The best explanation of jacking up a Mk1 TT that I have ever seen. In other news, after 14 years ownership, I had no idea there was a REAR towing point! Great advice as always, Bryn. :-)
Thank you so much for the tip on lifting the car when you don't have enough room on one side. Bought a 2001 TT Quattro as a project car and am learning as I go. Your channel is lowering the learning curve so much!
A lot depends on the jack...floor jack vs widow maker. The lift pads are really meant for lifts when all 4 are engaged at the same time. The frame point is nice, but you have to hit the seam; any further back (10 cm) and you will destroy the frame rail (put a big rainbow-shaped dent)
Awesome video... I did heaps of research before jacking up my TT. I had to buy a low profile jack... best $200 I’ve spent. You can’t beat a proper fast jack.
Fantastic video, clear imagery and concise narrative. I've always put my jack stands under the the pinch welds as my stands are V shaped not flat. I might look at buying some different stands after seeing the video.
I've had a 2002 MK1 since 2007 and need to replace the radiator. This is great info. I was wondering, why not put the jack stand more forward if working on the front? I mean, use the jack where you put the stand at and then put in the jack stand where you had the jack. I hope those are aircraft grade bolts you are using on the jack stands! Thank you!
Very good/helpful, to the point video. I don't go under the TT very often, and always have to revise my knowledge on the jack points. Your guide was nice and quick for checking on the drive way while I was mid job 🤣 Thank you 👍🏼
So i guess I‘ll use the frame rail when changing tires rather than the rubber lift mounts… although I probably need to get a rubber pad for my floor jack…
I may do another video focusing on why this isn’t necessary in most cases. But to give you a bit of information, something has to move when we jack up a vehicle. On flat ground a car wont roll away- what actually happens is the wheels take up the movement required for the change in geometry. Imagine the car, the floor and the jack form a right angled triangle with a 2metre hypotenuse, and a 1.997metre base, and a 10cm height. Now change the height to 60cm. The hypotenuse has to remain 2 metres because the length of the car cannot change, so the only thing left to change is the base- for that to reach 1.9 metres something has to move by basically 10cm. So either the jack needs to move sideways (highly unlikely) or the wheels need to be able to roll to take up this difference. Hope that clears things up for you
i like watching your video, but the chassis rails are ok but since jacking mine which were mark free before i started the lift, they are now dented. Is there not something that could cup the chassis rails to spread the load. The front section is stronger as it is doubled up as the structure over laps. You can see a few dents from previous lifts on the rails on the TT in this video. I think highlighting a few points on chassis rail in the video showing the weaker points on the rail would be helpful!! keep up the good work😉
same here, chassis rails very badly deformed. headache in MOT as they are "damaged". I wouldn't use them for support, just the front edge where it's stronger.
I've got a couple of queries, I hope you don't mind: 1. the pinch weld can take the weight when one corner is lifted so therefore it's taking the total lifted weight. Surely the front or rear pinch welds can be used together to lift the front or back respectively? You specifically say not to lift the whole car on these points. Is that because they cannot take the weight? 2. the chassis rails look like they have sustained damage. I appreciate you have used these rails a lot but the fact they show this damage worries me a bit. I've suffered from the driver-side-front rubber mounting point recessing when I lifted that corer alone on that point. Also, the factory jack has slipped with me before and damaged the door sill. These 2 experiences have made me very nervous about jacking without causing damage. Great video though, good work.
The pinch welds deform easily, when you lift one corner, the rest of the suspension distributes the load. If you jack both fronts at the same time theyre taking over 50% of the car weight between them, due to it being front heavy. One thing i didn’t mention is that you can use cardboard on the jack and stands to prevent damage, but that would have hidden what i was doing. The front lifting points should only be used on a lift with all used at the same time- even then they can deform the body slightly
The pinch welds will flatten eventually after repeated use. The rubber mounting points and chassis rails will get damaged too (cosmetically) especially the rubberized coating under the car. It's inevitable but you can't usually see under a car!
