2002 Audi TT Quattro with CEL

Nick · Mar 12, 2015

Audis are fairly easy to scan with a vag-com and determine the fault code. There should be no mystery if you're considering a purchase.

Jm_ · Mar 12, 2015

Trailslug46 said:
I've been looking at a 2002 Audi TT Quattro 225hp version, and it has a check engine light. The current owner says it's because the down pipe doesn't have a catalytic converter. I have a 2002 Subaru WRX with no cats what so ever and it throws no cel's. If it is a no cat causing the CEL can that be taken out with a re-flash of the computer. My WRX has a COBB stage 2 tune.
Is the TT worth the trouble? 126K miles new timing belt, original clutch, $9000.
If you had a TT, would you buy another? I know there can be problems with the ESP, could that be causing the CEL?
Thanks.

F-no, you have to take the whole front end of the car off to change the belts or alternator.

Jm_ · Mar 12, 2015

Oops, TT, not A4, well my buddy has (had) a TT, it was thousands of dollars to replace the instrument cluster. Look into this issue. It's common with the TTs.

jstuhlman · Mar 12, 2015

you can usually take a car to a pep boys/auto zone, etc, and they'll check the code for free...

SkaredShtles · Mar 12, 2015

Toshi · Mar 13, 2015

:nelsonhaha:

Pesqueeb · Mar 13, 2015

SkaredShtles said:

Toshi said:
:nelsonhaha:

Westy · Mar 13, 2015

The CEL tells you that it is an authentic Audi and not counterfeit. If an O2 or EGT sensor was removed with the cat, that would explain the CEL. If that is the case the car probably runs like shit on a default map with significantly retarded timing.

This also tells you that the previous owner is an idiot and the car is possibly ruined. If someone can not modify a car properly, they should not do it at all.

big-ted · Mar 13, 2015

Your boyfriend could always stick electrical tape over the check engine light...

*Homophobic slur for comedic purposes only, no offence intended & not indicative of this author's views whatsoever.

jimmydean · Mar 13, 2015

Trailslug46 said:
I've read where it can be $1500 to $2500 to change the clutch. 12 hours labor to remove and install. I was looking to replace a problem child mustang but I think I'm going to let this one pass.

Ha, the clutch in my car is $500 parts, $2k labor (but most everything else on my car is cheap and easy to fix). You are looking at a car that is not cheap to repair, it's an Audi. :rofl:

HAB · Mar 13, 2015

jimmydean said:
Ha, the clutch in my car is $500 parts, $2k labor (but most everything else on my car is cheap and easy to fix). You are looking at a car that is not cheap to repair, it's an Audi.

Doing a coolant change in my S4 required removing the front bumper and most of the plumbing to the passenger side intercooler. :rofl:

Westy · Mar 13, 2015

HAB said:
Doing a coolant change in my S4 required removing the front bumper and most of the plumbing to the passenger side intercooler.

I love working on my old Volvo, can pretty much rebuild the whole thing with little more than a 1/2 and 9/16 wrench.

Gearing up to do brake pads on the GTI, had to order a set of triple square drivers and will need to rent a special tool to retract the pistons. Not looking forward to it.

StiHacka · Mar 13, 2015

Wife has a 2001 Beetle. Headlamp bulb replacement is like a dental surgery through your anus. Battery replacement == you have to gut half of the engine bay first. No self-respecting mechanic wants to work on these. What a PITA. I believe the TT is quite similar, only possibly a bit worse.

Jeremy R · Mar 13, 2015

Westy said:
I love working on my old Volvo, can pretty much rebuild the whole thing with little more than a 1/2 and 9/16 wrench.

Gearing up to do brake pads on the GTI, had to order a set of triple square drivers and will need to rent a special tool to retract the pistons. Not looking forward to it.

Westy, I am about to get a new GTI unless someone sensible like yourself talks me out it. Go!

Westy · Mar 13, 2015

Jeremy R said:
Westy, I am about to get a new GTI unless someone sensible like yourself talks me out it. Go!

