Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

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Rettax3
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Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Rettax3 »

As mentioned earlier, I picked up [sigh] another car this weekend.
The car is quick -there are faster out there, but this is a fun car to drive, and needs no excuses for its' performance, even though the doughnut tire and ailing transmission offer plenty.
The car is quick -there are faster out there, but this is a fun car to drive, and needs no excuses for its' performance, even though the doughnut tire and ailing transmission offer plenty.
I had no intention of keeping the little thing, or even liking it, but when my efforts to use one of my old Camaros to tow the car home met with haulting failure (stuck rear brake caliper :oops: ), I just went out to 'look at it'. Then I found out it was actually driveable, though in need of a few fairly major repairs. First two were the ones I knew about beforehand -transmission problems, and an exhaust issue. The car is an '04 Audi TT Convertible Roadster, base-model FWD version, with a sport-shift six-speed automatic coupled to a 180 HP Turbo 1.8-Litre DOHC engine. I am amused that this smaller turbo car has the same HP rating as the earlier Beretta Quad-4 engines... The car is in really clean condition, aside from the glaring mechanical problems, and even has a new convertible top, installed just before the tranny started acting up. Very salvageable car. It started growing on me almost immediately, and by the time I got it halfway home, I was seriously considering adopting this car into the family. My better-half has been wanting a 'newer' car, and this qualifies -the two newest vehicles we drive are a pair of almost-twenty-year-old Toyotas, each with +/- 1/4-million miles (literally: ~280k and ~240k, I think they are at). This little German car has under 100k on the clock. The main issues I noticed while driving the car, aside from virtually every warning/malfunction light on or flashing on the dash, was that the tranny slips intermittently between 2-3, it downshifts harshly, the exhaust-pipe before the catalytic-converter is broken wide open (actually sounds a little mean, for a 1.8-Litre), and the car is cruising on a doughnut-spare, because one tire had blown apart. A few minor flaws accompany the car, but mostly it is in well-cared-for condition.
Not a huge fan of the aftermarket 18&quot; rims, but they are okay.  Stock looked nicer though...<br />Nestled here between two of my Pontiac F-Bodies, it looks not-too-small, cutish, and terribly modern to me.
Not a huge fan of the aftermarket 18" rims, but they are okay. Stock looked nicer though...
Nestled here between two of my Pontiac F-Bodies, it looks not-too-small, cutish, and terribly modern to me.
I did a quick walk-around the Audi tonight. Noticed a few things, then went through the paperwork that came with it, including the original window-sticker, tire-purchase receipts, oil-change records, etc, and a recent inspection report... Funny that I noticed most of the things they did that needed attention. Rear brake pads are nearly done, driver's-side CV boot is leaking, coolant running a little low (I had a heads-up on that one though), oil dipstick-tube is broken ($.90 on Rock Auto, about $4 locally)... They also noted the axle-shaft seals from the transaxle were both leaking (I haven't been underneath yet, so haven't seen those), but nowhere did they recommend a timing-belt service and I find no indication that it has ever been done... Nor did they record that they checked the transmission fluid level or condition, so I am now wondering what the odds are that I lucked-out with the tranny, and it just needs fluid or even a service. Nah, probably the whole valve-body is shot. Still, worth a try. This is one of those stupid designs where the fluid level has to be checked from underneath by filling through the drain-plug hole until overflowing the stand-pipe, like newer Fords. Yay. I doubt the tech inspected that...

