# beware high milage audi tts?



## engineeringkid (Mar 11, 2010)

I'm looking at buying an audi TT with high milage (300,000 kms, = 186,000 miles) 

Timing belt has been replaced twice, never broken. Owner has service records for almost all oil changes, brakes, rotors, struts, suspension ball joints and other wear items.

Overall car has been well cared for. Even has original clutch (mostly highway driving). 
There's highway dings on the front (just stone chips....dings is the wrong word), and aside from the high kms, I really don't see any issues with the car. It appears to be well cared for and not neglected. There's wear on the driver's seat but no tears, nothing broken.

Are these time bombs or should I be afraid of this car? 
What's better, a high milage well cared for TT, or a poorly cared for lower milage TT? 
I'm really tempted to pick up this car. 

Within the last 25,000 km its had the following new replacement

- new AC compressor, air bag controller, control arm bushings, coil,
plugs, battery, front and rear brakes incl calipers, serpentine belt,
left window regulator, left front air bag, alternator, power steering
pump. It still has original clutch (mainly highway commuter miles to
Toronto) and original turbo The body is extremely good, interior very
good.


Anything I should look out for? Beyond the timing belt, do these engines have a finite life span or should I expect any expensive repairs (turbo?) in the near future?


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## wrparrish (Nov 13, 2008)

Low miles and poor maintenance is infinitely worse than high miles and well maintained.

The car your buying sounds like it will be no issue, aside from 3 things.

1. The clutch - it has a finite life, it will need to be replaced sometime, however this is true in all vehicles. 

2. The turbo- ^ 

3. Engine Internals - The wear items your concerned with are the rings, and their ability to provide a strong seal with the cylinder, as well as the valve seat, and valve guides, and the face of the valves themselves, and their ability to seal with the head / combustion chamber.

The parts listed in #3 will not just suddenly give the **** up on you ( usually ) they just lose a little of their ability to perform optimally, and this will be evident in compression test results, and the engines ability to make power. This is a constant in a all vehicles as well.


It sounds like you are looking at a well cared for car, and i think if the price is right, you should buy it without hesitation. Miles mean nothing, its all in how something is cared for.

Good luck to you


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## engineeringkid (Mar 11, 2010)

*Gaguging wear items....*

As a bit of a back story. I just want a reliable daily driver. I work as a mechanical engineer (aerospace not cars)....but I'm a car guy.

I'm wondering if there's anything specific to the engine/transmission/chassis that wears?

-Does the cylinder head have valve seat inserts and how long do the valve seats usually last before they start to bleed off pressure (I haven't done a compression test on the car yet....but will before I buy).
-Anyone know the expected lifespan of valve springs before they start to creep and let the valve train float at higher rpms?

-How easy is access to the turbo? Could I just have the inspection mechanic pop off the intake pipe and check the fan shaft for lateral play or any grinding? No turbo timer on the car, but I doubt it was driven hard based on who the prev. owner was.

-Do the clutch packs ever wear out in the LSD and haldex "quattro" system?

-Some cars have a little flywheel cover at the bottom of the bell housing and you can 'peek' at the clutch. I guess really the only way to tell what life is left on the clutch is by the throw of the clutch pedal....but even then I believe it is a self bleeding/filling system so pedal throw isn't an accurate indicator of clutch pad wear

-Any other electronics or expensive parts that eventually just die (engine computer, or transmission synchro-mesh rings etc etc? 

Most of these things depend on "HOW" the , not "HOW FAR" it was driven. 

I recall that the 1.8 VAG had sludge buildup issues, but with a lifetime of routine oil changes, all done with synthetic Mobile 1, I'm not worried. (I'm looking at a 2001 180 FMC....at least I think its 180...forgot to ask the owner if it has 2nd tail pipe, but based on pics I think only 1) 

I suppose there aren't a lot of TTs out there with high mileage to compare notes. Just wondering if these are more like a Toyota or a GM....... with respect to their expected useful service life.


Here's ad if ppl are interested


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## darrenbyrnes (Jan 4, 2005)

The sludge issue was with a different motor. I have a 2000 with 147k and it has been my DD for some time now. It's been pretty solid, but I have had to do the clutch, AC compressor and a window motor.

Other updates were optional.

