Audi TT MK1 Roadster Convertible Top Removal (Years 1999-2006) Complete Removal Tutorial Part. 1

Hey Guys,
Today we performed a convertible top replacement on a 2003 Audi TT MK1. This is a complete walkthrough that applies to model years 98-06. In this video we go through the process of removing the factory installed convertible top. We purchased the replacement top online that came in a sort of kit but the instructions were useless so we decided to film ourselves replacing it.
This was not an easy task and is a bit time consuming, but it is well worth the money saved since most quotes wanted $1500-$2000 to replace the existing top.
A complete tool kit was needed for this job as there are many torx screws, phillips screws, rivets, and a few allen heads.
We hope this video is found informative for any of those looking to replace their own convertible top DIY. Best of luck to those who take on replacing the top themselves.
Where we bought it - www.convertibletopguys.com/co...
Package D
Here's a quick overview of the tools needed.
Various Phillips screwdriver
Flathead screwdriver
Soldering gun
T20/T25 Torx sockets
1/4 in Ratchet
Vice Grips
Drill with drillbits
Rivet gun (comes in the kit)
T25 Screwdriver
6mm Allen Socket
Folding Allen Set
17mm Wrench
Pry-Tools
Punch tool
Rubber Mallet
Cheers!
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Thanks again for hanging out!
#audi #tt #convertibles
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of BradleysGarage, we cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. BradleysGarage assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. BradleysGarage recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of BradleysGarage, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not BradleysGarage.

[@godkmeister533]

I'll have to give this a go sometime ! Thanks for the tutorial

[@HagakureJunkie]

Great vid, wish it was around a couple years ago when I did my top!

[@tylerp6375]

FYI to any of those tackling this in the future - it was a little more of a pain in the ass, but I did not have to remove the roll hoops to get my top out. Total time for careful removal was about 4-5 hours. Also - I recommend placing some plastic underneath the rear striker rivet areas when drilling out the rivets. If your rain rail bond is toast like mine was, it’ll keep aluminum chips from embedding themselves in your carpet. Great video.

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments. All these little tips will help the future guys tackling this job. Glad you found the video helpful. Cheers!

[@90Duck]

I am really glad for my sake that you had the problem trying to remove the release handle. I am working through roof replacement currently with your videos, the instructions provided by the roof seller, and my Bentley manual for guidance. I ran into the same issue as you, in that I cannot get an allen wrench to bite onto the pin that holds the handle, and now I think I have stripped it out. That might have been a stopper for me if you hadn't figured out the workaround. Thanks for posting these! I was quoted $1,800 in just labor and a 10-month wait to have the work done.

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the feedback 90Duck, it was hard finding info about that handle when we were trying to remove it. Glad to hear you are taking on the challenge and doing this yourself. Based on your quote of $1,800 it seems like the prices have gone up since we first performed this repair. You will be saving a ton of cash by doing this yourself, that's for sure. Good luck on the repair, please let us know how it goes, Cheers!

[@90Duck]

@@BradleysGarage I received some advice on one of the FB forums on removing the allen bolt in the handle, and this time it came right out. It is impossible to tell what size it is down in that hole, and I had read it was a 5 somewhere. It is actually a 4, and when I tried it this time it came right out easily after loosening it fully and then pushing it out from the other side with the smallest allen key I had. Of course I had already disassembled things working around it like you did, but it should make it much easier to reassemble with the handle out of the way.

[@BradleysGarage]

When we tried to remove that allen bolt, it just spun like it was stripped out. Glad to hear that you were able up remove the handle after all. It will make it easy to put everything back in the right place with the new top. Good luck and stay positive on your project, Cheers!

[@gotze1772]

Man you are a saviour . Thanks for this

[@BradleysGarage]

Installation video should be up tonight. Good luck man!

[@jasonmorrow1981]

I was gonna do it myself, but after watching this.........I am gonna pay someone. Good Lord.

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments Jason, it's a process but you can save yourself a bunch of cash by doing it yourself. We were quoted around $1200 just for the labor, that made the decision for us to take on the challenge. Good luck on your Audi TT project. Cheers!

[@angelyakko731]

Bravo tres belle vidéo .. tank you Mister

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments Angel, glad you enjoyed the video 👍 Cheers!

[@allenfly2388]

The Handle can be removed by unscrewing the pin (it is a metric hex) then pushing out the pin through the access hole on the opposite side, or just wedging the hex key sideways in its slot enough to get some friction on the pin to allow it to be drawn out.

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried to tap that small pin out the handle but could not get it to budge. Did my best to work around that issue but hopefully it can help the next guy out. Cheers!

[@joshc3305]

Great video !

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments Josh, glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers!

[@campbellmcmanus5819]

I only needed to take out driver seat to replace my TT roof but great video thanks very helpful 👌👍

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments Campbell, glad the video helped you out. Congrats on getting your project done, Cheers!

[@Al-qv5vs]

Thanks for the video. I have tried almost a dozen different glues and nothing has worked.