It is well equipped: climate control, factory 6-disc CD changer, power everything (including the top -take that, '88 'Vert Camaro! :crazy: ), ABS, traction-control/stability control (which can be turned off :twisted: ), all-wheel disc brakes (if you like that sort of thing), heated leather seats, remote locks, etc, etc. I will be testing the transmission hopefully this week, maybe fixing the exhaust too, or maybe just sizing it up for an upgrade, of, um, up-sizing. If the tranny is definitely bad, I may just replace the valve-body for a few hundred bucks, or I may swap the whole thing out for a straight manual six-speed trans -CVs are the same, so I'll mostly be looking for shifter, cables, pedal assembly, hydraulics, clutch/flywheel, the tranny itself, and possibly an ECM, might go with a 'chipped' one then, depending upon cost and what my research comes up with. I've worked on a LOT of Volkswagon/Audi Group vehicles, and I know how they are put together. Overall, the build-quality of these cars is usually decent, but the materials themselves (usually plastic, basically everywhere) is the downfall. Some aspects of the designs are really smart and ingenuitive, some aspects are plain stupid. I am not 100% sure this car fits us all that well, but for now at least, I am willing to give it a chance.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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ifixalot
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by ifixalot »

Congrats on your new aquire. That's a funky looking little car. I've seen those and I like em.
I hope you get all the problems sorted out and I hope they are not too complex. You know though,
like me you have too many cars. We both need help!


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Money pit Beretta
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Money pit Beretta »

Always kind of liked the TT's. There is just something about them. Also had a lot of fun with the fake ones on the Grand Turismo games. For me it would be a large step up and would be pleasure to drive. Not that I know enough about them to say that for sure.
Coming from low end GM cars its got to have some truth.
Best of luck and have fun.


keep'em flying!
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Rettax3
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Rettax3 »

Money pit Beretta wrote:had a lot of fun with the fake ones on the Grand Turismo games.
Midtown Madness 2 was the TT game for me, back then. :D
ifixalot wrote: You know though, like me you have too many cars. We both need help!
CBS -Car Buying Syndrome. It is contagious, too. :bad: I know I am sick, but I like it! :pardon:

Thanks for the positive comments... I pulled the exhaust pipe out of the car the other day -easy to work on and good access with basic tools. However, three of the four studs holding the downpipe to the turbo broke off, so now I get to work on extracting those. Without the DP in the way though, there is tons of room to work on it. A complete exact-fit drop-in replacement PRC Turbo can be bought for right about $100 if I am willing to cheapen the car, I can even get a slightly bigger snail for about the same price if I want to try that out. Still unsure about the transmission trouble, but it too has plenty of room to access the bottom pan and the valve-body assembly if that is the route I choose to go. The 09G transmission has individual solenoids that can be tested, serviced, or replaced as necessary, and a shift kit complete with replacement solenoid caps is available for ~ $80. The overhaul kit is similarly cheap -one of the things that has impressed me over the years with VAG (Volkswagon Audi Group) cars is the extremely low price of replacement parts. Cheap has more than one meaning... :pardon: Gates offers a metal impeller water-pump that I will be putting in with the new belt, GMB also offers a metal pump, I remember putting one of these in for a customer a few years back, even the GMB looked decent for quality. Nice to get away from plastic where possible. Thank goodness this isn't the 2.0 engine -I also remember working on a Golf that had no less than 16 individual hoses for the cooling system under the hood -so double that number for potential leak-points- and every time I worked on that POS some new plastic part in the cooling system was leaking. %) I am getting a new tire on order to install some time next week.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
EPfiffner
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by EPfiffner »

Money pit Beretta wrote: Coming from low end GM cars its got to have some truth.
Best of luck and have fun.
You're saying Beretta's are low end? I'm offended! Lol

@rettax3 that's a cool car, you know I have a soft spot for roadsters since you saw the pics I posted of my MGB project.

German cars kind of scare me due to the complexity, but it seems like you are a mechanic by trade (?) So should be no problem.


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Money pit Beretta
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Money pit Beretta »

Rode in an MGB with a cammed 3400. That was fun and they for sure have some very nice brakes.


