# Dad's retirement project



## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Following the sale of my Silver 225 back in late 2016, it was always missed and I wished I hadn't sold it....










following a conversation with my Dad not long after selling it he said "oh... i'd have loved to have had it, I've always liked the TT".
So kicking myself that I hadn't been able to give him mine, I kept on at him that he really should get his own and enjoy one in his retirement... well it took 3 years of bloody nagging him and today we went and picked up the new toy... it will be a high day and holiday car and something for us to repair and work on together, what it really means is he'll make the tea and i'll be doing to mechanicals....

So, what have we got?










She is a 2004 TTC 225 in Dolomite Grey, with grey leather... Matches my S5 rather well.... big brother/little brother...

beautifully presented by the garage we bought it from and full credit to Ben at BC Performance (https://www.bcperformance.co.uk/) who was a delight to deal with...

Totally standard, with factory fitted cruise control and cup holders....










Ben had had the wheels fully refurbished inside and out, done properly and the dash had just been repaired prior to us arriving today.



















Plans... 
new number plates ordered
new climate panel ordered (to replace the broken climate controls)
Drivers seat bolster needs redying so a kit will be orddered to address that
Full main service, including cambelt, water pump and tensioners (wanted to do this myself rather than have a garage do it and always wonder if done right)
Remove sump to replace the oil pick up pipe
Strip brakes front and rear to repaint them all (nothing wrong with them, just not in the condition we want)

Tomorrow (weather permitting) is deep clean day and bright some depth to the paintwork....

Dad is buzzing and wants to hug her.....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

On the look out for the tabs for doing the rear double brake light mod if anyone has any kicking about?


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Nice project to share with your dad, enjoy it


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Delta4 said:


> Nice project to share with your dad, enjoy it


thank you..... we certainly will


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

VVAG codes decoded, just to document it

X2B = National sales program Great Britain
B0A = Component parts set without country-specific design requirement
CL4 = Alloy wheels 8J x 18
G0L = 6-speed manual transmission for four-wheel drive vehicle
H3L = Tires 235/60 R18 ??? front tires 255/55 R18 ??? rear
J1L = Battery 280 A (60 Ah)
MS6 = 4-cyl. turbo gasoline eng. 1.8 L/165 kW multi-point injection, EU 3 base engine is T6B
Q1D = Sports front seats
L62 = Suspension range 62 installation control only, no requirement forecast
1AT = Electronic stabilization program (ESP)
1G9 = Space-saving spare wheel for temporary use, radial tire (5-hole)
1N4 = Power steering
6TS = Right exterior mirror: aspherical, large viewing field
5SJ = Left exterior mirror: convex
T6B = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.8 L unit 06A.G
0YL = Weight range 11 installation control only, no requirement forecast
4UF = Drivers and front passenger air bag with front passenger air bag deactivation
0G4 = Cable gearshift
8UC = Radio "chorus"
8GL = Alternator 120 A
9VD = Speaker (active)
1KF = Disc brakes, rear
1LT = Disc brakes, front
3FA = Without roof insert (standard roof)
UA5 = Rear shock absorption
2ZN = Leather trimmed sports steering wheel with aluminum appearance

The surprise here is the tyres... never knew from the factory the front and rears tyres on a TT were specified as a different size.... All UK 225's came with 225/40-18's, which is what mines fitted with.

and from the factory it was sold with a Chorus head unit.... definitely got a Concert II installed










so at some point in her past she's had an upgrade....


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## Jam13 (Jan 14, 2018)

those tyre sizes are way off, 225 18" wheels came with matched 225/40/18 tyres me thinks.

QS tyres are 235/40/18

cheers


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, MK1 TT never had those size tyres on 18" wheels.
Hoggy. 
PS. Jam beat to it


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, MK1 TT never had those size tyres on 18" wheels.
> Hoggy.
> PS. Jam beat to it


We have 225/40-18 Pirelli's on all 4... no idea why the option lists those sizes....


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

89forever said:


> Hoggy said:
> 
> 
> > Hi, MK1 TT never had those size tyres on 18" wheels.
> ...


Hi, Standard 18" size on MK1 225.
Hoggy.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Hoggy said:


> 89forever said:
> 
> 
> > Hoggy said:
> ...


All present and correct


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Maybe not Totally stock - Nice aftermarket spoiler, ABT?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

StuartDB said:


> Maybe not Totally stock - Nice aftermarket spoiler, ABT?


looks totally standard to me, i'd like a V6 one as I had on my silver... my Dad's not convinced (yet  )


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## chandosstreet (Jun 11, 2019)

The first Audi, I have personally owned. Really looking forward to using it. It is very fast, compared to my very sedately Astra (105bhp).
My previous car was a VW Bora (130bhp), which I achieved 291000 miles, before sadly moving it on.
Hopefully this TT will be as good as the VW, which also was bought 9 years ago under my sons supervision.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

chandosstreet said:


> The first Audi, I have personally owned. Really looking forward to using it. It is very fast, compared to my very sedately Astra (105bhp).
> My previous car was a VW Bora (130bhp), which I achieved 291000 miles, before sadly moving it on.
> Hopefully this TT will be as good as the VW, which also was bought 9 years ago under my sons supervision.


Welcome to your thread Dad, and welcome to your first ever forum post....


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## FASt (Jan 27, 2019)

A mate of me has also the H3L code on het MK1 TT &#8230; something isnt correct because it was Always 225/40R18 tyres


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

In between the showers small jobs have been ticked off....
On getting home yesterday the Airbag light came on, quick scan with VCDS showed the drivers side airbag to be high resistance.










Whipped the seat out first thing to clean up the electrical contacts as the first port of call










The carpets under the seats were filthy, quick hoover job done.... really need to buy a wet vac to deep clean the carpets to bring them up like new...

and after bolting it all back in.....










Time will tell if the fault stays away but so far all's good.....
Whilst the computer was plugged in, changed a few codings...
Alarm now beeps on locking
Boot now unlocks on the keyfob
And everything locks at 15mph
Also changed the illumination of the needles and dials to remain active all the time....

The front lower grills fell off and onto the make shift parts holder V3, quick rub down and wash and then a quick prime










With the best Countdown impression in my head (but sadly Rachel Riley wasn't present) whilst waiting for the primer to dry and then a couple of top coats in satin black










Whilst the other half was out the floor mats went into the washing machine, of course she came back before the cycle had finished... busted!!!
But at least they are clean










drivers side will want replacing at some point but good enough for now


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

another small job ticked off


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## Spliffy (May 3, 2013)

Looking great, coming on very well  
Nick


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## Tuscan12 (Mar 3, 2018)

chandosstreet said:


> The first Audi, I have personally owned. Really looking forward to using it. It is very fast, compared to my very sedately Astra (105bhp).
> My previous car was a VW Bora (130bhp), which I achieved 291000 miles, before sadly moving it on.
> Hopefully this TT will be as good as the VW, which also was bought 9 years ago under my sons supervision.


Well done to you both, hope you have a great deal of fun with your new TT.


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## HOGG (Mar 30, 2018)

Ref the tyres in your first post. I have an Audi printout saying that the tyres are the same front and rear









Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

89forever said:


> another small job ticked off


A small job but it makes a huge difference to the visual appearance, keep up the good work


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

HOGG said:


> Ref the tyres in your first post. I have an Audi printout saying that the tyres are the same front and rear


great [smiley=gossip.gif] 
The information came from the VAG build code decoder on this forum, thought it was curiously incorrect... I have the correct tyres so all's good :mrgreen:


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Delta4 said:


> A small job but it makes a huge difference to the visual appearance, keep up the good work


Thanks, i agree... all in the details


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

With an evening of nice weather it would be rude to not start work on the TT... the immediate plan is to do all service items and improve bits we touch to prolong the life of her....
So today what have we ordered
Cambelt kit (inc tensioners and pulleys)
Water pump
Coolant
Spark plugs
Oil filter, air filter, pollen filter
Aux belt
New G12 sensor as a fault is showing and dash doesn't reach temperature
Haldex filter and oil
Hel braided brake lines
Caliper piston and seal kit to rebuild the calipers
Hard lines from the flexi's to the calipers

The world's first hover TT?










The underside is as I expected, dirty, crusty and unloved


















all brake parts and back shields have been removed, going to bead blast them tomorrow so I can repaint and make new, all bolts and nuts associated will go to the platers to have a new passivate finish.
Looks a little empty in here now...










In time I will go deeper and do suspension parts but for now I want to ensure the TT has all the service bits done so Dad can drive it for summer and enjoy....

The under arches are going to have the liners removed and then deep cleaned.....

