Silver_TT

Just my two cents but I always buy all my Porsche and Audi parts from Sunset for more than the last decade. You can put your VIN in on their website and it will tell you exactly what parts fit your car, what the latest version is (with other useful info like superseded part #s), etc. It's very helpful and you don't have to rely on reading forums (although this one is moderated so you won't find too much misinformation here). Sunset ships fast, the prices are great, and they have good customer service. They are very friendly if you have questions about parts. I believe they guarantee the parts they sell you fit your vehicle as long as you use your VIN although I have spent thousands of dollars there over the years and they have never let me down even once with a part that didn't work. I just ordered an AOS and had them throw in 5 oil filters on the order while they were at it to go with all the Joe Gibbs DI40 Santa brought me. Happy New Year everyone

🙂 thank you again for the information!

Ya that makes sense, thank you for the information. I believe "N75" is a VW/Audi specific-term (anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), although who knows Porsche is under that umbrella now too.... but the principle is the exact same as far as the way it works on both cars so if it's not officially called N75 for Porsche you certainly could call it that anyway because it's the same thing. I was just curious, thank you. And, yes, you are very wise.... if I ever get any boost faults that N75 will be the first place I start. Much of my TT experience/knowledge has translated well to the Audi TFSI, which I didn't initially expect. I would definitely never compare the 2.0T to the Mezger, don't get me wrong, but it's amazing to me how much technology is shared between these cars. I guess that's a hat tip to the Mezger, which is 12 years older, but can still run with cars 10-15 years newer engine technology-wise. That's pretty incredible from a technology perspective; it's an incredible engine.

For my own understanding I wanted to clarify, you are talking about the waste gate on the turbo itself, correct? Basically a diverter valve to vent exhaust gases to control the speed of the turbine (and thus prevent over-boost). Is "N75" also a Porsche term or is that a general term? The reason I ask is because this is a common issue on some Audi engines and I has always assumed the "N75" term was Audi-specific.

Hey, are you guys brothers? 🙂

Ya, I think in general there is a lot of misinformation and a lack of understanding about batteries in general -- before you even start getting into the type like LI, lead acid, AGM, gel, etc. When I went to Advanced Auto Parts (AAP) over the summer to check on buying an Optima the "battery guy" didn't even know what an AGM battery was (yikes). Also when I bought the Optima I saw a lot of reviews that said Optima moved from the USA to Mexico, shame on them, and the quality is trash now. But I looked into it quite a bit and I think that's just isolationist/patriotic/racist sentiment because I read a lot of the complaints about this battery and it was stuff like they were mad it's not made in the USA anymore or something like the consumer mixing up "state of charge" and "aging". In other words they would complain something like "I got this expensive trash Optima battery brand new today and hooked it up and it only has 70% life left, what a piece of junk!!!" When you look closer you can see that what they don't realize is they are actually looking at the state of charge, not aging. And it's very typical for a new battery not to be fully charged to 100%. In other words they just didn't know what they were doing but left a bad review and 1 star as a result. Lots of things like this. To me the more realistic question is how many years will I really get out of it but based on empirical evidence I would expect at least 10 and maybe as much as 15 years (remember the over/under on my Q5's OE Varta AGM was probably going to be around 8 or 9 years if I was an oddsmaker).

Gotcha, so it's something kind of in-between -- not meant for starting but also not meant to be deeply discharged either (makes sense a racecar doesn't have a lot of electronics as they don't even have A/C or radios, etc just bare bones). That is one advantage of AGM, you can discharge the Hell out of it and bring it back to life (especially if you pair it with the CTek I already had). About the Antigravity statement, good lord. Talk about apples-to-oranges comparisons, I mean the guy even says even what they use isn't accurate and states why. Great info. Seriously fascinating as before all of this I just though a "battery was just a battery".......

Ya and I see they are using Red Tops as the starter, that makes perfect sense. Since they are only using the LI battery to supply reserve energy, does that make it a "deep cycle" LI battery? I looked into batteries a lot when I did my swap this summer so went from knowing nothing to knowing a little. Like you are saying, some of these LI batteries can get to dizzying costs. Like look at #3 on this list -- it's $1,000 cash (and the $300 Optima which you can get for $250 at AAP beats it to take second place). 15 Best Deep Cycle Batteries Reviewed and Rated in 2020 CLEANENERGYSUMMIT.ORG Are you looking for the best deep cycle battery? If so, here is a guide for you. Know what to expect from this battery. Finally, compare the In my next life I want to come back as JFP's kid......or at least his next door neighbor.

