purchased an accelerometer and managed to pull just over 1 G on a highway on-ramp as well. Take that, domestics ;)

While they could be set a bit stiffer, I think if the setup was any stiffer it would start getting uncomfortable for daily use. Therefore I'm quite happy with how they're set up.

Overall I'm definitely impressed with how they handle.

So for me, Vmaxx is an excellent buy. I think most of the hate either comes from prejudice towards a cheap product or simply bad experiences with slammed cars, which don't ride or handle optimally (especially Mk4s, with their crappy spindle design...but that's another story).

Door sensor fix - DIY

2009-04-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

I wasn't aware of how common this problem was until I experienced it - my door sensor stopped working i.e. the car wouldn't detect that my driver's door was open. This meant my window wouldn't do the slight roll down when I opened the door, the dome light wouldn't come on when I opened the door and most importantly the car wouldn't "bong" at me when I left my lights on...which lead to several instances of a dead battery.

Upon investigating it turns out this is a fairly common problem. There was some info I found in the AudiWorld FAQ but now it's FUBAR'd and I can't find it.

Here's how I went about fixing mine:

1. First I removed the door panel...probably the easiest thing to do on the whole car.

You have to first twist off the round metal cap at the base of the door handle (the thing that caps the metal cylinder where the window switches are). I believe you turn it counter clockwise. Once you have that off, there will be a lone torx screw in there...unscrew it and remove it. Then, grab the handle and lift up on the door card and you should feel it slide off the door.

Once you have access behind it, unhook the cable that attaches to the upper door release handle from the handle. Then, to get the card out of the way, just set it down on your door sill where it would normally sit when the door is closed...now it's conveniently out of your way.

2. Next you have to get the door latch assembly out; to do this you need to undo the two bolts on either side of the latch. You should use a 12 point bit to do this, and by "should" I mean "you can get away with using a torx bit carefully." However AutoZone and other parts stores do sell the 12 point bits, so I had a set to use.

Once you have it unbolted you have to disconnect the cable that ties the latch to the door handle. You have to turn the end of the cable the right way to let it slide off the lever that attaches it to the latch assembly. You can see the cable end here:

This was a bit tricky for me.

Next, just disconnect the wiring harness and the latch assembly should be free.

3. Now that you have the latch out, you can pop the sensor out (follow the blue and red wires, undo the clip and pull it out). Most likely you will see that it stopped working due to the rubber cap on the plunger getting worn off - it's no wonder. The design is crappy; you have rubber rubbing directly on another surface, it's BEGGING to wear out.

You can see here how it's worn the surface of the latch as well:

(door closed)

(door open)

In case you haven't figured it out, the worn part slides into contact with the plunger on the switch to close the circuit and let the car know that the door is open.

4. Apparently, there's a switch sold at Radio Shack that people use in place of the OEM switch, but I couldn't find any switch of this style at my local Radio Shack. So I resorted to a switch I had laying around, albeit much larger than the original piece:

So I ended up orienting the switch perpendicular to the OEM orientation to make it fit. I drilled a hole to attach it with a screw on one side and positioned the other side to sit against the body of the latch itself to prevent the switch from moving. Here's a picture of how it turned out:

So how you rig it depends on what switch you get a hold of, but that's how I did it.

5. Make sure you reassemble everything correctly. The paddle looking thing here:

Is what actuates your lock mechanism. Make sure it sits where it's supposed to in the latch assembly. Don't forget to reattach the cable for the handle as well.

Good luck!

Ultimate Timing Belt DIY

2009-03-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you who need your timing belt done, some people have done it themselves. While you can get it done at independent shop (i.e. not a dealer) for $500-$700, you can also do it yourself with ~$250 of parts.

The best DIY I've seen for this is the one by BlueTTop:
http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=1961739&highlight=bluettop

I have yet to see a more thorough and detailed writeup out there. Nice work :)

Suspension install DIY and tips.

2009-03-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: Follow these at your own risk. I'm not responsible for you damaging your car/injuring yourself/harming anything or anyone else. You shouldn't be touching suspension unless you have a good idea what you're doing.

I just got done installing coilovers and figured I'd share some of the things I picked up on while doing it. I went by this DIY for MkIV coilovers...they are almost identical up front (minus the swaybar links) and the rears are very similar to a FWD TT. http://www.nclh.org/car/coilover_howto/

Keep in mind, I have a FWD which is different in the rear...however even the quattro doesn't look that different.

Tip #1: Use air tools.
If you don't have air tools find someone who does. A lot of nuts in the suspension are nylon locknuts and an incredible pain to remove by hand. This way you also won't need special tools to remove nuts from the strut towers.

Tip #2: Make sure you have a spindle spreader tool and proper spring compressor.
You have to pry the front spindles apart to remove the front struts; there is a special tool for this. It's just a little socket tool with an oval shaped bit that's used to pry the spindle apart. It's available on ECSTuning for about $25 if I recall.

Also, if you rent spring compressors from AutoZone ($50 when you rent them, you get the $50 back when you return them) make sure you ask for STRUT SPRING COMPRESSORS. Initially I rented a pair of "spring compressors" and they were not the correct parts. You need "strut compressors" or "strut spring compressors" even though most people and DIYs just call them "spring compressors."

Tip #3: Replace your front strut bushings/bearings.
Not only is this good for refreshing your suspension, it also saves you from needing to take apart your OEM struts to retreive the bushings/bearings.

Tip #4: Use loctite blue.
Suspension components are constantly exposed to vibration and force...you don't want the bolts working themselves loose. Get a tube of loctite blue and put it on all the bolts you install...a lot of the nuts are locknuts but I still used loctite anyway.

Tip #5: Removing the front struts.
The front driver's side comes right out. You can get the control arm plenty low enough to just take the strut right out and put the new one right in.

However the passenger's side, for whatever reason, does not go down anywhere near as low. This makes it a bit of a pain to get the strut out.

At first I tried to compress the spring far enough to get some clearance to remove the strut....I hit the damn thing with four spring compressors and it still wouldn't come out. Point behind using more than two was that compressing several of the coils would give me access to the other coils then I'd compress those with the other pair...but this still wasn't working. I was doing this at a friend's garage and he didn't have a socket to remove the upper strut nut (deep 21mm)...so I couldn't get the bushing out. If I could have gotten the bushing out I MAY have had enough clearance to remove it.

There is BARELY ANY clearance to even get spring compressors in there...even the spring coils themselves are hard to get the spring compressors onto. Here's what I'm talking about:

What I ended up doing was disonnecting the tie rod from the spindle and removing the ball joints. This allowed me to move the spindle enough to get the strut out. Here's a pic of it removed...notice how I had four spring compressors on it by this point:

I'm not sure if spring compressors would have been necessary to remove it this way, I'm going to guess that they wouldn't have.

Make sure you put the ball joints back where they were or at least both in the same position. They are usually the whole way to the inside of the control arm. They should pretty much sit themselves in this position when you go to reassemble anyway. If you move them it adjusts your camber.

The part of the tie rod end that bolts into the spindle doesn't have any adjustment, so you shouldn't throw off your toe just by removing it. You'll need an alignment for the rears anyhow if you're quattro so you might as well get an alignement for good measure.

Tip #6: Removing rear springs.
Since my car is FWD, its rear suspension is a torsion beam setup. The torsion beam is pretty robust, however the quattro fully independent suspension might not be so robust.

That said the way I removed the rear springs on my FWD involved two people. I jacked up one corner, put it on stands and removed the wheel (obviously) then had my buddy stand on the rear brake caliper while I snatched the rear spring out. Again this might not be a good idea with rear control arms in the quattro (or in general) but it worked for me. Worst comes to worst you would just use a spring compressor to compress the spring and then remove it. However using my method you can have the spring out in notime.

Tip #7: Removing rear shock mounts.
You'll notice if you just try and unscrew the shock mount off the shock the shock will just spin. Have a vice grip or a pair of channel locks and a rag (to not damage the old/new one) ready to clamp down the shock so you can remove the nut that holds the mount.

How to look up part numbers and get OEM parts cheap

2009-03-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Dealers use a fancy catalog program called "ETKA" to pick out and order parts...ETKA looks something like this:

It provides one with an exploded drawing and a list of part numbers that correspond to the parts pictured...very useful. But what if you need something from the dealer, but don't want to go to the dealer and get ripped off on it...or you just need to look up what a certain part is by its part number? Let's assume you can't get a hold of a copy of ETKA.

Fortunately, there's a free website that is pretty much just like ETKA, except the drawings are a bit lower quality: www.vagcat.com

To view drawings you will, however, need to login. I've registered an account that all of you may use:

USERNAME: filipsresource
PASSWORD: auditt

With this you can view drawings and pick out the parts you need.

When you're ready to order parts, go to genuinevwaudiparts.com. Apparently, these guys order parts through a dealer (Miramar VW/Audi, going by how their email is genuine@miramarvwaudi.com and their stuff ships from California) but sell it to you for less than a dealer would. I've ordered parts through them before and have been happy with my purchases.

How to replace your brakes with Porsche Boxster (986) brakes

2009-02-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

The 986 generation Boxster S uses a sweet set of four piston Brembos, meanwhile TTs are stuck with single piston VAG parts bin calipers. How lame is that?

Fortunately, Boxster front brakes swap very easily onto our cars. They use the same rotors, and you can keep the same brake lines. You can get a set of Boxster calipers on eBay for ~$400 or so. If their paint is in lousy condition, send them my way! I'll powdercoat them in the color of your choice.

Here's l88m22vette's thread on how he did his upgrade:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4060463&page=1

Here's his parts list:
arts/price list:
* Mk1 Porsche Boxster (986) front calipers - $415
-- Porsche parts numbers 986.351.421, 986.351.422
-- Brembo 1pc 4-piston aluminum calipers, as opposed to the stock steel 2pc 2-piston calipers. I got them from German Auto Parts Distributors, an awesome source - 706-865-5200. Ask for Joe. I received the calipers in great condition.
* 986 replacement hardlines and bleeder valves - $180. Pelicanparts.com
* Pure Motorsports 986 carriers (with carrier to caliper bolts) - $175
* Hawk HPS pads (or whichever you like)
--- Boxster front pad #: HB289F.610 - $95
--- Audi 225TT rear pad #: HB364F.587 - $50
* SS front/rear brake lines (with spring clips) - $150, ECS
* Boxster caliper-specific banjo bolts (different thread pitch than VAG) - $25, ECS
* New plain, vented replacement rotors for 225 - $160, MJM Autohaus
* Brake fluid - Motul RBF600, $45...I was going to use ATE Superblue, but that will eat up seals.

Want to find out how much a set of wheels weigh?

