‘Surviving 100,000 miles and delivering plenty of smiles’…
In this tenth instalment of his ever-popular series on Wheels-Alive, Jeremy Walton updates us on how his 19 year old Audi TT quattro sport endures pockmarked Britain and still provides fun a-plenty with each drive…
(All words and images © Jeremy Walton).
Jeremy writes…
Maintenance-modest, individually stylish and at least depreciation-proof, following six years ownership, this run-out 2006 edition of Audi’s TT quattro sport proved a rewarding 2019 buy. Bought at more than 85,000 miles indicated and now kissing 101,000 miles since our last December 30 2024 running report, it had been exceptionally reliable. It still started and ran well when it unexpectedly failed the annual MoT in late June this year. I write ‘unexpectedly’ because my regular source of all mechanical care for nearly 20 years had been over it a month prior to the official test and passed it fit to go.
It shows you how some items can divide opinion, but if the MoT station says ‘no’ then the specific, “Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn nearside front, lower [rear].” it has to be fixed. The tester had commented that the equivalent offside components were also worn, but had not resulted in excessive movement. No arguments from me, I had both sides replaced with a brace of front wishbone bushes [£73.70], but also both lower ball joints [£98.38]. Add in £150 for labour and a few fixings and the repair bill that delivered an early July first time retest ‘Pass’ totalled £326.33, to which you can add the £49.95 first failure charge.
MoT aside, the year started with predictable repairs. A rear panel had small hole punched in it by my reversing incompetence and the Tow Bar surround on our Nissan.
Whilst I was at it the ‘road rash’ that develops on the front of many low bonnet line sports cars, was also eliminated. The results were excellent and the January bill midst the Sod’s Law snowfall bill was an even £400 from Wiltshire Auto Repairs. They are less than half mile from home and have the Baking Oven they inherited from another local company who used to tackle the never ending task of rust repair and paint of my 1985-built BMW 6-series.
February saw a minor interruption to normal service when an orange warning light, highlighting the image outline of an engine made an unwelcome appearance, blinking balefully as we descended a demanding hillside B-road. ‘Demanding’ because the primary steering task is a series of challenging corners, always remembering that a serious pothole or a heavy agricultural vehicle may interrupt play.
I stopped pretty quickly, even broke the motor noter’s rulebook and looked at the Instruction manual. Phew! Not one of those expensive: ‘Do Not Pass Go, tow the vehicle to your nearest service centre’ instructions, but a water coolant warning. No evidence of overheating or water loss, so I proceeded at abated pace.
Deeper investigation uncovered a faulty water coolant sensor. Simples? For me to write, but not for Auto Services to rectify as the sensor was buried deep enough to demand £60 in labour, and the sensor asked £66.12p. Take in some ancillary parts like an ‘O’ ring seal, clips and a failed side lamp, reset the warning light and the total rang up £141.
An uneventful run to May 2025 and the full service that preceded MoT month. Aside from the facts that a set of four Original Equipment [OE] spark plugs now required over £50 and that a routine oil change using Shell Helix 5/30 Synthetic oil and filters boost the bill by approximately £100 no dreaded faults materialised.
However, there were a series of minor advisories that would be impossible/expensive to rectify using Audi OE parts. These varied from a noisy door lock [usually leads to an obstructive and expensive door card removal repair], to a weeping cooler pipe and corroded exhaust fixings. Auto Services Proprietor Pete Jenkins had also thoughtfully removed a bunch of spiky thorns from the fat and almost new rear tyres: deposited by the friendly tractor man who clips the roadside hedges beside our garage.
As published in our last report I had shot my self in the rear [suspension] when ordering alleged quattro sport coil springs. These had been almost impossible to squeeze onto the car and left it with a raised ride height. It has settled, but it annoys the aged racer in me. So, when I saw the UK Bilstein importer offering sale prices on their OE springs that had been out of stock back in 2024… now I have a £100 pair of rear Bilstein coils to complement their front and rear gas damping shock absorbers that were fitted last year, but other cash demands have obstructed spring installation at press time.
In case you think I have been lightly treated by bills on a near 20-year old sports vehicle, I would add that my insurance bill has crept up to £539 pa. I only cover an average of an enjoyable 3500 miles a year in the Audi, but efforts to get classic cover have seen higher premiums quoted. The other annual bugbear is road tax beyond £730 pa; currently I pay that on a 6-month basis at £384.88, or £771.76p for the privilege of sharing Britain’s hostile petrol motoring infrastructure. Yes, I’ll have to SORN TT this winter, but I could have a JCW [John Cooper Works] enhanced power specification Mini Cooper S-type for under £200 annual tax.
Jeremy Walton
Useful contacts
Bilstein supplies in UK, exceptionally helpful online chats: website www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk contact: support@bilstein-shocks.co.uk
My regular garage: Auto Services, Carsons Yard, Warminster: Tel. 01985215749.
Interior trim [2] by: Piper Trimmers Specialist, Unit 1 Vantage Park, Goodwood Drive, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7FQ.Tel: 01963 441431
When horrendous road tax rates prompted selling this 19-year old Audi, www.carwow.co.uk delivered the best instant or trade-in quote I received in half dozen enquiries.