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Rettax3
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

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Money pit Beretta wrote:Rode in an MGB with a cammed 3400. That was fun and they for sure have some very nice brakes.
Sounds like a fun ride. modded cars like that are great when the builder has done the right upgrades all the way around, keeping a good 'balance' to the car's performance...
An old co-worker of mine had a little Vega wagon, he had shoe-horned a built 400 Small-Block V-8 into that thing. It did NOT have good brakes... :crazy: A good example of how NOT to build a car, still fun as #e!!. We backed out of his driveway, he put it in drive, held the brakes and gave it some gas. We were doing ~40mph without moving, until he let off the brakes, then the car just sat there and shook for a moment before trying for lift-off... I asked him later if he used a line-lock to hold the rear brakes out while he was spinning-up his tires, he laughed and said no, the rear brakes were just shot. I never rode with him again, coincidentally... :P


I haven't had any time to work on the Audi, although I did get the new tire mounted and balanced. I have gotten all the parts I ordered for it, should be everything it needs aside from the transmission fix (unless I swap out the turbocharger too). Best case, it is low on fluid, worst case (I think) is it needs a new valve-body. I should be able to get something done on it soon here though, unless I take some time out to keep working on my shop -some nice upgrades coming in soon for that! :twisted:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Money pit Beretta
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Money pit Beretta »

Wow! That 400 seems like a bit much, even for a wagon(as if that added much more to the weight). LOL never rode with him again.
Great story.
Not sure if AP exhaust makes anything for a TT, you can get a full stock exhaust for a Beretta without crush bends though.


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Rettax3
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Rettax3 »

Money pit Beretta wrote: Not sure if AP exhaust makes anything for a TT, you can get a full stock exhaust for a Beretta without crush bends though.
No crush-bends huh? That is nice to know, I build my own exhaust systems with full-on mandrel-bent piping, but it is definitely good that SOMEBODY has figured out crinkle-bends suck. For the Audi, literally the flex connector from the down-pipe stress-cracked all the way through. I have a new flex-connector to weld in and it will be good to go, aside from the broken bolts in the turbo exhaust housing which wouldn't be fixed by buying/building an exhaust system anyway. I did do a little research on it though, and stepping up the size a little from OE apparently makes a big difference in performance -figures with a forced-induction engine, of course. For now though, I will be happy enough just fixing what is there and getting it running good. It only cost me several bucks for the flex connector, and won't take much time welding it in either. Building a whole new system would take the better part of a weekend for me right now, but will be easier later this year (again, improvements coming UP soon in my shop! :wink: ). By then I'll know if I really like the car and want to keep it (I think we will), and might even do a Quattro AWD conversion on it, in which case I need a completely different exhaust system anyway. Thanks for the info on AP though, if they are who I think they are, the last shop I worked for got all of their exhaust system supplies from them -good quality materials at a competitive price, and they delivered to us quickly too.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Money pit Beretta
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Money pit Beretta »

Should have known you would have that covered. AWD conversion? Is there anything you can't do?


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Rettax3
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Rettax3 »

Money pit Beretta wrote:Should have known you would have that covered. AWD conversion? Is there anything you can't do?
:D Fifth amendment. Buuuuut, honestly on this car it would be easy, as all the parts are bolt-in, if I find a donor. Thanks for the props though, I appreciate it, it has been a tough week for me. :friends:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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Money pit Beretta
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Money pit Beretta »

Credit where credit is due!


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Godlike
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by Godlike »

Looks like a fun project. sarah-n-tuned on YouTube has one she’s fixing up. It’s fun to watch other people working on a car you have. I’m stuck in the house with the kids so much now that I watch people work on cars way more then work on them myself.


90' GTZ 189whp NA 14.00@99 / 237whp 50 shot 13.3@104
95' Integra 240whp / 04' Z71 Tahoe/ 85' K20/ 15' IS350 Fsport
projects: 86 Bonneville 6.0 swap / MkIII Supra 2J swap / 91 Volvo 740
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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by ClaraM03 »

Money pit Beretta wrote:Always kind of liked the TT's. There is just something about them. Also had a lot of fun with the fake ones on the Grand Turismo games. For me it would be a large step up and would be pleasure to drive comparateur mutuelle animaux. Not that I know enough about them to say that for sure.
Coming from low end GM cars its got to have some truth.
Best of luck and have fun.
Je hebt gelijk, het is een erg mooie auto en erg leuk om mee te rijden.


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Re: Am I blue? No, the new car is though...

Post by samrich »

What ?


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