2.0 TFSI CDNC

EA888 gen-2. Strong and tuneable, and the reason many B8s are cheap: pre-2012 cars consume oil through worn piston rings, and the chain tensioner is a known failure that can destroy the engine outright.

Overview

The 2.0 TFSI is the CDNC petrol version of the Audi Q5 SUV (8R), sold 2008–2012 with 211 PS and auto_7_s_tronic. High risk at level 4. Oil consumption from the piston rings and chain tensioner failure are both documented on this engine. 4 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, 2 of which are walk-away items 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 Q5 SUV (8R) · photo Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro – Frontansicht, 18. März 2012, Wuppertal by M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Power211 PS

Torque350 Nm

Years2008–2012

Fuelpetrol

Drivequattro

EnginesCDNC

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 4 recorded in total.

17High risk

Excessive oil consumption (piston rings)€2,200–€4,500partly checkablewalk away
Timing chain tensioner failure€900–€1,800checkablewalk away
Carbon buildup on intake valves€400–€700not checkable

Risk level −33 · Walk-away failures −24 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 6 with no recurring fault reported

Engine⚠ attentionExcessive oil consumption (piston rings), €2,200–€4,500. 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.

CoolingwatchPlastic water pump and thermostat housing failure, €400–€800.

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

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

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

Suspension & brakes✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Body & interior✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

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	2008–2011	€7,000	€11,000	€16,500	€9,000	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2012	€7,650	€12,000	€18,000	€9,850	Revised nose and lights; EA888 gen-3 petrol; Eight-speed tiptronic on more models

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.

Excessive oil consumption (piston rings)CDNC/CAEB 2.0 TFSI€2,200–€4,500

Oil level dropping between services, blue smoke on start-up or hard acceleration, oil warnings between changes. EA888 gen-2 piston rings, particularly the oil control ring, coke up and lose their seal, so oil passes into the combustion chamber. Audi ran a piston revision and a service campaign in several markets.

Check: Ask for the consumption history and any dealer oil-consumption test paperwork. Check the level yourself on arrival, look for a top-up bottle in the boot, and treat a seller who tops up 'every couple of thousand' as describing the fault. A revised-piston receipt is the only real reassurance.

Later parts: Revised pistons and rings; largely resolved on EA888 gen-3 (CNCD) from the 2012 facelift

EnginecommonPartly detectablewalk away without proofevidence: documented80–180k km

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

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

Plastic water pump and thermostat housing failureCDNC/CAEB 2.0 TFSI€400–€800

Coolant loss with no obvious puddle, temperature warnings, coolant smell after a run. The composite pump and thermostat housing crack and the pump seal fails. It's a routine wear item on this family rather than a defect.

Check: Look for dried coolant crust around the pump and the front of the block, and check the expansion bottle level against the marks.

CoolingcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented90–160k 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.

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

4 checks · saved in this browser ·

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

Timing chain tensioner failurewalk away without proofInsist 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.

2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.

Plastic water pump and thermostat housing failureLook for dried coolant crust around the pump and the front of the block, and check the expansion bottle level against the marks.

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

Excessive oil consumption (piston rings)walk away without proofAsk for the consumption history and any dealer oil-consumption test paperwork. Check the level yourself on arrival, look for a top-up bottle in the boot, and treat a seller who tops up 'every couple of thousand' as describing the fault. A revised-piston receipt is the only real reassurance.Carbon buildup on intake valvesNot 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.

Mileage and servicing

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

Oil consumption on this engine family arrives on condition rather than at a set distance, so the folder matters far more than the dial. Ask what oil the car uses between services and treat a vague answer as an answer.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Engine oil and filter Ring and chain wear are both accelerated by tired oil.	15,000 km or annually	€120–180
Oil consumption check It's the single most important number on this engine and it isn't in the service book.	before purchase	€0

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 €11.5k

€7k€9k€18k

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€9,000band €7,000–€18,000

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold2.0 TFSI CDNC 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 Q5 2.0 TFSI
Chassis8R
EngineCDNC
Years2008–2012
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 8r median, all 3 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. Any car without documentation for excessive oil consumption (piston rings) and 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 gen-2 EA888 is a good engine to drive and it carries two well-recorded faults, both of which cost money on a car this size. Piston ring wear leads to oil consumption, and the timing chain tensioner can fail without much warning. Ask whether either has been addressed and look for a rattle in the first seconds of a cold start. So check the level yourself and walk away from a car whose owner tops it up routinely and calls that normal.

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	CDNC/CAEB 2.0 TFSI
Configuration	I4, turbocharged · 1984 cc
Fuel / injection	petrol · direct
Model years	2008–2012
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2012 facelift, 2008–2011 pre, 2012 LCI
Power / torque	211 PS · 350 Nm
Transmissions	7-speed S tronic
Gearbox families	Audi S tronic seven-speed dual clutch
Drivetrain	quattro
Economy (real-world)	9–11 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU