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Just Test drove a 2002 TT.....

16K views 150 replies 15 participants last post by  recaro19 
#1 · (Edited)
HO....LY......CRAP!!

I instantly fell in love!

I've been in the market for a decently price car with below average km's, decent storage area for my DJ gear (I play twice a week at a regularly paid gig), sporty, and something that doesn't take up a whole lot of space. I came across this gem a few days ago on kijiji and have been excited to see it since. Just signed the paper work to see if I get approved for financing.

It's a 2002 TT 225hp coupe with just over 120km. Thing hauls ass!! (Mind you, this will be the fastest car I've ever own.....

Curious to see what you guys think I got it for. First person to get close to the number, gets to ride shot gun ;)


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#120 ·
I used Powerflex from ECS and lots of copper grease and no squeaks yet after nearly a year and few months of winter driving last year. You might want to do the Defcons on the front control arms if you enjoy really improving the handling of your car. If you do coilovers and plan or lowering you should get Madmax rear control arms, I just used the offset bushing from ECS and it allowed me 1.3 degrees of Camber in the rear no problem while lowered about 1.25 inch.
 
#122 ·
Yeah a lot of people have recommended the madmax rear control arms. They are on the list too. Probably going f to go with bfi engine and Tranny mounts too. Getting tons of movement on the shifter during acceleration but suspension is priority number one.

I think I'll pick up the madmax control arms when I don the shocks and springs.


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#121 ·
Here is what I got from Eurosport in oakville. All power flex.

5. PFR3-510 - Rear Arm Inner Bush – $183
9. PFR3-508 - Rear Trailing Arm Front Bush – $100
25. PFR85-425 - Rear Diff Front Mounting Bush – $105
26. PFR85-426 - Rear Diff Rear Mounting Bush – $105
27. PFR85-427 - Rear Subframe Mounting Bush - $227

So with tax I'm looking at about 820 to refresh the back not including new shocks if they are needed.

I'll do the front eventually too, the summer take care of springs or go coilover.

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#128 ·
Any reason why? What's the price point on the vf and is it a harder poly for track applications? Talked to the bfi guys and they said their stage one should be more then sufficient. They also said stage 2 is way to stiff for daily driving. Love when a company doesn't try to up sell you on something. You don't need.

The vf mounts and solid shift braket bushing made a huge difference in power delivery and made the shifts nice and crispy

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Yeah I didn't realize motor mounts were so important! Watched the bfi video and how much movement was going on! Crazy.




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#125 ·
Just rereading your post, there are 2 control arms with a bushing in each end per side so 8 bushings so when they quote you 183 does that mean all of them? I didn't do the rear subframe, there is no movement when prying on them with a pry bar so I just figured theyre still good.
 
#130 ·
Wow, that seems like a lot of money, don't recall mine costing anywhere near that much. I got it from ECS so check with them. Before you get them check your rear subframe mounts, mine were fine at nearly 200k miles, they don't budge at all with lots of pressure on them. I did the rear control arms and trailing arms, I used the offset bushing in the control arms to be able to adjust camber. the rear toe and caster is adjusted by moving the mount where the trailing arm bushing goes there are four bolts and you need to leave 3 fairly loose and the 4th a little loose and really exert quite a bit of pressure and it is hard to tighten it in correct alignment on the alignment rack. When I did my suspension I remember the bill for parts being like 1800-1900 and that included the Bilstein coilovers (they had a sale on them for like $1060) this also included good balljoints at $50 a side and I bought nearly all hardware in case I broke any bolts (I didn't break any, that's why you buy German cars, no cheap hardware) as well as their coilover install kit.
 
#131 ·
Yeah again, parts are not cheap here in Canada and with our dollar being so low, prices go up here. Most performance parts are coming in from the US so you have to remember that anything I post in terms of price is CAD not USD.

Whether I buy from ECS or not, the fact still remains that we pay a premium up here. Unless there is a Canadian manufacturer who can cut out the need to buy US products, or unless our dollar recovers, this reality will remain true.

I'm going to be getting the car looked at this week coming up at ECO Wagens. Going to diagnose the noise and hopefully come up with a plan. I know it is bushings or something suspension wise so just a matter of pin pointing the problem and going from there.


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#133 · (Edited)
UPDATE!! (Biggest one so far)

Currently sitting at eco wagens shop in newmarket after a few small repairs. Still had some problems after i got the car back from the dealer so we had to address some issues because of poor work from the dealers mechanic. Stupid idiots are still cutting corners!! My CV boot wasn't clamped down all the way so was spitting grease for the last few weeks. Glad i brought the car in today because the guys here picked it up instantly! Andre and Joseph do an amazing job. No joke. The other mechanic also decided to use the original wheel bearing bolt after replacing the CV boot which apparantly is a big no no. Guys here at Eco Wagens told me that any time that bolt is taken off, a new one ALWAYS has to be replaced since it gets torqued in and stretches. Once its stretch and solid in there, it won't go back to original spec so another red flag againse the dealers mechanic. I really should get the MTO out there for all the shaddy work their doing.

