Audi A3 3-door, 8P

The three-door, launched first in 2003. The tidiest-looking 8P and the one that established the car as a premium Golf.

Overview

The 8P is the hatchback Audi A3, built 2003–2013 and facelifted in 2008. 9 standard engines are documented here plus 1 S/RS model, each with its own issue list, inspection sequence and price band. Asking prices across the standard range run €1,800–€9,600, and 1 of the 9 carry a risk level of 4 or 5; the facelift cars sit at a premium over otherwise identical pre-facelift ones. The cheapest way in is the 1.6 BSE from €2,350, while the 1.6 BSE is the lowest-risk engine at €2,350, which engine you buy matters more here than which year. Prices are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology.

Audi A3 hatchback (8P) · photo Audi A3 8P 3.Facelift Dreitürer Attraction 1.6 Ibisweiß by Thomas doerfer · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Body style	hatchback	Production	2003–2013
Platform siblings	8PA hatchback · 8P7 convertible	Facelift (LCI)	2008

What changed at the 2008 facelift

Revised nose, bumpers and LED daytime-running lights; Port-injection 1.6 MPI and pump-düse 1.9/2.0 TDI phased out for 1.4 TFSI, 1.6 TDI and 2.0 TDI common-rail; Seven-speed dry-clutch S tronic (DQ200) added alongside the six-speed wet-clutch unit. The engine changes are the ones that matter, a car built in the changeover year can carry either engine, so check the engine code on the block rather than the registration date.

Engine matrix: pre-facelift, 2003–2007

The 6 variants sold before the 2008 facelift. Power and years come from the variant records; prices are illustrative, not sourced.

FilterFuelGearboxRisk ceilingGood buy under6 of 6

Badge↕	Engine	Fuel	Years↕	Power↑	Torque↕	Risk↕	Issues	Price band↕	Good buy↕	Verdict
1.6	BSE	petrol	2003–2007	102 PS	148 Nm	R2	11	€1,800–€4,400	€2,350	Buy w/ conditions	View
1.9 TDI	BKC	diesel	2003–2007	105 PS	250 Nm	R2	13	€1,900–€4,600	€2,450	Strong buy	View
1.4 TFSI	CAXC	petrol	2007–2007	125 PS	200 Nm	R3	14	€2,600–€6,200	€3,300	Buy w/ conditions	View
2.0 TDI	BKD	diesel	2003–2007	140 PS	320 Nm	R3	14	€2,600–€6,200	€3,300	Buy w/ conditions	View
2.0 FSI	BLR	petrol	2004–2007	150 PS	200 Nm	R3	14	€2,200–€5,200	€2,800	Buy w/ conditions	View
1.8 TFSI	CDAA	petrol	2007–2007	160 PS	250 Nm	R3	15	€3,000–€7,400	€3,900	Buy w/ conditions	View

Engine matrix: facelift / LCI, 2008–2013

The 9 variants sold from the facelift on, priced at a 9% premium over the pre-facelift car.

9 variants from the facelift on, carrying a real market premium of roughly 9% over an otherwise identical pre-facelift car. Variants appearing in both tables were sold either side of the changeover, the build month decides which one you're looking at, not the model year.

FilterFuelGearboxRisk ceilingGood buy under9 of 9

Badge↕	Engine	Fuel	Years↕	Power↑	Torque↕	Risk↕	Issues	Price band↕	Good buy↕	Verdict
1.6	BSE	petrol	2008–2010	102 PS	148 Nm	R2	11	€1,950–€4,800	€2,550	Buy w/ conditions	View
1.9 TDI	BKC	diesel	2008–2010	105 PS	250 Nm	R2	13	€2,050–€5,000	€2,650	Strong buy	View
1.6 TDI	CAYC	diesel	2009–2013	105 PS	250 Nm	R3	14	€3,250–€7,650	€4,150	Buy w/ conditions	View
1.4 TFSI	CAXC	petrol	2008–2013	125 PS	200 Nm	R3	14	€2,850–€6,750	€3,600	Buy w/ conditions	View
2.0 TDI	BKD	diesel	2008–2008	140 PS	320 Nm	R3	14	€2,850–€6,750	€3,600	Buy w/ conditions	View
2.0 TDI	CBAB	diesel	2008–2013	140 PS	320 Nm	R4	16	€3,700–€8,950	€4,700	Caution	View
2.0 FSI	BLR	petrol	2008–2008	150 PS	200 Nm	R3	14	€2,400–€5,650	€3,050	Buy w/ conditions	View
1.8 TFSI	CDAA	petrol	2008–2013	160 PS	250 Nm	R3	15	€3,250–€8,050	€4,250	Buy w/ conditions	View
2.0 TFSI	CCZA	petrol	2008–2013	200 PS	280 Nm	R3	15	€3,900–€9,600	€5,000	Buy w/ conditions	View

Market availability varied by country; check the engine code stamped on the block rather than the badge on the boot. · Compare every engine side by side →

S/RS models, separate category

Listed apart because they share a bodyshell with the range and little else. Their prices are excluded from the range figures on this page.

