Car Model Guide/ Audi/ A3/ 8PA/ 2.0 TFSI

2.0 TFSI CCZA

The 200 PS 2.0 TFSI, chain-driven EA888. Strong and tuneable, carrying the same chain-tensioner and oil-consumption risks as the 1.8 with more performance to justify them.

Overview

The 2.0 TFSI is the CCZA petrol version of the Audi A3 hatchback (8PA), sold 2008–2013 with 200 PS and manual or automatic. Demands diligence at level 3. The EA888 chain tensioner and piston-ring oil consumption are the recurring risks on the chain-driven 2.0. 15 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, one of which is a walk-away item without documented proof. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Audi A3 hatchback (8PA) · photo AUDI A3 8PA China (3) by Dinkun Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power200 PS

Torque280 Nm

Years2008–2013

Fuelpetrol

DriveFWD / quattro

EnginesCCZA

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 15 recorded in total.

40Fragile

Timing chain tensioner failure€900–€1,800checkablewalk away
Excessive oil consumption (piston rings)€150–€4,500partly checkable
Carbon buildup on intake valves€400–€700not checkable

Risk level −22 · Walk-away failures −12 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 2 with no recurring fault reported

Engine⚠ attentionTiming chain tensioner failure, €900–€1,800. Walk away without proof.+1 more in this system

Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Intake & airwatchCarbon buildup on intake valves, €400–€700.

CoolingwatchCoolant expansion tank cracking, €120–€250.

Emissions✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

TransmissionwatchDQ250 wet-clutch DSG mechatronic and service neglect, €700–€1,500.+1 more in this system

ElectricswatchFootwell module (FRM) failure, €150–€700.+2 more in this system

Suspension & brakeswatchFront control arm bushing wear, €300–€700.+3 more in this system

Body & interiorwatchCorrosion at the rear subframe and arch seams, €300–€2,000.+1 more in this system

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

Timing chain tensioner failureea888-chain-tensioner€900–€1,800

Rattle for a second or two on cold start, chain noise from the back of the engine, timing correlation faults, or no start after the car has stood. The early hydraulic tensioner can lose tension and allow the chain to jump. The chain is at the gearbox end of the engine, so access is poor and a failure usually bends valves.

Check: Insist on a stone-cold start and stand at the bulkhead end of the engine. Any rattle beyond the first half-second is this until proven otherwise. Ask for a tensioner receipt with the part number. The revised part is the fix, not the mileage.

Later parts: Revised tensioner part number; fitted from later production

EnginecommonDetectable at viewingwalk away without proofevidence: documented60–180k km

Excessive oil consumption (piston rings)CCZA 2.0 TFSI€150–€4,500

Frequent oil top-ups, low-oil warnings and oil-fouled plugs on higher-mileage cars. The chain-driven 2.0 EA888 shares the 1.8's low-tension oil-control rings, which can coke up and pass oil into the combustion chamber. Breather faults can compound it.

Check: Check the top-up history and plug colour and watch for smoke; a car that needs a litre every 1,000 km wants investigating.

Later parts: Revised pistons and rings on later EA888 production

EnginecommonPartly detectableevidence: documented70–160k km

Carbon buildup on intake valvesdirect injection€400–€700

Rough cold idle, slow throttle response, misfires, gradual loss of low-end response. Direct injection puts no fuel over the intake valves, so crankcase vapour deposits bake on undisturbed.

Check: Not visible without a borescope. Treat it as a service item that's due unless there's a receipt. It's not a fault, it's an unbudgeted maintenance cost.

Turbo & intakeuniversalNot detectable at viewingevidence: documented80–120k km

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

DQ250 wet-clutch DSG mechatronic and service neglectDQ250-6DSG€700–€1,500

Jerky or harsh shifts, clutch flare or judder, an occasional drop to neutral or limp mode, and gearbox fault codes. Mechatronic valve-body and pressure-accumulator faults, aggravated by a missed 60,000 km oil-and-filter service. The wet six-speed is the more durable of the DSGs but not maintenance-free.

Check: Confirm the DSG oil-and-filter history, test-drive for harsh or flaring shifts at low speed and under load, and scan for gearbox faults.

TransmissionoccasionalPartly detectableevidence: documented80–160k km

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

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 15 issues in full →

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

Chain-correlation scan and an oil-consumption question decide the car more than the odometer.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Engine oil Protects the tensioner and the rings	10,000–15,000 km	€80–130
Timing chain / tensioner A skipped chain is catastrophic	listen at cold start	free to inspect
DSG oil + filter (DQ250) The wet-clutch box needs its service	60,000 km	€200–350

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

median €6.3k

€4k€5.2k€9.8k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€5,150band €4,000–€9,800

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold2.0 TFSI CCZA was never a US-market car

What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

ModelAudi A3 2.0 TFSI
Chassis8PA
EngineCCZA
Years2008–2013
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the 8pa median, all 10 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for timing chain tensioner failure should be priced as if the repair is still owed. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record

The 200 PS 2.0 TFSI is the fast standard A3 and a strong, tuneable engine, carrying the chain-driven EA888's tensioner and oil-consumption risks rather than the FSI's cam follower. As with the 1.8, the answer is history. A documented tensioner and an engine that holds its oil make this an easy recommendation, quattro cars especially. So buy it scanned and buy it documented.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine code	CCZA 2.0 TFSI
Configuration	I4, turbocharged · 1984 cc
Fuel / injection	petrol · direct
Model years	2008–2013
Facelift phase	Facelift (LCI) only, from 2008
Power / torque	200 PS · 280 Nm
Transmissions	6-speed manual · 6-speed wet-clutch DSG/S tronic
Gearbox families	DQ250-6DSG
Drivetrain	FWD · quattro
Economy (real-world)	7–8.5 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU

2.0 TFSI CCZA

Overview

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Pre-purchase inspection

1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.

2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

3On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

4PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.