OUR 5 YEAR

ANNIVERSARY,

DARLING!

OUR 5 YEAR

ANNIVERSARY,

DARLING!

Closing in on 100,000 miles, our 5-years represents 13,000 miles together. In this eighth instalment of this series, Jeremy Walton updates us with news of his quattro sport’s repairs, updates and future plans

Compulsory beauty shot, but Thruxton has been a regular destination

for the TT as a spectator for British Touring Cars, a Grandson’s skidpan sessions, and to meet a high-flying client for my book business.

After 5 years ownership, this run out 2006 edition of Audi’s TT quattro sport has proved a rewarding buy, marred only by the hefty road tax charge of £710 or the £372.75p I pay half yearly, which totals £745.50.  Otherwise, as a vehicle bought with over 85,000 miles registered and now closing on 100,000 miles, it has been exceptionally reliable.

Since our December 2023 instalment, my 240bhp TT quattro sport has gathered a total 98,730 miles and I have come to appreciate it’s strengths and snags over 13,255 miles of that total.

Pleasingly maintenance-modest, individually stylish and at least depreciation-proof, but this TT is not the vastly appreciating asset that dealer prices imply, unless the mileage is exceptionally (under 60,000 mile) low. And anyone who has ever actually used such garage queens will know they can often cough and splutter when pressed back into regular use.

January 2024 saw an unexpected problem when the wiper literally ground to a standstill. The linkage to a lower spindle had loosened, no parts were required, but to gain access not just the wiper arms need stripping, but also the plastic cowling. Bill was £60 and no parts were needed, the British winter providing an immediate and totally satisfactory proof that Normal Service had resumed.

On a June 2024 annual service day, the TT faced a fifth MoT in my hands and passed with no advisories. The insurance rates obtained through a broker in July 2023 were little changed at a £350 annual premium, but I am awaiting a quote as this is written as I have just paid a £100 fine for 35 mph in a 30 mph limit.  

Those central red pixel readouts for the trip computer and external temperature suffered the traditional Audi TT display hiccups and missing particles. The main dashboard readouts worsened, only the red needle of the rev counter glowing, meaning that those for speed, water temperature and fuel tank contents were absent. That does matter at night. Indicated speed I could cope with on the rpm reported, but I don’t like not monitoring water temperatures.  

It took time to trace a trustworthy repair specialist, via my local regular service and repair garage. Peter Jenkins at Auto Services checked out some more, but he had used an outfit called Cartronix in Hampshire for other customers. I know Hampshire quite well—lived there three years—and worked out that they were located on a small industrial estate within Portsmouth’s postcode. An appointment was fixed and a likely estimate of £250 predicted.

There were a couple of Cartronix side issues on attendance. Parking looked impossible with reserved bays for other enterprises and only an upstairs office visible, but it turned out the workshop was at the rear with single bay parking. Checking the TT in, I found there was no waiting room for the anticipated 2 hours, but I had anticipated a book business meeting. So I only had to walk round the corner to a clean and well-stocked upstairs café in a massive Sainsbury’s.

Just had an hour and half to complete said meet when the mobile rang and TT was pronounced ready! What’s more the bill was £158 and the VAT took it just short of 200 at £190. I hardly dared think it would all work without fiddly resets (as when battery disconnected), but only calendar and clock required resets, everything else worked perfectly for the first time in my ownership!

This meant I knew we had covered a sniff over 98,000 miles and that I now had to make a decision on sell or keep before the deterrent drop in value when over 100,000 miles are indicated. I investigated a dealer exchange for a high performance MINI Cooper S JCW: the part exchange price offered was so low that it made nonsense of the often quoted media tip that the original Audi TT is a classic in the making.  Not yet and not at more that 60,000 miles seemed to be the verdict…

Next on my ‘To-Do’ list were the brakes. Vibration and a sloppy pedal had become evident in the all-disc system. I had stuck with the original systems, but now a leaking calliper and the two front discs would be replaced by an EBC “High Precision” layout  (£199) coupled to £125 Brembo pads, DoT 5.1 brake fluid to race temperature rating and a new £126 NSF calliper. Total expenditure £830.43, but that included VAT, plus a full annual service as well.

There was a subsequent side issue with an intermittent brake pad wear warning flashed up. As the car was also booked in for MoT, this was fixed with a new sensor replacing a corroded and broken wire within a multi-pin connector. It passed the MoT, that £54.50p fee part of a £123.80p total. The MoT record naturally shows low annual mileage through the Covid years and 2023-4 was hardly troubling at 3,319 miles.  

One annual cost aspect of my TT ownership that remains really unwelcome and recurring is the rate of road tax for these and other vehicles in the same tax band who received a swingeing increase in March 2006 and in the last 12 months. At more than £700 annually, this charge is painful enough in that I might have gone for a fiercer performance car—BMW’s M3 for instance—without incurring any higher road tax. Fuel consumption versus 155 mph performance is an acceptable balance: using Esso’s E5 99 Octane returns 33.2 mpg over 200-mile days, short runs usually see just short of 29 mpg.  

There are dynamic flaws and this is no concours collector car in my hands, but it is also usually a very satisfying—if cross-country bumpy—drive. These 4-cylinder-25-valve engines proved capable of more than 400 regular racing horsepower in Formula Palmer Audi. Yet it is so flexible with strong 2000-5000 rpm pulling power, and apparently durable in this 240 bhp road format , that I have resisted the urge to even mildly modify it. For the price paid and the satisfaction gained, it remains an affordable keeper.

Jeremy Walton

I was very pleased with the electronic dashboard work of: Cartronix in Waterlloville, Hants. Find them at : www.cartronix.co.uk  

My regular garage—who also looked after four BMWs in my care—is Auto Services, Carsons Yard, Warminster: Tel, 01985215749.

Specialist Audi TT quattro sport Facebook FORUM: Audi TT MK1 quattro Sport Owners Club I use the  FB link https://www.facebook.com/groups/475741152624329