Watch this space


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## GARAGE HERMIT (Mar 7, 2015)

''


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Noooo, not forgotten... Well technically yes it's forgotten off the list but it has been ordered lol


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

Hmmm. Maybe second hover TT....lol


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Yous is special, It's stuck to the wall lol

What was yours stripped down for?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

It's been a tough day for Dad, admittedly most of the parts I get at Trade prices through work.... But he's also had a long list of stuff to order and pay for....

I never said it would be cheap lol


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

The benefits of Tt ownership as I suspect you know only too well...lol she was stripped for the rear motion sensor removal and to do the bottom links as she has coilovers....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

To be fair I know from all my Audi's how eye watering it can get...
I think my RS6 was the worst lol...
By comparison my S5, seems cheap lol
My silver TT cost a huge amount to get right and I never drove it a mile in anger...


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

So as the end of the weekend fast approaches, the project moves ever forward... parcels and boxes have been arriving daily...
The climate control switches were missing so we found a cheap climate head unit on Ebay with perfect switches for less than the price of 1 switch knob... 
New Hel brake lines arrived










The box of service items landed, this contains all the cambelt and major service items










We also ordered new rear brake hard lines so all Flexi lines were new, the Hel kit only has 4 lines, the rear most 2 flexi's being crimped to the hardline&#8230;

To remind what the calipers looked like is depressing....










All 4 corners were in a similar state, rubbers had perished.... these were stripped and sent for blasting










Bare metal, and all masked up ready for priming and paint tomorrow.... The front dust shields are being powder coated, the rears will have to wait until the suspension is stripped down as you cannot remove them due to the hubs....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

So as the end of the weekend fast approaches, the project moves ever forward... parcels and boxes have been arriving daily...
The climate control switches were missing so we found a cheap climate head unit on Ebay with perfect switches for less than the price of 1 switch knob... 
New Hel brake lines arrived










The box of service items landed, this contains all the cambelt and major service items










We also ordered new rear brake hard lines so all Flexi lines were new, the Hel kit only has 4 lines, the rear most 2 flexi's being crimped to the hardline&#8230;

To remind what the calipers looked like is depressing....










All 4 corners were in a similar state, rubbers had perished.... these were stripped and sent for blasting










Bare metal, and all masked up ready for priming and paint tomorrow.... The front dust shields are being powder coated, the rears will have to wait until the suspension is stripped down as you cannot remove them due to the hubs....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

With today giving me a dry day, once home from work it was a case of setting up the spray booth, thankfully i'd got this set up just before SWMBO arrived home to be informed that she'd planned to put the washing out.... [smiley=gossip.gif]










that's me in the doghouse again...!!!

I use a zinc rich primer for brakes, it gives good adhesion and lasts well.....










Whilst the primer is drying.
Earlier in the day i'd collected the fixings and brackets which i'd had plated, next door to where I work we have a very good platers, who are A) Good and B) very cheap










and on the way home I called in the BiggRed to collect the new seal kits and pistons, always a pleasure to deal with these guys. Friendly and very helpful for all things brake related....










more to follow soon....!!!


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Nice work, no dithering going on


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Delta4 said:


> Nice work, no dithering going on


No time to dither..... [smiley=dude.gif]

I forgot, I also picked up the powdercoated brake dust shields... fronts only as the rears won't come off until stripped down further...










I always love the fact things like this go from a manky, cruddy finish, to brand new again....










and all the caliper parts are now painted and drying in the sun....
3 coats of primer, followed by
3 coats of satin black, followed by
1 coat of gloss lacquer










Why not go straight to gloss black I hear you say, find satin gives a better coverage and looks more OE than a gloss black paint, the 1 coat of gloss lacquer just lifts it a touch so is a halfway house between satin and gloss.

It works for me....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

and that's the brakes all built up and finished... waiting to be bolted back....



















loads more to strip down and clean before these all get bolted back on...

Roll on tomorrow :mrgreen:


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## GARAGE HERMIT (Mar 7, 2015)

..


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

They're there...


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## GARAGE HERMIT (Mar 7, 2015)

..


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

Plating looks good! - who's the company?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

DC240S said:


> Plating looks good! - who's the company?


They don't have the largest of tanks but they are very helpful for me

http://www.redditch-ep.co.uk/

Great bunch of guys


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

89forever said:


> DC240S said:
> 
> 
> > Plating looks good! - who's the company?
> ...


Thanks for that. I'm not doing a huge amount at the mo so have started doing it myself. If I gather a decent qty. I will contact them as that looks good.


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

How much of this project is your dad's? I always imagined people retiring and tinkering on when they felt like it? You're like a pushy parent, to their parents.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

StuartDB said:


> How much of this project is your dad's?


It's all his project, It's his car.... I'm just the one with the automotive experience and showing him what to do...


StuartDB said:


> I always imagined people retiring and tinkering on when they felt like it? You're like a pushy parent, to their parents.


It's my nature to get shit done, I like things done right and am a firm believer in whilst in there...
It's not all going to be done in one go.... It'll be staged in bite sized projects


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

DC240S said:


> Thanks for that. I'm not doing a huge amount at the mo so have started doing it myself. If I gather a decent qty. I will contact them as that looks good.


just keep a very detailed list of what you give them, so you can check in, check out.... Stops bits going missing if you give them a huge bundle...
I got them to pickle all the parts first, which cleans them up. Not all companies do that.
I went with a zinc passivate, not OE but is long lasting and looks good


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

The garage opened at 0745 with the arrival of Dad, smiling as usual and wanting to get stuck in....
Deep clean day, all covers off from the top side and underside... front to back, left to right...
This was the typical state under everything



















Dad was sent off to clean all the plastic covers and I got stuck into removing the tundra... I think we came off more black than what the car started... Poor dad wasn't used to the TFR cleaner and kept wincing about a small cut stinging... I did offer First Aid...

The afters will come tomorrow once everything has dried.

It was then a case of cam cover off to replace the failed gasket (and clean off the very small leak), hmmm seems dad has those pics... will get them later

All good in there and no wear on any of the cam lobes. Spark plugs replaced and what was in there all had a nice even colour as expected. New ones fitted and torqued up, curiously the Coils, one has clearly been replaced but the others are date stamped 2003 and have a 115L part number.... I thought the L's where the bad type? I did check with South Hereford Audi to see if the recall has been done.... it has annoyingly, so no chance of 4 free coils there.

Got all that buttoned up and moved on to removing the sump. Considering the engine has done 99,000 miles it's all in good condition there, a moderate amount of varnish and carbon build up but nothing horrific.

The oil pick up is in great condition.










A quick clean and reassembled, then the sump had a quick clean....










And that is now all buttoned up and happy... great day, 8 hours well spent working with Dad on his TT.

More tomorrow once my back's recovered lol


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Dad's task of cleaning... need a new under tray as it seems to have been dragged down the road at some point










and there is a now a paint colour under the arches



















the crusty struts will wait for another day

Cam cover off










and actual proof that Dad isn't a figment of my imagination.....










One thing that bugs me with finding other peoples woopsie up and bodges... on removing the brake discs, you some numpty had sheared the locating screw..










So these have all been redrilled and retapped so the correct screw can go back in and align the discs


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## benckj (May 23, 2018)

What a fantastic father/son project. My boys into 4wds so I usually help him out with mods & maintenance. Not sure I'd trust him on the TT just yet.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

I fancied a bit of a cleaner day today, rather than more oily cleaning... Although the cambelt is next on my list this afternoon....

When we bought the TT, the typical issues on the inside were there... radio buttons worn and the climate panel knobs were missing...










I didn't like the idea of buying the stickers as
A) stickers peel
B) it's not how they were done originally and
C) stickers are shit

So a good scour of Ebay found a concert II stereo which someone had butchered, which wasn't a concern as the head unit was of no use, it was the condition of the buttons. The ones we needed (scan and volume control) were absolutely perfect...
So it was purchased for the princely sum of £10 and the condition was as expected

This unit was stripped of the parts needed.










and our head unit was extracted using the correct keys and armed with a T6 Torx drive the face plate was removed










then carefully the PCB board was extracted










The volume knob is just a press fit, so that was swapped over and then the worn and not worn "Scan" buttons...










Built back up and all's lovely...










As the radio is out of the dash the centre console cover was removed to reveal the climate panel










That was a simple case of remove and refit and all buttoned back up, radio code inputted and all working as it left the factory, with no fear of shit peely stickers lol










If anyone needs any of these buttons to replace any worn ones on their stereo send me a PM










That's all there is, the rest of the stereo was junk...