That would make sense and is consistent with my understanding as well ("there is no free lunch" as you say). Pretty awesome to have batteries knowledge around here too, you are an oracle of knowledge, my friend. It's people like everyone in this thread and Loren that makes RennTech the best auto website on the internet hands down - plus I'm partial to the TT folks here 🙂. Jk. Maybe with 400 CCA and it not getting cold there you will ok. Not sure how fast lithium batteries degrade or what the base needs of the TT are power-wise; certainly less than my Q5. My understanding of lead acid and AGM batteries is that they will degrade over time (such is the case with pretty much any kind of battery really) so my 800 CCA battery may only be 700 CCA when I check it again in 5 years, etc. Something like that. But it's not linear. So checking again in 7 years, for example, it might only be 550 CCA. This is an interesting post. I am very interested in battery technology in general, especially in the current times where there is such rapid development and progress after many years of stagnation. But I'm a software engineer by training so more of an enthusiast and not an expert (I just know cool stuff when I see it).

Wow, that's interesting if that's really officially 800 CCA. That would imply that your lithium battery is very good even in the cold. The Optima DH6 I just got is 800 CCA as well and it's known for being a monster that will crank on demand (I put it in a power-hungry Audi Q5 which is equipped with lots of electronics so I needed a deep cycle, the TT would probably prefer a Red Top instead) even in the most miserable cold/conditions. Is that right they are equivalent or is there more to the story? I have been to Lisboa (people that live across from my parents were from there and I became very good friends with their son a long time ago), beautiful place, lots of nice twisties by the ocean, I would get myself in trouble in the TT banging on it down those single lane roads with my windows open, I don't know how you do it. But ya, it never really gets that cold there. Making me hungry for a Pastéis de Belém pastry right now....

Life would be so much easier if everything was linear 🙂

First off, cool post. Holy cow though, 600 Euros? I didn't realize the Bosch AGM was that much too, that's super expensive. I also just replaced my battery recently -- the original Varta AGM in my 2014 vehicle -- with an Optima Yellow-Top, which costs $250 USD and I was thinking that was pricey. You can get a DieHard Platinum AGM (apparently all the AGM's here are Johnson Controls anyway) here for about $175. The AGM batteries do last longer than conventional lead acid (with other cool benefits like no spill, vibration resistance, etc) and my 7 year old Varta probably could have made it longer, I've seen people with 10 years or more on them, but like you I also value not getting stranded. I got stranded many years ago in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere as the battery in my first BMW after college died as I was going up a hill. When I think about that experience I'm also happy to pay up a little for a battery as insurance (especially with my wife and kids in the car). To that end I've been really happy with the Yellow Top. My car starts very strong even as it has started to get colder here some days...and it's never a problem when my kids are in the car with the ignition off playing with the sunroof and all the other electronics. So far I would definitely buy an Optima again. Keep this thread updated later. Thanks for a fun post, this was a nice read.

This is even the case with pre-PDK gearboxes like the Getrag manual gearbox for my 996TT that was damaged due to the previous owner using non-OE fluid (HUGE no-no). Take that TT to a Porsche dealer and the only answer you're going to get is buy a new gearbox. Fortunately for the pre-PDK gearboxes they can be repaired -- but there is only one shop in the entire USA that is a lock for this extremely specialized job and it ain't cheap. But a new PDK gearbox is like $15-20K last I checked so......... (edit: the poster above says $25K, even worse)

That is fantastic information in numerous regards, thank you for updating this thread with this information!

Ya man, I like French Canadians. One of my best friends grew up in Montreal and went to Mcgill. I also dated a girl there that went to Mcgill. Met her when I was with him partying at cinq à sept down near Old Montreal. She was a cocktail waitress, I think the place was called Quartier (I just looked on Google maps and it's something else now), and thought I was a hockey player rolling with my entourage but I digress 😃 Anyway, back to your original topic before I got off on a tangent, please let me know if you use the breakout box later. I'm still curious other things you would use it for. Of course I just like to understand things. You have a good weekend too!