2009-02-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

Check this place out:
http://www.wheelweights.net/

Lots of weights of different aftermarket wheels.

One year and counting!

2009-02-09T21:16:00.001-08:00

The resource has been up for just over a year now, some may have noticed the first post was in January of last year.

To date, it has had just over 30,000 views. In the beginning, the average was about 4-5 views a day. These days, most of the time it receives about 150 views a day, sometimes as high as 250.

The site could have never been even remotely popular without the TT enthusiast community reading up and spreading the word. Many thanks to all of you and I look forward to spreading much more knowledge to the Mk1 community.

P.S. some of you may have noticed that I cut the formatting down to five posts per page. This is to make the site a bit more manageable for 56k and even broadband users. Due to the large number of pics on a single page, one would have to wait for them all to load or suffer through jumpy browsing as the pictures came up. With five posts per page, this issue is eliminated, and the page can be accessed from phones etc more easily.

FAQ: Coolant...what to use, where to get.

2009-02-09T21:11:00.001-08:00

Many wonder (I wondered myself) where to get coolant for the TT.

The TT only takes G12 which is a proprietary VW coolant. Therefore you won't find it in your auto parts stores, you have to go a VW or Audi dealer. It's about $25 for 1 gallon of concentrate, which gets cut 50/50 and makes two gallons, way more than enough to fill the system.

If you're replacing the coolant I HIGHLY suggest you do a flush. My heatercore had all kinds of gunked up coolant in it; after I cleaned it out, my car's heater warmed up amazingly quickly compared to before.

How to set the clock.

2009-02-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

Common issue...with a simple solution.

Pull the little silver stalk right next to the clock display on the cluster. Turn it left or right to adjust the hours...pull it out again to move to the minutes...pull it out again to adjust parts of the date. And voila, your clock is set.

HID Upgrade/Cheap Replacement DIY

2009-02-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

A fellow TTer I know started having issues with one of the ballasts/bulbs on his car recently and instead of trying to find an OEM replacement he decided to replace the entire ballast/bulb combo with aftermarket 55W units. This all cost <$100...which is probably less than you could get a used ballast for. While I'm leary of stuff off eBay, this is such a cheap alternative I think it's worth a shot for anyone who's having issues with the HIDs (which seem to be common).

Here's Joe's writeup:
http://audiforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124571

Now Sponsoring AudiFreaks

2009-01-23T00:24:00.001-08:00

I'm now offering powdercoating through AudiFreaks.com...check out my gallery etc. And sign up for the forum while you're at it, you'll notice I'm on there all the time answering people's TT questions and what not :)

email filip07@gmail.com for quotes etc.

TT Engine Info

2009-01-19T12:33:00.000-08:00

There are four different 1.8T motors that were used in the TT, by engine code they are:
In the 180 - ATC, AWP
In the 225 - AMU, BEA

Here's some facts pertaining to high performance applications of these engines:

All 1.8T TTs have a forged crank and pistons.

Yes, all TTs, right down to the FWD have forged internals (minus the rods). The stock crank has yet to break from a high HP applicatoin, same with the pistons; they are made by Mahle and have withstood over 700 bhp. The part prone to failure is the rods, which is discussed below.

Rods in 1.8T TTs vary in size, but some 180 and 225 models have the same rods.

The ATC engine, used in model year 2000 TTs, uses 20mm wrist pin rods, which makes its internals identical (strength wise) to those used in both 225 motors. However, in 2001, Audi started using the AWP motor which does in fact have weaker 19mm rods. The rods shouldn't be trusted for applications above roughly 300 ft-lbs of torque.

The 225 has a "webbed" block...but nobody has broken a 180 block yet anyway.

Audi included some "webbing" around the 225 block to increase its strength. However, at least in the short term, someone has yet to cause the 180 block to fail.

Some TTs have wideband oxygen sensors, some have narrow band.

Early TTs did not use a wideband oxygen sensor and later models did. Not all 225s have wideband; the AMU 225 motor, used until somewhere in 2003, still uses narrowband. The AWP 180 motor, used in TTs since 2001, incorporates wideband. In a nutshell, ATC 180s and AMU 225s don't have wideband, AWP 180s and BEA 225s do have wideband.

Wideband is a highly desirable option for tuning, since it allows the engine to precisely control air fuel ratios to the point where the engine can run without a MAF sensor, given the proper ECU software.

The 180 and 225 have different compression ratios.

The 180hp TT has 9.5:1 compression whereas the 225hp TT has 9.0:1.

225s have bigger injectors

225s have 380cc injectors whereas 180s have 318cc. For almost any big turbo setup, however, injectors will have to be swapped out.

Some TTs have variable valve timing, but it's not for performance.

VVT is used on startup for emissions and makes for ridiculously expensive cam chain tensioners.

There are other differences between the 180 and 225, primarily related to the turbo hardware.

TT Transmissions

2009-01-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

There seems to be some misinformation floating around about what transmissions are used in which model of the TT, so I'll take a moment to set it straight.

180 FWD:
The 180FWD uses the 02J transmission. The 02J is an older and weaker design than the 02M. The 02J from the Audi TT FWD and other drivetrain components (axles, clutch, flywheel) can be swapped directly into a 1.8T MkIV Volkswagen and vice versa. I sold my old 02J to a local guy with a GTI who is now running it.

180 Quattro:
All Quattro cars use the newer 02M transmission. The 02M is a newer design and is generally bulletproof. For a high HP drag car, an 02M is rather desirable as the 02J has a habit of breaking from abuse.

225 Quattro:
The 225 uses the same type of transmission as the 180 Quattro, just with slightly different ratios and a sixth gear added. IT IS NOT a better/stronger transmission than the 180 Quattro's.

It is possible to swap a 6-speed 02M from a Jetta GLI or 337/20th AE GTI into a FWD TT in place of the 02J, however it's not cheap or simple. Apart from the transmission itself, which costs $1000-$1500 used, one must obtain axles, a clutch and miscellaneous pieces which total up to around an extra $1000 (going with used parts, mind you) on top of the cost of the transmission itself.

Here's a chart denoting the ratios for each:

Angel Eyes - DIY

2009-01-06T02:21:00.000-08:00

Angel eyes are without a doubt one of my favorite mods I've done. It's not hard to see why:

They look fantastic on the TT. Almost looks like the car should have come with them.

However if you look around, the only TT specific kit is the HIN Concepts kit...which costs $150. Fortunately, an excellent solution can be had for cheaper....about $35.

I bought a set of these on eBay from that very seller, who was very helpful and shipped them out really quickly. The high beam poriton of the headlight housing is about 100mm ID...so you want the 90mm set that I linked to. This is what the second set I got looked like:

The trickiest part is finding something to mount the lights with. I found a useful piece for this in the most unusual of places...

Go to your closet. Find a hangar that's used to hang pants...the kind that is straight with two clips at the end that are held together with U shaped metal clips. You want these metal clips:

Once you have your headlight apart, use these metal clips to secure the angel eye to the top part of the housing. You may have to bend the clips a little to make them fit tighter, and I'd highly suggest reinforcing the angel eyes with some high strength tape. This is what happens if you don't reinforce them tightly enough and proceed to track your car and later drive with high beams...(the ring vibrated off the mount and onto the high beam bulb):

Wiring is up to you, you could wire them to replace your running lights, or you can wire them to any separate 12V power source. I wired them to an ignition switched lead under my dash and then ran a switch in the cockpit to turn them on and off. I also removed my stock running lights for a cleaner look. I drilled a hole to run the wiring out the back of the headlights:

Since I didn't make this exceptionally clear, feel free to shoot me any questions in an email or Vortex PM. Good luck!

Cracked Bumper?

2009-01-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

Being winter, I know there's a lot of TT owners out there busting their front bumpers on chunks of ice/snow in the road or from running off road to make up for people's dumb mistakes in the snow. Fortunately there are options and upgrades to those with messed up bumpers.

If you cracked just the lower portion, you can cover it up with a Votex front lip. Votex is OEM styling from Audi...which means OEM look, OEM fitment and OEM quality. They make rather clean side skirts and a rear valence too...you can find them on www.genuinevwaudiparts.com. If I recall, the front lip is ~$400. It can also be ordered from the dealership.

Pics of the lip:

No other lip gets the job done better/cheaper that I know of.

Other options include the OEM bumper ($400 from the dealer) the S-Line bumper (somewhere around $1200 from the dealer) or you can splurge on an aftermarket option.

For those of you who want to shave your alien doors, there's a version of the bumper without doors for headlight washers, the part number is 8N0 807 101 AA.

Crisis Management: How to Deal with a TIMING BELT Failure.

2008-12-17T22:58:00.000-08:00

You put it off just a little too long, didn't you?

All too many 1.8T owners have had timing belt failures. Funny thing is, most of the time it's not the belt's fault. The tensioner often comes loose, letting the belt skip teeth.

But anyway, your timing belt just failed, what do you do?

#1. Use AAA to get your car either to a reputable shop you trust or back to your house until you find one. Of course, this is since you have AAA (it's $88 or so a year for a primary person, less for everyone else in the household) or since a person who has AAA (ahem) was riding with you so you can get a free tow. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES tow your car to a dealer.

#2. Realize this is going to cost no less than $2000-$3000 (initially, might recoup cost) to fix. If you can't afford to be out of a car, note that you could buy a Honda Civic or something else to commute around with for this kind of money.

#3. Choose your gameplan. You have several options:

A. Buy a cheap car to get around until you can fix the TT or sell broken down TT and replace with cheap car. You wuss.

B. Replace your whole motor. As ominous as this sounds, it is most likely the best solution. A used motor in perfect working order with around 50,000 miles on it should run about $1,500 on Vortex. I'd probably expect labor to be around $500-700 for someone that charges $50/hr. When removed from the bottom via lift, the motor and trans come out very easily, however it takes a while to wire. Then after you have your new motor in, you can either part out your old motor or sell the whole unit and recoup probably the whole cost of labor. I'd also throw a new timing belt kit on for $250 if I were you ;)

Basically, you'll be replacing your motor but you'll be keeping all your wiring. This may take some adapting to work with sensors etc on your new motor, so make sure you get a wiring harness from the new motor in case you have to solder on different connectors to work with your original wiring.

Of course, there is some risk to this since you have no idea what that motor runs like. However, buying from a reputable seller on Vortex usually won't leave you with a deadbeat motor.

C. Replace the head and pistons. You'll need new pistons ($100 used on Vortex), new piston rings ($50 if I remember), new head studs ($40 if I remember right) and a new head ($1600 brand new at MJM Autohaus) a timing belt kit ($250) and probably other miscellaneous things I can't think of. You could probably find a used head in working order for $400-$800 on Vortex too.

Problem is, for all you know your valves could have snapped off and messed up your cylinder walls or marked them up with metal fragments. Your water pump could have snapped and thrown bits of impeller all through your block and radiator. This is why I didn't go this route. I didn't want to have to deal with recovering anything else that might have gotten messed up in my motor. Also, this involves tearing the motor apart and reassembling the internals, which was not something I wanted to worry about being done incorrectly.

In all fairness this is probably the cheapest route to go but it has its potential complications. However if you're looking for a good excuse to build your motor, you might as well while you have it apart.

Those are your three options...choose your TT's destiny! Good luck.

Common Problems and Common Fixes

2008-12-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

Problem: I did a battery reset, now my temperature in the cluster LCD reads negative numbers.
Solution: Reset again.

Problem: I unplugged my seat and got an airbag light. It won't turn off even with a battery reset.
Solution: Find someone with VAG-COM or go to a dealer.

Problem: I'm low on coolant but I can't find G12 coolant anywhere. Where do I get it? Can I just use something else?
Solution: NO. Use only G12. G12 is available at a VW or Audi dealer for about $25 for 1 gallon concentrate (makes 2 gallons).

Problem: My dome light won't light up when I open the door.
Solution: Push it, punch it or remove it and jiggle it till it works. It has some sort of electrical contact issues that are usually resolved by messing with it in aforementioned manner.

Problem: My automatic windows stopped working/my windows don't do the slight drop/rise whenever I open and shut the door.
Solution: Do a battery reset...this is usually a sure fire fix. Easier thing to try is holding the window switch in the full up or full down position for 30 seconds. This will sometimes fix it. If neither do, most likely your door sensor is shot. See the fix in the AudiWorld FAQ.

Problem: My front parking light(s) don't work.
Solution: The bulbs are available online or at a VW/Audi/Mercedes dealer for $6-$10 and are easily swapped out. Mine kept blowing so i just removed them altogether. I run angel eyes for running lights now.

Problem: My turn signals are acting weird.
Solution: It's either your turn signal stalk or turn signal relay. Both are fairly inexpensive ($50-$100) and not too difficult to swap out.

Problem: My glovebox is stuck shut.
Solution: DO NOT try to force it open. You'll break it more. I have a glovebox replacement DIY farther down the page (a new one will be $300+). If you didn't manage to break the latch off or anything, you can remove the side of the dash between the dash and the door to get at hte side of the box. From there, there's a little pin that holds the box shut. You can push this pin in yourself and open the glovebox that way. From there, you can cut the pin off or something since usually the box gets stuck from the pin not wanting to retract. The pin on the opposite side should be enough to hold it up.

Problem: My headlight washers don't work.
Solution: They have their own fuse. See fuse diagram. Or, they could be leaking, in which case check the plumbing for them.

Problem: My hatch won't open as easily as it used to.
Solution: Get new hatch struts. They're available on ECS Tuning among other places and not hard to swap.

Update: LED DRLs

2008-12-02T16:21:00.001-08:00

I've abandoned this project, but I'm going to leave the pics up to inspire others:

Behind a stock corner lens...I don't have any spare clear ones:

TTweaker's Guide

2008-11-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

Very useful guide, mostly for diagnostics and troubleshooting etc:
http://www.wikitt.org/wikiTT/images/f/fc/TTweakers-Guide.pdf

Headlight mod tips.

2008-10-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

If you've seen modded TTs chances are you've seen modded headlights. By "modded headlights" I mean people who have removed the side reflector and painted the housing to match the body of the car or just be some different color. Also, many put in clear corners in the process to complete the look.

Here's a side by side shot of what I'm talking about. The closer insert has had the reflector removed, holes filled and has been sprayed to match OEM finish:

That said, European cars don't have side reflectors and S-Line cars have silver housings from the factory. For the rest of us though, there is the headlight mod.

Jeff Bipes has a pretty good outline on how to do this mod:
http://mk1tt.montebellopark.com/headlightinsert.html

Keep in mind to get your headlights out you'll have to remove your bumper, which Jeff also has a writeup for:
http://mk1tt.montebellopark.com/frontfascia.html

I myself have done 6-7 sets of inserts myself. I used to sell people modded inserts and then refund them a core charge when they returned their stockers to me, I did about five sets of those for people. However I'm finished with doing that, so now you guys get to hear about the tricks I've learned:

-When applying bondo, get a blob of it on your fingertip and push it through the holes from the back of the insert. Once you have some coming through the hole, smear it around on the face of the insert until you can't make out the hole anymore.
-Let bondo dry for several hours or overnight. Sometimes it can look dry on the surface but be wet inside and really make a mess of things.
-When sanding bondo, use a sanding block until you get really close to where you want to stop sanding. Sanding block takes out bondo much better than hands.
-Use high build filler primer. This stuff is very hard to make run and also helps eliminate any traces of the holes. I'd suggest the orange stuff as it's easier to see where you haven't painted:

-Don't worry if your holes are kinda noticeable. Once they're behind the lenses, they'll be next to invisible.
-As always with liquid paint, use many light, thin coats to get the job done.
-Have extra patience with metallic colors (silver etc). These take a lot more coats. If you grow impatient, you'll end up making the paint run, which with metallics is very noticeable.
-If you do end up with runny paint, let it dry several hours or overnight then sand it down and go again.
-Have so many spare headlight inserts that you can defile one when you're bored in between waiting for coats to dry:

Misc images:

The orange primer. I think this is a pretty cool color actually, it's about the color of terracotta. This is a spare unmodded light (hence the holes) that I tested it on:

When you're really hustlin' headlights:

Choosing Coilovers: How low which coils go.

2008-10-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

For everyone's reference, I started a thread over on Vortex for people to post up pics and specs of their coilover setups. This way, users looking to buy suspension can see just how effective which models of coilovers are at lowering and also get feedback from people running the setups side by side in one thread.

Certainly lowering is not the only thing to consider when choosing coils, however it seems to be the biggest concern for most people. Other things to keep in mind are how well the coils ride, how well they make the car handle and how adjustable they are to allow you to dial in the exact suspension characteristics you want.

The thread:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4073576

I'm just going to leave a link to let readers track the progress as more people contribute. Enjoy!

On Board Diagnostics via the HVAC Controls

2008-10-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

I mentioned this in passing in an earlier post but I think I should highlight it as its fairly interesting. You can read the output values of various sensors (albeit mostly trivial ones) on the car via the readout on your air conditioning controls:
http://www.audiworld.com/tech/int6.shtml

The most useful one I see is:

51	Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) in deg C

You can check this reading against the reading on your cluster to determine if your cluster is bad or if your car is in fact overheating.

How to open your trunk/hatch with a dead battery.

2008-10-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

As you probably know, your trunk (roadster) or hatch (coupe) is electronically released. I've known for a while that there was a manual release somewhere but I couldn't figure out where. So when the answer came up on Vortex recently, I figured I'd add it to here for everyone's benefit:

-In the roadster, the manual release is located in the small compartment behind the passenger seat.

-In the coupe, the manual release is located under the cupholders. You must remove the rubber pads on the cupholders and unscrew them to access it.

Hope this helps you if you ever need to get into your trunk for the jumper cables!

Where to buy a Euro headlight switch.

2008-09-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

My headlight switch started taking a dump on me so I looked into getting a Euro switch to replace it. So what's the difference between the two, huh?

Only real difference is that the Euro switch allows the use of rear fogs. I thought for the longest time that it enables you to run fogs without low beams (other VW Euro switches do!)...but mine doesn't!

Euro TTs have different tail lights; the Euro lights have amber blinkers and have a rear foglight in place of one of the reverse lights. Picture of sh-tsweak's TT shows the difference well:

As for where to get it and how much....

The Audi part number is 8N1 941 531A and it is about $116 @ TMTuning.com but it's not listed on their site directly. You have to email them for a quote then follow their instructions for ordering. Here's an email sh-tsweak posted up from TMTuning. Again PLEASE email them for a quote first since the price may have gone up for the switch.

How to place a special order for a item not listed on the site::::

Go to the site and add anything to the shopping cart, then when you go to checkout by clicking on the main cart icon and the order window comes up change quantity to "0" and continue with the order and in the comments box put that you would like to order the part and include the description of the part and or any part numbers and prices I quoted you.

If you have any other questions just let me know anytime.

Thanks
Damian

Also have some patience. Mine took 3+ weeks to arrive.

Ever wonder how small your turbo REALLY is?

2008-09-28T10:31:00.001-07:00

This is a K03 sport, used in the 180hp TT:

...and a quarter:

...and an air tool fitting:

This is the turbine....and also why you can't hold full boost to redline:

OEM look R8 style LED running lights are here.

2008-08-23T13:18:00.001-07:00

I've abandoned this project, but I'm leaving the pics up for others to see.

Please don't send me emails asking about how to replicate this because these LEDs proved to not be suited for this purpose, therefore I can't recommend doing what I did.

And at night. Please note that the lights are WHITE. Due to lack of white balance capability at night, they appear bluish in the photos.

By now you're wondering: "wait, so what about turn signals?"

Easy.

I converted the stock foglight projectors into turn signals with a cluster of amber LEDs. I eliminated hyperblink with appropriate resistors.

Now you ask: "so wait, you got rid of the foglights?"

Well yes, in exchange for a set of real, properly positioned foglights:

Here are some concepts I sought to illustrate in my design.

-Every LED points forward. This way, the lights are only intense when viewed up front and from a slight angle. No blinding people next to you. This is how it's done on new Audis.

-The LED lights are almost unnoticeable when off. They reside behind the stock style corner lenses (I use OSIR clear corners) and are barely visible behind them when off. With smoked lenses, I highly doubt they're visible at all when off. This is how it is on new Audis; the lights are not obvious when they're not on.

-The lights are not used as turn signals. Audi does not use them as turn signals, so neither do I.

Pic from above:

-I use clusters of LEDs instead of single LEDs for each dot. This is also how Audi does it...if you look VERY closely at the R8/S5 in person, they are in fact clusters and not single LEDs.

Here's a few more pics:

They can be run in conjunction with angel eyes, although it's a little overkill.

Just angel eyes:

With LEDs:

Here's a video demoing everything. When I drive up, it's just the LEDs on.

I am currently waiting on a quote from a CNC shop for a distribution worthy version of these. Stay tuned.

-FB

Everything you need to know about turbo upgrades and big HP for the TT.

2008-07-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

I would put this post in the FAQ list, but I feel it deserves its own post. It is a goldmine of information for anyone looking to upgrade the engine on their TT even to the most extreme levels.