Audi S and RS models share a bodyshell with the range and almost nothing else. Different engine, drivetrain, brakes and running costs. They're listed apart so their prices don't distort the ordinary range.

FilterGearboxRisk ceilingGood buy under2 of 2

Badge↕	Engine	Fuel	Years↕	Power↑	Torque↕	Risk↕	Issues	Price band↕	Good buy↕	Verdict
S3M	CDLA	petrol	2006–2007	265 PS	350 Nm	R3	14	€7,000–€16,000	€8,750	Buy	View
S3M	CDLA	petrol	2008–2013	265 PS	350 Nm	R3	14	€7,650–€17,450	€9,550	Buy	View

Prices above are for S/RS cars only and aren't included in the range figures quoted elsewhere on this page.

Model-year availability

Which engines were on sale in which year, from the year ranges in the variant records. Availability varied by country.

Variant	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13
1.6 BSE	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	◐
1.9 TDI BKC	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	◐
1.6 TDI CAYC							◐	●	●	●	●
1.4 TFSI CAXC					◐	●	●	●	●	●	●
2.0 TDI BKD	●	●	●	●	●	◐
2.0 TDI CBAB						◐	●	●	●	●	●
2.0 FSI BLR		◐	●	●	●	◐
1.8 TFSI CDAA					◐	●	●	●	●	●	●
2.0 TFSI CCZA						◐	●	●	●	●	●
S3 CDLA				◐	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

● full year · ◐ arrives or leaves mid-generation. Years from 2008 in the accent colour are facelift (LCI) cars. Verify the engine code, not the model year.

Rating map, price against risk

Good-buy price plotted against risk level for every standard engine, so the value corner is visible at a glance.

Every standard engine in the chassis, plotted at its good-buy price against its risk level. Cheap and low-risk is the top-left; expensive and fragile is the bottom-right. M cars are excluded, they would stretch the price axis and tell you nothing about the rest.

Buy / strong buy Buy with conditions Caution / avoidLeft is cheaper, up is safer. The top-left corner is where the value is.

Prices across the range

Where the money sits across the whole chassis. Every figure here is an illustrative placeholder, not a sourced market sample.

Every standard engine on one euro axis: the bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile of asking prices, the tick is the median and the green marker is the good-buy figure. S/RS cars are excluded; they sit an order of magnitude above the rest.

Cheapest good buy€2,3501.6 BSE

Median good buy€3,300across 9 engines

Dearest good buy€5,0002.0 TFSI CCZA

Full range€1,800–€9,600P10 to P90

Every standard engine · cheapest first · 1.9 TDI BKC highlighted as best value

€2k€4k€6k€8kGood buy

1.6 BSE€2,350 1.9 TDI BKC€2,450 2.0 FSI BLR€2,800 1.4 TFSI CAXC€3,300 2.0 TDI BKD€3,300 1.8 TFSI CDAA€3,900 1.6 TDI CAYC€4,150 2.0 TDI CBAB€4,700 2.0 TFSI CCZA€5,000

at or under the good buy · good buy · median · bar spans the 10th–90th percentile

Chassis-wide issues, every engine inherits these

Faults recorded against the bodyshell and running gear rather than one engine, so every variant on this page inherits them.

Front control arm bushing wearE9x chassis€300–€700

Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.

Check: Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.

SuspensionuniversalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–150k km

Run-flat tyres and kerbed or cracked wheelsE9x chassis€150–€900

Harsh ride, vibration at speed, slow punctures. Stiff-sidewall run-flats transmit impacts straight into the rim, and these alloys crack rather than bend.

Check: Inspect the inner rim edge of every wheel for cracks and hairline splits, not just the face for kerbing. Budget for a set of conventional tyres; most owners switch and the ride improves markedly.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Corrosion at the rear subframe and arch seamsE9x chassis€300–€2,000

Bubbling at the rear arch lip, scaling on subframe mounting points and rear suspension components. Age plus road salt. This generation isn't a notorious rotter, but nothing from 2005–2013 is immune in a salted market.