I am storing it now, though, since we have a metric pantload of snow, it's bone chilling out there, and I have a crappy van as my winter beater.


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## wrparrish (Nov 13, 2008)

Heads do not have valve seat inserts, to recondition them you get a "valve job" where the valve seat is cut and machined to an as new surface, you can also reshape the valve seat a little for additional performance (ask for a "performance" 3 angle valve job, this is the same as the oft referenced but rarely understood 5 angle one)

Access to the turbo depends on whether or not your car is FWD or Quattro, if its the latter, your kind of ****ed. You have access, its just not easy.

Your cover is at the top, and its only to see a timing mark reference on the flywheel, you have no inspection capability of the clutch.

The clutch packs do wear to an extent, but you gotta figure they are not constantly engaged, and ive never heard anyone report this kind of thing.

E-V-E-R-Y thing dies eventually, dont worry about it. 

Dont think too far into this. Man up and buy it.


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## ejg3855 (Sep 23, 2004)

Control Arm bushings and upper strut tops are common, they don't catastrophically fail just wear and negatively impact ride.


Any rubber part has a typical life span of 100-150K miles in my opinion.



It looks like its a 180Q, this isn't bad but just be aware its not the 225hp version.


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## TTC2k5 (May 23, 2008)

Given the age and mileage, it will need most of it's suspension refreshed. from the pic of the strut mount extending thru the wheel well, it definitly needs topmounts...and most likely bearings. it is perfectly normal for some gap, say 1/4-1/2 inch, but that looks like 1/2 inch or better. Expect 800-1000+ for suspension refresh.


The engine bay pic looks like it was rode hard and put up wet. here's some pics of my 2001's engine bay. I added bling and a quick wipe down, but otherwise it is just like when I bought it at the 9 year point. Granted, mine has less than half the mileage, but it is still a 2001.





























cheers


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## wrparrish (Nov 13, 2008)

Really?

Your going to speculate on the mechanical condition of a car because the guy didnt wipe his ****ing covers down with a rag?

Jesus H Christ.
opcorn:


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## ejg3855 (Sep 23, 2004)

wrparrish said:


> Really?
> 
> Your going to speculate on the mechanical condition of a car because the guy didnt wipe his ****ing covers down with a rag?
> 
> ...


:thumbup:


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## TTC2k5 (May 23, 2008)

wrparrish said:


> Really?
> 
> Your going to speculate on the mechanical condition of a car because the guy didnt wipe his ****ing covers down with a rag?
> 
> ...



The pics in your link make the car look like a POS. More often than not, if it looks like a POS, it is a POS. You asked for opinions, I gave mine. Your money, do as you like.

cheers


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## Luis92 (Jan 25, 2011)

2000 Audi TT with 152,000 miles and no problems at all


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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

Luis92 said:


> 2000 Audi TT with 152,000 miles and no problems at all


Lol, then your not looking hard enough. Even a broken clock is right once a day.:wave:

In all seriousness, thats a lot of miles. Im just sayin


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## AviatorTT (Dec 27, 2003)

*350 KM on my TT*

Hi, 

I have a 2000 Audi TT 180q with 350kms, with original clutch and belts changed twice.

I drive it all year round and owned it for 10years

Great Car!


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## ShockwaveCS (Jun 22, 2006)

i'd say you could get one with 90-100K for ~7500


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## lite1979 (Sep 9, 2005)

I agree. I would offer less for this car. I paid $6500 for my 225QC with 105K miles. Unfortunately, I haven't made it past 130K since I started chasing a coolant leak three months ago (yes, the head is probably coming off), but I bought mine from my cousin, who wasn't exactly mechanically inclined, and gave me a bunch of work to do just to get the thing on the road. I do think this car could use a nice detailing, but it's in Ontario, and being in Buffalo myself, I know how easy it is to pick up all of that sand off the salty roads around here. It doesn't look bad at all for being in the snow belt. It's also likely that he's missing some of the plastic that goes under the engine bay, since that's usually the first victim of driving a TT (or any mkIV-based product) in the snow..

You would also want to find out if the gauge cluster was replaced or if it works 100%. If it's not working 100%, you can expect it to fail slowly over time, and you may have trouble with the immobilizer in the cluster if it has the later 2001 immobilizer III technology. I missed out on the last two weeks of summer 2009 because of that.


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