Topics covered include turbo selection including expected WHP and spool RPM, turbo setup components and upping engine displacement with a stroker setup.

http://www.audiforums.com/m_823224/tm.htm

Props to Nate (cincyTT) for writing it.

ANOTHER Supercar rips on the TT interior.

2008-07-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

The Gumpert Apollo...the most ridiculously named supercar I've run across in a while. However it is $500,000+ and uses many Audi bits...including the RS4 4.2L V8.

The interior rips a few noticeable Audi parts such as the stalks but most notable are the ever present TT vents just like on the Koenigsegg in an earlier post:

Notes: ECU swaps/removal/immobilizers etc

2008-07-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

A lot of the time, people will decide to go with a big turbo after buying stock turbo software. So, in order to recoup the cost of their stock software somewhat, they will put ECUs up for sale.

Unfortunately, swapping ECUs in TTs is a bit of a tricky task, which I personally had a nightmare with. First, you have to make sure the ECUs match and then, you have to fiddle with the immobilizer.

In order to swap an ECU, the ECU to be swapped has to be from a car with the same engine code and transmission and usually has to have the exact same part number. No, a 225 ECU usually won't work on a 180 and vice versa.

To check your ECU code, you can either scan with VAG-COM or pull your ECU out. This, when I did it the first time, was zero fun. The procedure isn't that hard, but Audi made sure to really wedge the ECU in its mount very well. It took an hour of prying to pry the ECU loose. APR has the best instructions; it is step seven in this writeup that is the real pain.
http://www.goapr.com/VW/support/ecu_tt_golf_gti_jetta.pdf

The ECU code, i.e. the ECU part number, is the large series of letters next to the Audi rings above the barcode on the ECU housing. The number should read something like
"8N0-906-018 B" or similar.

A side note: I installed an ECU from the same engine code and transmission but the last letter was different. It installed fine and started my car, but immobilizer disarmed me immediately, so I'm not positive whether an ECU with a different letter at the end will work completely fine or not.

If you have questions about ECU compatibility call APR Tuning and ask for Chris; he helped me through my ordeal. APR's number is 334-502-5181.

So let's say you've found a matching ECU; unfortunately you're not in the clear yet. Most TT models have an immobilizer (apparently, some have no immo), but some from the 2001 model year onward have a more complex immobilizer. 2000 and some 2001 cars usually have Immo II, which means the ECU has a code programmed into it that must match a code programmed into your key in order for the car to run. All cars from 2001 onwards (including some 2001 cars) have Immo III, where the ECU's code must match a code programmed into the cluster and the key.

This leaves you with two options: reprogram your keys and cluster (if necessary) at the dealer for what will likely be hundreds of dollars or purchase an immobilizer defeat code. You can also try and fiddle with stuff yourself using VAG-COM but you need a key code to access the immobilizer data if you have Immo III. These days, only dealers can fetch this, and good luck getting them to do so for you. Immo II looks fairly simple, although I do not have experience doing the procedure.

Immo II swap procedure:
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/immobilizer2.html

Immo III swap procedure:
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/Immo3-ecu-swapping.html

It is NOT POSSIBLE to switch immobilizer chips on ECUs to make them compatible with the cars. I've been there, it doesn't work. End of story.

I personally wouldn't do an immobilizer defeat since it would make the car easier to steal. I like knowing that someone can't take off with my car unless they have a programmed key that matches it. On the other hand, Immobilizer defeats are also useful if you want to install a remote starter. So if you want to, APR charges $150 per ECU for an immobilizer defeat code. Revo also does immobilizer defeats although I'm not sure what their pricing is.

In the end, I really don't think the whole ECU swap idea is worth it if you have Immo III, since it will cost at least $150 more to get the immobilizer erased or possibly several hundred dollars to get keys/cluster reprogrammed. The DIY route with Immo III entirely depends on the dealer's willingness to fetch a code for you too. Immo II seems somewhat feasible.

Forking over several hundred extra and just buying software seems to be the simpler way to go.

Lightening the TT - ways to save weight.

2008-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

The TT is a somewhat heavy car. In my book at least, a sports car should be <3000lbs.

Here's a list of stuff that cincyTT compiled. Remove stuff at your own discretion :)
Counterweight - 35lb
Smallerbattery -20-25lb
Lighter seats - up to 80lbs
Urethane side skirts - 10-15lbs
Remove SAI, N112, N249, intake box, covers, etc -4-5lbs (with plates and bolts)
Crossover pipe - 3-4lbs
Lightweight 17" wheels - 8-12lb/wheel
2 piece rotors - ~10lbs/side front, ~6lbs rear
Aluminium calipers - 3-6lbs/side
Lightweight turboback - 15-20lbs
Light weight flywheel - 8-13lbs
Remove rear seatbacks - 15-20lbs
Remove spare for fix-a-flat - 30lbs
----------------------------------
min - 290lbs
max - 339lbs

$900,000 supercar borrows Audi TT styling.

2008-06-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

So it's not everyday that I get to see one of these.

For those not in the know, that is a Koenigsegg CCX. Prior to the Veyron it was the fastest production car in the world. Pricetag on this one? $930,000.

Some more shots:

Does something catch your eye in that last shot? Look closely.

Allow me to point it out...

Those are MkI TT mirrors as OEM equipment on a $900,000 supercar. I couldn't believe it, but they are identical right down to the lip/writing on the bottom edge. That sidemarker on the mirror stalk also looks very VAG.

Look:

But that's not where it ends. Catch something else in that picture above?

See it yet?

It uses the TT's vents.

And I'm not sure on this one since I don't have this mirror, but quite possibly the mirror as well:

But here's the dead giveaway:

TT door handles.

That instrument cluster cowling looks like a new beetle as well but I'm not sure.

So apparently, the Koenigsegg is a $930,000 MkI TT interior wise.

Quirks! Random things you might not know about the TT.

2008-05-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

The TT is certainly a quirky creation. There are things I have run into while owning the car that have really surprised or intrigued me or that I feel are just useful to know. Most of these can't really be classified well so I'll just list them here.

-If you have a Bose system, there is a central speaker under one of the air vents on top of the dash.
-There is also a sunlight sensor, used for controlling the AC, in the same location.
-You can use the A/C controls to access onboard diagnostics. Link.
-There is a phone jack next to one of the cupholders. If I recall this is, in fact, used for the stone-age car phone option.
-Sometimes after you pull the cluster or disconnect your battery, the ambient temperature readout will read incorrect, negative figures. This can be fixed with another battery reset. This also happens to MkIII VW's.
-There are little tabs that cover holes on the passenger's side of the center console; these are used for a grab rail which can be bought as an OEM accessory. Modshack also makes one.
-The button on the E-brake likes to pop off with incredible speed on occasion when used.
-The windows on the TT roll down ever so slightly when you lock/unlock the doors to prevent smashing them upon closing the door.
-You can roll up your windows using your key (common knowledge, but hey). When locking your car, put your key in the door and hold it in one direction until the windows roll up or down (different direction for up/down).
-Using VAG-COM, you can program your windows to roll up or down with the buttons on your key fob.
-The fuel cap, while it has many pretty looking bolts around it, is only held down by 2 or 3 bolts (forget the figure).
-You can turn off your center display by tapping the "reset" button on the wiper stalk.
-There is a random serial-type cable in the trunk. I'm not sure what it's used for.
-Reinstalling the lower dash is a PAIN.

That's all for now.

DIY: How to fix a squeaky hatch.

2008-05-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

My TT coupe has, since I got it, been stricken with an annoying squeak in the hatch. Whenever I hit bumps, I'd hear a high pitched squeak from the rear of my car. When I had a subwoofer, it got intolerable; every bass hit would be accompanied with a sound resembling a mouse stuck in my sub box.

This drove me crazy until I figured out what it was. At first, I suspected the rear deck lid (the removable mesh hatch cover) was the culprit. I was wrong. It was the interior panel on the hatch itself.

The panel is held in by clips...the same sort of design that holds on the fuse panel door and most of the interior panels on the TT and other cars. The two clips at the top of my hatch were loose and were therefore rubbing against their mounting holes causing a metallic squeak along with some rattling. This is how to go about fixing it...it's VERY simple.

First get some packing foam, I used a strip like this:

If you examine this area, you will likely find the grey panel to be somewhat loose:

Grab it and pull on it until it pops out somewhat, like this:

Now we can see the culprit! The clip is visible on the left:

Pull the hatch panel until you have the entire clip out; it will take some effort. While holding the panel out, cover the clip with your foam and push the panel back into place. Repeat for the other side. Trim any excess foam off with scissors for a clean looking fix.

You're done! Now hit as many bumps or make as much bass as you want with no squeaky hatch noises to accompany it.

How to make an OEM looking boost gauge.

2008-05-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

People keep asking me about this.

People also keep asking me if my car is overheating. For the last time, MY CLUSTER IS BAD. It reads one tick too high consistently.

Anyway, I've had several people ask me how to make this. Surprisingly, nobody's asked me for a part number. Before I continue I have to give blackfnttruck credit for informing me how to perform this mod.

So here's the breakdown of how to make one of these.

Step 1: Get yourself a gauge.
I used a Revo Rev2 mechanical boost gauge with white LED backlighting. I bought it from here:
http://www.autodynamic.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=REV2-TB-WHT

As you can see, it's <$40. The more expensive option is a Defi D-series; the Rev2 is a copy of the D-series. Unfortunately, the D-series is discontinued and therefore rare. Also, the D-series is typically found with amber backlighting, which can be converted to white but requires the extra step of removing the amber tint on the back of the gauge face to convert it to white.

However, the D-series is a higher quality gauge. The Rev2 is not bad especially for <$40, however it is not entirely smooth when in vac compared to other gauges. You could tell the
difference between the two.

Step 2: Get yourself an OEM cluster needle.
You're on your own for this one. You have to find a spare cluster and pull the coolant/fuel gauge needle off. The needles can be pulled using your bare hands.

Step 3: Paint the inside of the cluster needle.
The inside of the cluster needle is completely clear; the LED's in the cluster itself are what makes the needles light up in their characteristic red. The needles simply have an orange/red backing that allows them to be seen in daytime. However, when you light them up, this orange/red backing becomes a dull orange that doesn't match the stock gauges at all.

So we have to paint it. Mask off the entire needle except for the inside of the "button" section, where the light is going to be shining through. Paint this with some translucent red...I used some translucent Humbrol hobby paint I happened to have (used for taillights on model cars etc) and went around with a toothpick painting the inside of the needle. Give it ample drying time.

Step 4: Open the gauge.
I've never opened a Defi, but I'd imagine it's similar to the Revo. The Revo's face is held on by a sort of sheet aluminum ring which is crimped around the edge of the gauge. Use whatever you can to start getting under the crimp...a VERY small screwdriver usually works. Then just slowly pry around the crimp until the face comes loose. Don't rush this.

