Cherie's MK1 225

A single place to record your entire TT ownership
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Each TTOC Member can post one thread to contain a full journal of their TT ownership.

This can be a full blown build thread or as simple as a set of pictures, the choice is yours.
cherie
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:31 pm
TTOC Membership: 03027
Location: Corby
Contact:

I know I said I wasn't going to do a project thread, and I'm not. Not really. But I thought I might as well throw together a diary of sorts for the old girl since I've had her.

November 2014
Having decided that I wanted a TT, and that it had to be a 225, the hunt was on. I was determined to get a relatively low miler, with the thought that I'd be aiming to keep the car for a good long while, and if I decided I didn't get on with it, low mileage cars are always easier to move on.

After looking at a couple locally which had a few cosmetic niggles before we even got to the mechanics and service history, I stumbled across an advert in the Exchange & Mart for a 2002 43k miler for much less than others of a similar age and mileage. There were no pictures, so I sent a message asking for more info. The response I received was unexpectedly articulate and promising, as were the photos:

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I went in with my eyes open, expecting it to be a dog for the price that was being asked, but I was pleasantly surprised. 3 owners; the last one for 5 years, stamped service book (although no receipts). The bodywork was 99% spotless, no rust or corrosion where I had seen it on the previous ones I'd looked at (roof rails, door shuts & boot edge). I factored in that she was due a major service, a haldex service, plus some bits for the MOT, and made an offer. I drove her home the day we went to see it.

Obligatory first fill-up photos!
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January 2015
Service and MOT time; this was going to hurt! A major service, haldex service, brake fluid and thermostat. Not much change from £1k, so not the cheapest day I've ever had. There was more to come with the MOT though. The front discs were shot:
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I'd expected this, as they had been an advisory on the previous MOT. She'd only done about three thousand miles in the interim, with over half of that in the two months I'd owned her, plus the rear tyres. What I wasn't expecting was the front anti-roll bar, front wishbone bushes and rear dampers also needed replacing! However, I'd budgeted for a worst case scenario, and even after forking out to get all that done, the total plus the purchase price, was still less than I've seen similar cars advertised for.

February
Rolling road day at AMD Thurrock. Completely standard she made 222.4 bhp. So I was pretty pleased with that as it proved there we no boost leaks. Even the guys at AMD were slightly surprised, as they said they get more TTs with boost leaks than they do without.

A week later I had a bit of drama when I left work. Got in the car and turned the ignition, but rather than starting, all lights on the dash just died. I called Darren, who trekked down in his A2. The solution was actually far simpler than anticipated. Can you spot the problem?

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Now the only people to have been anywhere near the battery was the garage that did the service, as they'd stuck it on a recondition cycle on a Ctek charger while she was in. However, when I asked them about it, the only answer I got was that they hadn't touched the battery terminals, so it couldn't have been them. These things just don't come loose on their own, so whilst I can't fault the work they did, I can't abide being lied to, so I won't be going back there for any reason.

May
Stanford Hall. The only show I managed to get to last year, on the er... TTF stand. Sorry.

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Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskacm2Y4

July
Northampton Audi's 'Showroom Showcase', Organised by Jess, they needed a standard MK1 TT coupé for their display of MK1, MK2 and Mk3 roadsters and coupés. I was the only volunteer I think.

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Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskfx8CAx

The MK2s and MK3s on the display whilst they weren't dirty per se, they were dusty and obviously hadn't been cleaned prior to being put on display, so the two MK1s were easily the cleanest there. I think the highlight was watching one hapless bloke try to open the boot on mine. He groped under the handle, he pulled, he even knelt down to look for the non-existent boot release. I didn't bother to enlighten him...

September
Peterborough Audi open day. I have to say that standing chatting with Nick and others who I can't remember the names of (sorry!!) did contribute to my decision to finally join the TTOC.

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Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskkEkV4Y

October
The front bumper had a brief encounter with the tow bar on an old Megane at a roundabout. :-[

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January 2016
2nd MOT (+11k). She flew through this time with only an advisory for a cracked number plate from the shunt.

I also got the bumper repaired (had her back a week now). I'm glad that I decided to get the damage properly plastic welded, rather than fillered and sprayed, as when they took the bumper off, they found that the brackets for the washers had broken, so they plastic welded them back at the same time for no extra cost.

And that's where she stands at the moment, just used daily, and washed occasionally. She's spent most of the winter filthy, as it gets pointless cleaning when her when she's dirty again the next day.

