Bringing her back to life. HELLO FROM VA!
07-12-2016, 06:12 AM
#1
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NOVA
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bringing her back to life. HELLO FROM VA!
Greetings everyone!
I wanted to say hello to the forums and tell the tale of how I ended up here. If you are not in a reading mood, I don’t blame you and pictures can be found below of my very first audi purchase. A sadly neglected 2002 Audi TT 225 roadster with 107k on the clock (sorry, no pre-cleaning photos but take my word for it...14yrs of neglect are harsh). If you have a few minutes, the story of this journey is below:
The beginning:
So growing up I have always wanted an audi since I can remember but coming from a non-wealthy family, that was pretty much out of the cards. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have a father who was mechanically savvy and taught me the basics of vehicles because lets face it…if I had to take my 1997 ford probe into the shop every time there was an issue, I would be a broke man. Just recently, my brother contacted me about a friend of his that was selling a 2002 audi tt Quattro 225 roadster with 107k miles on the clock and before he could say “you want to take a look at it?”, I was out there.
The story of how I got the car:
The reason why she was selling the car was because she was fed up with trying to get problems fixed. Apparently, after she found the convertible top had a leak and she put a new one on, the car went into anti-theft mode and would not start. She had it towed to 2 different shops and a month and a half later, they both said they did not want to deal with it. She finally got fed up and took it to the local audi dealership who said they could fix the problem for $3,500 or just get it running with a lot of mechanical issues for $500. Because she already had a new car and was getting ready to move, she was willing to see it to me for $1,000. After a brief overview of the car I knew it was worth more than that in parts alone so I took it no questions asked.
First thoughts:
It was gross. There was no nice way of putting that but one look and I could tell this car was never once cleaned or cared for. It broke my heart. The front bumper was cracked from a minor accident and trashed, it had been keyed, cat scratches up and down the body, the convertible top was more brown than blue, the interior seats were torn to shreds, the door panels were brown and peeling along with the carpets and it smelled like mold. Don’t even get me started about the engine but apparently it had a leaky head gasket at one point which was replaced but the engine had never been cleaned. I took the first weekend and checked everything mechanical and to my surprise that was in amazing shape. Compression came back even across the board, the clutch and transmission shifted smoothly, all suspension parts were in good nick, no rust and nothing was leaking. She wanted to live.
The first fixes:
To tackle the wiring issues, I have basic knowledge of electronics from dabbling in the field for a long time but with this being my first audi, I relied heavily on the information provided here. After only a bit of searching, I knew the issue was the CCM. I purchased a new CCM along with a headlight adjustment control module (for good measure), inspected the wires and all fuse for corrosion or shorting and as soon as I plugged it in…issues be gone! The ebrake light was off, the top worked, the door alarms worked, windows worked. Everything. With that I knew she wanted to drive and it was my mission to make that happen. So step one was change all filters and fluids and do something the car has never experienced. CLEAN! It was easy to tell that the trans or rear dif fluid has never been changed nor the cabin filter. Case in point, see the picture below of the nice nest found. I took 16+ hrs over 2 days and did nothing but clean. From gluing the door panel vinyl back on, wet sand restoring the headlights, clay bar and 3 stage waxing, scrub every plastic panel, shampooing the carpet and top, and degreasing some of the engine parts. It was painstaking but every hour knew my efforts would pay off and it was the least I could do.
The future:
There are still may issues that need to be taken care of (headlight switch faulty, gas button popped off, a/c recharge, glovebox repair) but the next before driving it is find a reputable shop and get the timing belt and water pump replaced. I have all the parts but that is out of my range of repair so ill leave that to the pros. That and the haldex oil as I have seen the process and with no lift, ill just pay the few extra bucks. I plan on keeping it as is with maybe a stage 1 chip and just enjoying it on nice days and keeping it CLEAN for once in her life.
So there ya go! Story told. I can thank everyone enough on the forum (indirectly) for the information provided as it is truly a lifesaver. I hope to be an active member in the future and maybe one day meeting some of you guys in the area for a meet. As of now, here’s to finally giving care to a much deserved car!
-Sho
And you thought i was lying about the nest in the air filter eh?
I wanted to say hello to the forums and tell the tale of how I ended up here. If you are not in a reading mood, I don’t blame you and pictures can be found below of my very first audi purchase. A sadly neglected 2002 Audi TT 225 roadster with 107k on the clock (sorry, no pre-cleaning photos but take my word for it...14yrs of neglect are harsh). If you have a few minutes, the story of this journey is below:
The beginning:
So growing up I have always wanted an audi since I can remember but coming from a non-wealthy family, that was pretty much out of the cards. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have a father who was mechanically savvy and taught me the basics of vehicles because lets face it…if I had to take my 1997 ford probe into the shop every time there was an issue, I would be a broke man. Just recently, my brother contacted me about a friend of his that was selling a 2002 audi tt Quattro 225 roadster with 107k miles on the clock and before he could say “you want to take a look at it?”, I was out there.