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

I think these stereos have a fault where you can only use the volume control a finite amount of times before it runs out 'last setting' space, it would have been interesting to see if this was an obvious EPROM on the circuit board to establish whether it's transferable or has a sticker over the window to erase the memory using sunlight?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

StuartDB said:


> I think these stereos have a fault where you can only use the volume control a finite amount of times before it runs out 'last setting' space, it would have been interesting to see if this was an obvious EPROM on the circuit board to establish whether it's transferable or has a sticker over the window to erase the memory using sunlight?


no sticker, it would need replacing. It has been discussed to death over the 'net for years.

The chip used is an old type of EEPROM chip which only has a limited write cycle, which means it only has a finite amount of times it can be written to before it breaks down and causes the issues we know and love. 
The write cycle is 10,000 writes, once it's hit that no more volume control.

Then the brains at Blaupunkt programmed it arse about face.

The EEPROM chip is designed to store the volume level when the stereo is turned off, so when you turn it back on, it comes back to the same volume as previously set at.
it only gets used infrequently, and the limited write cycle never becomes an issue, as turning the thing of 10,000 times will take a while.

HOWEVER what Blaupunkt did was program the system so that EVERY movement of the volume knob meant that the chip was flashed and reprogrammed for EACH and EVERY movement. 
That means every single movement. If you turn the volume up 10 notches - 10 flash and rewrites. Think about how many times a week you adjust the volume, et voila, and that's why it dies.
What they should of done there was write the software to save this data to the stereo's RAM which has an infinitive write cycle, and then store the final volume in the EEPROM chip when the system was turned off but who am I to argue with the brains at Blaupunkt.

When this stereo dies i'll replace the EEPROM, there are countless fixes about the internet, it's not rocket science....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Before I do this post i'd just like to document that the idiot within the VAG group who designed the engine mount bracket to not be removeable totally when doing a cambelt on the 1.8T engine should be plagued with disease and pestilence.... (i'm sure he's a nice guy really and didn't mean to woopsie up what should be an easy job but OMG that woopsie bracket...!!!)

(and breathe....)

Well that's the engine future proofed for now....

All stripped down










Water pump was date stamped the same age as the car, I dread to think if that was the original one at 99k miles, especially as the impeller was broken... luckily the piece was lodged behind the thermostat.










It boils my bloody when working on cars to find some retard before me has cut a corner or not done it properly... Bloody tipex everywhere covering the timing marks and was 1 one tooth out...
All cleaned down and timed correctly, should have gained a few horses back...


















and all buttoned back up....

Weather brought an end to todays play...
More updates in the week... Need to pull my finger out as dad wants to go cruising in his TT next Saturday.... No pressure...!!! lol


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

_Quite a few R-bombs_ :O

You can get the engine mount bracket out - up down, up down. It's easier leaving it in the sort of area though.


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

_Quite a few R-bombs_ :O

You can get the engine mount bracket out - engine up down, up down. It's easier leaving it in the sort of area though.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

StuartDB said:


> _Quite a few R-bombs_ :O
> 
> You can get the engine mount bracket out - engine up down, up down. It's easier leaving it in the sort of area though.


maybe I should have been more specific, if you are doing a cambelt service it needs to remain in the location and gets totally in the way...

Once the water pump and tensioner are removed and off the engine the mount has enough room to be removed, which is then pointless as it needs to be in it's location prior to instaling the tensioner and then the water pump....

It's just a poorly designed lump of aluminium which from an engineers point of view could have been designed to be removable to make access to the cambelt area better....


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## ryanmtt (Sep 13, 2010)

Really enjoying this... keep up the work


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Yeah I made that mistake removing the bracket then fiting the other components then trying to get the bracket back in place. It's easier with the other engine mounts loose. I needed to move the engine over just to get the top cam cover off without breaking it, well I broke one so moved it over to not break the replacement.

Your dad's TT is going to be like new within a few weeks.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

ryanmtt said:


> Really enjoying this... keep up the work


thank you, it's all meant to be enjoyable... life is hard enough....
I hope others take the incentive to get stuck in... I always tell my dad it's only nuts and bolts.... nothing is complicated....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

StuartDB said:


> Your dad's TT is going to be like new within a few weeks.


it's got a long way to go to be new.... the plan is to attend to all the service items immediately so it is reliable, check all the achilleas heels and make sure it's a fun drive....

then we'll chose an element at a time and work on it bit by bit...

It would be good to do a few shows etc


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## chandosstreet (Jun 11, 2019)

My task was to clean the black plastic bits and parts of the engine bay with solvent. It turned out to be a very dirty and messy job. I maybe should have worn gloves, because afterwards my iPhone and iPad would not recognise my fingerprint (very strange, down to the solvent). Anyway it was a very enjoyable day, and I learnt an awful lot about tts.


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## Priorityj (May 25, 2019)

Liking the work going on, and nice to have a father son project.
Must start working on mine instead of just reading this..  
My TT also has the cruise control option, seemed to be a rare option as didn't see any others with it when hunting for TT's.
Also follow your S5 and CC threads on PistonHeads. Really like the S5, that's the next car when funds allow ( they might have classic status by then though..  )


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Priorityj said:


> Liking the work going on, and nice to have a father son project.
> Must start working on mine instead of just reading this..
> My TT also has the cruise control option, seemed to be a rare option as didn't see any others with it when hunting for TT's.
> Also follow your S5 and CC threads on PistonHeads. Really like the S5, that's the next car when funds allow ( they might have classic status by then though..  )


The cruise control was a must have and I would have retro fitted it if we didn't find this TT with it fitted as standard. On all my cars it's a must have requirement.

Thank you and i'm glad you enjoy the projects, it all keeps me busy.... I enjoy the S5, the CC is the daily workhorse.

There's also the Mummobile A3 Sportback project also on Pistonheads, not much happens with that at the moment though.

The bike build is the best read though if there are any bikers here? I can always share the link.


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## mrblister68 (Aug 13, 2018)

where did you get the heater control buttons from


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

Have to say, seriously committed start to this project. I wish I could get my 82 year old father back into the groove but he's given up and bought a Jag Fpace......talk about checking out on me....
Will follow this thread looking forward to some more plating porn.....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

mrblister68 said:


> where did you get the heater control buttons from


Just trawelled Ebay and bought the cheapest, decent climate panel... The plan was if it was knackered, rob it of the buttons... If it worked plug it in and be done


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Baalthazaar said:


> Have to say, seriously committed start to this project. I wish I could get my 82 year old father back into the groove but he's given up and bought a Jag Fpace......talk about checking out on me....
> Will follow this thread looking forward to some more plating porn.....


To be fair Dad's only in his mid sixties, so still plenty of life left in him...

Seriously committed... It was either to the project or the lunatic asylum... Or both, I'll ask the voices


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

1 more piece of the puzzle retrieved form the powdercoaters&#8230;

whilst the strut brace technically didn't have anything wrong with it finish wise.... it looked a little tired....
it would niggle me if I left it like that...



















it would have been rude not too....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

before I start I must apologise, if there is an award for the s***test images of a job well done I would be awarded that award for the following images....

Trying to take a decent pic of black brakes, within a wheel well on a bright sunny day is beyond my photographic capabilities.... It's not often I give up but these boiled my blood and I thought woopsie it more than once...

So, all hubs fully de-crudded of all surface corrosion, a light coating of moly slip and then the discs mounted, with new Genuine disc retaining screws on all 4 corners.


























Dad's back tomorrow so my helper is on hand to assist and learn how to pressure bleed the brakes, then it's rebuild everything else not fitted....


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## HOGG (Mar 30, 2018)

Never seen black brakes

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## GARAGE HERMIT (Mar 7, 2015)

..


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

It's just a coating on the disc surface to protect it against corrosion. As the brakes are bedded in it wears off.
It's no different than the silver coating on OE discs, It's just black.


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

On OE/factory discs the pad sweep area is unpainted.

What aftermarket brand are these discs?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

DC240S said:


> On OE/factory discs the pad sweep area is unpainted.
> 
> What aftermarket brand are these discs?


Not a clue, they are the discs that were fitted when we bought the TT, I just bead blasted the cruddy areas and painted them myself.
There are plenty of miles left in the discs and pads, no need to change them.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Dad arrived nice and early.... the sun was shining so Saturday was TT day....

Finished off the service items, fluids in and then bled the brakes.... All pressure bled and no air.... even bled back to the master cylinder.
Will rebleed tomorrow, will do it via activating the ABS pump via VCDS as the pedal isn't as good as they can be...
All covers back on and looks like an engine again










and all back down on the wheels




























Then it was turn the car around to get the rear end up on the ramps so the Haldex service could be done.... As normal the earth strap between the body and the diff had long since vanished, so clearly for the last couple of owners they hadn't had the benefit of 4WD lol...
So a new strap was duly knocked up



















and a quick output test of the pump on VCDS confirmed it all to be working again... Yay...!!! one none 2WD, 4WD TT again....