Step 5: Swap needles.
The Revo needle pulls right off. The OEM cluster needle has a slightly smaller orifice in it for mounting to the gauge; augment it slightly with a needle or something like that. If I recall, the cluster needle's mounting base is also too long and needs a tiny bit of trimming. Make sure the needle is at zero when you install it!

Step 6: Reassemble, install.
Self explanatory.

Notes: Wheels Pt. 1

2008-05-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Audi never seemed to fit any TT's, spare the ALMS editions, with particularly flattering wheels in my opinion. It's no surprise that people constantly swap their wheels for something more appealing. Here I will address some common points about choosing wheels for this car.

Things to know when buying wheels:
-Diameter (17"/18"/19"/etc)
-Width (7.5"/8.5"/etc)
-Offset (ET 38/35/etc)
-Centerbore (usually around 70mm)
-Bolt pattern (5 x 100, 5 x 112, 5 x 130)
-Big brake compatibility
=Weight

Diamater:
This determines the overall look of your new setup. Most stock wheels are 17's and it seems like a majority of people run 18's while some run 19's. With 17's or 18's you will be left with a hideous wheelgap. With 19's, it's not as bad, but still could use lowering.

Diameter also affects things like ride and handling. The bigger your wheel, the less tire sidewall you ride on. Therefore, your ride will be rougher, but most likely your handling will be more responsive. I found my car's handling to be incredible with riding 1.5" of sidewall on my 19" wheels with a slight tire stretch to firm up the sidewall even more.

Width:
This is useful for determining the width of tires and also used for choosing spacers. Wheel width is measured on the inside of the bead so the whole wheel in reality is slightly wider than the given dimension. For instantce, a 225/55/17 tire will still fit on a 7.5" wide rim without bulging even though 225mm (the tread width, designated above) is really about 8.6". A 225mm tread tire on an 8.5" wide rim will usually produce a moderate stretch effect.

Offset:
Stock offset varies, mine was +38, meaning the mounting hub on the wheel is 38mm towards the outside of the car away from the center of the wheel. Other stock wheels may have different offsets. A smaller offset will move the wheel outwards whereas a larger offset will move it inwards. Most aftermarket wheels with offsets close to stock will sit deep in the wheel well, making for a non-aggressive look. To correct this, spacers are used. Use this to determine the size spacers you need for your wheels:
http://www.2x.ca/TT/offset/

Make sure the spacers you buy are hubcentric to both the hub and the wheel. Also, make sure to buy longer wheelbolts for mounting your spacers; a rule of thumb is take 28mm (stock lug bolt length) + the thickness of your spacer to get the length of lugbolt you need. For example, a 15mm spacer would require a 43mm lugbolt. If you can't find exactly the number you need, feel free to overshoot by a few mm. My front hubs easily swallowed all but 2mm of my entire stock 28mm lugnut. I bought my spacers and bolts off ECS Tuning.

Also, if you are installing spacers yourself, make sure you torque them properly and retorque them after driving on them for a few hundred miles. One should also apply a thin layer of grease between the spacer and hub as well as between the spacer and wheel to prevent the spacer from seizing onto the wheel or hub.

Centerbore:
Most people aren't aware of centerbore and its importance. Today, most wheels are hubcentric; that is, they are centered on the hub by the circular protrusion of metal in the middle of the hub in the middle of the lugs. This takes stress off the lugs and ensures a perfectly centered wheel. The TT uses a 57.1mm hub center to mount wheels on...unfortunately, this is not a standard. Therefore, manufacturers make the centerbore, that is the hole in the middle of the wheel that mounts to the hub, fairly large so that it may be adapted to all kinds of cars. So before one can mount a wheel, they need to buy hub centering rings to match the centerbore to the hub center. For example, my AT Italia wheels have a 67mm centerbore so I have hub centering rings that adapt them to a 57.1mm centerbore to match my hub. Hub rings run around $20-$30 a set depending on whether they are plastic or aluminum.

Bolt pattern:
The TT uses a 5 x 100 bolt pattern. Unfortunately, many newer VAG cars use 5 x 112 and just about all Porsches use 5 x 130. One can buy adapters, but they are usually in the neighborhood of $300-$400 for a full set including bolts. Wheels can also be redrilled into a different bolt pattern, but generally one should just stick with 5 x 100.

Big brake compatibility:
Not all wheels will clear big brake kits. If you plan on upgrading to one, verify compatibility

Weight:
People are always very concerned with how much wheels weigh. "Unsprung weight," which includes the weight of the wheels and brake rotors along with other components of the car that are not held up by the suspension, play a big factor in the performance of a car. It's easy to see why; it's harder to make a heavier object spin and it's harder to make a heavier object stop spinning. Stock wheels are quite heavy for what they are; factory six spokes weigh around 28lbs each, factory 18's weigh a little more than that. This is really embarassing considering most 19" wheels don't even weigh that much. Another consideration in unsprung weight is weight of the tires; tire weights can vary a lot.

Overall, I haven't noticed too much of a difference going from stock 17's to lighter 16's to 19's that weigh about the same as stock 17's. Overall the 19's handle best for me since they have small, firm sidewalls. The 19s did, however, noticeably slow the car down at highway speed.

That's it for Part 1. Part 2 will address some more specifics.

Stupid Questions, Pt. 1

2008-05-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

The title on this post is a bit of a misnomer. These are more like "common somewhat obvious especially when you search" questions but that doesn't make for a good title.

Stupid question #1: Can I run a blow off valve?
Yes, you can. Just make sure it's a dual piston BOV so that it doesn't leak boost on idle. If you bought one that isn't the aforementioned design, you'll know it, since your car will struggle to idle and stall.

Any recommendations?
Yes, blow that $250 SSQV that EVERYBODY and their mother runs because it makes a "pshhht" and a whistle out your ass and buy a Forge 004 for around half the price. It works awesome and makes the straight up "pshhh" that we all love, no annoying whistle necessary. Don't go eBay.

Which one performs best?
As long as they all hold boost and respond fairly quick there's no real performance difference. Some people make a big deal out of response time, but for an average driver I don't think it's a concern.

Stupid question #2: Can I swap the engine from a 225 into my 180?
Swapping the 225's engine into a 180 would be idiotic. The only significant differences between the two engines are the turbo setups and fueling which can be changed out easily. ATC code engines use identical internals to 225 engines.

What all other engine swaps can I do?
The only one really worth doing would be a 3.2 VR6 swap from the S-Line TT. For this, I'd speculate the major parts you'd need would be an R32 bell housing to mount it to the 02M (quattro) transmission along with all the electronic goodies to make it work. In reality, any engine put in a MkIV VW could be used; the 1.9TDI, the 2.slow, the 2.8VR6, but none are entirely simple or cheap endeavours.

What about the 2.7T engine from the S4? I saw it done.
That was an incredible undertaking. That engine barely fits under the hood not to mention the entire driveline on the car had to be swapped out. All in all it likely cost around twice what your car is worth to begin with. Just use a VR6 and call it a day.

Stupid question #3: I hate Haldex quattro! Can I make it rear biased or make my TT RWD?
No, it is mechanically impossible for Haldex to transfer more than 50% of power to the rear. You can't make your car RWD without moving the engine to the back, kinda like the Bimoto.

Can I still make it better somehow?
If you're still pretending like you're going to be drifting around corners on the street in your TT, you can see my post about Haldex in the archives.

Stupid question #4: How much HP does an intake get me?
Not much, I'm talking less at the crank than you could count on your fingers if you were a Sesame Street character. Your car will sound faster though which ought to help you perceive it as a worthwhile investment.

WTF? But on this mad tyte Soobawoo STI an intake made it put down lotsa more WHP on a dyno!
In case you haven't noticed, your car isn't a Soobawoo. Also in case you haven't noticed, the centercaps on your wheels are about as large as your turbo. It's a bit hard to restrict airflow on a turbo that small the same way as it's hard to suffocate an ant by making it breathe through a straw.

Any more stupid questions? Feel free to add them.

Notes: Suspension

2008-05-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

The TT comes with fairly nimble suspension from the factory, however most enthusiasts will agree that there is much room for improvement. Safety and practicality concerns lean the TT's suspension towards riding high and understeering in turns.

Fortunately, there is a broad aftermarket for suspension on the TT. I'll convey my knowledge through a series of notes broken down into specific suspension related topics.

Choosing a suspension setup:
-The only difference between coilovers and a spring and strut setup is that coilovers offer adjustable ride height. THAT'S IT. Some coilovers have dampening adjustability but so do soem strut/spring kits....adjustability is usually the only reason they are more expensive and more commonly used. Only real benefit to coilovers performance wise is the ability to corner balance.
-Running lowering springs on stock struts will most likely wear the struts out faster and make for a bouncy ride...I don't recommend it.
-When buying coilovers/springs and struts, replace your strut bushings and bearings as well while you're at it. They're not expensive, but most likely could use replacing.
-There are many good spring and strut manufacturers including big names like H&R, Koni and Bilstein. Cheap coilovers include brands like Vmaxx.
-Some Golf/Jetta components may fit the TT, however the two ARE NOT the same.

Lowering:
-Do your research as to what coilovers/springs go how low. There are many brands and they do not all produce the same amount of lowering. There's a post on here about a coilover pic thread on Vortex that I started.
-Lowering will increase your rear camber somewhat. This in itself will not severely affect your tirewear. Unfortunately, on Quattro TT's, the wheels "toe in" (point towards each other) when the camber increases which WILL destroy tires ridiculously fast. This will require a set of Kmac bushings ($200-$300 on TTstuff.com) to correct. You can also use adjustable rear control arms to do the same thing. FWD TT's do not need to correct the camber as their rear axle is different and does not produce the same "toe in" effects.
-Lowering can put your engine components at risk from bottoming out. DieselGeek sells a metal skidplate to give your oil pan and other components some protection ($300).
-Many coilover kits come with adjustable rear spring perches, but often to get desired lowness the rear suspension must be run without using these perches. You can run them this way, but it does not allow adjustment of the rear ride height.

Handling improvement; reducing understeer:
-The single most effective way to reduce understeer is a rear sway bar. These come in many diameters, but generally it is advisable to go with a 19mm rear swaybar if keeping the front swaybar stock. Larger sizes are primarily used to complement aftermarket front swaybars.
-Control arm bushings are another way to help expunge understeer. Some people replace the front lower control arm bushings with poly bushings to firm up the steering, however poly bushings are said to wear out quickly in these locations for some people. Another option is a set of DEFCONS from MCPi, which adapt the control arms to a previous, more desirable design (read the site for more info).

