Audi TT 8N facelift

Much has been read about a facelift of the TT. However, there never was this one. A good sign of the strength of the TT's initial design which did not need much renewal in its lifetime. However, there have been a number of changes over the years and not always linked to the new model year. Here is an overview of some changes with an indication of when they were introduced. Listed below in chronological order are the most important changes.

May 1999 - Chair seat with 3 transverse seams

The first Coupés had a simpler seat that had only 2 transverse seams and consisted of 3 parts, with 1 part twice as long as the other parts. By mid-1999, this had already been changed to the familiar 3 transverse seams and thus consisted of 4 parts. So this seat was already standard on the Roadster right away.

Chair with 2 seams and 3 strips

Chair with 3 seams and 4 strips

January 2000 - rear spoiler

In another topic, we will review the handling modifications. One of the changes before that was the addition of an early 2000s rear spoiler. A TT without a rear spoiler is also normally pre-2000.

If the TT is younger and does not have a spoiler, this was modified by one of the owners at some point to match the original look.

May 2001 - new interior mirror

A small detail, but the TT had several versions of the interior mirror. Initially borrowed from other Audi models and a different version for the Coupé (angular) and Roadster (rounded).

May 2001, the TT got its own oval interior mirror that is the same for the Roadster as the Coupé.

In the images, a comparison of the 3 versions. Click for the large version.

September 2002 - new Grill, TT logos and Flatblade wipers

The ‘biggest’ modification is from September 2002. And this one is often referred to as a facelift. Late 2002 (in the middle of the 2022 model year) saw the introduction of the Grill (from 5 to 3-blades), the new TT logo (more in a separate topic) and the Flatblade wipers (more in a separate topic).

The grill is certainly the most eye-catching update to the TT. And yes the 3-louvre grill was there for all versions. So not, as often thought, exclusively in combination with the front bumper of the 3.2 V6 and S line versions.

In addition, the new Grill and Flatblade wipers are popular modifications done by TT owners. This makes them highly sought after and this is reflected in the prices of these 2nd hand parts.

In conclusion

Whether a TT has a particular modification is not always indicative of its age. This is because retrofitters have also done some modifications on the older versions themselves. Besides these modifications, of course, the TT's interior and exterior colour palette was regularly played with and the powertrains were occasionally modified. You can find more info on that at the files in this Facebook group. There were also numerous smaller changes. But the above are the most notable ones.