S3 CDLA

The S3's 265 PS 2.0 TFSI: the belt-driven EA113, not the chain EA888, so no tensioner problem. What it does share with the other direct-injection Audis is intake carbon and the cam-follower that drives the high-pressure fuel pump.

Overview

The S3 is the CDLA petrol version of the Audi A3 hatchback (8PA), sold 2006–2013 with 265 PS and manual or automatic. Demands diligence at level 3. The belt-driven EA113 avoids the chain tensioner, but the cam follower and intake carbon still apply, and it's worked harder. 14 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. 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

Power265 PS

Torque350 Nm

Years2006–2013

Fuelpetrol

Drivequattro

EnginesCDLA

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 14 recorded in total.

52Demands diligence

High-pressure fuel-pump cam follower wear (S3)€40–€2,000checkable
Carbon buildup on intake valves€400–€700not checkable
Front control arm bushing wear€300–€700checkable

Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

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

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

Fuel system⚠ attentionHigh-pressure fuel-pump cam follower wear (S3), €40–€2,000.

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

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

Phase	Years	Low	Average	High	Good buy	What differs
pre Pre-facelift	2006–2007	€7,150	€10,700	€16,300	€8,950	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2008–2013	€7,800	€11,650	€17,800	€9,750	Revised nose, bumpers and LED daytime-running lights; Pump-düse diesels and 1.6 MPI phased out for common-rail TDI and TFSI petrols; Seven-speed dry-clutch S tronic (DQ200) added

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.

High-pressure fuel-pump cam follower wear (S3)BHZ/CDLA 2.0 TFSI (S3)€40–€2,000

Low fuel-pressure limp mode, hesitation and an EPC light; if the follower wears through it wrecks the pump and scores the camshaft. The bucket follower between the intake camshaft and the high-pressure fuel-pump plunger wears and can perforate. It's a service item that's often overlooked on hard-driven cars.

Check: The follower is behind two bolts. A specialist can pull the pump and inspect it in minutes. Ask when it was last changed.

FuelcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented40–120k 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

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

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 14 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.

Buy on maintenance and honesty about modifications; a stock, well-serviced S3 is worth more than a mapped bargain.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Cam follower Protects the high-pressure fuel pump and camshaft	15,000–20,000 km	€20–40 part
Timing belt / water pump A belt engine, overdue is a risk	per schedule	€500–800
Haldex service The rear-drive coupling needs its oil and filter	roughly 60,000 km	€150–300

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 €11.2k

€7.2k€8.9k€17.8k

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€8,950band €7,150–€17,800

🇺🇸 United StatesNot soldS3 CDLA 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 S3
Chassis8PA
EngineCDLA
Years2006–2013
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. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

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

Our read, not a record

The S3 is the performance A3 and, engine aside, a genuinely usable fast hatch: quattro traction, real pace, and the EA113 2.0 TFSI, which uses a timing belt and so sidesteps the chain-tensioner worry of the standard turbos. It still needs its cam follower watched and its valves decarbonised, and it will have been driven harder than a 1.6, so history and a clear account of any tuning matter most. A stock, documented S3 is a lot of car; a cheap modified one is a question mark.

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	BHZ/CDLA 2.0 TFSI (S3)
Configuration	I4, turbocharged · 1984 cc
Fuel / injection	petrol · direct
Model years	2006–2013
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2008 facelift, 2006–2007 pre, 2008–2013 LCI
Power / torque	265 PS · 350 Nm
Transmissions	6-speed manual · 6-speed wet-clutch DSG/S tronic
Gearbox families	DQ250-6DSG
Drivetrain	quattro
Economy (real-world)	8.5–10.5 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU

S3 CDLA

Overview

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Pre-purchase inspection

1Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

2On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

3PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.