Tomorrow will be rebleed the brakes to sort that.....


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## Allspeed (Oct 7, 2016)

Great thread, not sure about the black pad face bit but otherwise you have probably already saved a fortune in garage charges.
And welcome Dad


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Allspeed said:


> Great thread, not sure about the black pad face bit but otherwise you have probably already saved a fortune in garage charges.
> And welcome Dad


It's no different than a new OE disc, when the brakes bed in it wears the surface away so all unswept areas have a coating to make them long as good as possible, for as long as possible....
I can't stand to see manky, cruddy disc edges and bells behind pristine wheels....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

The centre panel bugs me being the same as body colour....










So that fell off and sadly revealed another job, for another day.... the metal behind has some surface rust to attend too...










not good for what was supposed to be a galvanised bodyshell...., I blame the Hungarians...!!! 

on keying the surface there was a hole in the plastic, so that was plastic welded and sanded smooth










hanging used to be a punishment, these days we do it for fun...!!! my normal makeshift spraybooth was out of action, apparently I don't get first dibs on the washing line when washing needs to dry...!!!!!

All primered up after a good keying up with 320 grit.










Once that was dry a light going over with 800 grit and then the first coat of black










It looks gloss, but will dry satin to match the grills on the front.....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

all dry and fitted back as intended....










breaks up the solid lump of colour that is the back bumper


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## Allspeed (Oct 7, 2016)

89forever said:


> Allspeed said:
> 
> 
> > Great thread, not sure about the black pad face bit but otherwise you have probably already saved a fortune in garage charges.
> ...


But a new disc has nothing on the braking face except a corrosion protection wax that's removed with solvent. You don't let the pads wear it away you wipe it off first.

Is it just me who finds this approach odd


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Allspeed said:


> Is it just me who finds this approach odd


Thanks for your concern.... But not all brake discs come with the protective wax you speak of, the waxed discs are normally unpainted...
Hence the protective wax.


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## Allspeed (Oct 7, 2016)

Thanks for the reply. I don't mean to be picky on what's a great thread and your clearly a very capable person. Only wish I could share a project with my Dad but he's really getting on now .

So I will enjoy yours 8)


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Allspeed said:


> Thanks for the reply. I don't mean to be picky on what's a great thread and your clearly a very capable person. Only wish I could share a project with my Dad but he's really getting on now .
> 
> So I will enjoy yours 8)


We all have differing views and opinions..... sometimes things take a bit of explaining as to the reasons... 
I don't mind criticism as long as it's constructive...

Enjoy the times you have with your loved ones.... however you choose to do so, doesn't have to be a project.

But thank you and I'm glad our project is enjoyable...


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

https://ebcbrakes.com/product/3gd-sport-rotors/
https://www.mtecbrakes.com/special-edit ... discs.html

Not such a strange thing quite a lot of manufacturers coat the swept face.....


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## DC240S (Sep 24, 2014)

Baalthazaar said:


> https://ebcbrakes.com/product/3gd-sport-rotors/
> https://www.mtecbrakes.com/special-edit ... discs.html
> 
> Not such a strange thing quite a lot of manufacturers coat the swept face.....


True - but that's a completely different coating and production process than spraying yourself. I'd mask off the sweep personally - but its your car!


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

DC240S said:


> Baalthazaar said:
> 
> 
> > https://ebcbrakes.com/product/3gd-sport-rotors/
> ...


It's nothing more than a zinc rich primer on Genuine OE discs and a phosphate coating from MTEC and EBC. It's not rocket science. Friction from the pads wears it off very quickly.
I use a zinc rich primer and a light satin black dusting... It wears off after 1 press of the brake pedal which is a damn sight quicker than the pads bed in... no drama, no fuss, no one dies and no bunnies are at risk for stepping out in front of the car....!!! Brakes are not 100% effective until all bedding in is complete, this is a part of the process....

What a fuss over something so insignificant.... Just because something is done that you don't understand, or do not do yourself, does not make it wrong..... Go look at any genuine Audi disc, guess what... it's sprayed silver..... with paint, from a spray gun... on the disc friction surface....

I have done this procedure on more Audi performance vehicles (including RS6, S2, ur quattro's and even my current S5) over the last 20 odd something years than I care to remember, not one has had a braking issue as a result....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Exactly the same as on my S5










and after bedding in.... the brakes are still as good looking today, with no crud, or rust showing










the brakes are still as good looking today, with no crud, or rust showing


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

Let's face it boys and girls, 89 clearly knows his stuff, and to be honest how many times have you had a car laid up for a short while to find a lovely coating of surface rust, we have no probs letting the brake pads clean that up so why the issue with a couple of microns of paint? The Mtec stuff almost feels like an epoxy coating so rattle can coating isn't going to affect squat..


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Baalthazaar said:


> Let's face it boys and girls, 89 clearly knows his stuff, and to be honest how many times have you had a car laid up for a short while to find a lovely coating of surface rust, we have no probs letting the brake pads clean that up so why the issue with a couple of microns of paint? The Mtec stuff almost feels like an epoxy coating so rattle can coating isn't going to affect squat..


Thanks....

It's getting close to letting Dad have use of the TT, all service items are done.... brakes need another bleed because i'm OCD and just like to waste fluid...
Parts inbound are replacement parts for the cowl as clearly some Velociraptor owned the car previous and couldn't get the key in the ignition... I was going to make various sexual references here to finding the hole but that would have been missed as well.....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well it's Saturday again, so that means Dad's back over and we can finally tick off all the jobs so he can have the TT back and use it until he breaks something else....

Although we do have a list of projects to do over the coming weeks, but for now it's use and abuse and polish it to death....

What have we done today...

we had one of these










Which is always a fun thing to do on axle stands... once the Haldex service was done, run the car up and into gear and all 4 wheels turn lovely... first time in about 40,000 miles the TT is now 4WD...

The brakes were re-bled and now we have a great pedal again.... was still air trapped in the 2 master cylinder nipples... re-bled the whole system to be sure.

The steering cowl was awful, and as said previous had looked like it had been handled by a Velociraptor....










top and bottom panel nicely replaced...










We also did the double brake light mod, having acquired a bulb holder off a mk2 Golf....










We also got some new wheel centre caps....










As the car has been turned around the black centre panel is now more clear in view...










and my favourite pic is of all 3 cars together (just missing the other half's A3 from view)










Watch this space for future updates but for now she's road legal and future proof.... now he just needs to drive it


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## benckj (May 23, 2018)

Well done as it's looking great. I hope my son does something like this when I come of age. Your dad is very fortunate, in more ways than one.


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## torqueit (Jan 22, 2019)

Baalthazaar said:


> Hmmm. Maybe second hover TT....lol


Perhaps the magic of Guinness?

:lol:


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

torqueit said:


> Baalthazaar said:
> 
> 
> > Hmmm. Maybe second hover TT....lol
> ...


There is a definite slant of perception provided by the black stuff.........


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well after the first full day in Dad's care and is safely tucked up at home with him... MOT is booked for 10am tomorrow morning...
He's been busy detailing all day... must say he's done a stunning job...


































He's finally found a use for the detailing kit I bought him as a Christmas present 10 years ago....!!!


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## E.L.Wisty (Sep 19, 2018)

Looks amazing, great job!


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

E.L.Wisty said:


> Looks amazing, great job!


Thank you... Long way to go yet


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## BrianB (Apr 15, 2016)

89forever said:


> Well it's Saturday again, so that means Dad's back over and we can finally tick off all the jobs so he can have the TT back and use it until he breaks something else....
> 
> Although we do have a list of projects to do over the coming weeks, but for now it's use and abuse and polish it to death
> The steering cowl was awful, and as said previous had looked like it had been handled by a Velociraptor....
> ...


Did you get the replacement steering cowls from Audi?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

BrianB said:


> Did you get the replacement steering cowls from Audi?


We did, yes


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Bit of an update, the poor thing went in for it's MOT, Dad took it.... whilst I have no explanation at this point he explained all was going well
(at this point the brakes had been fixed and sealed for over a week and about 500 miles of use before the "MOT")
Typical monkey doing the test, not paying attention as spent most of the time on his phone Dad observed. He explained the car came down with a "thud" and next thing he sees is brake fluid ****ing out the rear of the car. 
Fails the car on the spot... Dad's livid as he's sure the "garage" has caused it but isn't technically minded enough to know what is wrong... The cars booked in at his "trusted" village mechanic tomorrow... update to follow...
I'm 200 miles away and unable to get there...

There's always something to take the edge of having nice things... a bit of care costs nothing.....