I use jacking pads specifically designed for the Audi TT Mk1 sills (you will find them ebay normally made from an ice hockey puck or some form of rubber). The jack pads have a groove cut in them to slide over the sill to prevent metal to metal damage. The jack pad then sits in the cup of the trolley jack. The approach is conceptually similar to the factory supplied jack which has the groove for alignment to the sill. I only use the jack pads to jack up one corner of the TT at a time and at the factory designated jacking point for changing a wheel. I also use jack pads which sit in the "v" of the jack stands for placing under the chassis rail. This prevents metal on metal damage. If your sills are already damaged then you will need to straighten them back out to use the jack pads.
Thanks bryn, really informative. My silverline stands don't have as flat of a mating surface and I think they might actually be deforming the chassis rails. Might be worth me swapping to a halfords set.. No mention of chocks here. Do you use them in reality or are they not worth the fuss?
If youre jacking on level ground, then going back to my comments about arc of movements, you actually want the load bearing wheels free to move. Notice how much the front wheels move when i jack just the rear - the rears do the same when jacking the fronts. I never use chocks unless im on uneven ground, in which case im very careful about how i load the jack and stands etc. I dont recommend jacking on uneven ground though, which is why i don’t cover it in the video
Great video . One thing I've noticed on my 3.2 roadster the brace that goes to the middle of the rear sub frame you can't jack it there unlike the coupe that doesn’t have one
There's just enough room in there Phil, did this myself last weekend. Biggest problem I had was the trolley jack was short wheel base so struggled to pump it up as the bar was still under the car.
Thank you a lot man, I was already losing hope to find channel like yours, channel about TT, cause in Russian youtube there is only blogs with 20-30 sec clips and they are not informative at all.
@bws TT do you have any videos or advice on replacing a MK1 TT bonnet lock and cable? I can see it goes towards the firewall / wheel well, but don't see any videos anywhere on the subject
HI Bryn. I know that you are not a fan of jacking on the sill pinch welds, but what about using a jack puck? I have one with a groove in the middle that the sill lip fits into. It stops it moving and spreads the load.
The pucks look like they do something nice but really the 1500kg just crushes through it as if it wasn't there. Mine split after a few uses, which was actually more dangerous than not having it as the car jolted.
Something has to move- wether its the jack wheels or the car wheels. The car wheels are a lot more predictable, and on flat ground so its actually my preference to not impair that movement during the jacking process
so if just need a quick peek under the motor to check for a leak location, we are safe to use the pinch welds to jack up one side of the car a few inches?
i accidentaly not knowing this , put the jack in one of the rear suspension arms and now the car is a little bit up lift from that side, did i broke something?
Hey dude, can i've got to get the whole car up on stands for like a week to get the wheels refurbed. I want the stance of the axle stands to be as wide as possible for stability especially as it's gonna be sitting like that for a while. Can you use all 4 rubber bungs with axle stands?? i know they do a 1/4 weight each, and you said the rear bungs are ok to put stands on. But what about the fronts?? sorry im confused lol. If so what order do you do it in??
@@BWSTT thanks for the reply mate! :) just a quick one though the chassis rails have been dented and coating damaged from tyre shops using them to raise the car with jacks:/. So not a good idea to use the front bungs if doing all 4 wheels ??
@@banksy444 as i say in the video, they’re quite weak, so I avoid them. Depending on the work you’re doing you could support on the subframe rear bolts
I’m sorry but those two first front jack points are not safe imo. A hockey puck will easily slip off the frame rail. Whatever that is adjacent to it doesn’t seem able to bear the load and will dimple. The subframe mount/bushing is definitely the best of the 3. My car has a damaged underbody now thanks.
What’s the part next to the frame rail? That can for sure take the load? I might have smashed that area when the puck slipped. Other people have mentioned the rail not being bulletproof, just saying.
Hi Bryan thanks for all the information great in your explanations.. really would love you to come and work on my car someone who knows what they're talking about I have sent U an email thanks
The best explanation of jacking up a Mk1 TT that I have ever seen.
