CDNC/CAEB 2.0 TFSI
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.
| Configuration | I4, turbocharged | Displacement | 1984 cc |
| Fuel | petrol | Injection | direct |
| Shared components | direct injection · ea888-chain-tensioner | ||
Cars using this engine
Engine and component issues
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
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
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.
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.
Chassis, gearbox and body issues aren't listed here. They depend on which car the engine is fitted to. Open a variant page for the merged list.