These are all the mental notes I have about suspension. If you have anything to add, feel free to contact me.

Notes: Boost Gauges

2008-05-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

If your car is modified, a boost gauge is essential to monitoring your turbo system and how it's running. Gauges are cheap, neat looking and easy to install, so why not?

Some notes about gauges:
-Choose between PSI and bar. MOST gauges read PSI but some out there read bar, PSI seems to be a more common measurement. 1 bar = 14.7 PSI.
-Choose between 52mm and 60mm, depending on how you intend to mount the gauge.
-Defi BF gauges, which are very nice gauges, require a controller to make them work. This controller is about $110, but the gauges WILL NOT work without it.
-There are many brands of gauges that are used. Defis are regarded as being among the highest quality gauges out there. Other brands that are used include: Autometer, ProSport, Stewart Warner, VDO and Revo, just to name a few.

As for mounting, there are very few spots to mount gauges inside the TT. Here are several typical solutions:

OSIR Mantis gauge pod, replaces ashtray and costs a jaw-dropping $300 (no gauges included!)

You can also use an A-pillar mount from a Toyota Supra...TTstuff has them:
http://www.ttstuff.com/gauges_pods.php

Finally, one of the most popular gauge solutions is the vent-mount gauge:

A 60mm gauge will fill the entire vent hole (meaning you can't get any airflow around it anymore) whereas a 52mm will leave some space, meaning you can retain vent functionality. The pictured gauge is 52mm. Most gauges can be mounted with their included hardware in the vent, however if you can't get yours mounted up right, Modshack sells a ring insert to mount your gauge. Personally, I've used this vent ring on both my gauge installs because I'm a perfectionist and HAVE to have the gauge right in the center.

There are several writeups on installing boost gauges; generally it's pretty simple. I believe the AudiWorld FAQ has a link to one (see my first post).

What boost gauge do I run? A Revo Rev2 with an OEM needle modded into it. Perfect match IMO:

What to look for and expect during a test drive.

2008-05-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

Often times the dealer lot can be a picture-imperfect location to start a love affair with your soon to be bought TT. Unfortunately, it can also be the start of uncovering some nasty secrets about a specimen that you may end up wishing you'd never bought. Just like a girl well endowed in her figure but also in her share of sexually transmitted diseases, you have to be careful in what you choose and what to look for in a car, especially a TT.

Here's a checklist I have compiled of stuff that you can easily check at the dealer while looking at the car or during a test drive.

Outside:
-Check the panel alignment. With these cars, it's not too hard to tell when they've been wrecked. Often times, the headlights not aligning properly with the fenders/hood/bumper is a dead giveaway of front end damage.
-Check for original glass. It will have Audi rings in the corner if it is original. Non-factory glass could be from a simple rock chip or from a significant accident.
-Check the stock wheels if you plan on keeping them. Usually the six spokes are in HORRIBLE condition. I was fortunate enough to have the dealer completely refinish mine.
-Mirrors are both powered and should be heated at all times. If they're not, something's busted!

Inside:
-Make sure the seat adjustments work. Check knob on the side for the backrest and the lever on the side for the up/down motion. Make sure the seat heaters work. Not sure how much these cost to fix.
-Rips in the leather will only get worse. If the car's well taken care of it shouldn't be ripped. OEM seats run $500 or so for a used set of fronts.
-Make sure the glovebox latch works...smoothly. Glovebox is $300-$400 on eBay, $700 new from dealer.
-Make sure the headlamp washers work and don't leak. Mine had a dead fuse. When I discovered them after replacing the fuse, I also discovered they leaked. From then on I had persistent washer fluid warning lights until I finally found the leak.
-The surface of radio buttons on some of the newer radios are often worn out. The black buttons will be worn white...you can insist the dealer fixes this or use it as a leverage point for negotiation.
-The dome light is intermittent because of poor wiring. It generally doesn't die however, so if it doesn't work, it probably just needs a good punch. Don't be alarmed.
-Check the instrument cluster. Make sure the lines on the display aren't dying and that none of the gauges read erratically. The speaker in it can die too. Cluster repairs are $1000+ at the dealer. There's a class action lawsuit for repairing them, but it doesn't apply to older cars and expires very soon I believe. A cluster can be had for around $200 second hand, however it has to be checked for compatibility before hand and programmed by a dealer or someone with VAGDASH-COM* See my cluster info post.
-Make sure the turn signals work properly. The relay is $50 to replace. The stalk, which can also fail, is over $100 to replace if I recall.
-Check if there's a CD changer magazine. If there isn't, make the dealer order one. It's $30 and annoying to be without.
-Check if it has the rear hatch cover (coupe only). It's another small, annoying piece to not have.
-Make sure the windows work. The switches for them are behind the handles.
-Make sure the windows both roll down/up SLIGHTLY when you open and close the doors. This is a standard feature to keep them from shattering. If it doesn't happen, something could be broken (with my car, a wiring harness was to blame).
-Check for leaks if you have a chance. First time I washed my car the hatch leaked. Prompt trip to dealer and it was fixed.

Driving:
-If it grinds while going into second, this is a normal synchro grind. It's unpleasant, but it happens.
-Creaking from the front end is the front swaybar bushings. $50 for a poly set, I believe it's around $14 for an OEM set.
-Power should hit hard around 3000RPM. If it's delaying more than that, there's something wrong.
-The car revs quite high. At highway speed, it will be between 3000-35000 RPM on the five speed tranny depending on how fast you're going.

That's all I can think of. Send me stuff to add if you think of it.

*No, not VAG-COM. VAGDSASH-COM is only available through a German supplierand is a $700 tool that lets one program all sorts of VAG gauge clusters.

Fuse Panel Layout

2008-04-06T10:33:00.001-07:00

Very useful image, can also be located on the back of your fuse panel:

DIY: Seat Removal

2008-03-23T02:27:00.000-07:00

If you've had your TT for a while you will have noticed that a lot of dirt likes to get in between the seats and the center console. Among the dirt, you'll notice change from your pockets likes to migrate to this area after vigorous use of the accelerator, as do small screws from stuff you were dismantling, memory cards and other rather important things.

So with spring on the way why not take a day to clean out under your seats properly? They're not too difficult to remove.

The seats are bolted down with four bigass hex bolts that are torqued down really hard and are somewhat awkward to get at. I'll try and walk you through it without using pictures...since it's rather obvious. As always follow them at your own risk.

1. Disconnect your battery. This should keep you from getting an airbag light when you unplug your seats. Use proper procedure so as not to electrocute yourself or anything else.

2. Go to your seats armed with a flat head screwdriver. You'll notice that your seat rails have plastic caps over them up front. Pry them off...it's kinda tricky and probably the biggest PITA of the entire operation.

3. Next part is removing the bolts. This is how I did it, since I really didn't have many tools available...find an allen wrench that fits in the bolts. Try and loosen them...yeah it won't budge. So I grabbed my stock tire iron...mine's a hollow L-shaped piece of steel, not sure if everyone's is like that...and slid it over one end of the allen wrench, effectively multiplying my torque a few times. After finding the right angles, I got all of the bolts loose no problem.

4. Grab a flashlight and peer under the seat. There should be several electrical connectors under there for the seat heaters and airbag sensors etc. Disconnect them, they should unclip fairly easily.

5. Remove your seats. Make sure when you reinstall them to torque the bolts really tight and to reconnect all the wiring.

Wisdom: Keys

2008-03-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

I mentioned keys briefly in my eBay post. However, the thread where I came up with the info popped up again on Vortex. Most notable are TREFTTY's words on the issue of replacing keys:

Honestly, and this is from experience. It is cheaper to just go to the dealership and have them make you a non FOB key and program it. It will cost you less then 150 dollars total. Then get yourself an aftermarket alarm (Viper, Python, Clifford) that is made by DEI. This should cost no more then 250 dollars installed. You should go with the Python 460hp. It will be perfect for a TT and you can use it to arm and disarm your factory alarm as well. I used the factory horn instead of the DEI Siren it just goes better with the cars style. This will give you two keys both with remotes and you can take a key off and take it into the water with you. You will have invested about 400 dollars this way. If you go to the dealer and get even one Keyfob remote you will have spent at least 350 dollars (And that would be a good deal) when it is said and done. I have heard of people paying over 500 dollars for the key, remote programming and immobilizer programming.

The best part about this way is that you dont have to worry about the keyfobs becoming decrepit. Those things get really messed up really quick. Also you will be able to go get a new remote for less then 50 dollars anytime you need one.

Just another option for you. Those keyfobs are just big bulky pieces of monkey **** anyway. Once you get over the cool switchblade thing, they are annoying as hell.

Rest of the thread here:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3747133

Ultimate Vendor List

2008-02-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

I was going to compile my own vendor list, but I think when a whole forum puts its heads together the result turns out better:

http://www.audiforums.com/m_789843/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#790539

Notes: eBay parts

2008-02-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

Admit it, you HAVE looked for parts for your TT on eBay hoping to stumble accross some kinda good deal. Yes, that turbo kit that lets you make 400whp for $100 must be out there somewhere!

Unfortunately, the reality of eBay is that 90% of the parts that are supposed to be for the TT suck. However, there are a few gems amongs the pile of garbage. I'll go over a list of some potential items you may have raised an eyebrow at:

Tail/headlight tint film - People have used this successfully. I'd still be leary of cheap headlight tint the same way as cheap window tint. I've heard that some of these don't fit the lights worth crap. And of course, you might end up with issues with bubbles during installation, and fading/peeling in the long run. I'd hate to have to take a razor to my lights to clean off adhesive. Personally, if I wanted my lights tinted, I'd hit up these guys:
http://www.jonstintedtails.com/
Their tint jobs look amazing: http://www.jonstintedtails.com/gallery/index.php?list=Custom%20Tinting%20Gallery/Audi&page=2

The eBay single frame bumper:
A guy on Vortex actually bought one and received it after several weeks (looks like the Polish guys are legit). He said while it's not the greatest finish quality, he can fix it up. It also comes with an A6 grill which is smaller than the typical A8 grill. I'd stay away since I would never want a fiberglass front bumper. If a big rock hits it, you could easily get a spider-cracked gel coat.

The eBay FWD downpipe:
Here is a gem! These work great and cost way less than other downpipes. Plenty of people run these on VW's without issue. Unfortunately, there are none for Quattros!

Audi Style Wheels:
I've never heard of anybody buying these. Personally, I wouldn't. Chances are, they are gravity cast wheels that weigh about as much as Fred Flintstone's wheels. That and maybe a half dozen potholes later riding on low profile tires and you'll have a set of stop sign shaped rims. Who knows, perhaps they're quality! But I wouldn't buy them.

