Audi TT questions
#1
06-03-2007 | 09:01 AM
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 13
From:
Audi TT questions
Hi everyone.
I'm relatively new to foreign cars and haven't even considered one until a few of my colleagues suggested doing so. I've been a Ford guy, and my family has been Ford owners for more than 30 years. I'm in the Southeast Michigan area (Motor City) so I'm kind of hesistant at looking to buy a German car, but some people say that times have changed.
1). How is the 2nd gen TT in terms of reliability?
2). How expensive is it to maintain a TT by yourself? I've been able to do almost anything car related in my own garage (short of cycling the ABS system, doing a full computer-assisted wheel alignment, and paint the exterior). Do you need any special computer equipment that the dealer only has (to reset DTCs that pop up periodically which require you to go back to the stealership)? How hard and expensive is it to find replacement parts?
3). When is the 3rd gen TT coming out, and are there any details on what it will include?
4). How is the 3.2 Quattro's performance right out of the showroom? It has a 13.6:1 weight to hp ratio, so I'm guesstimating that it will run high 14s bone stock which is about as fast as my current 2000 Ford Crown Vic.
I'm not interested in modifying the TT though.
5). How is the Quattro system? I plan to drive it in the snow (and we get a lot of it) and in the road salt, which brings me to the next question...
6). How is the corrosion resistance? Will it rust out completely within 5 years?
7). Are there any "must have" options? I priced out a TT to be $47k MSRP with:
Bi-Xenon Adaptive Headlights
800.00
Audi magnetic ride suspension
1,400.00
Audio Package
1,000.00
Audi Navigation plus w/ 6 disc CD changer*
1,950.00
HIDs are a MUST for me, and I'd like to see what the magnetic ride is all about. I also love to listen to music, so the audio package (whatever it is, hopefully it plays MP3 CDs) and navigation unit are must-haves for me.
8). Are there any known problems with the 2nd gen TT? How is the manual transmission? Notchy, smooth, grindy, etc...?
9). Are there any other higher-traffic Audi TT forums that I can check out?
Thanks for your patience. I'm still going to keep my Fords but they haven't offered anything new or exciting that I'd like to buy (already have a S197 GT).
I'm relatively new to foreign cars and haven't even considered one until a few of my colleagues suggested doing so. I've been a Ford guy, and my family has been Ford owners for more than 30 years. I'm in the Southeast Michigan area (Motor City) so I'm kind of hesistant at looking to buy a German car, but some people say that times have changed.
1). How is the 2nd gen TT in terms of reliability?
2). How expensive is it to maintain a TT by yourself? I've been able to do almost anything car related in my own garage (short of cycling the ABS system, doing a full computer-assisted wheel alignment, and paint the exterior). Do you need any special computer equipment that the dealer only has (to reset DTCs that pop up periodically which require you to go back to the stealership)? How hard and expensive is it to find replacement parts?
3). When is the 3rd gen TT coming out, and are there any details on what it will include?
4). How is the 3.2 Quattro's performance right out of the showroom? It has a 13.6:1 weight to hp ratio, so I'm guesstimating that it will run high 14s bone stock which is about as fast as my current 2000 Ford Crown Vic.
I'm not interested in modifying the TT though.
5). How is the Quattro system? I plan to drive it in the snow (and we get a lot of it) and in the road salt, which brings me to the next question...
6). How is the corrosion resistance? Will it rust out completely within 5 years?
7). Are there any "must have" options? I priced out a TT to be $47k MSRP with:
Bi-Xenon Adaptive Headlights
800.00
Audi magnetic ride suspension
1,400.00
Audio Package
1,000.00
Audi Navigation plus w/ 6 disc CD changer*
1,950.00
HIDs are a MUST for me, and I'd like to see what the magnetic ride is all about. I also love to listen to music, so the audio package (whatever it is, hopefully it plays MP3 CDs) and navigation unit are must-haves for me.
8). Are there any known problems with the 2nd gen TT? How is the manual transmission? Notchy, smooth, grindy, etc...?
9). Are there any other higher-traffic Audi TT forums that I can check out?
Thanks for your patience. I'm still going to keep my Fords but they haven't offered anything new or exciting that I'd like to buy (already have a S197 GT).
#2
06-03-2007 | 11:33 AM
2nd Gear
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,436
From: San Diego & Santa Cruz, CA
RE: Audi TT questions
ORIGINAL: metroplex
Hi everyone.
I'm relatively new to foreign cars and haven't even considered one until a few of my colleagues suggested doing so. I've been a Ford guy, and my family has been Ford owners for more than 30 years. I'm in the Southeast Michigan area (Motor City) so I'm kind of hesistant at looking to buy a German car, but some people say that times have changed.
1). How is the 2nd gen TT in terms of reliability? Hard to put a finger on that, it was just released. The MK1's need a Timing Belt every 60K ($700-$900). Significant number of instrument cluster problems ($800-1000). Early version Coilpacks were weak and would fail($25 each). Other than that pretty good overall.