In other news, after 14 years ownership, I had no idea there was a REAR towing point!
Great advice as always, Bryn. :-)
Obvious, simple stuff that almost no one sticks to. Excellent video.
This was so much clearer than others I have watched. Showing the jack making contact was the key. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the tip on lifting the car when you don't have enough room on one side. Bought a 2001 TT Quattro as a project car and am learning as I go. Your channel is lowering the learning curve so much!
A lot depends on the jack...floor jack vs widow maker. The lift pads are really meant for lifts when all 4 are engaged at the same time. The frame point is nice, but you have to hit the seam; any further back (10 cm) and you will destroy the frame rail (put a big rainbow-shaped dent)
Jacking on gravel is the most fun, when your jack starts sinking instead of the car going up! 😂👍
My dads friend has a 1st generation Audi TT he works on. He’s the one who recommended me the channel
Awesome video... I did heaps of research before jacking up my TT. I had to buy a low profile jack... best $200 I’ve spent.
You can’t beat a proper fast jack.
Thank you so much. I was looking for something like this for ages. Simple and well explained. Worth the subscription! Greetings from a german TT!
finally some proper video with instructions how to lift the TT, thanks Bryn
Great advice and it would help those less experienced with jacking . Top job .
It also definitely helps having a flat working area, my drive is unfortunately slight sloped so I can only ever really lift wont end at a time
Good tips, as usual. Never jack my TT on four stands, because afraid of. But now, I’ll ready for ;)
Absolutely brilliant and comprehensive article. Thanks so much Bryn. 🙌🏻
Fantastic video, clear imagery and concise narrative. I've always put my jack stands under the the pinch welds as my stands are V shaped not flat. I might look at buying some different stands after seeing the video.
Great explanation of jacking the TT - thanks
I've had a 2002 MK1 since 2007 and need to replace the radiator. This is great info. I was wondering, why not put the jack stand more forward if working on the front? I mean, use the jack where you put the stand at and then put in the jack stand where you had the jack. I hope those are aircraft grade bolts you are using on the jack stands! Thank you!
Very good/helpful, to the point video. I don't go under the TT very often, and always have to revise my knowledge on the jack points. Your guide was nice and quick for checking on the drive way while I was mid job 🤣 Thank you 👍🏼
Awesome!!!!!
TT 101
I learned this off one of your other videos.
Thanks! Spent hours under my TT and I never knew a lot of what you’ve covered. Also a REAR TOWING EYE?!? Every day is a school day lol.
I've been pondering this for a while now.... so Thank You!
Best explanation ever for jacking the TT! Thanks!
Wow that suspension travel. It just kept going and going and going
So i guess I‘ll use the frame rail when changing tires rather than the rubber lift mounts… although I probably need to get a rubber pad for my floor jack…
Excellent detail and informative vid, love the format with the voice over 👍👍
Great as always from the TT guru
Excellent. I needed this information and you presented a great set of options in a great format too!👍👍
It's advised to put wheel chocks on before jacking one side, after applying handbrake.
I may do another video focusing on why this isn’t necessary in most cases. But to give you a bit of information, something has to move when we jack up a vehicle. On flat ground a car wont roll away- what actually happens is the wheels take up the movement required for the change in geometry. Imagine the car, the floor and the jack form a right angled triangle with a 2metre hypotenuse, and a 1.997metre base, and a 10cm height. Now change the height to 60cm. The hypotenuse has to remain 2 metres because the length of the car cannot change, so the only thing left to change is the base- for that to reach 1.9 metres something has to move by basically 10cm. So either the jack needs to move sideways (highly unlikely) or the wheels need to be able to roll to take up this difference. Hope that clears things up for you
Great and safe tips input..Cheers
Surely a block of wood on the jack pad to protect the chassis?
i like watching your video, but the chassis rails are ok but since jacking mine which were mark free before i started the lift, they are now dented. Is there not something that could cup the chassis rails to spread the load. The front section is stronger as it is doubled up as the structure over laps. You can see a few dents from previous lifts on the rails on the TT in this video. I think highlighting a few points on chassis rail in the video showing the weaker points on the rail would be helpful!! keep up the good work😉
same here, chassis rails very badly deformed. headache in MOT as they are "damaged". I wouldn't use them for support, just the front edge where it's stronger.