Intercoolers:
Golf/Jetta MkIV intercoolers will fit the TT with some work. They make a reasonable difference with the stock turbo, but they aren't the best choice for big turbos. Overall, it's decent quality and works ok.

Keys
I've heard of people having issues with programming these. Ended up going through a few keys then just buying it from the dealer. I'd just get it from the dealer rather than go through several eBay pieces. Friend of mine got a new Passat key and it was $250 out the door...ouch. Don't lose your keys ;)

This is all the stuff I can think of for now. If you have questions about any other parts, feel free to ask me.

KKK Turbos - K03, K03s, K04, etc...

2008-02-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

The TT, in both 180hp and 225hp flavors, comes stock with a dinky turbocharger that has propelled it into being the butt of jokes stating that "TT" stands for "Tiny Turbo." Indeed, a lot of TT owners wonder about the feasibility and benefit of OEM turbo swaps, especially 180 owners out there looking for a little extra oomph. So let's get a rundown of the turbos used in the TT:

The TT uses a single turbo manufactured by KKK, Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch, which is owned by the larger company Borg Warner. 180hp models use a variant of the K03 turbo, whereas 225hp models use a variant of the K04. A lot of people get confused with the K03/K04 because they don't realize that there are many variations of the two. A good breakdown of K04's can be found here:

http://forums.fourtitude.com/zerothread?id=3671936&page=1

A quick breakdown...

The K03 comes standard in some early 1.8T engines. Check out the Vortex 1.8T FAQ to find out which yours has. Variants of the K03 are used on other cars as well, such as the turbo Mini Coopers.

The K03 sport (K03s) comes standard in later model 1.8T engines. It can make slightly more power and is a direct bolt on for any K03 based car.

The K04-001 uses some K04 internals and a K03s housing. It is a direct bolt on for any K03/K03s car but makes a fairly small power difference above a K03s.

The K04-020 is the stock turbo for the 225hp TT. It requires a new manifold, downpipe, oil/coolant lines and turbo inlet pipe to use, however. It makes decent power over the K03s, but most people say it's not worth the work/money for the conversion and they would have rather just gone with a big turbo.
To get the most out of a K04, one will need a set of bigger injectors and software for them as well.

Power wise, the K03s typically sees 220whp with lots of bolt ons. The K04-001 might make slightly more than that. A maxxed out K04-020 can see around 250whp.

A thing to watch out for when buying these turbos is whether they are made for longitudinal engine cars (A4, Passat) or transverse engine cars (TT, Golf, Jetta).

Fortunately, they're not hard to identify. This is a pair of longitudinal turbos...the outlet of the compressor housing is stubby:

Now this is a transverse K03 (bottom) and K03s (top). Note the elongated outlet on the compressor housing compared to the longitudinal turbos above. Easy way to tell the difference between K03 and K03s is look for the muffler on the compressor outlet, most K03s turbos have one, most K03 turbos don't. More reliably, you can count the number of fins...K03 has 12, K03s has 8:

This is a transverse K04 kit. Again, note the elongated outlet on the compressor. Also note the inlet pipe and exhaust manifold required to install it.

Here's an email from Borg Warner. Notice how they don't call it a K03s...however they offer good info on the specific model designations of their turbos:

Dear Sir,

thank you for your interest in our products.

First of all, we don't produce any turbo that we call K03S. But I hope I can
answer your questions with the following explanations.

All the following turbos have the same installation dimensions and
thermodynamical performance. The differences are only in the actuator that
opens the turbine bypass valve:
K03-011 (5303 988 0011) 150 hp, 65 N actuator
K03-026 180 hp, 85 N actuator
K03-035 180 hp, 85 N actuator
K03-044 150 hp, 65 N actuator
K03-045 156 hp (Ibiza Cupra), 85 N actuator with 2 ports
K03-049 150 hp (Sharan/Alhambra), 65 N actuator
The 180 hp versions have an actuator with a higher opening force due to the
higher exhaust gas pressure (which is a consequence of the higher boost
pressure). Otherwise the valve would be pushed open by the exhaust gas
pressure.

The following turbos are a further development (since 2000) and have an
improved and slightly larger compressor while using the same turbine (still
with the same installation dimensions):
K03-052 180 hp, 85 N actuator
K03-053 150 hp, 85 N actuator
K03-058 150 hp/180 hp, 85 N actuator

Consequentially, putting a 180 hp turbo on a 150 hp engine will not bring
about any change in performance, but putting on a K03-052/053/058 instead of
the older versions will bring a slight improvement in engine efficiency.
Additionally, with re-mapping the ECU you can achieve about 215 hp without
danger of overspeeding the turbo. With the older turbos, 195 hp is the
limit.

With the K04 that's also commonly used (5304 950 0001) the power output
should not be more than 220 hp. That means, changing a K03-052/053/058
against a K04 does not make a lot of sense.

I hope that these details answer your questions. If you need more info, one
of our service distributors will be glad to help you. Their addresses are on
our website www.turbodriven.com.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen/Best regards,
BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH

DIY: Brake light switch

2008-02-12T23:28:00.001-08:00

From Vortex:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3682975

Cool stuff: pics of the OSIR FCS

2008-02-09T11:29:00.001-08:00

Seems that a lot of people like the OSIR FCS since it attempts to give the TT the look of the 3.2's front end. However it's expensive ($400+) and made of fiberglass so not many people have it, or for that matter have pics of it. Fortunately, I have some:

I ran accross this on AudiForums; while I like the stock red, it's neat that somebody did it:
http://www.audiforums.com/m_795512/tm.htm

Notes: Instrument Cluster

2008-02-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

So if you're reading this, you probably don't know how much fuel you have left except for guessing by your odo, can't tell how hot your engine is and feel like you have 140/20 vision when you try and read your center display. Yep, your cluster is SCREWED.

A this point you have basically three options:

1. Dealership. Unless you can somehow finagle your way into getting a freebie repair from a dealer, and yes it has been done, you will be paying $1000+. Sorry. But you'll have a working cluster again.

2. Buy a replacement. This is where it gets sticky.

First, you have to make sure your cluster will be compatible with your car in general. I believe somewhere in 2002 Audi added CAN-bus capability which cut off compatibility of older clusters with newer cars. I'm not entirely sure. But you'll wanna check that out, usually speaking to a knowledgeable Audi tech can help.

Second, you have to worry about immobilizer. Somewhere in 2001, the TT got fitted with VAG's Immobilizer III technology. Immobilizer III requires that the ECU, cluster and key have an identical code programmed into them for the car to start. Up until '01, TT's came with Immobilizer II which only requires the key and ECU to match. Obviously, switching in a new cluster will give you a different code. Usually, you can determine if you have Immo III by turning the key to accessory power and seeing if you get a little key icon on the gauge face. Sure fire way to determine whether you have it or not is to remove the cluster itself and see if the car starts.

So your options for dealing with immobilizer consist of getting your cluster reprogrammed or getting an immobilizer defeat. The latter is $150 from APR.
Not sure if you can deal with Immo III through VAG-COM, check out Ross Tech's info about it:
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/Immo3-ecu-swapping.html

Third, you have to get your mileage reprogrammed if you want to have an accurate odometer. The cluster will read the mileage IT came with, not your car. You CAN NOT do this with VAG-COM unless the cluster has <62 miles on it. Dealers I've talked to have been very vague on what they can do, but they pretty much told me they had no guarantee that they'd be able to change it.

For some reason, even high end cluster tools like VAGdashCOM (not VAG-COM, VAGdashCOM is an $800 tool that has to be imported from Germany) can not program TT clusters. A friend of mine who has programmed countless MkIV clusters could not even read TWO different used TT clusters I brought to him or the original one from my car.

At this point I think there is no way to fix mileage on a TT cluster short of having a dealer try (with whatever they use). Since my car is Immo II, I just swapped in a used cluster and left the mileage alone while taking note of my old mileage. My 90,000 mile car's odo reads around 25,000...I can deal with that.

So if you can get all that taken care of, you will have a successful cluster swap.

3. BBA-Remanufacturing. These guys rebuild your original cluster instead of replacing it. I haven't heard much about them, and the little I have heard hasn't been good. You could give them a shot I suppose; they claim to fix all gauges and attempt to fix the center display but it's not guaranteed.

So there are your main options. Pick your poison.
Good luck!

Notes: Warning lights

2008-02-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

The TT comes with an interesting array of warning lights and icons. Some are displayed on the gauge faces themselves whereas others are on the little LCD. Here's a rundown of some possibly unfamiliar lights you may encounter:

Gauge face lights:
Airbag - likes to come on and stay on when you unplug components of the airbag system (such as the seats). AFAIK, only a dealer can reset it.

Check Engine Light (CEL) - get used to it. It could be anything.

A hazard triangle with a circle around it - this is traction control. It blinks when you lose grip, it stays on when you turn traction control off.

EPC - Electronic power control. This light comes on when there's something amiss with your engine that makes the ECU feel the need to cut power. For example, if you overboost or misfire, the EPC light may come on.

A key and a car - this indicates an immobilizer issue.

BRAKE - your E-brake is on.

Icons in the center display

A lightbulb - means you have a burnt out bulb somewhere.

Something that looks ilke an erupting volcano - you're low on washer fluid.

(O) - your brake pads are worn.

There's more. These are just the not-so-obvious ones I know of.

Notes: Quattro

2008-02-03T00:03:00.001-08:00

Quattro is almost as synonymous with Audi as electrical problems are. That said, there are a few things to know about the TT's Quattro system.

The TT's engine is mounted transverse (sideways) as opposed to longitudinal (straight). Therefore, it must use a different AWD system than the longitudinal engined cars (The A4, S5, etc...pretty much any Audi sedan). The TT's Quattro system is referred to as the Haldex system, named after the Swedish company that manufactures the differential used in it. Haldex also manufactures the AWD system used in the Veyron. The longitudinal version of Quattro is called TorSen, short for "torque sensing."

TorSen, first of all, differs mainly in that it maintains a constant 50/50 power split front and back. Upon traction loss, it uses EDL (electronic differential lock) to transfer power appropriately to regain control. This makes for a generally more neutral feel to the car.

Haldex, on the other hand, is heavily FWD biased. The system uses the standard FWD transmission with a Haldex clutch in the rear to engage the rear wheels when necessary. Due to the drivetrain design, power passes through the front differential first and then goes to the rear, therefore no more than 50% of power can transfer to the rear under any circumstances. Haldex is almost constantly transferring some power to the rear, however the FWD bias is people's main criticism of Haldex. The ability to disengage the rear wheels, however, results in less drivetrain loss and improved gas mileage.