2). How expensive is it to maintain a TT by yourself? I've been able to do almost anything car related in my own garage (short of cycling the ABS system, doing a full computer-assisted wheel alignment, and paint the exterior). If you have a bit of mechanical know-how you can do virtually anything. I've done all the maintenance on mine, plus virtually all of the modifications with the exception of the chip. Do you need any special computer equipment that the dealer only has (to reset DTCs that pop up periodically which require you to go back to the stealership)? VAG-COM is a must for both resetting codes and diagnostics $235 plus your own laptop. How hard and expensive is it to find replacement parts? Not hard at all. But you can't buy much of anything at your local Pepboys or AutoZone. Lots of online sources ECStuning.com, Worldimpex.com and TTStuff.com are the most popular.
3). When is the 3rd gen TT coming out, and are there any details on what it will include? No idea. MK2 is just announced and no real info on the MK3 other than wild speculation and wish lists.
4). How is the 3.2 Quattro's performance right out of the showroom? It has a 13.6:1 weight to hp ratio, so I'm guesstimating that it will run high 14s bone stock which is about as fast as my current 2000 Ford Crown Vic. The stock 3.2 should run in the low 14's and I won't even make a comment about your Crown Vic [8D]
I'm not interested in modifying the TT though. Yeah, we all said that click on the link in my sig and see how well I stuck to that idea.
5). How is the Quattro system? I plan to drive it in the snow (and we get a lot of it) and in the road salt, which brings me to the next question... You will absolutely love the Quattro in the snow. Nothing in the world can beat AWD in snow, rain, and even in the dry.
6). How is the corrosion resistance? Will it rust out completely within 5 years? No, that is one thing the VAG cars have done far far better than Detroit. All of the body panels are zinc plated prior to fabrication (except the Aluminum ones, obviously). They take extreme measures in the fabrication to protect that coating. The Audi paint system is a 12 step process the virtually eliminates rust.
7). Are there any "must have" options? I priced out a TT to be $47k MSRP with:
Bi-Xenon Adaptive Headlights
800.00
Audi magnetic ride suspension
1,400.00
Audio Package
1,000.00
Audi Navigation plus w/ 6 disc CD changer*
1,950.00
HIDs are a MUST for me, and I'd like to see what the magnetic ride is all about. I also love to listen to music, so the audio package (whatever it is, hopefully it plays MP3 CDs) and navigation unit are must-haves for me. The options are pretty much personal preferance, but you hit the most popular ones.
8). Are there any known problems with the 2nd gen TT? How is the manual transmission? Notchy, smooth, grindy, etc...? You can't get a manual trans with the Quattro, it's the new generation DSG. The 2.0T has a manual but it is only availabe in FWD.
9). Are there any other higher-traffic Audi TT forums that I can check out? Check out the TT forum on Audiworld.com. There are two forums there one for each the Mk1 and the Mk2, although there is plenty of discussion about the Mk2 in the Mk1 forum.
Thanks for your patience. I'm still going to keep my Fords but they haven't offered anything new or exciting that I'd like to buy (already have a S197 GT).
Hi everyone.
I'm relatively new to foreign cars and haven't even considered one until a few of my colleagues suggested doing so. I've been a Ford guy, and my family has been Ford owners for more than 30 years. I'm in the Southeast Michigan area (Motor City) so I'm kind of hesistant at looking to buy a German car, but some people say that times have changed.
1). How is the 2nd gen TT in terms of reliability? Hard to put a finger on that, it was just released. The MK1's need a Timing Belt every 60K ($700-$900). Significant number of instrument cluster problems ($800-1000). Early version Coilpacks were weak and would fail($25 each). Other than that pretty good overall.
2). How expensive is it to maintain a TT by yourself? I've been able to do almost anything car related in my own garage (short of cycling the ABS system, doing a full computer-assisted wheel alignment, and paint the exterior). If you have a bit of mechanical know-how you can do virtually anything. I've done all the maintenance on mine, plus virtually all of the modifications with the exception of the chip. Do you need any special computer equipment that the dealer only has (to reset DTCs that pop up periodically which require you to go back to the stealership)? VAG-COM is a must for both resetting codes and diagnostics $235 plus your own laptop. How hard and expensive is it to find replacement parts? Not hard at all. But you can't buy much of anything at your local Pepboys or AutoZone. Lots of online sources ECStuning.com, Worldimpex.com and TTStuff.com are the most popular.
3). When is the 3rd gen TT coming out, and are there any details on what it will include? No idea. MK2 is just announced and no real info on the MK3 other than wild speculation and wish lists.
4). How is the 3.2 Quattro's performance right out of the showroom? It has a 13.6:1 weight to hp ratio, so I'm guesstimating that it will run high 14s bone stock which is about as fast as my current 2000 Ford Crown Vic. The stock 3.2 should run in the low 14's and I won't even make a comment about your Crown Vic [8D]
I'm not interested in modifying the TT though. Yeah, we all said that click on the link in my sig and see how well I stuck to that idea.