Check: Put it on a lift and look at the rear subframe mounting points and the arch lips from behind. Largely a non-issue on cars from southern Europe, a real one on northern and Baltic cars.

Body & corrosionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Footwell module (FRM) failureE9x chassis€150–€700

Headlights, indicators, windows, wipers and central locking stop working at once, usually right after a battery change or a jump start. The module's memory corrupts when supply voltage dips. It is the single most common electrical failure on this generation.

Check: Test every window, both mirrors, the wipers, all exterior lights and the central locking before you drive. If any cluster of these is dead, this is why.

ElectricalcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Rear shock mount wearE9x chassis€250–€500

Knock from the rear over speed bumps, a hollow thump from the boot area. The rubber mounts perish. On hard-used cars the mount can crack the surrounding turret metal, which is a far bigger job.

Check: Lift the boot floor and look at the top of the shock towers for cracking or a lifted mount. Listen for a knock over bumps.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented100–180k km

xDrive transfer case actuator failureE9x chassis€600–€1,200

Grinding or binding at low-speed full lock, 4x4 warning lights, a shudder when manoeuvring. The actuator motor and the transfer case's internal chain wear, especially on cars run with mismatched tyre sizes.

Check: Full-lock circles in both directions in a car park, slowly, listening for binding. Check all four tyres are the same brand and wear, mismatched tyres destroy these.

DrivetrainoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented120–220k km

Rear multi-link bush and drop-link wearA3 platform€200–€500

A knock or clunk from the rear over bumps and potholes, vague handling, and uneven rear tyre wear. The rear multi-link control-arm bushes and drop links wear, often several together, so the noise is worth diagnosing before replacing parts. Age and mileage both drive it.

Check: Drive over rough surfaces listening for a rear clunk; on a ramp, lever each rear arm bush and drop link for play.

SuspensioncommonPartly detectableevidence: documented100–200k km

iDrive CCC head unit failureE9x chassis€300–€900

Black screen, rebooting, refusal to read the drive, non-functioning navigation. The early CCC unit's hard drive and mainboard fail with age. Later CIC units are more reliable.

Check: Turn it on and use it for a few minutes: navigation, radio, settings. Reboots during that window are the fault showing itself.

ElectricaloccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Coolant expansion tank crackingE9x chassis€120–€250

Coolant smell after a drive, slow unexplained loss of coolant, crusty residue around the tank seams. The plastic tank goes brittle with age and splits, usually at a seam or around the level sensor.

Check: Look at the tank with the engine warm, dried coolant leaves a white or pink crust. Cheap to fix, but it tells you how the car has been maintained.

CoolingcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented90–200k km

Instrument-cluster (FIS) pixel failureA3 platform€120–€250

Missing pixels, lines or columns on the central driver-information display, often worse when the car is warm. The cluster's LCD and its ribbon and solder joints degrade with age. It's a nuisance rather than a safety fault, though a full cluster failure is possible.

Check: Cycle through all the trip and service menus checking every segment, both cold and after the car has warmed up.

InteriorcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented100–250k km

Unregistered replacement batteryE9x chassis€30–€60

Random electrical faults, warning lights that come and go, a battery that dies again within a year. The car's power management must be told a new battery was fitted. Cheap replacements are routinely fitted without coding, which then overcharges or undercharges the new battery.

Check: Ask when the battery was changed and whether it was registered. A car with a new battery, no registration and a scatter of odd electrical faults usually just needs coding.

ElectricalcommonPartly detectableevidence: documented

Written once against the chassis and shown on every variant page below, so nothing here is repeated 10 times: S/RS cars included, since the bodyshell and electronics are shared.

Buying summary

Our read on the chassis, built on the records above rather than added to them.

Best diesel: 1.9 TDI. The pump-düse 105 is the durable classic, noisy, slow and near-unbreakable on belts and oil. Best petrol: 1.8 TFSI, provided the chain tensioner has been done and it's not drinking oil. Two traps: the 2.0 FSI's cam follower can wear through and take the fuel pump and camshaft with it, and the common-rail 2.0 TDI's oil-pump drive can round off and end the engine without warning. Then buy on service history, not trim.

Cheapest and dearest in this chassis

The ends of the range by good-buy price. Useful for sanity-checking anything you're quoted.

Lowest entry price

1.6 BSE : from €1,800, risk 2

1.9 TDI BKC : from €1,900, risk 2

2.0 FSI BLR : from €2,200, risk 3

Lowest risk

1.6 BSE : risk 2, good buy at €2,350

1.9 TDI BKC : risk 2, good buy at €2,450

2.0 FSI BLR : risk 3, good buy at €2,800