Now means the weekends plans of hitting the area behind the bumper with Bilt Hamber Deox Gel will be put back another week....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

the correct LZ7J base coat and lacquer has been bought, along with a zinc rich primer and high build primer....

and treated her to a short shift kit also


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## silkman (Jul 29, 2004)

89forever said:


> Bit of an update, the poor thing went in for it's MOT, Dad took it.... whilst I have no explanation at this point he explained all was going well
> (at this point the brakes had been fixed and sealed for over a week and about 500 miles of use before the "MOT")
> Typical monkey doing the test, not paying attention as spent most of the time on his phone Dad observed. He explained the car came down with a "thud" and next thing he sees is brake fluid ****ing out the rear of the car.
> Fails the car on the spot... Dad's livid as he's sure the "garage" has caused it but isn't technically minded enough to know what is wrong... The cars booked in at his "trusted" village mechanic tomorrow... update to follow...
> ...


Maybe a rear flexible brake line snapped?

When I took mine to the last MOT, the guy put it on a one axis roller machine, presumably to test the front brakes. I was looking through the glass office and could see and hear he rear wheels screeching while he was pressing the gas for his "test". Next I am running to the test area screaming "you effing muppet" :roll:


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

silkman said:


> Maybe a rear flexible brake line snapped?


anything is possible but everything on the brake flexi lines were brand new... Tomorrow will paint a clearer picture


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well the TT limped to the village mechanic, luckily nothing broken... Seems the banjo bolt on the rear line into the caliper was the culprit. No explanation as they were all correctly tightened.... Mechanic rebled the system which Dad reports as not having as good a pedal when we did.... 
Ordered some more Motul RBF and will bleed it ourselves.
She was re tested on the MOT this morning and......










taaaa-daaaaaaaaaaa

Tyres on the back have about 4mm, will last for summer and when the suspension is done over winter it'll have new tyres at the point of it having it's suspension aligned.

I kept myself busy with the TT's bigger brother








whilst waiting for the news....


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

89forever said:


> Well the TT limped to the village mechanic, luckily nothing broken... Seems the banjo bolt on the rear line into the caliper was the culprit. No explanation as they were all correctly tightened.... Mechanic rebled the system which Dad reports as not having as good a pedal when we did....
> Ordered some more Motul RBF and will bleed it ourselves.
> She was re tested on the MOT this morning and......
> 
> ...


Would you believe I did the same thing myself, replaced rear caliper all nipped up tight and bled, off tho the NCT station and guess what leaking from the banjo, precisely the crush washer, had a big sticker n the windscreen dangerous to drive, took off the crush washer filed it down bolted back up and bled, back into the queue and then spent a hilarious half hour watching the bastard clean my windscreen of sticky a4 Paper......


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

silkman said:


> 89forever said:
> 
> 
> > Bit of an update, the poor thing went in for it's MOT, Dad took it.... whilst I have no explanation at this point he explained all was going well
> ...


You don't use rollers to test quattro brakes in an mot they drive the car and use a machine. (Unless specialised quattro rollers, I don't think they risk it)


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

StuartDB said:


> You don't use rollers to test quattro brakes in an mot they drive the car and use a machine. (Unless specialised quattro rollers, I don't think they risk it)


Hi, Normal MOT station rollers are fine for quattro brake testing & cause no problems.
Hoggy.


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## HOGG (Mar 30, 2018)

My mot place drives up the road with a G metre

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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Watched 16 MOTs on my 225 & rollers every time.
Hoggy.


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

My MOT place use the car on the road, they said it damages the haldex clutch to use rollers.

Like the original query over the MOT place maybe breaking the brakes they are not allowed to touch brakes pipes. That's why you see 'couldn't see brakes pipes due to grease' and when I was failed with corroded brakes pipes, they pointed at it and I said 'how deep is it?' I was told not to touch it. In their ramps.

Maybe MOT places like recovery vehicles are just playing it safe and don't use rollers or tow the cars on an a-frame etc


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

the brake test myth comes from misunderstanding and ignorance... The old type of 4WD vehicle (off roader types, had a transfer box) could be damaged if 1 axle was spun as they very rarely had a centre differential.
quattro and Haldex 4WD are fine at brake testing as it is less than 5mph.... but you are correct not to tow with an a-frame or dolly with 1 axle rotating at road speed, that will wind the diff up and damage it.

The MOT's stations who do the road test with the brake meter on the passenger are just being cautious, although it doesn't show up a single duff caliper with a sticking piston or guide pins.

It's in the Workshop Manual's somewhere....


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## HOGG (Mar 30, 2018)

Hence why I like him testing with a G metre



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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Look.. when you live in the country-side like me, an MOT station realises if your brakes are fooked you wouldn't have managed to get there.

I'm not even sure they bother actually testing at all, they just type the numbers into a laptop.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

89forever said:


> the brake test myth comes from misunderstanding and ignorance... The old type of 4WD vehicle (off roader types, had a transfer box) could be damaged if 1 axle was spun as they very rarely had a centre differential.
> quattro and Haldex 4WD are fine at brake testing as it is less than 5mph.... but you are correct not to tow with an a-frame or dolly with 1 axle rotating at road speed, that will wind the diff up and damage it.
> 
> The MOT's stations who do the road test with the brake meter on the passenger are just being cautious, although it doesn't show up a single duff caliper with a sticking piston or guide pins.
> ...


 [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Hoggy.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well it's been an eventful week, I just made Dad a Grandad on Sunday (well my partner did the hard work but I held her hand whilst she shouted at me)... means we now have another generation to pass my cars too.... although I think my baby daughter will enjoy Grandad's lovely TT much more than my Fireblade or S5....

Life's all of a sudden got busier....

she'll definitely be a petrolhead that's for sure


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Congratulation's


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## benckj (May 23, 2018)

Congrats and good job bring a healthy baby into the world. Speaking from experience Grandad will be very pleased with the new arrival. He will also enjoy the baby.


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Congratulations...


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well nearly 2 weeks in the new project is doing well, both mother and daughter are all kinds of awesome.... the emissions are a bit off though and frequent and the sleep deprivation is fun... I don't know how my other half does it....

Dad came across today for a bit of Grandad time, so the TT had some love as well....
a short shift kit was ordered, Bilt Hamber rust stuff and some more brake fluid...










good old eBay

comparison of old and new










as it was a nice dry day it was decided to tackle the surface rust previously discovered behind the exhaust valance, car was lifted up in the air (also gave an excuse to rebleed the brakes from the MOT issue), lights out and bumper removed










We bought the Deox Gel from Bilt Hamber https://www.bilthamber.com/corrosion-pr ... s/deox-gel

and followed the instructions










this was after attacking the loose crap with a wire knotted thingy on an angle grinder, covered and left for a couple of hours. The whole area was then scrubbed with TFR and rinsed.










am very impressed with the results. The surrounding area was then washed with methylated spirits and washed again the bits needing covering up were then masked up and a good coat of Bilt Hamber's Electrox zinc rich primer sprayed on, once dry a high build primer was then sprayed on.










annoyingly in all our excitement of the rust treatment working, the primers going on well we both forgot to take any pics of the top coat and lacquer, but here's a shot of the bumper back on and we can sleep safe in the knowledge this panel is protected for a good few years again...










and a view from underneath....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

whilst in there we left the bloody stupid 15kg dead weight off as well....










one less lump to drag around


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## SilverArrow (Dec 18, 2016)

Hi, congratulations for the baby and TT!

Do you notice any vibrational changes with the dead weight removed?
It's an over-engineering example for sure but should be more about resonance than what little weight balance it might provide. What's 15kg on a 1.4 ton body huh.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

SilverArrow said:


> Hi, congratulations for the baby and TT!
> 
> Do you notice any vibrational changes with the dead weight removed?
> It's an over-engineering example for sure but should be more about resonance than what little weight balance it might provide. What's 15kg on a 1.4 ton body huh.


None whatsoever... And it's about addressing corner weight balance relative to the drivers position. As said, Dad isn't going to drive it like he stole it so I was more interested in the weight reduction element.


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## Kev5 (Jan 1, 2016)

89forever said:


> The garage opened at 0745 with the arrival of Dad, smiling as usual and wanting to get stuck in....
> Deep clean day, all covers off from the top side and underside... front to back, left to right...
> This was the typical state under everything
> 
> ...


Hi interesting read this following.
You mentioned date stamp on coils, is this the first 4 numbers on bottom line of numbers? As just replaced mine with what looks like 2017 coils, but one of old ones appears to be 1998 if I'm reading this right - see pic old & new?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Kev5 said:


> Hi interesting read this following.
> You mentioned date stamp on coils, is this the first 4 numbers on bottom line of numbers? As just replaced mine with what looks like 2017 coils, but one of old ones appears to be 1998 if I'm reading this right - see pic old & new?


correct, it's week number followed by year (shown in a 2 digit form)


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## Kev5 (Jan 1, 2016)

Thanks


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

As your other thread below.