5). How is the Quattro system? I plan to drive it in the snow (and we get a lot of it) and in the road salt, which brings me to the next question... You will absolutely love the Quattro in the snow. Nothing in the world can beat AWD in snow, rain, and even in the dry.
6). How is the corrosion resistance? Will it rust out completely within 5 years? No, that is one thing the VAG cars have done far far better than Detroit. All of the body panels are zinc plated prior to fabrication (except the Aluminum ones, obviously). They take extreme measures in the fabrication to protect that coating. The Audi paint system is a 12 step process the virtually eliminates rust.
7). Are there any "must have" options? I priced out a TT to be $47k MSRP with:
Bi-Xenon Adaptive Headlights
800.00
Audi magnetic ride suspension
1,400.00
Audio Package
1,000.00
Audi Navigation plus w/ 6 disc CD changer*
1,950.00
HIDs are a MUST for me, and I'd like to see what the magnetic ride is all about. I also love to listen to music, so the audio package (whatever it is, hopefully it plays MP3 CDs) and navigation unit are must-haves for me. The options are pretty much personal preferance, but you hit the most popular ones.
8). Are there any known problems with the 2nd gen TT? How is the manual transmission? Notchy, smooth, grindy, etc...? You can't get a manual trans with the Quattro, it's the new generation DSG. The 2.0T has a manual but it is only availabe in FWD.
9). Are there any other higher-traffic Audi TT forums that I can check out? Check out the TT forum on Audiworld.com. There are two forums there one for each the Mk1 and the Mk2, although there is plenty of discussion about the Mk2 in the Mk1 forum.
Thanks for your patience. I'm still going to keep my Fords but they haven't offered anything new or exciting that I'd like to buy (already have a S197 GT).
#3
06-03-2007 | 12:05 PM
4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,349
From: Everywhere
RE: Audi TT questions
Just going to touch base on a couple things... If you want people to turn their heads the 2nd gen TT will definitely do it... About the quattro in snow... well, im from rochester NY, we get quite a bit of snow too, as well as i do travel to the adirondacks in the snow and almost no problems... No car will not slip on ice, however, in snow the quattro is really the best thing i have experience as far as traction goes... and trust me, i have seen a fair share of snow.
#6
06-03-2007 | 05:34 PM
2nd Gear
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,436
From: San Diego & Santa Cruz, CA
RE: Audi TT questions
Underneath DSG is an Automatic transmission. But in sport mode it will pretty much let you control the shifting. There are dual gear sets in the DSG transmission. The computer anticipates your next gear change and has the gear set that isn't in use in that gear, so when it swaps over there is virtually no loss in RPM or hesitation when shifting. Unlike a Manual there is no clutch, and you do not have to lift off the throttle to shift. A quick Google search located this article.
#7
06-03-2007 | 05:50 PM
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 13
From:
RE: Audi TT questions
It sounds like I wouldn't like the DSG. I prefer a traditional manual. So there's no way to get a standard 6-speed manual with the Quattro? Would I have to settle for a 2.0 FWD TT if I wanted the standard 6-speed manual?
I'm looking at the 2008 specs:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/sp...&trimid=-1
And it appears that there is a 3.2 Quattro (6-speed manual) and a 3.2 Quattro S Tronic (Automatic).
I'm looking for a clutch pedal and a standard shifter gate (not sequential or flappy paddles or automatic) with the Quattro system and the 3.2 V6.
I'm looking at the 2008 specs:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/sp...&trimid=-1
And it appears that there is a 3.2 Quattro (6-speed manual) and a 3.2 Quattro S Tronic (Automatic).
I'm looking for a clutch pedal and a standard shifter gate (not sequential or flappy paddles or automatic) with the Quattro system and the 3.2 V6.
#8
06-03-2007 | 06:09 PM
2nd Gear
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,436
From: San Diego & Santa Cruz, CA
RE: Audi TT questions
The manual may be available in Europe. Go to Audiusa.com and try to configure one with the manual, that will let you know what you can get in the US. I've driven a few DSG's on the track and to be honest, it's really not all that bad. It does tend to upshift when you start to get to redline, but other than that it seems to work pretty well.
#9
06-03-2007 | 08:05 PM
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 13
From:
RE: Audi TT questions
I configured an Audi TT and it just says "6 speed" or "S Tronic". I'm not sure if it is a 6-speed DSG.
One complaint I have about Audi's website is the lack of detailed tech info. They make no mention of the LED headlamps on the R8 (which is revolutionary - one of the first production cars to ever have LED headlamps yet they don't even talk about it) or what type of transmission is used in the TT.
Do the new 3.2L V6s use timing belts or timing chains?
One complaint I have about Audi's website is the lack of detailed tech info. They make no mention of the LED headlamps on the R8 (which is revolutionary - one of the first production cars to ever have LED headlamps yet they don't even talk about it) or what type of transmission is used in the TT.
Do the new 3.2L V6s use timing belts or timing chains?