Fortunately, for about $700 an aftermarket Haldex controller can be bought to increases the power shift to the rear. The Haldex "Blue" controller shifts 50% of power to the rear immediately, causing a more neutral feel and more inclination to oversteer. The Haldex "Orange" controller is the same as the blue, except it doesn't disengage the rear wheels under braking. The makers of the "Orange" claim that this allows the car to brake with the drivetrain, which is how the original Quattros managed to outbrake the competition. This has proven dangerous on the street though, and for any street application, the Blue is the better choice.

Notes: Maintenance

2008-02-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

Some notes pulled from the Vortex 1.8T FAQ on maintenance/troubleshooting:

Symptom: Item to check

Rough Running At Idle: MAF, Ignition Coil, Spark Plug, VAC Leak, O2 Sensor, TB, CTS
Missfires under Boost Flashing CEL: Ignition Coils, Spark Plugs
Running Rich: Boost Leak, MAF, O2 Sensor, Coolant Temp Sensor
Running Lean: VAC Leak, MAF, O2 Sensor, Fuel Filter
Low Boost: Limp Mode, MBC, BOV, DV, Boost Leak, N75,
High Boost: MBC Setting, N75, Spark Plugs, Ignition Coils
Cold Start Problems: MAF, Spark Plugs, Fuel Pump Relay, CTS
Poor Gas Mileage: MAF, CTS, O2 Sensor, AIT Sensor
Cat Efficiency Below Threshold: Down pipe, CAT, Rear O2, RACE FUEL
No Start: Battery - ECU, Fuel Pump Relay, Ground
Start For 1 Second Stall: Immobilizer
Overheating: Waterpump, Thermostat, Head Gasket
oil in coolant: Oil Cooler, head Gasket, Water Wetter
Dies While Driving: Timing belt, Boost Leak, MISC
Shorts To ground CEL: Fuel Pump Relay, Bad Grounds
Oil in your IC/IC piping: Check your PCV system

If your synchros are grinding when you go to shift, a change in transmission fluid can help. For FWD's, Redline MT-90 is recommended and can be bought from ECS Tuning. For Quattros, there seems to be some uncertainty over whether Redline causes issues with the Haldex differential.

Haldex Fluid: The fluid in the Quattro's AWD unit (i.e. Haldex clutch) needs to be changed every 10,000 miles. Buying the wrench and fluid to do it is much cheaper than having it done.

Oil: use synthetic, else your engine could suffer from sludge buildup.

MAF: Cleaning the MAF with some MAF cleaner (get at auto parts store) can sometimes sort out issues with the engine.

Diverter Valve: If you have a Forge 007, lube it up with some fresh oil every oil change, else it'll wear out. For a stock valve, you don't need to.

Spark plugs: From the 1.8T FAQ:

OE Plugs: NGK PFR6Q - .032" gap
For Stock Cars - .032" gap:
* NGK BKR6E
* Autolite 3923
* Denso Iridium IK20
For Chiped Cars - .028" gap:
* NGK BKR7E
* Autolite 3922
* Denso Iridium IK22

**Avoid all non copper plugs, reommend to change every or every other oil change to keep from misfiring.
General Rule of thumb: For every additional 50HP over stock, a general rule is 1 heat range colder and gap shrinks by .004
--So, a chipped 1.8T would make good use ofa plug one range colder gapped to .028
>Tightening torque 30Nm (22 ft-lb)
>Tightening torque for Coil Packs 7ft lbs

I use BKR7E's. They're $9 for four of them off ECS Tuning. It's recommended to swap them every other oil change.

Notes: Intakes

2008-02-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

The debate over intakes/cold air intakes is a pretty heated one (ha) over on VWVortex.

I think for the most part, however, that people agree they don't make a huge difference. Personally, I just chopped up the bottom of my stock airbox and got the induction noise and diverter valve noise I wanted with no real change in anything else.

Wak TT did a comparative test of several different intakes, I run something like the "Wak Box":
Wak's Induction Test

IMO, for several hundred dollars, there's better mods to do than an intake. That money could be put towards a chip, intercooler or water/methanol injection, all of which create much more significant gains.

Notes: Exhausts

2008-02-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

Aftermarket exhausts are a commonly discussed topic.

For a stock turbo:

-There's no point in getting an aftermarket exhaust manifold for a stock turbo. It's not a restriction for a stock turbo.

-The real restriction is the downpipe. However, it varies between the 180FWD, 180Q and 225Q models. A downpipe for a 180FWD is the same as for a MkIV VW (Golf GTI/Jetta 1.8T); therefore, a quality 3" downpipe can be bought off eBay for just over $100. For the 180Q, there is currently no aftermarket downpipe (as of 2/2/08), however some are supposed to be in the works. 42 Draft Designs makes a 3" downpipe for the 225Q that costs around $600. This pipe will NOT fit a 180Q because the 225Q uses a different turbo and manifold and therefore requires a different downpipe design.

-The stock catalytic converter isn't very restrictive either. It's a pretty wide unit (4.5" wide or so) so if you want to run a cat, have a shop grind the ends of the cat so that the openings are 3" and just weld that up.

-There's many options for catbacks. The cheapest for Quattros seems to be the Blue Flame (i.e. Forge)catback. There's other options such as Borla, Remus, Milltek etc. A 180Q can be converted to dual exhausts easily with a new catback, however replacing the stock 180Q catback with a 225Q's won't make any performance gains. On the FWD, the spare tire compartment sits in the way of where a muffler would on the Quattros, therefore there is no non-restrictive FWD dual exhaust solution. Remus makes a dual exhaust, it's $1600, and Milltek makes one that's $1000. Neither of them flow well. Just take a look at the Milltek:

-Sizing: downpipes should be 3". For the catback, there's a lot of debate between 3" or 2.5". Personally, I would run a 2.5" if sticking with a stock turbo since 3" is rather loud.

-Custom systems: if you want a downpipe for a 180Q, for the moment you'll have to go to an exhaust shop and get one fabricated. You could get a whole exhaust fabricated too, or if you have the skills make one yourself.

This FWD exhaust's by Steve Larson (steve05@wi.rr.com) he can make you one too if you contact him.

-Excessive vibration: sometimes the downpipe will rub the heatshield when the engine moves under high torque. This can be solved by 1. bending the heatshield and 2. replacing the sloppy, soft dogbone mount bushings. The mount is what influences how much the engine moves under acceleration; a stiffer one will keep it from moving and therefore keep the downpipe from rubbing. This greatly reduces wheelhop and improves shift feel. I ran the Energy Suspension bushings but the vibration was too annoying after a while and I removed them. It made an incredible difference in drivetrain feel, but simply too much noise for me, some people don't mind though.

I might go with a softer set of bushings. This post lists durometer (hardness) ratings of different bushings.

Photo Galleries

2008-01-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

Trolling through other people's photos is the best way to get inspiration for your next mod.

The TT Gallery - nice collection of lots of different stuff that's been done with the TT.

Uneek TT - were you wondering what caused the recent world carbon fiber shortage?

XLR8TT's Fotki

blackfnTTruck's Fotki

BlueTTop's mods

BlueTTop's "crimes" album

TTinCT

Quattrings' Cardomain

Steve Schwing's Fotki - Showcases the mods from Steve's Modshack

There's plenty more out there...

How to remove the glovebox

2008-01-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

The glove box is a pretty common issue with these cars, it has a habit of having the latch break.

If you're lucky enough to get a replacement, here's how to go about removing your old one. You follow these instructions at your own risk.

1. First, disconnect the battery using proper procedure not to electrocute yourself or damage stuff. Unplugging the airbag switch might throw an airbag light, which I'm not sure whether you can turn off with a VAG scanner or not. Either way, I disconnected the battery as a precaution against throwing an airbag light and it worked.

2. Open your passenger door, pull off the panel that covers the passenger's side of the dash, it's the same as the driver's side that covers the fuse box. Proceed to remove the torx screws, I think I took off more than I needed to. Don't lose them.

3. Grab a ratchet extension and sneak your way to the two torx screws under the box. The little sill conveniently catches the screws as you remove them. As you can imagine, this sill is not on the new TT, Audi's engineers must have gotten pissed that they let something that was convenient to work on into production.

4. Open your box. If it's stuck, which is very likely considering you're taking it out for a replacement, you can reach in from the passenger's side and push in the little round piece that's causing it to get stuck. You may have to pull the black panel off to do this:

The piece should be in one of the holes above the metal speednut next to the glovebox door. Just get the box open somehow.

5. Remove the three torx screws at the top of the box, and remove it CAREFULLY there are still cables attached to it!

6. Looking at it, you'll see the box has the box has wires for the airbag key and light attached to it. They simply unclip; the airbag cable unclips upwards. The cable for the light unclips at the rear of the box.

7. Box should be free now:

8. Now you have to remove the airbag key module. Audi kinda melted some little plastic rivets to hold it in place or something. Either way, it's not too difficult to remove, but takes a bit of patience. Grab a sharp utility knife and CAREFULLY trim off the melted plastic. Keep your hands clear of the blade at all times.

Hacking away:

Last one's a bit awkward to reach, but it's doable:

Once you've chopped off all the plastic pieces, you should be able to just push it right out (in the direction as if you were pushing it into the cabin of the car).

For your replacement glovebox, just remove its key module and glue yours in.

8. Make stupid jokes with your newly removed box.

"Excuse me while I get my registration out of the glovebox"

Installing new box is the reverse of above.

Major Forums

2008-01-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

There's a number of forums that are worth reading up on daily:

VWVortex TT Mk1 Forum
VWVortex 1.8T Forum
Audiforums TT Mk1 Forum
AudiWorld TT Mk1 Forum - don't worry, you'll get used to the odd format. These guys are good for asking little detail questions.
UK TT Forum

The Major FAQ's

2008-01-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

These links encompass a LOT of useful knowledge. Search through these FIRST; there are few questions they don't answer.

VWVortex Mk1 TT FAQ - Covers many common problems.

VWVortex 1.8T FAQ - Covers a lot about the 1.8T engine including troubleshooting common issues, performing routine maintenance, etc.

AudiWorld Mk1 TT FAQ and Common Problems HUGE listing of links to threads.

Audi Forums Mk1 TT FAQ - Scroll down and you'll find a post with links to a LOT of how-to's.

VWVortex Mk4 Volkswagen FAQ - Don't be too snobbish to go here. Your TT has a huge amount in common with Mk4 Volkswagens, there's good info regarding engine related stuff in this read.

Jeff Bipes' TT Site - Lots of useful writeups by Jeff.

TTForum.co.uk FAQ - Not very big and from the looks of it not too useful, but I thought I'd include it anyway.