36/10 not 2 98  as someone found 2 27 in those first 3 digits.

https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... &t=1914263


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

another small job ticked off....

on checking the oil one morning Dad snapped the top of the dipstick off, so as we had no record of how old the plastic parts were... renew it all...
Sadly some numpty had previously rounded off the screws heads which hold the plastic cover on, so new screws ordered, new dipstick tube and new dipstick....
Screws were drilled out with ease, which allowed the easy removal of the cover, the bracket which retains the dipstick tube was removed.
On removing the original dipstick tube it snapped clean in half, thankfully no plastic fell into the sump... that would have been a bad day...!!!
New tube on









all built back up and as it should be








The TT is coming off the road for the winter months and a plan is being hatched...
Suspension refurbed so all the underneath can be brought back to as new.... anything which needs replacing will be... it will all go back as factory
Boost hoses and making it air tight are my next concern... I didn't have time this weekend but I need to run some logs to check boost pressure and check all over but Dad is doing a great job and polishing and keeping it clean... newly discovered petrolhead lol


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Whilst in Lockdown Dad has sadly been remote and has spent his time polishing Claude...

To explain the name, his phone autocorrected the term "clayed" as in clay bar to Claude and the name stuck, sort of suits his TT perfectly haha

We were curious if we could work the same magic on his bolster to the same extent as my S5, ColourLock didn't have his colour so they requested a very small sample of his leather to make a dye to suit his coloured leather.
I suggested from underneath the rear seat bench... good idea came the reply.... how do i take that out he asked....!!! so instruction communicated and out it came










a small sample was chopped off










and put into the mail on Tuesday, he received the dye today, i have to say full credit to Cdolourlock turning this around in 2 days, great service and hats off to them.

So, full of vigour and spirit Dad set to....

The offending bolster which let the rest of the interior down










all cleaned and sanded down and first coat applied....










and the finished result, now needs to be left for 24 hours and then buffed and sealed










It looks superb and i think dad's done a stellar job......


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## GMTTmk1 (Oct 8, 2018)

That actaully looks awesome!
Well done to your old boy for that, I'd pay him to do mine if we were allowed out! :lol:
Great read throughout this project, keep up the good work! 8)


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

The Colourlock dye is fantastic..... I'd used it on my S5 cream leather, the bolsters having gone the same way as many and the colour match was spot on. I couldn't believe the difference.
So we got some for Claude....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

https://www.colourlock.com/all-diy-prod ... 150ml.html

We used this


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

In other news... lockdown has stopped more restoration work underneath.... however the new tyres have arrived










4no of Pirelli's finest... all date matched and less than 2 months old from manufacture, i can't stand buying new tyres and the date stamp is from 15 years ago (ok i exaggerate but you get my drift)

all the correct size too.... there is a god lol










The down side is the tyres are with me, the TT is with Dad, can't get the patient here yet to strip down and get the wheels into the powdercoaters....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

So with lockdown restrictions being eased very slightly, Dad decided to take Claude off of SORN and brought him out for a clean and a polish....










Wednesday, ensuring everyone is socially distanced properly sees the wheels coming off, tyres removed and the wheels into the powdercoaters for a 24 hour service...
New discs and pads to fit on all 4 corners are in the plans to undertake... we've also ordered a new G62 and thermostat from my local Audi Dealers, due for collection Wednesday also....

plus whatever else i can find since last time i saw it....!!!


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## BrianB (Apr 15, 2016)

The wheels look good in the pics are you going for a colour change or is there some damage to get sorted?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

They're ok from the front, and not bad from the rear......

They can be better though..... no colour change but the new silver will have a little more sparkle to it....


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## BrianB (Apr 15, 2016)

Looking forward to seeing the end result, everything else that has been done is really good.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

BrianB said:


> Looking forward to seeing the end result, everything else that has been done is really good.


Thank you.... it hopefully shows others that with a little effort they're easy to work on


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

In readiness for tomorrow's patient i wanted to get the brake discs painted, yes i know it causes controversy here but we like to live dangerously lol....

I always buy Delphi discs as they are an OEM supplier and the discs always come pre-painted silver










for some this is ok, but it is just a thin protective coating (much like the oil film on other brands of discs), but forms a good starting point for another zinc primer... so, primer applied and in todays sun this dried very quickly and was then onto the black










a couple of coats later and protected for as long as possible... roll on tomorrow


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well Dad arrived yesterday morning at early o clock... the priority of the day was to get the wheels off, tyres off and across to my powdercoaters so he could sit the wheels in acid over night as the first stage of the stripping process....
That complete it was time to assess what we were doing.
When we did all the engine work last year we refitted an aftermarket G62 temperature sensor, the dash never rose above 70 degrees. So armed with a genuine Audi G62 and a new genuine thermostat i dived straight in to strip it all down....
It bugged me last year that the bracket which holds the cover on the front of the inlet manifold didn't make it into the powdercoaters.... I mean, look at how awful it is...










so that got blasted and recoated



















much better

The thermostat removal went without issue... however as i'm a cluts...!!! on refitting i dropped not one but both of the bloody bolts for the thermostat housing.... so a quick phonecall to Audi and they had them in stock thankfully... god knows where the old ones went but they're on the floor somewhere (before anyone says they are definitely not in the engine hahaha)










bloody ages trying to find the damn things....

Wheels were collected today and they are far more sparkly the before.... chuffed more than a chuffed thing....



















Tyres have been fitted and all balanced up... tomorrow sees them getting a clean to remove the lube, then a wax and ceramic seal.

We bought some new centre caps last year.... they were just cheapy Chinese ones.... wasn't expecting them to last and was proved right haha










the brushed aluminium trim is wafer thin and was easy to remove... so i've taken them apart with a view of repainting them










all i got done on the actual car was i fitted the new discs and pads, discovered that the drivers rear coil spring was broken, so ordered a new pair of rear springs for fitting tomorrow.....

I've been wanting to get a wet vac cleaner for the cars for ages but never got round to it... Dad asked what sort do we need... daft bugger went and ordered us one....










which arrived today.... so as the TT has pale grey carpets which are a little soiled that will be the first patient.... and then rain stopped play....

I think that's it for today?


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## PlasticMac (Apr 25, 2017)

Apologies, original post didn't come over as I intended.
Mac.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Spreading the love


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## auspicious_character (Sep 4, 2016)

If you ever drop your thermostat bolts again and need two in a hurry, you can nick them out the sump.


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## Reg1 (Mar 30, 2020)

Hi, really enjoying your TT project diary! In relation to the bolster repair, did you buy a ready made kit or just a bottle of dye? Also, did you fill the cracks in the leather with soft filler before applying dye? Thanks


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## davebowk (Aug 16, 2019)

+1 on removing the wheel center cap ally trim.
I have some copies and the ally trim wasn't good, removed it last night and perfect, just need to paint them when my wheels are done.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Reg1 said:


> Hi, really enjoying your TT project diary! In relation to the bolster repair, did you buy a ready made kit or just a bottle of dye? Also, did you fill the cracks in the leather with soft filler before applying dye? Thanks


for both my S5 and Dad's TT we just got the dye.... neither were bad enough to require the fillers... the creases are part of the patina of the age of the vehicles in our opinion....

But Colourlock do supply filler for the really bad if you think you need it, we didn't.....

Glad you are enjoying it... there will be another update tomorrow as i CBA tonight to update as it's wine o clock hahaha


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

davebowk said:


> +1 on removing the wheel center cap ally trim.
> I have some copies and the ally trim wasn't good, removed it last night and perfect, just need to paint them when my wheels are done.


we got ours into primer today.... wet sand etc tomorrow.....

The wheels are looking awesome and have been ceramic coated today, Dad took 5000 pics of them, god knows why but he was excited...!!! lol


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## silkman (Jul 29, 2004)

89forever said:


> I've been wanting to get a wet vac cleaner for the cars for ages but never got round to it... Dad asked what sort do we need... daft bugger went and ordered us one....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Was considering getting one but yesterday took the TT to a detailing shop to clean some spilled coffee from the passenger side carpet for 5 euros, so wetvac was indefinitely postponed :roll:


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

So, the engine was all put back together and ran up.... very happy to say that the temperature now reaches 90 on the dash and the fans cut in at 100 as indicated on the 49c channel.

We then go onto the rear springs.










one was definitely broken hahaha

all buttoned up










It seems a new pair of sill covers are going to be needed in Claude's imminent future, one corner has had a piss poor repair in it's past which won't do and then the ends are going crusty, so to stave off any future issues i want to see what it's like behind them and treat as required.










but to make it look better it was attacked with BiltHamber and then primed and painted for now....










all four corners were treated the same.