This is such a helpful video. Thanks so much.
I've got a couple of queries, I hope you don't mind:
1. the pinch weld can take the weight when one corner is lifted so therefore it's taking the total lifted weight. Surely the front or rear pinch welds can be used together to lift the front or back respectively? You specifically say not to lift the whole car on these points. Is that because they cannot take the weight?
2. the chassis rails look like they have sustained damage. I appreciate you have used these rails a lot but the fact they show this damage worries me a bit.
I've suffered from the driver-side-front rubber mounting point recessing when I lifted that corer alone on that point. Also, the factory jack has slipped with me before and damaged the door sill. These 2 experiences have made me very nervous about jacking without causing damage.
Great video though, good work.
The pinch welds deform easily, when you lift one corner, the rest of the suspension distributes the load. If you jack both fronts at the same time theyre taking over 50% of the car weight between them, due to it being front heavy. One thing i didn’t mention is that you can use cardboard on the jack and stands to prevent damage, but that would have hidden what i was doing. The front lifting points should only be used on a lift with all used at the same time- even then they can deform the body slightly
The pinch welds will flatten eventually after repeated use. The rubber mounting points and chassis rails will get damaged too (cosmetically) especially the rubberized coating under the car. It's inevitable but you can't usually see under a car!
I use jacking pads specifically designed for the Audi TT Mk1 sills (you will find them ebay normally made from an ice hockey puck or some form of rubber). The jack pads have a groove cut in them to slide over the sill to prevent metal to metal damage. The jack pad then sits in the cup of the trolley jack. The approach is conceptually similar to the factory supplied jack which has the groove for alignment to the sill. I only use the jack pads to jack up one corner of the TT at a time and at the factory designated jacking point for changing a wheel. I also use jack pads which sit in the "v" of the jack stands for placing under the chassis rail. This prevents metal on metal damage. If your sills are already damaged then you will need to straighten them back out to use the jack pads.
@@davidjsmith67utube yeah, hockey pucks are great, got v shaped ones for my 4 stands and grooved for my Jack.
He's got the best videos!
Thanks bryn, really informative.
My silverline stands don't have as flat of a mating surface and I think they might actually be deforming the chassis rails. Might be worth me swapping to a halfords set..
No mention of chocks here. Do you use them in reality or are they not worth the fuss?
If youre jacking on level ground, then going back to my comments about arc of movements, you actually want the load bearing wheels free to move. Notice how much the front wheels move when i jack just the rear - the rears do the same when jacking the fronts. I never use chocks unless im on uneven ground, in which case im very careful about how i load the jack and stands etc. I dont recommend jacking on uneven ground though, which is why i don’t cover it in the video
Great video . One thing I've noticed on my 3.2 roadster the brace that goes to the middle of the rear sub frame you can't jack it there unlike the coupe that doesn’t have one
you just have to be a little more careful, but it can still be done this way
There's just enough room in there Phil, did this myself last weekend. Biggest problem I had was the trolley jack was short wheel base so struggled to pump it up as the bar was still under the car.
Superb. Thanks for the quality content.
Dude, you're the man.
Thank you a lot man, I was already losing hope to find channel like yours, channel about TT, cause in Russian youtube there is only blogs with 20-30 sec clips and they are not informative at all.
I like how he act like any other RUclips has detailed tt videos lmao great videos man
The guy who I bought my TT from should have watched this.