Anyways, so far cars back to spec and i'm feeling much better today. The big clunking noise i heard after sundays spirited drive was actually the sway bar clamp missing. It was hanging with no bushing clamp so that was a quick fix as well.

Now to the rear suspension. Creaking and squeaking is coming from the rear control arm bushing. It's the lower arm on the left side. The guys sprayed and greased up the bolt and nut and it seemed to disappear but after a while, but on our way back from lunch the squeak was back. I'm going to just look into replacing them with adjustable rear control arms. My only question now is Gruven Parts rear control arms or Madmax??

Also, Andre logged the car for a Malone tune today as well ;) Once he gets the kit, we'll be waking the car up!

Videos of me and Andre logging the car for Malone Stage 1 tune:

https://vimeo.com/191864056

https://vimeo.com/191864215

https://vimeo.com/191864507
 
#134 ·
nice find!!

i love the lines of the coupe + black is best!!! i was looking for a fun car when getting ready to retire + found a 2001 225Q black roadster with 42,000 car fax miles, it had baseball interior as well!! knew little about TT's at the time but had an 2001 1.8T jetta-bora so i was not totally lost, first ever convert + i love it. good move to do the timing belt + snow tyres are better than all season but winter tyres to keep your car going in the snow. Redline MT-90 in the tranny + the bevel box makes shifting better!! good luck + holidays bring sales if you have the $$$ to spend + theres next year as well. forums are a great help for sure
 
#135 ·
Max's arms are proven on quite possibly the most abused TT with the widest stickiest slicks I have ever seen installed on one. I don't have either set so I can't compare but I have never heard any regrets from anyone running Max's parts.
The axle bolt, funny, I have 3 more new ones sitting on the shelf as I had to order one before and knowing that I will have it apart a few times I just bought 6 of them and used 3 so far with one side twice obviously.
When you install the rear arms and get your alignment you should dial in your front while it's on the rack, you will be shocked how well the car turns in with a little more camber and a little less toe in the front. I get a little excessive wear on the inside of soft tires in the front running 2.5 to 2.7 camber but I don't pay much for tires and actually have several free sets, as a matter of fact if anyone has a set of 16 inch spare rims laying around cheap (under 100) I have some brand new winter Blizzaks I just got for free but they are 225.50 16s. that I can throw on for the winter as the 17 winter tires I have already have 2 seasons on them and the former fronts (now on the rear) have some good wear on the inside.
 
#137 ·
UPDATE

Ordered 2 sets of gruven rear adjustable control arms with poly bushings. I looked into the madmax ones but the place went out of business so don't feel comfortable ordering them.

The gruven stuff has some pretty good reviews though so happy with the purchase. Got them with poly end bushings.

I'll snap photos of the install once we get it in the shop.


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#140 ·
So since return shipping will cost me an arm and a leg to return, I'm going to be sticking with the gruven parts rear control arms for now. It's been a hassle driving my car the way it is and with winter upon us I have to get the car in order for winter.

Mad max arms will have to wait. I'll post some picks of the install and details of what we did once I get everything together.


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#141 · (Edited)
Rear control arms came in along with hardware. Ordered these from Gruven Parts and so far they feel tough and a big upgrade from what I have. Hopefully this will fix any squeaks and creaks.

I know everyone here praises the mad max stuff but I ordered these not knowing max was active on the forums and after the website I went to purchase f rom said they were out of business I steered clear. Either way I am already quite happy with the quality of these. Can't wait to install.




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#142 ·
Resurfacing this thread!

Been a while since I've been on the forums but thought I'd give an update!

I ran into some electronic issues. One was the door jam sensor which seems to be glitchy and sometimes will tell me that the passenger side door is open when it is actually closed. Usually happens when I go over a bump. The light will turn on as well.

Second issue I am having is an airbag light. The code that showed up said it was the side airbag on the seat.

Anyone have any easy fixes for these issues or know if any solutions?


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#144 ·
There is also a company (module masters) that will repair the door actuators and correct the flawed design or, if I can find it, someone had a DIY floating around.

VCDS will let you scan the module and tell you exactly what the issue is. If you don't have it, it's an extremely useful piece of software.

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#147 ·
Hello VW Vortex!!

Resurrecting this thread as I'd like to keep all the information and posts i do to my car in one centralized location. I figured it is easier to keep the history of what i've done to the car in one place rather then posting a bunch of threads.

Anyways, it's been a while since i've been on here. Mainly because of the harsh canadian winter and me going into hybernation mode. The TT was my winter driven car but I didn't really do much to it up until now.