I've got a couple of things to do: replace the scuttle panel and 3rd brake light for new ones, and condition the seats properly with some Gliptone.

Photos will follow as and when, but the majority are in a flickr album, which I update with most that I take.
Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskfrHYa1

:thumbsup:
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Cloud
Posts: 1035
Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:26 am
TTOC Membership: 02413
Location: Darwen, Lancashire

An absolutely fantastic write up Cherie. :yes:
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JorgeTTCQ
Posts: 1062
Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 6:38 am
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Location: Alicante, Spain
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I really enjoyed reading, thank you :thumbsup:

Cheers

Jorge
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Instagram: @TTquattro01
Lollypop86
Marketing Secretary
Posts: 720
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:20 pm
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Location: Bucklebury

This is one of the cleanest mk1's I've ever seen :) Was really pleased Cherie volunteered to go into the show room :)

J
xx
2013 - 2017 - Stage 1 150bhp mk1 dolomite grey roadster - gone but never forgotten
2017 - Present - 2007 mk2 Darak Beige 2.0 TFSI

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cherie
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:31 pm
TTOC Membership: 03027
Location: Corby
Contact:

Aww shucks, thanks! :-[

She's a dirty girl most of the time, but she scrubs up well!
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YELLOW_TT
Vice Chairperson
Posts: 2581
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:50 pm
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Location: HARTLEPOOL AKA GODS COUNTRY

Nice write up sounds like you've found a good one there
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malstt
Events Secretary
Posts: 786
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:57 am
TTOC Membership: 01309

Great write up. Looking forward to seeing at some events this year :)

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FoSsMaN
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2014 7:11 pm
TTOC Membership: 02668
Location: Leicester

Really great read Cherie, very well written, looking forward to future updates & hope you make it to more shows this year :)


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cherie
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:31 pm
TTOC Membership: 03027
Location: Corby
Contact:

We'll be at the Ace Cafe meet next Saturday, and Standford Hall. Will hopefully get to the VAG tuner show at Donington, and at least one day for AITP. Plus any reasonably local meets if we're free, so you should see us at some point!.


Only a minor update for today. I would have got more done, but it's bitterly cold out there. Even working in the garage, and wearing gloves, I couldn't feel my finger tips!

So, job one was to replace the third brake light. I spotted back in July that there was a broken corner in the plastic. It was nothing major as the light still worked perfectly, and I managed to mostly ignore it for a couple of months before giving in and ordering a new one. Then it was another 5 months or so to get around to actually fitting it!

Old:
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New one in place:
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I was a bit nervous about breaking something, but other than it being fiddly and stubborn to get the new one in, it was pretty easy. It helped that we've got some plastic trim levers, so they helped with the manoeuvring, as using screw drivers would have mangled the edges of the plastic.

Job number two was to replace the cracked front number plate. I also took the opportunity to replace the rear one at the same time, as I much prefer the look of clean, logo free plates.
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I don't like screws on number plates either, so a quick clean off of the dirt, and a wipe down with IPA before breaking out the velcro. We've always used velcro for plates, as they're easy to take off to clean behind, and perfect if you have some show plates too. There are at least two sets of holes behind the plates both front and rear, but at this point, there's not too much to be done about those.

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I wanted to get the scuttle panel changed, and the seats out to give the carpet a good clean too, but that's turned into a job for another day. In part because it was bitterly cold out, even with gloves and working mostly in the garage, and partly because I'm not confident on being able to remove the wiper arms on my own. Strength and reach both being a factor there. So seeing as Darren's back had given a warning twinge whilst he was cleaning the A2, it wasn't something he was going to be helping me with today, and risk his back going into spasm again.

And something I didn't realise until I came indoors, but in fairness, should have expected, was Darren taking sneaky action shots...
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cherie
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:31 pm
TTOC Membership: 03027
Location: Corby
Contact:

As it's the meet at the Ace Cafe tomorrow, the TT was in need of a clean. So as Darren only works a half day on Fridays, I let him take her to work so that he could spend the afternoon giving her a once over.

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There's a few minor swirls, but for her age, they're few and far between. The worst is the spoiler, but it's difficult to get photos of that.
Roof:
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OS rear 3/4:
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She should bead well in the rain that's forecast tomorrow, with a combination of acrylic spritz topped with a couple coats of Collinite 476 wax. So she'll look good, I just can't take any credit for it this time!
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