# What else shall I check



## Essex Audi (Aug 1, 2007)

hi there

A good friend has ask me to go with him to look at a 02 plated TTR 225

What else shall I check?

HPI check done before we view 
check service/cambelt/waterpump
49c code check running temp
dashpod faults look out for
vehicle itself inside/out 
turbo after run pump working
oil/water levels 
A/c unit working

Anything else that u would check


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## jacksprat (Apr 16, 2007)

Suspension to the rear for cracked springs
Blown exhaust
crash damage repair/ overspray
windows open and do not drop
dashpod


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

This might be useful:

Motorway miles are far less stressful with relatively little wear to gearbox, clutch, brakes, doors, suspension, steering etc, etc.

My dad once bought an estate car with 23k miles on the clock. The gearstick snaped in two pieces, the clutch pedal broke, the gearbox output shaft sheared, the drivers seat frame broke, the doors didn't shut properly and the gas struts in the tailgate had gone. Reason? - It had been used by a hotel for transporting supplies short distances lots of times.

Look for signs of the type of use the car's been put to. Ask where they work and how far, was it motorway? Look to see if the doors have dropped on their hinges by lifting them up and down for play and seing if it bangs on the striker plate before closing and check for worn carpets - signs of much getting in and out. Check the boot upholstery - used as a wagon? Does the boot rise on the struts? Are the front tyres feathered on their edges? - sign of razzing round bends too fast. Check for rattles over bumps - signs of rougher road life. Check syncromesh - clutch in can you select 1st and 2nd quickly at 30mph and 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th at 50mph quickly from one to the other with no crunching.

Check the clutch - 3,000rpm in 4th, foot down, turbo starts to pull, then still with foot down blip the clutch in and out quick so the revs rise by 500rpm briefly then immediately (in ~0.25s) get pulled back down to match the road speed - the car should lurch a little and the engine should not race away and take seconds to match roadspeed as the clutch struggles to clamp. Clutches are expensive. Another method (only indicates extreme wear but is easier to do) is to try to start off from stationary in 4th gear - the engine should stall when you let the clutch fully up. If it still runs with the car slowly accelerating then the clutch is slipping badly and will very soon wear out completely.

In addition to Full Service History (FSH - best if carried out by Audi) etc, does it look as though it's been loved?

######################

Off the top of my head there's all the general car stuff:

1/ Check the coolant (when cold) for oil in water (blown head gasket). 
2/ Check the dip stick for droplets of water (blown head gasket) and correct level (well maintained). 
3/ Check the oil filler cap for mayonaise (blown head gasket or many short journeys). 
4/ Check for any oil/fluid leaks 
5/ Bounce all four corners to check shocks (push where the body won't dent) - should not continue to bounce, listen for hiss (shows wear) when bounced and look for oil leaks on shocks (wear). 
6/ Check engine starts with no unusual mechanical tapping, squealing, knocking squeaking etc and no blue smoke and idles smoothly. Listen carefully and trace anything unusual. Check engine idles quiet when hot - regulat tapping/rattling which stops when engine revs held high may indicate low oil pressure/engine wear. 
7/ Check for play in the steering - twiddle steering wheel less and less until no movement of roadwheels - at this point rim of steering wheel should have less than 5mm of play max. 
8/ Check for uneven tyre wear (suspension damage/tracking) and life left in tyres (knock down the price). 
9/ Carefully check body lines and paint finish for signs of damage/ distortion or repair work and check boot floor for creases/welding. 
10/ Test drive - and make sure it doesn't pull to one side when you let go of the steering on a level road and also when braking. Look for blue or white smoke out of exhaust after it's warmed up, especially after overrun and pressing accelerator again - engine/turbo wear causing excess oil consumption, worn valve seals etc.
11/ Check gearbox syncro - changes up and down in all gears without crunches (30mph, keep clutch in, quickly select all gears a few times but leave 1st for 20mph - repeat at 40mph for higher gears only). Accellerate quickly to high speed with high rev gear changes - notice any crunching? 2nd to 3rd synchro usually is first to show wear.
12/ Check no warning lights stay on (don't be fobbed off with excuses - airbags for example can cost £ks!) 
13/ Check wear on carpet/pedal rubbers and door hinge drop is consistant with mileage. 
14/ Check engine starts again when hot. 
15/ Check service history 
16/ Check chassis number/log book/HPI 
17 Check exhaust pressurises with engine running by putting your hand over the end - if not you'll hear the leaks (need two hands if twin tail pipes - do this when exhaust is still cold! 
18/ Check all the things I've forgotten to mention!

TT Specific things:

1/ Check dashpod display carefully for stuck or jumping needles or other items not working. Fuel gauge and temperature gauge are the most common failures with fuel gauge often reading half full when tank empty - check the range indication number of miles (on DIS - Driver Information Display) roughly matches what the fuel gauge suggests (full tank = 300 to 400 miles). If they don't match it suggests the dashpod gauge is faulty. Temperature should read 90 deg C when warmed up within a couple of miles - not reading constantly higher. Reading too low may be a faulty thermostat (relatively common with age) - check hot air from aircon set to max is HOT!). Missing lines of pixels on DIS display is relatively common with age but is just the LCD display at fault. The worst faults are where the processor fails (first showing up on cold mornings) causing needles to go wild, flashing display, failure to start engine (most early dashpods where this happened will have been replaced by now). Dashpod failure is relatively rare but Audi will replace it for free with a FULL Audi service history on a case by case basis. There are independent repair services available for under £200 if not.
2/ Check car pulls smoothly, slowly from rest, with no hesitations/ kangarooing or jerkiness (MAF failure £80 part - pull off connector to improve and confirm - relatively common - easy fix) 
3/ Check both windows operate properly with 1/2" drop and rise on opening and shutting door. 
4/ Check headlight washers "aliens" operate - get owner to turn on headlights with ignition on and hold wash wipe on for a few seconds (entertaining!) 
5/ Listen for noises in suspension - creaks etc and trace - common one is anti roll bar bush sleeve failure (loud creaking going over speed bumps) 
6/ Check alarm operates (flat alarm battery leaks and damages unit £120 part) 
7/ Check with Audi dealer (chassis No) that all recall mods were done. 
8/ Check espescially that the cam belt (only 180/225 - V6 3.2 has a chain) and waterpump have been replaced and budget for doing it at 50k miles or 5 years if not (£300 to £500 - most prudent owners will replace before the Audi recommended 80k miles or 120k miles as belt failure can write off an engine). Cam belt with tensioner roller and idle roller come in a kit, water pump (£45) is separate as is oil filled tensioning damper (£75) and replacement engine mount stretch bolts (often re-used but not a good idea)

A taTTy TT is not nice. Go for an immaculate one.

Service history is very important - check it's been performed regualary. There's Haldex oil to change every 20k miles and filter every 40k - often forgotten about. Go for the best immaculate condition TT you can find that's been loved and has perhaps low mileage. Don't go for a newer one if it comes with higher mileage and has not been looked after - suss out it's useage!

Would you be looking to get a warranty? Other things to consider are if you will be modifying the car (Chipping is well worth it for more power) and insurance.


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## Essex Audi (Aug 1, 2007)

many thanks really useful


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## ttsteve (Nov 1, 2007)

The audio system. Can be really expensive to get fixed.


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## donnaw (May 13, 2011)

I know this is an old thread, but thanks John-H, this is really useful info!


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Glad to help


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## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

Check the front jacking points have not been pushed it to the floor :!:


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## Booboo124 (Aug 25, 2011)

Thanks this has been of great help to me [smiley=dude.gif]


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## Mootoozoo (Sep 4, 2011)

Really appreciated your effort of putting all this information here. Its been very useful thanks!!!


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## mrblonde (Feb 2, 2011)

a great bit of knowledge john.

have read almost everyone of the indexes and im still learning new stuff

Mark


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## JamesML (Sep 20, 2011)

Also want to thank John for a great post.


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## tomd1338 (May 1, 2012)

Thanks for this, still coming in use!


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## LisaK (Jul 3, 2012)

Hello all, am looking to buy a MkI TT, am concerned about getting ripped off/scammed and looking at the hugely helpful list of things to check above.... well.... it's a tad daunting to say the least. Wondered if anyone has ever used anything like the AA or RAC vehicle inspection checks, assuming I'm not the only no-hoper on here????

Any advice greatly received, am missing some fab wheels right now


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi Lisa, Welcome to the TTF. 
To put it simply.
Service history is very important. cambelt/water pump every 65k miles or 5 years which ever comes first, dash instruments (dashpod) read correctly, coolant temp reaches 90 within a couple of miles & stays there.
Get written confirmation of cambelt/water pump change or reduce price by £500 & get it replaced ASAP.
3.2 V6 no turbo or cambelt to worry about, so should be more reliable, DSG may be weak link, unless you can find a manual.& a nicer exhaust note.
Don't rush into it. A good TT is a wonderful car, a bad un can be a money pit.
Plenty of good uns out there, but probably more bad uns, so as I said don't rush into it.
Hoggy.


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

LisaK said:


> Hello all, am looking to buy a MkI TT, am concerned about getting ripped off/scammed and looking at the hugely helpful list of things to check above.... well.... it's a tad daunting to say the least. Wondered if anyone has ever used anything like the AA or RAC vehicle inspection checks, assuming I'm not the only no-hoper on here????
> 
> Any advice greatly received, am missing some fab wheels right now


Lisa an AA or RAC report would be a great idea just remember the car is quite old and the report does go on a bit


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## LisaK (Jul 3, 2012)

Great, thanks for the advice and the welcome!

Allegedly cambelt/pump changed at 64k but will check this and the others you advise when I go check it out. Problem is I was a TT owner not so long ago, so know what I am missing. Patience is a virtue I'm not naturally blessed with!!!

Thanks again.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

People have used RAC, AA etc and it's very thorough but because it costs a good chunk of money you should only be doing this on one car - the one you have checked out yourself as best you can and are just about to buy.


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## LisaK (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks John-H.

Jamman, might give you a shout if this one doesn't work out for me...!


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## lee1710 (Jul 22, 2012)

John-H said:


> This might be useful:
> 
> Motorway miles are far less stressful with relatively little wear to gearbox, clutch, brakes, doors, suspension, steering etc, etc.
> 
> ...


 john, you sound just like the man to look at cars for me :-|


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## LisaK (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks lee, I'd seen that before on an earlier nose around, and couldn't locate it when I needed it. Reading that sounds kinda daunting!


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## lee1710 (Jul 22, 2012)

LisaK said:


> Thanks lee, I'd seen that before on an earlier nose around, and couldn't locate it when I needed it. Reading that sounds kinda daunting!


yeah you not kidding lisa, kind of putting me off looking for one, im getting really disillusioned .


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Disillusioned?


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## aarond (Apr 12, 2013)

Thanks...be using this on Wednesday


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## TT r us (Apr 30, 2016)

Thanks John-H for thew write up. Will also use this when viewing any cars. Are there any trusted independent garages which would carry out a pre-purchase inspection check and report rather than AA/RAC, as I'd rather have a specialist who really knows theses cars look at it. If so how much do they charge?


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

I'm sure someone would but I've no idea who. Most garages won't be set up to do this I'd have thought as they would have to make as much as they would in the workshop also accounting for travel time and disruption etc. No harm in asking though.


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## KSixTT6 (Nov 13, 2017)

Thanks for the advice John, will come in hand when viewing potential TT's or any other car in fact 8)


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## bc73 (Jan 14, 2018)

Very useful many thanks!


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