Mine is a 2008, 100,000 miles. Had to replace an AC pressure switch, $300 job. Everything else has been fine. The 2015 are supposed to be beasts, rumor is they have more power than advertised. If I was in the market for a new car I would get a new GTI. They are not going to be as reliable as a Honda accord but who the fuck wants to drive an Accord? Some other cars at the same price may be quicker but none are as well rounded and useful as a GTI.

Not sure if the new designs have changed much, but tire rotation is important with these things especially if you have the extra weight of a hitch rack on all the time. Leave the tires where they are for 20,000 miles and the rears will scallop and make noise. I learned this the hard way. I now rotate every spring and fall with no issues or accelerated wear.

Jeremy R · Mar 13, 2015

Thanks man. I have been drooling over the new ones since they came out. My tacoma now has 217,000 miles on it and has been perfect, and I need a truck, so I am gonna keep it and get the GTI sometime this year. Ha, I remember Kenan had a truck he could drive when his S4 was down. He drove that truck a lot. : )

jstuhlman · Mar 13, 2015

GTI is fun. I'd get them as loaners sometimes when my old passat was in the shop...can you still get a manual?

Jeremy R · Mar 13, 2015

jstuhlman said:
GTI is fun. I'd get them as loaners sometimes when my old passat was in the shop...can you still get a manual?

Yep 6 speed. It is what I am getting for sure.

IH8Rice · Mar 13, 2015

jstuhlman said:
you can usually take a car to a pep boys/auto zone, etc, and they'll check the code for free...

ive found the readers that they have at auto zone just give generic codes and not what the actual problem is. our B8 A4 threw a "cooling system" CEL on the auto zone reader and i had to use someones vag-com to find out it was the thermostat.

Westy · Mar 13, 2015

Jeremy R said:
Thanks man. I have been drooling over the new ones since they came out. My tacoma now has 217,000 miles on it and has been perfect, and I need a truck, so I am gonna keep it and get the GTI sometime this year. Ha, I remember Kenan had a truck he could drive when his S4 was down. He drove that truck a lot. : )

The torque vectoring in the new ones sounds awesome. Biggest weakness with my MKV is the lack of an LSD. No LSD is always a problem.

blackohio · Mar 15, 2015

I ruined my Passat tdi last weekend.

jstuhlman · Mar 15, 2015

yes, yes you did.

jackalope · Mar 15, 2015

Westy said:
Gearing up to do brake pads on the GTI, had to order a set of triple square drivers and will need to rent a special tool to retract the pistons. Not looking forward to it.

Really? The caliper doesn't have a bleed valve on it? When I replaced the pads on my element, there was a bleed valve (looks almost exactly like the one on my Shimano brake caliper) which allows you to push th pistons apart with your fingers at the expense of a little dot 3/4. Regardless, the new GTIs do seem rad, I just hope they come in rootbeer.

Westy · Mar 15, 2015

jackalope said:
Really? The caliper doesn't have a bleed valve on it? When I replaced the pads on my element, there was a bleed valve (looks almost exactly like the one on my Shimano brake caliper) which allows you to push th pistons apart with your fingers at the expense of a little dot 3/4. Regardless, the new GTIs do seem rad, I just hope they come in rootbeer.

GTI rear calipers have an automatic wear indexing system. piston must be rotated as it is pushed in. I have tried to do this on other cars with little more than a c-clamp and moxie, it sucks. Many cars just displace brake fluid from the master cylinder and resetting is easy. I think the difference in design is based om whether or not the parking brake is integrated in the disk or is a separate drum inside the disk hub.

Jm_ · Mar 15, 2015

Westy said:
GTI rear calipers have an automatic wear indexing system. piston must be rotated as it is pushed in. I have tried to do this on other cars with little more than a c-clamp and moxie, it sucks. Many cars just displace brake fluid from the master cylinder and resetting is easy. I think the difference in design is based om whether or not the parking brake is integrated in the disk or is a separate drum inside the disk hub.

Kinda makes WWII a hollow victory.