Dad was busy cleaning all the lubricant off the wheels, it was then wax on/wax off time and an application of ceramic coatedness.......










backs first.....

then the fronts.....










Happy to say Dad is over the moon at the condition of them now and understands why i insisted we get them done....


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## BrianB (Apr 15, 2016)

Excellent work......your Dad is a very lucky guy [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

So, the TT is still here and Dad went home for a couple of days, so it left me the chance to just potter about... armed with my new wet vac i took the seats out and set too

Passenger side before









Drivers side before









The grey carpets had taken a beating from the years of use and no amount of vacuuming ever got the areas clean which the overmats didn't cover...
The colour of the water after the first pass was awful....










It took an age before the water hoovered up went clear, I spent over 8 hours on the carpets.... still the water wasn't as clear as i'd like.... but it was a 1000 times better than the first pass hahaha

Passenger side after









Drivers side after









the best thing for me is that it smells like a brand new car... the carpets have been totally deoderised....
The seats will go back in tomorrow once everything is dried.

Where the seat runners are there were a few grease stains

before









after









The boot area got attacked









despite it being a long job the end result is very satisfying, i'd say another going over and then repeated maintenance will keep the carpets looking brand new for ever...

and a finishing shot of Claude down on the wheels....










As today was spent soley on the carpets i didn't get any time onto redoing the wheel centres, that'll be tomorrows job, weather permitting....

The carpet cleaner will earn it's keep as the S5 is next and then the other half's A3 will all get cleaned....


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## Reg1 (Mar 30, 2020)

Appreciate you taking time out to reply.Please keep the updates coming and good look with the project. Nice to see a father and son team working together!


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Woke up this morning (isn't that a song?) and went out and carpets looked great, however as i cannot leave things alone i redid the 2 corners on the drivers side.

I took the foot rest out so i had better access



















It still brought some dirt out again










Now just have to wait for the interior to dry and get the seats back in....










Other stuff got washed and is drying as the car isn't going anywhere yet haha










I've made a start on the centre caps finally










We decided on gloss black centres with Audi Silver outers, just got to wait for the black to cure then i can begin the laborious task of masking it all up....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

and after spending all day with the boot and the doors open letting the wind blow through the carpets are dry and seats back in....

Much better place to be now, smells lovely.....


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## silkman (Jul 29, 2004)

Are these black mats? Got a grey set from audi just 2 weeks ago for only 48eur, not sure rhd exists though.

Other than that, great job. Waiting to see how the center caps will turn out...


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

silkman said:


> Are these black mats? Got a grey set from audi just 2 weeks ago for only 48eur, not sure rhd exists though.
> 
> Other than that, great job. Waiting to see how the center caps will turn out...


Very happy with the black mats, we like the contrast


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## BrianB (Apr 15, 2016)

89forever said:


> and after spending all day with the boot and the doors open letting the wind blow through the carpets are dry and seats back in....
> 
> Much better place to be now, smells lovely.....


That looks very nice.......good job.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

BrianB said:


> That looks very nice.......good job.


Thank you.... i might get to do my S5 tomorrow, will make a change to the TT lol


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

In between the bad weather and waiting for the black to harden for a few days, today i decided to flat back the black, mask up the centres and get as far as i could until the heavens opened up......










and i managed to get a couple of coats of silver on....










Now just need that to harden, flatten back and lacquer the shit out of it.... then reassemble the rings and fit....

Small steps.....


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

finally got the bloody centres finished.... would have been far easier to buy new ones but then they'd just go cruddy again... 
A reminder of what we started with










These were bought 12 months ago and have only seen about 3000 miles, brake dust was never left to sit on them, but they were only cheap Chinese ones....
Hopefully the painted ones will last a little long and at least they can be polished and ceramic coated.

So we left them for the silver to harden, once that was done the black was flatted again as the masking tape had left a tiny amount of imprinting (my fault as i'd left this on too long)










and after many coats of lacquer, which is now dry and i've placed the rings on as i need to rush these things.... lol I'll wait till it's fully hardened until pushing them home because fingerprints.....










Not perfect but 100% better than before.... Should keep Dad happy as he's been moaning at having to drive his news wheels without the centre cap on them hahaha


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## davebowk (Aug 16, 2019)

These Chinese centers look so much better with the ally trim removed.
This is one of mine, trim removed and just lacquered, matches my newly powder coated wheels.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

nicely done....

i think if we end up buying another set down the line then the first thing to be done is remove the ally trim and just lacquer from the get go....

I wanted the silver on ours to at least resemble the ally trim and hopefully add a little contrast..... will see what the ffect looks like once they're fitted.


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## Jonny_frs (Jan 31, 2010)

Great effort, you and your dad are certainly doing things properly!


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Jonny_frs said:


> Great effort, you and your dad are certainly doing things properly!


Thank you, i appreciate that..... i don't like cutting corners and as we don't have to trust a garage we can please ourselves


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Dad came over today for a bit of car time....
Wheel centres got fitted, so that's another job ticked off.... hopefully will last a little longer being painted, time will tell!!!










Another job we wanted to address is the awful condition of the drivers interior grab handle.... like so many other TT's this one was scratched to buggery.... buying a new replacement was a no go.....
So we looked out into the world to see what others had done....
Saw the fantastic items Les makes and had a good look, what we didn't like was the pure stick on nature... there was no detail... so we discounted them. That is in no shape size or form a reflection on them... they have worked for lots of people.

A late night trawl on Ebay saw us find these...



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GREY-CROSS-S ... %7Ciid%3A1

available in many colours etc and we thought the black leather with grey stitching would suit the interior brilliantly.
When we bought them we paid £25 delivered (they are now listed at £49.99 :lol: )

There is a brilliant tutorial on Youtube from the company and the quality of the item on that video looked fantastic, so we bought a set.






I opened the packet and my heart sank.... they have clearly not been cut out to a pattern, the 2 straight edges were not straight...










I took a screen shot of the one in the video and look how different the shape of the piece is, the neatness and sharp corners as the stitching changes direction.










compared to what we were sent....










leather has a direction of grain, these had been cut so the stretch was up and down, which is totally the wrong way when you need to wrap around something... very poor manufacture, especially at the price point and what appears to be a professional UK upholsterer....
An email has been sent stating our dissatisfaction and we await a response

You may also notice in the video they use 3m double sided tape, what we were sent were 4 bits of paper, cut into strips... it wasn't even double side tape....!!! I spent an age sat there with a scalpel peeling back layer after layer and not one bit was adhesive.

Will see what the response is as everyone deserves a second chance...!!!

In other news we did some data logging the other day, considering all the boost hoses etc have not been changed yet (it did have a new DV when we did the cambelt though and all hoses were inspected then).
Boost requested against actual was all as it should be.... MAF readings gave a calculated BHP at 212 (using the divide by 0.8 method). Not bad for a 16 year old car.....
We have ordered a new set of Beru coils as we have a mixed set on the car with date ranges all over the place.
For peace of mind at some point this year i'll change the lambda, MAF and N75. Then over winter it'll have a boost hose refresh throughout... Intercoolers will come off and be pressure tested also.... but in the main she is very healthy.


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## HOGG (Mar 30, 2018)

That stitching looks awful

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

HOGG said:


> That stitching looks awful
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


doesn't it just... they even changed the quality of the thread compared to what was in the tutorial.... we have had an email response saying what was sent out was a mistake due to lockdown issues... and they are doing another set....
Will await and see what they send us this time.... I'm not holding my breath


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## silkman (Jul 29, 2004)

89forever said:


> Dad came over today for a bit of car time....
> Wheel centres got fitted, so that's another job ticked off.... hopefully will last a little longer being painted, time will tell!!!
> 
> 
> ...


Since you've done so much work already you could easily make the handle covers yourself. Get some leather piece from an upholstery shop (or ebay) and they could easily be hand stitched, esp since the stiching wont be visible.

Myself I'm thinking to get a spare steering wheel to do myself.


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## davebowk (Aug 16, 2019)

silk[/quote said:


> Myself I'm thinking to get a spare steering wheel to do myself.


Make sure you watch plenty of how too's, it's not an easy job

And when them handle covers are on and stitched, as long as they are not saggy they would look fine.
I glued mine on but still had to trim them to fit better.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

silkman said:


> Since you've done so much work already you could easily make the handle covers yourself. Get some leather piece from an upholstery shop (or ebay) and they could easily be hand stitched, esp since the stiching wont be visible.
> 
> Myself I'm thinking to get a spare steering wheel to do myself.