A great guidance vid. Thank you 👍👍
@bws TT do you have any videos or advice on replacing a MK1 TT bonnet lock and cable? I can see it goes towards the firewall / wheel well, but don't see any videos anywhere on the subject
Great video, thank you for the advice
This is very good to know
Great Job Bryn
Great video! Learnt something new
Absolutely brilliant mate excellent video 😎👍🏼
Did I miss the bit where you Jack from the front subframe? Thats how I do it as it doesn’t damage the protection on the chassis rail
If you can reach then its cool to use it, but since its the same method as the chassis rail i didnt show it
HI Bryn. I know that you are not a fan of jacking on the sill pinch welds, but what about using a jack puck? I have one with a groove in the middle that the sill lip fits into. It stops it moving and spreads the load.
Yeah, that can be ok if done carefully, but i would still avoid lifting to the point where the rear wheel lifts up
The pucks look like they do something nice but really the 1500kg just crushes through it as if it wasn't there. Mine split after a few uses, which was actually more dangerous than not having it as the car jolted.
Hi Bryan. Just wanted to suggest that when jacking the rear off the ground i put the engine in gear or use chock blocks. Thx Neil
Something has to move- wether its the jack wheels or the car wheels. The car wheels are a lot more predictable, and on flat ground so its actually my preference to not impair that movement during the jacking process
so if just need a quick peek under the motor to check for a leak location, we are safe to use the pinch welds to jack up one side of the car a few inches?
Its never ideal using trolley jack on pinch welds
Awesome video - you are a legend.
i accidentaly not knowing this , put the jack in one of the rear suspension arms and now the car is a little bit up lift from that side, did i broke something?
from my memory of the manual it says never jack or stand on the sub-frames...but it seems to work ok
The front subframe is a no no, the rear is plenty strong enough.
@@BWSTT ah, good info, thanks
Thank you for the work you do. I certainly appreciate your channel and content.
Is it ok to leave the car on 4 axle stands using the rubber jack points for a prolonged period or time? Say 1-2 months?
I wouldn’t do it that way- i would support on the chassis for prolonged time
Fantastic video, thank you so much really helpful!
Another great vid bud very informative even for me 👍
Awesome dude, thanks.
Thank you.
Hey dude, can i've got to get the whole car up on stands for like a week to get the wheels refurbed. I want the stance of the axle stands to be as wide as possible for stability especially as it's gonna be sitting like that for a while. Can you use all 4 rubber bungs with axle stands?? i know they do a 1/4 weight each, and you said the rear bungs are ok to put stands on. But what about the fronts?? sorry im confused lol. If so what order do you do it in??
Front rails and rear rubbers is fine, plenty stable enough
@@BWSTT thanks for the reply mate! :) just a quick one though the chassis rails have been dented and coating damaged from tyre shops using them to raise the car with jacks:/. So not a good idea to use the front bungs if doing all 4 wheels ??
@@banksy444 as i say in the video, they’re quite weak, so I avoid them. Depending on the work you’re doing you could support on the subframe rear bolts
@@BWSTT Ok dude thankyou so much! I understand, first time I've done this so proper nervous I really appreciate the advice :)
Very good vid
Best shirt ever. Have to get that :-D
It is more ieasier than a seat leon mk1😮
I followed this video today. And the chassis rail just dented! Pretty badly!
Then your axle stands are too narrow
thank for the info :-)
I’m sorry but those two first front jack points are not safe imo. A hockey puck will easily slip off the frame rail. Whatever that is adjacent to it doesn’t seem able to bear the load and will dimple. The subframe mount/bushing is definitely the best of the 3. My car has a damaged underbody now thanks.
Don’t blame me- shouldn’t be using a hockey puck
@@BWSTT I mean everyone uses them but maybe you’re right, they seem to slip.
@@dheningt hockey puck with a groove for sills yes. Slippery plastic thats more likely to move than seized wheels, no.
What’s the part next to the frame rail? That can for sure take the load? I might have smashed that area when the puck slipped. Other people have mentioned the rail not being bulletproof, just saying.
Ultimately it’s just cosmetic I guess, not the best way to learn but learn I did.
Hi Bryan thanks for all the information great in your explanations.. really would love you to come and work on my car someone who knows what they're talking about I have sent U an email thanks
New tt mkI owner. Great vid thought i knew it all . Do now. Thanks