HAB · Mar 15, 2015

Westy said:
GTI rear calipers have an automatic wear indexing system. piston must be rotated as it is pushed in. I have tried to do this on other cars with little more than a c-clamp and moxie, it sucks. Many cars just displace brake fluid from the master cylinder and resetting is easy. I think the difference in design is based om whether or not the parking brake is integrated in the disk or is a separate drum inside the disk hub.

This is exactly right. A bunch of cars (not just VAG products) do this. And yes, it's driven by having the parking brake actuate the rear calipers as opposed to a separate drum, just as you said.

Westy · Mar 15, 2015

Jm_ said:
Kinda makes WWII a hollow victory.

There is a proper engineering explanation for this one. A separate drum parking brake not only adds weight but requires a larger than needed disk. Unsprung rotating weight is bad mmmmkay.

jstuhlman · Mar 15, 2015

But makes for a PITA when time to change rotors.

jackalope · Mar 15, 2015

@Westy : true, but damn if they didn't make a mess of things with the final drive on the panther, tiger I and II (to say nothing of those laughably stupid mega tanks like the Maus), manual operation for the turrets on said tanks (costing them an incalculable number of valuable tanks), no decent night fighter, no decent heavy bomber, the me210 (lulz), the me109 landing fuck, the canopy and basic cockpit layout of the me109 (yes, superbly gifted pilots did shoot down ah-zillion poorly trained Russian pilots in p40s and p39s despite that aircrafts significant shortcomings), never developing functional proximity fuse AA rounds, etc...

Yep, they did some awesome stuff with the Me 262, rocket technology, the MG 34/42, the first assault rifle, panzer faust, etc, but they never could figure out the shit that actually mattered...Thankfully

canadmos · Mar 15, 2015

Westy said:
GTI rear calipers have an automatic wear indexing system. piston must be rotated as it is pushed in. I have tried to do this on other cars with little more than a c-clamp and moxie, it sucks. Many cars just displace brake fluid from the master cylinder and resetting is easy. I think the difference in design is based om whether or not the parking brake is integrated in the disk or is a separate drum inside the disk hub.

My Mazda was like this. I found it pretty much impossible to twist the pistons back into the caliper without that tool. It didn't help that some asshat had rented the piston kit and failed to return it. The local parts place did have this little cube tool that could fit a variety of rear caliper pistons, but it looked like it was just for various GM vehicles.

stevew · Mar 15, 2015

jstuhlman said:
yes, yes you did.

corey doessn't fuck up anything.

canadmos · Mar 20, 2015

Check engine light eh. No big deal eh. Little do you know...

http://jalopnik.com/what-happens-if-you-dont-change-the-oil-in-your-audi-fo-1692660828

Mother of god the car is running on chocolate!

stevew · Mar 20, 2015

aquaintance had the trans replaced in his 2014 A8L....

Icantdrive65 · Mar 20, 2015

Jeremy R said:
Westy, I am about to get a new GTI unless someone sensible like yourself talks me out it. Go!

I took a new one with DSG on an extended test drive. I couldn't get used to the transmission, but I would go with the manual anyway. Look up the APR flash if you need some additional motivation. Is the Performance Pack with LSD available yet?

It took me a couple months to get it out of my head. I was bent on buying one for a while, but I drive 2000 miles a year so my old Passat should hold up for a few more years. And if I am going to dump big bucks into anything it should be a CNC lathe for my shop.

Westy · Mar 24, 2015

canadmos said:
My Mazda was like this. I found it pretty much impossible to twist the pistons back into the caliper without that tool. It didn't help that some asshat had rented the piston kit and failed to return it. The local parts place did have this little cube tool that could fit a variety of rear caliper pistons, but it looked like it was just for various GM vehicles.

I just picked up a brake retract tool from amazon for less than $40. Decent quality tool. Well worth not having to stand in line behind morons at the parts for 30 minutes.

canadmos · Apr 22, 2015

Jeremy R said:
Westy, I am about to get a new GTI unless someone sensible like yourself talks me out it. Go!

When you get one and it feels like it's running knock-off coilovers from Madagascar, give a look under it...

http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/one-thing-you-should-ask-the-vw-dealer-before-driving-y-1699484922/+travis

2002 Audi TT Quattro with CEL

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