[TDInownow]

So I've read all of the "known issues" and got some good ideas there. Just wanted to throw this out to get ideas.

Just picked up a 2008 TT 2.0TFSI FWD. 80k miles and the previous owner only drove it about 15k in the last 6 years. I already did and planned a few things, but wondering if anyone would do anything else. My thoughts:

Done:
Oil change: 5w-40 Castrol Edge and a WIX filter. Was done immediately.
Spark plugs: NGK BKR7EIX x4. Were done immediately.
Cabin air filter: WIX. Was done immediately.
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Done after 2 weeks. Old tires were 9 years old...

Planned:
Air Filter: WIX. ASAP. Just forgot about it before.
S-Tronic / DSG Fluid Change: Pentosin. ASAP. No idea on when/if last changed.
Another Oil Change at 82k: I'm a little OCD like that. Will get back to a 7500 mile interval after.
APR Stage 1 (93): Probably within the next 1-2 months.

Usual question - Timing belt was actually changed at 45k in 2012 per sticker in engine bay. So it's pushing 9 yo, but only 35k miles on it. Change on time or wait a year? Would have absolutely changed if I thought it was original, but now I'm second guessing.

Any other obvious maintenance items I'm missing? Any reason to proactively do coil packs or are they more of a replace-on-fail item. Will a tune potentially push them over the edge?

Any feedback on APR? An old friend had a 2008/2009 (I think) GTI and I felt the before/after on his APR stage 1 and was pretty impressed. I have a dealer relatively close. Are there other tunes worth looking at or are they the one?

I also want to do the front plate delete panel. I saw the one on TT-Stuff. Are there other places with a better option or is that the recognized place to pick that filler up?

Thanks for looking!

 

[Vegas-RoadsTTer]

I believe Audi's recommendation for TB change on the Mk 2 is based solely on mileage. Given that failure results in a complete top end overhaul ($5K+ if you do not DIY), if it were my car I'd change at 10 year intervals. Why risk a major repair on a piece of 11 year old rubber? So you are OK for a year. I had a coilpack failure on my bone stock Mk 2 about every 35K miles. (Every time it was about 5K miles after I replaced the plugs with OEM plugs gapped at the factory.) If it were me, I'd change them with every plug change. It is so easy to do while you are already there. Since you've already changed the plugs, it's an issue of reliability and your tolerance for a PIA. Do you want to be in the middle of a long distance trip when a pack goes, check the codes, and then swap it out with a replacement you have in the trunk? APR strongly recommends a much smaller spark plug gap than normal spec so you could replace the packs when you change the gaps. BTW, APR also mildly recommends using a much more expensive plug but there are a lot of folks who stayed with the OEM plug, just changed the gap, and no issues.
You will hear praise and gripes about APR. I'm going Stage 1 APR on my Mk 3 when the warranty expires this Spring. The thing I like best about APR is that they have before and after dyno graphs for their Stage 1 mods so you can see the total improvement across the entire rpm band. Most other tuners just say "a XX horsepower increase!!!" without telling you how long that increase lasts across rpm and also taking credit for Audi's underspec of the engine. That is, if you look at APR's "before" dynos you will see that the engine already exceeds spec at certain rpms.
The only chronic issue with the Mk 2 is mag ride if your TT has that option. Read the FAQ at the top of the forum.

 

[TDInownow]

Thanks Vegas -

This is probably a question I could search out, but how do I know if I have mag ride? Is there a way to tell from the drivers seat or do I have to get under the car?

As an aside, has anyone seen a window sticker tool that gets all the way back to 2008? Seems like the withclutch one only gets back to 11 or 13 or somewhere like that.

Thanks!

 

[Vegas-RoadsTTer]

Mag ride has a switch on the center console to adjust ride firmness.

 

[TDInownow]

Got it - thanks! No mag ride so one less headache.

On a similar topic, I'm not really feeling the need to lower any more, so I'm not really thinking about coilovers, but what are people doing for suspension upgrades?

Was thinking of a beefier rear sway... replacing some of the bushings with more solid stuff... then maybe Koni Sports? Are there better struts out there?

 

[Vegas-RoadsTTer]

I'm not a fan of beefier rear swaybars. I won one at an Audi Club event from 034 Motorsports for my Mk2. It had a mild setting and a hard setting and both were much stiffer than the OEM. I went with the mild and I went from slight understeer to heavy oversteer. If you like having the rear break away easily then do it, but curves that I used to easily carve in street driving with no loss in traction now had the tail end constantly swinging out at the same speed. My 034 swaybar broke after about 1000 miles of daily driving (no tracking) so fortunately I kept the OEM swaybar and had that re-installed. BTW, 034 would not give me a refund for their defective part. It broke due to very poor and cheap design of the swaybar mounting mechanism.

 

[TDInownow]

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. Sways were a huge deal for me in the MKIV Jetta and MKV JSW I had, but with a lighter, stiffer TT that was probably designed tighter to begin with, it sounds like it's unnecessary. Really don't want to get past anything more than light oversteer.

Do the TTS or TTRS have different rear sways than the TT on the MK2? I always just upgraded to stiffest OEM option before.

Honestly other than power delivery, the more I drive the TT the less I feel like I need to do to it.