The annoying thing is the Father-in-Law is a master saddler, proper old school leather craftsman.... The easiest thing in the world would be to give him the damn handles... but Dad is being a bit precious and doesn't want to drive the car minus the door cards for a couple of weeks lol.... I can't blame him to be honest... sadly the locations don't work to well as we all form a country wide Bermuda Triangle... Worcester, Nottingham and Norwich so not ideal hahaha


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

davebowk said:


> silk[/quote:8o9tu1u5 said:
> 
> 
> > Myself I'm thinking to get a spare steering wheel to do myself.
> ...


I have planned on gluing the whole thing to the handle for that reason.... many late night Youtube tutorials lol


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Well it's not often we have to report of bad dealings but feedback has to be given and despite our best efforts to resolve the situation with the company we had no choice but to demand our money back.
The company JF Customs Ltd, as documented above sent us the awful product, the quality was absolutely dire... my 1 year old daughter would have made a far better attempt...
We contacted them to advise what they sent was not what we expected, they, to be fair, apologised and stated that they would send another out the very next day (after stating that they would resolve the quality issue), so we waited... and waited... nothing arrived, so we contacted again and they said it must have got lost and that they'd send another out, so we asked for an actual tracking number, which they asked for us to pay for... at that point we asked for our money back...
Absolute, utter waste of time sadly....

So the plan is over winter to get the door cards off and get them to the father in law for him to make them....

In other news, we ordered some new OE coil packs from Autodoc over in Germany, great price, great delivery times...










arrived with no fuss and as expected










so they'll be fitted when the patient next arrives.... and now something to keep me a bit more busy whilst the patient is not here... the original 3 bar grill is looking tired, the chrome on the rings has deteriorated and is flaking off, so Dad asked, can we buy a new one but "I want a shiny black one"... so i showed him the new price of one from a QS.... 
Sod that was the response... lol
The response was the same when i told him the price of a new set of rings from Audi haha

so i said i'll find a decent second-hand grill, with rings... to which Dad said was a good idea as "you can easily just paint it shiny black"... oh ok Dad sure... i'm not really busy, no problem.... 

I noticed in the for sale section Ady here had a range of stuff for sale and he had listed a grill... deal done, all delivered and a pleasure to deal with... it arrived as described... bit grubby and all complete and a decent set of rings fitted...

Just perfect for going into paint...










Many thanks for a deal done well...!!!!


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## Ady. (Oct 25, 2009)

Watching since it seems I've helped with it :roll: :lol:


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## benckj (May 23, 2018)

You might consider either buying or making a seal for the coil packs to stop water entering spark tubes. This seems to be a common issue which results in corrosion on plugs and coil. I simply used an appropriate sized O ring and it seems to work but the proper rubber grommet supplied on some coils would be better. Believe Rockauto has in stock.


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Life sometimes gets in the way of stuff.... relocating to the other side of the country, new job, new house, Covid etc.....
Dad's TT has been being enjoyed and used and abused in that time and he's loving it.... he's been faultless.... (the TT, not Dad hahaha)
Armed with a little decent weather this weekend saw Dad trundle across..... some small jobs ticked off, with the larger jobs being left for another day....

New brake light switch installed










and then the coils swapped out.... 3 of the old ones appeared to be originals.... who just swaps out 1 coil FFS???










and all done










idles smoother now.....


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## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

If they were the original coil packs keep them and check with the dealers for the free recall to change them


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Already done that right after buying.... sadly wasn't available


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

Dad has been enjoying many more smiles per mile, the lockdown has been tough on him as it meant many jobs have been put on hold but Claude has proved very reliable, but there are some things which need addressing sooner rather than later.
Dad had started to say that the gearchange was starting to prove harder, so that needed urgent investigation, i was fearing the worst (not that it's a difficult job but that it would have been expensive for him.) It had all the tell tale signs of the clutch release bearing starting to go, not being local i suggested he come over last weekend for an investigation.
Thankfully upon investigation it was just the short shifter needing a tweak.
So minor strip down....



, whilst the cover was off a quick check to make sure all was still oil tight, which thankfully it was. I also dropped the oil and changed the oil filter as i wanted to check nothing nasty was happening inside, all's good....

dry as a bone...



and built back up....



Dad had said there was a wobble under braking from 70mph, so a test drive out and it seems that the rebuilt rear brakes are sticking, so parts have been ordered to get that sorted, hopefully the rear discs haven't been warped but if they have... will replace with new.
Short update but all's well with Claude... and Dad...!!!


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

So this episode is affectionately titled "Dad receives a bollocking...!!!"

why i hear you ask...? basically for not driving the TT hard enough...!!! especially the brakes, Dad's style of driving is to never use the brakes.... but first a back story

We communicate regularly as any normal Father/Son interaction goes... except ours are normally more car/work related.
So i get a text saying he has a "bit" of a wobble under braking.... to which i stated that everything has been replaced last year... we rebuilt the calipers, new discs pads on all 4 corners.
So i state, he needs to "drive" the poor thing hard occasionally.... and i get back "of course i do".
So like anything else, an inspection is required...
So Dad comes over yesterday...!!!

TT goes up in the air, rear first....!!! as i can already so an issue



wheels off and as i'm doing that i state, i thought you said you are using the brakes...



herein lies exhibit A, this is a brand new disc that is not being used and only light pedal pressure...
pad deposits and just not been bedded in... so, strip down and clean up...

calipers, carriers, discs etc all removed and checked that all arears move as they should, mating faces cleaned up



same done on the fronts....



and rebuilt and out for the test drive... wobble gone and a driving lesson for Dad on the correct use of how and when to brake in normal driving.... and fast road etiquette (he loves that bit hahaha, he's not a great passenger lol)

we also have a ABS light to contend with, in hot weather it appears...



and is referenced to the G201 sensor on the master cylinder... we've previously purchased that and more brake fluid has been ordered so that's the next job...

future jobs... once i've got Dad's wallet open...!!!
Suspension
Remap and exhaust (plus all the other bits which will inevitably fail once power goes up) 
Body work (sill covers etc)

but first it's MOT time next month...!!!


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

with the weather the way it is it would be rude to not do some pressing jobs on Claude, as previously said the G201 and G214 sensors which live on the brake master cylinder had been bought and put on the shelf, today was that day they were going to get fitted.
Other jobs being to replace the alarm siren in the rear and to also fit a pair of white led number plate lights...

it goes without saying that other jobs have been identified whilst in all of this... projects are never truly done in any fashion...!!!

so the first job was to tackle the easiest....

alarm siren....



it will become apparent later why the wheels are off...!!!

rear light removed and the defunct item removed. Good old Ebay had allowed us to purchase a replacement used item, the theory being it being from a later car it "should" be a bit better.....
Opened the box as to what we had bought... the bloody seller had stitched us up..!!!



The auction clearly showed a picture and description clearing showing a 605A, we needed a 605A which was why we bought this one... the seller sent us a 605....!!! it was about as much use as a chocolate tea pot... so that's being returned....
The original item was put back and and of course it was at this point in it's life that it decided to sing it's little socks off and show everyone how the alarm sounded.... so that's been disconnected for now....!!1

I could clearly see how today was going to pan out at this point....!!!

The rear LED's actually went without any issue, other than the tailgate clearly needing some rust treatment before it is too far gone, it won't last another winter....

We'll get some dark shots of the new improved number plate lights...

onto the main event



all parts on the left hand side of the bay were stripped out to get to the brake reservoir...
on stripping the reservoir out the loom going to warning level sensor on the res cap decided today was a good day to part company, so a repining game will be the order of the day once a kit has been found and ordered...!!!
that was duly extracted and the 2 sensors swapped out...



before the reservoir went back in a little fluid was put back into the cylinder to hopefully prevent any airlocks so a full rebleed wouldn't be necessary...!!!

all built back up and bled and a nice solid pedal as expected... great... job done or so i thought, the lights remained on the dash board which i thought strange, no worries i thought i must need to clear them with the pc.... plugged in and diagnostics ran.... and cleared and what were we left with?



both bloody lights left on... WFT i thought....

seems with the heat the right rear ABS sensor decided was today was it's last day on earth...!!!

stripped down the rear brakes, seems i was here just last week annoyingly....

thankfully the retaining bolt came out after giving it a good talking too... from my last TT i was sure i had new ABS sensors on the shelf, nope, all front ones only. So a rear has been ordered and a job for next week....

Projects are never truly done, we just find more things to do, however despite the set backs it was a great day with Dad...!!! especially the lunchtime hot dogs my partner cooked up...!!!


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Why is the DIS so bright?


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## 89forever (Jun 24, 2016)

StuartDB said:


> Why is the DIS so bright?


There was a big, bright yellow thing in the sky pointing directly at it..... and the camera just picked up the reflection.
It's just a normal DIS.


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