I just got back from my buddy's shop in Newmarket (Ecowagen's - Check em out if you are in the toronto region) and did some preventative maintenance along with the Malone Stage 1 tunning. all i can say is WOW! My car feels alive again!

I got a flashing check engine light a few weeks ago and the computer said coil packs 2 and 4 were shot. Replaced all four with oem replacements. Was going to upgrade to the R8 plugs but we didn't have the adapter plates for them and I heard they don't really do much in terms of performance other then lighten the engine bay by making you remove the valve cover ;) I was also having some boost issues where i'd lose boost mid way through the spool. Turned out that the n75 valve / switch was wonky so that was also replaced. My control arms still haven't been put on yet although that is going to be the next item on the list that I tackle. Just waiting to accumlate some more suspension parts (shocks and lowering springs) so I can do it all at once.

The car is now tuned to Malone's Stage 1. From what their site says, the stage 1 tune (which took about 15 min to upload after receive the file) takes the 225 tt to 260hp and 257ft/lbs. I defeinetly feel it and the car is a blast now. I'll probably upgrade to the stage 1.5 once i do the diverter valve but the only problem with that is i'll need to bump up to 94 octane and our gas sucks up here. Petro Canada is the only place that offers it and i don't trust their gas as i'm a shell guy! Anywyas, if you guys are in the Toronto area and looking for a tune i'd highly recommend Malone. They woke my TT up and it's a solid tune at a great price.

Next items on the list to tackle:

- install Gruven rear control arms
- upgrade front control arm bushings
- engine and transmission mounts (thinking the BFI stage 1)
- Shocks and Lowerin Springs (was going to go coil over but I don't really need adjustments and they'll probably seize up here in the winter!)
 
#149 ·
So, it’s been a while since I posted on here. Life sort of got a hold of me and the things I wanted to do had to wait... for 2 years! Haha

Basically the car was getting worse and worse. Sounds from the suspension, sloppy turns and body roll. I was feeling attached to the car I. The way I wanted to. When I first got the car my plan was to tackle the suspension first so after two years, I did just that. Got the car back yesterday and here is the result!

All work was done at Eco-Wagons in Newmarket with the very knowledgeable Andre. Awesome little shop and they are VW/Audi Specialists. They’ve been taking care of the TT since I got it.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask!

Upgrades:

- KW Suspension V1
- PowerFlex poly Strut bushings
- PowerFlex poly Sway Bar bushings (F&R)
- PowerFlex poly Subframe bushings (F&R)
- Gruven Rear Control Arms
- Rear bushings for bottom control arms (OEM)
- Front Control arms (Poly in rear part/OEM for front - this kit we had was for an mk4 so the fronts didn’t fit the TT arms)
- PowerFlex poly dog mount inserts (full refresh)
- front ball joints
- sway bar links (F&R)

Remaining Parts to add:

- trailing arm bushings (OEM)
- rear bushings for upper control arms (OEM)
- ECS Engine and Transmission mounts

For the engine mounts, I’m still on the fence because of the added vibrations it will give. The car feels so solid now and has a very slight increase in vibration from the poly we put in. But, I like the feel of the car telling me what’s going on. Anyone have experience with the ECS mounts?

























Clearly the shocks were in need of some serious replacement!! This could have been part of the knocking sound I was experiencing. Overall, all the bushings were in need of replacement. Probably a good idea after 16-17 years!







Rear subframe out and a good thing we did because the only way to service the Haldex properly is by pulling it down... unless you have magic ferry hands to unscrew the filter! [emoji23]











How to turn a Quattro into a 2WD [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]















Car went down about another 1/4” but need to let the suspension settle as it’s a bit difficult to set right now. Back rear already is a little off so still need to fine tune the stance a bit. Thinking a little lower [emoji6]








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#151 ·
Ok so...

Now that I've got the suspension some what sorted out, i'm starting to ponder about plans for the next step of this long and exciting build to get my TT to a level that I have been dreaming of for a long time so wondering what you would do next? Here's what i'm thinking:

1) Engine Mounts - I tried the ecs poly engine mounts but they were absolutely HORRIBLE. They angled my engine in a horrible way and were not installing properly. Added way to much vibration and my mechanic thought it was making the car more dangerous so we went back to stock mounts.

2) More Poly?? - are there any other bushings I should change to stiffen things up? Suspension still feels a bit "soft" so want to ensure I get the suspension right before doing any further performance upgrades.

3) Sway Bars? - I'm assuming this will stiffen things up for me and get the car handling a bit better. Still getting some body roll although the car is way better now with the KW suspension.

4) Upgraded Brakes? - How much HP are the stock brakes good for?

Let me know your thoughts! What would you do next?
 
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