Nah, all those 8000 km you are doing biking this year is going to leave your heart and body very strong so you will live a very long life 🙂 I was always in decent shape but lost 15 lbs when I started taking the bike to work and I get better marks every year on my biometric screening. When I got my life insurance policy I was disappointed to hear that everyone in the company pays the same rate, I was hoping my risk-adjusted pricing was going to be much better! Chevy Bolt is a fine car and the neighbors we are friends with behind us have one. A coworker also has one that I rode in before COVID. It drives well, seems reliable, and I appreciate that. From an aesthetic perspective though I have a really hard time getting excited about that car. I find the Audi eTrons outright ugly though. The Porsche looks much better but is super expensive and I have never bought a new car so far in my life. I also like the Model 3. But Elon said it would be $35K and the average selling price has been more like $50K. The warranty on that is 4yrs/50K miles and 8yrs/100K (/120K for the long range) on the powertrain and battery. It guarantees that your battery aging will be no worse than 70%. Still though, the new technology, and the nightmare stories of getting parts. I have read stories where someone broke a sunroof or needed a part and had to wait several months (and that was before COVID). Since we are a one-car family that is a show-stopper for sure. Another interesting thing is that, as I understand it, the "model year" concept doesn't really apply. You could get a 2021 Model 3 which could come with different hardware for the camera, for example, for the same year/make/model. It's much more fluid as far as version changes and updated parts from what I have seen. For traditional petrol powered cars it doesn't mean that every MY car will be the exact same if there was a part update mid-year or something but for the most part other than that they are pretty static. I'm definitely very interested in electric cars and my degree is in computer hardware/software so I really hope that a game-changer like Tesla will allow access to these cars through something like Toolbox but I don't have a lot of hope given the history of other manufacturers. They just recently opened up that battery plant and made an announcement about cheaper batteries earlier this week so I'm definitely interested but am also just waiting. Adoption too early can come with nasty side-effects. I was one of the first people to get a solid state disk drive when they first came out and were very expensive. But the Intel firmware was buggy on the first generation drive and when I updated the first firmware it bricked the drive and Intel had to send me a new one! I always backup my stuff but that was a lesson on adopting too early if it's for something you depend on.

I see. I was curious because the Porsche/Durametric and Audi/VCDS tools are very good, I have first-hand experience with those, but I have read that they are not nearly as good for other manufacturers. Wasn't sure about Mercedez. This would actually influence my decision somewhat on choosing a brand -- need good tools. Yes, I have thought about getting a Tesla, I know a lot of people have them, also very much so all over here in the USA and there are super chargers going up all over. I think Tesla is the best electric car technology and electric cars are better for sure IMHO. The two main problems I have with it are 1) The batteries are too expensive and the technology is changing too fast and 2) I saw they have this software, Tesla Toolbox, but it is completely locked down and only for the dealer shop (like a PIWIS) from what I can understand and I asked Tesla because I considered buying one. If it was open in that I could actually use it on the car I probably would have bought a Tesla right away. But I don't know what this means for DIY on a Tesla, seems like it isn't really possible at this point but after I decided not to buy one I stopped looking into it so possible I'm mistaken or that has changed. And ya, there is no doubt that JFP is a titan.

Loren's a stand up guy, of course he will help anyone whenever he can that's just the kind of person he is! Thanks! Family is great and I take care of them but no one ever told me it was going to be this much work 😉 I just spent the last half hour rubbing my 6 year old's back because she always wants me to before bed. LOL, these kids are so spoiled (mostly with attention not things). My wife grew up in Berlin so we are huge into biking. I just ordered my 6 year old a new Linus bike and it's on back order until November because of COVID. My father-in-law has a second home in Italy between Pisa and Florence and when we go to visit there I always rent a nice sporty car (you can rent much nicer cars there than you can here in the USA and it's not really that expensive) and like to go driving in the mountains. There are always these 70 year old Italians who are on bikes just TEARING UP THE MOUNTAIN as I'm driving to get my morning espresso. I am in awe, these guys are like pros. It's a huge sport there. I'm more of a casual rider....if you ever saw a guy in lower Manhattan wheeling around on a yellow Tokyobike that was me. It's a single speed. My wife is an architect and worked for one of the most famous design firms in the world so she has to approve (not really but you know what I'm saying). Just to let you know she does approve of the TT 🙂 Ya you know it's interesting. I had a 2002 BMW, 2002 996, then 2002 996TT. Didn't have a car living in NYC for so many years so getting a car again was sort of a jump forward in technology. The engine technology on this 2014 TFSI is really interesting and I'm a fan of the 2.0T overall (as long as it's a ~2014 or later). It's really easy to work on, for example. The new technology comes with several advantages but isn't perfect. This is my first experience with this kind of engine and I didn't realize you need to pay attention to things pretty close. My car had zero side effects as far as gas mileage or poor drivability but when I checked my intake cam phase position in VCDS it was off 5.3 degrees! This right away lead me to deduce that the timing chain on the cams was "stretched" a full link! JFP in PA was a mega huge help to me as he's a very dear friend and has saved me a fortune over the years (the Mods on this site are soooo good)....... Anyway, checkout my tensioner! Had I not been a car enthusiast there is a very good chance this thing would have let go and skipped time bricking this interference engine permanently. But hey! The good news is I got to it before anything bad happened and the even better news is that the Sunset Porsche discount also applies for Audi for loyal customers like myself. While we were in there I saw the screen had ripped off the cam bridge What are the diagnostic tools like for Mercedes? I have been very impressed with VCDS (aka "Vag Com") for Audi. Durametric for Porsche is great (if you aren't lucky enough to have a PST2 etc).