The story of how I got the car:
The reason why she was selling the car was because she was fed up with trying to get problems fixed. Apparently, after she found the convertible top had a leak and she put a new one on, the car went into anti-theft mode and would not start. She had it towed to 2 different shops and a month and a half later, they both said they did not want to deal with it. She finally got fed up and took it to the local audi dealership who said they could fix the problem for $3,500 or just get it running with a lot of mechanical issues for $500. Because she already had a new car and was getting ready to move, she was willing to see it to me for $1,000. After a brief overview of the car I knew it was worth more than that in parts alone so I took it no questions asked.
First thoughts:
It was gross. There was no nice way of putting that but one look and I could tell this car was never once cleaned or cared for. It broke my heart. The front bumper was cracked from a minor accident and trashed, it had been keyed, cat scratches up and down the body, the convertible top was more brown than blue, the interior seats were torn to shreds, the door panels were brown and peeling along with the carpets and it smelled like mold. Don’t even get me started about the engine but apparently it had a leaky head gasket at one point which was replaced but the engine had never been cleaned. I took the first weekend and checked everything mechanical and to my surprise that was in amazing shape. Compression came back even across the board, the clutch and transmission shifted smoothly, all suspension parts were in good nick, no rust and nothing was leaking. She wanted to live.
The first fixes:
To tackle the wiring issues, I have basic knowledge of electronics from dabbling in the field for a long time but with this being my first audi, I relied heavily on the information provided here. After only a bit of searching, I knew the issue was the CCM. I purchased a new CCM along with a headlight adjustment control module (for good measure), inspected the wires and all fuse for corrosion or shorting and as soon as I plugged it in…issues be gone! The ebrake light was off, the top worked, the door alarms worked, windows worked. Everything. With that I knew she wanted to drive and it was my mission to make that happen. So step one was change all filters and fluids and do something the car has never experienced. CLEAN! It was easy to tell that the trans or rear dif fluid has never been changed nor the cabin filter. Case in point, see the picture below of the nice nest found. I took 16+ hrs over 2 days and did nothing but clean. From gluing the door panel vinyl back on, wet sand restoring the headlights, clay bar and 3 stage waxing, scrub every plastic panel, shampooing the carpet and top, and degreasing some of the engine parts. It was painstaking but every hour knew my efforts would pay off and it was the least I could do.
The future:
There are still may issues that need to be taken care of (headlight switch faulty, gas button popped off, a/c recharge, glovebox repair) but the next before driving it is find a reputable shop and get the timing belt and water pump replaced. I have all the parts but that is out of my range of repair so ill leave that to the pros. That and the haldex oil as I have seen the process and with no lift, ill just pay the few extra bucks. I plan on keeping it as is with maybe a stage 1 chip and just enjoying it on nice days and keeping it CLEAN for once in her life.
So there ya go! Story told. I can thank everyone enough on the forum (indirectly) for the information provided as it is truly a lifesaver. I hope to be an active member in the future and maybe one day meeting some of you guys in the area for a meet. As of now, here’s to finally giving care to a much deserved car!
-Sho
And you thought i was lying about the nest in the air filter eh?
07-12-2016, 07:06 AM
#2
AudiWorld Senior Member
Great job. Fantastic story. Nothing like a lot of sweat, and a little blood from the smacked knuckles, to make your car more than just a car. It has personality. I have done this myself with a 318 & a 944, so I know the feeling of accomplishment that goes with it. Hope this sweety lasts you for many, many weekends.
07-13-2016, 03:24 AM
#4
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NOVA
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks! Many of smacked knuckles and a whole lot of sweat so far but that is to be expected when you try and work on a car in DC weather. Been a nice 95 degrees with about 200% humidity. Gotta love that!
07-13-2016, 11:03 PM
#5
Former Vendor
Hello Sho and welcome to the forum! Great to have you join us and thanks for sharing your story. You'll find some interesting info on this forum. If you haven't found what you're looking for, feel free to post a question. If you have knowledge that someone else is looking for, feel free to share!
07-14-2016, 03:05 AM
#6
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NOVA
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello Sho and welcome to the forum! Great to have you join us and thanks for sharing your story. You'll find some interesting info on this forum. If you haven't found what you're looking for, feel free to post a question. If you have knowledge that someone else is looking for, feel free to share!
This forum has already saved me quite a bit of money and headache so far and it has only been a few weeks of ownership, so the least i can do is give back with any knowledge i have or will learn in the future! Hope to be a proud Audi owner for a while.
07-14-2016, 03:18 PM
#7
Audiworld Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Sarasota, FL
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I love happy ending stories like this. Wonderful fixup job you did on her, and a great color for the TT, as well. Hope you get to enjoy it for many miles!
Trending Topics
07-15-2016, 03:31 PM
#8
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NOVA
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks!
Just got done with all the fluid changes and tagged and titled finally. Just got done with a nice 100 mile drive through some beautiful country back roads. Enjoyed every minute of it! Haha.
Just got done with all the fluid changes and tagged and titled finally. Just got done with a nice 100 mile drive through some beautiful country back roads. Enjoyed every minute of it! Haha.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
OTOF
TT (Mk1) Discussion
12
06-12-2002 10:40 AM