[@BradleysGarage]

I hear that, like I mentioned to Ron below the epoxy / glue options just don't seem to last for any length of time. I just bit the bullet and decided to buy a new top and go for it. Good luck on your adventure 👍

[@mewantapoo]

Hi there. Can you help me i have a leak from the rear drain pocket. Is this the seal on the rear thats failing? Water is coming in on the newr centre of the hood under window(not coming from window)

[@BradleysGarage]

Sorry, missed this notification. The most common reason why you are getting moisture in the back is a clogged side drain. The easiest way to check is, grab a buddy and have him take the garden hose and have him spray water on the lower section of the window around the edge. All while you are inside the car with your head between the two roll bar loops looking and watching for any evidence of water coming in. My gut is telling me the water will be coming in from either side because of a clogged drain and making its way to the center section where you see condensation on the top. The friend method with the garden hose should help you identify where the water is coming from. There is a small chance that the rear vinyl channel could have a tear where the water leads to the drains. Let me know if any of this helps!

[@johhnyvee7629]

So how did you get the two rear locating blocks out? There are (what feels like) 2 philips head screws on each block that you can't get to unless you take the whole frame off...

[@johhnyvee7629]

Sorry they are rivets and I skipped that part of the vid, thanks good video

[@BradleysGarage]

Sorry for the late reply, glad you got it sorted out. We just drilled them out and found some screws from the parts bin that fit tightly into the metal bar. Good luck on your project, Cheers!

[@michaelchackman3266]

I need to know from cable to switch in car ..where the electric cable connects too. To make switch work ..hydrol oil is at max.. it connects to a cable to allow electricity to power motor.. it's not connected to in middle of back in the middle so where can you help please

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the question Michael, apologies we don't have any information about the motor itself as that was working great on our TT. We only had the issue with the top itself so we have never messed around with the pump motor or switch. Here is a post that might provide some insight for you though - www.audiworld.com/forums/tt-mk1-discussion-9/convertible-top-wiring-diagram-2928746/ Here is a few pictures of the motor itself along with the lifts & hoses - hermesautoparts.com/autopart.php?autopart=Audi_TT_MK1_8N_Roadster_Convertible_Top_Hydraulic_Pump_Motor_w%2F_Lifts_and_Hoses_8N7871611A Let us know how it goes with your Audi TT project. Cheers!

[@TheMCRstudios]

TO ANYONE DOING THIS: Just remove the handle, it literally takes 2 minutes. With the top down, rotate handle until you see a 6mm hole on the side. Aim hole towards back of car. Put a 5mm Allen wrench in there and unscrew it. Then put a 1 or 2 mm in the opposite side and push the tiny screw out, the handle will fall off. Then remove the button by lifting straight up (don't bend or move in any direction but up as it has "feet" that lock it in place). The hardest part is figuring out which of your Allen wrenches is 5mm because they're never labeled.

[@BradleysGarage]

Appreciate the comments and agree removing the handle is ideal. Unfortunately, either the Allen screw was stripped or just being difficult to loosen, so we had to improvise and work around it. Thanks for the detailed explanation though, hope this helps anyone doing this project. Cheers!

[@outlawmusic23]

I didn't get anything with my new top just the fabric with the glass

[@BradleysGarage]

Hey Trapz, I am not sure which top you ordered or where you ordered it from but if you went with my recommendation, they have a couple options. Depending on your selection, they may or may not include the new cables, cement, double-sided tape or pry tools. However, all of these can be sourced locally so it's usually not a big deal. www.convertibletopguys.com/convertible/1003/1999-2006-Audi-TT-amp;-TT-Quattro-Roadster Hope the video helps you out with your project, Cheers!

[@donnahachewski4277]

Chances are if you do it right it won’t fail !

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments Don, appreciate the feedback, Cheers!

[@marianoquintanilla5381]

How much its the labor cost for this job?

[@BradleysGarage]

Before we took on this project ourselves, we got a couple quotes from local shops. They ranged between $1400-$1600 for the top and installation. So if you figure the top by itself is around $600-700, you are looking at $700-900 for labor. Given those numbers, it was an easy choice for us to tackle the project. Hope you got the motivation to jump in. Good luck on your project! Cheers 👍

[@ronrichardson3103]

Very interesting ..only it would have been a lot easyer just to fix the window in the first place .

[@BradleysGarage]

Trust me, we looked at re-epoxying the window back to the canvas, but after speaking with several shops, no one would stand behind the work. Not even guaranteeing it would last a year. Replacing the top was the only viable solution that would last. We definitely would've preferred saving the money and time but from what we heard no one guaranteed it lasting. P.S the top we purchased is guaranteed for life

[@paulmatejka7371]

I had my rear window done Stitched all around plus adhesive For £300 all done. UK

[@calthomas22]

This looks like a bitch of a job. Nice vid. But not sure I want to attempt this on my lonesome.

[@BradleysGarage]

Thanks for the comments. It was a challenging project for sure but the hardest part was figuring everything out. Now that you can watch the video, I am confident you can grab a buddy and tackle this in a day if you have everything ready. Good luck on yours!!! Cheers