Ya, the years ago by, too fast. The last time I talked to you was about 7 years ago. Since then I moved to Manhattan, got married, had two kids, got a more stressful job, moved out of Manhattan!! I sold the TT when I moved into NYC -- the City is hard on cars plus there's nowhere really to drive it. Bought a 2014 Audi Q5 2.0T for my wife and small kids more recently and I take the train/bike into work to keep life simple. Pretty funny if you think about it. I'm probably the only person in the world that went from driving a 911TT into work to now taking a combination of bike + public train. I'm coming back though at some point.... just need to figure out in what. Still think the 996TT is the best value out there. On one hand the 996 and KTS500 are old technology, ya, but there's still a lot of good things about it. The newer cars are so electronic and all the tools are hidden or nearly impossible to get access to (like changing the ATF fluid on one of the newer PDK gearboxes, wasn't possible last I looked without a PIWIS). Man, you sound like a pretty awesome grandpa. Gonna teach the grandkids on a TT and let them drive it later? Wooooooo, sign me up for that!! Only other thing I would say is I also see numerous other sellers and if you Google that part number (Bosch 1684462346) you will find numerous sellers and people that do or have owned the device. Possibly one of those sources has some documentation and would be kind enough to share it with you. Also not sure if Loren will see this post but I know he knows a ton about this stuff. I used to see him post on Rennlist back in the early 2000's.....

Ya summer is over, booo. I just did a bunch of maintenance because I don't like working in my garage when it's freezing cold. Ok, when you say you bought the breakout box from this gentleman I assume you mean the seller that I provided, correct? Assuming that's what you mean, there goes my idea 🙂 I was hoping whoever sells the box (like the link I provided) would have full documentation. This is the first time I have seen that Bosch breakout box. What is an example of something that you would use that breakout box to diagnose? I know it allows you to isolate each signal but what is a common issue you would need that for? Diagnosing wiring issues or issues with the ECU? I recall you are/were an aviation engineer so I'm sure you've used these.... I also see some other people sell it too -- I wonder if they have documentation? This seller is from Canada too. A decent person would just give you the documentation if they have it. But at worst case if someone had it maybe you could offer a few dollars for it as it would cost them nothing to give you if they had the information. What about contacting Bosch directly? You are definitely in rare/elite company with that hardware though so we are going to have to be creative........ NEW BOSCH OBD Adapter Breakout Box 1684462346 WWW.EBAY.COM I have never used this product - it looks new by all acounts and is in like-new condition - taken out of new bag for photos.

My friend...long time no see! That is a TOP NOTCH diagnostics set! I see someone is selling the entire kit on eBay and it includes the breakout box. I wonder if you contacted the seller if they have any documentation for it? I assume the complete kit must come with documentation. Porsche System Tester PST2 WWW.EBAY.COM The tester and all accessories were lightly used and in top conditon. - 1 USED BOSCH Protective Case with Keys. - 1 Used BOSCH Rubber Case. - 1 New 19-Pin OBD Adapter Cable.

My two cents, you've already got one of the experts on it, but don't talk to the seller's mechanic -- always get your own. These codes are not typical. A good, clean car should have no codes because a good owner will address issues as soon as they come up knowing nothing good comes from kicking the can down the road. Also the seller's mechanic's explanation is somewhat suspect. If it was something as simple as the battery why didn't they just replace the battery? Such a cheap and easy fix if they know that to be the problem, doesn't make sense. Could be one of the wiring harnesses but like JFP says why even speculate? Not your problem and I wouldn't make it yours. You're the one with the money, you have the power. I would skip over cars that aren't "clean". If they are presenting the car to you with codes, this is not the type of person I would want to buy a car from.

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Gbox out of Boulder, CO gonna be your best bet. Hopefully the OEM Mobilube PTX was the only oil ever put in the gearbox since using other non-OEM oils can cause damage. Call Stan at Gbox and tell him the problem and he will be able to tell you how to proceed. No one in the US knows more about these gearboxes than he does.

Nice pics! Agree about the front lip, it's really really low. It scraped just a little bit on the entering incline for my front driveway before I realized you have to pull in at an angle realllll slow ?