Audi TT (2006 – 2014) Review

Be aware of the difficulty of matching bespoke Audi exclusive colours after damage repairs.

Problem with steering racks/columns rattling and whining.

Engine suddenly cutting out may be due to a faulty airbag switch, activation of which results in the ECU assuming the car has crashed at which point it shuts off the engine, turns on the hazards and unlockes the doors.

One report of cylinder head gasket failure on an independently bought and independently serived 2008 TTS.

Clutch life of a 270PS TTS can be as short as 20k miles.

DSG failed on 2007/57 Audi TT 3.2, losing all gears apart from 1st and 3rd. Audi dealer quoted £2,500 to fix, spent 8 weeks failing to fix it, then re-quoted £7,900 and wanted £1,800 to return the car in its unrepaired state.

Faults with much loved 2007/57 Audi TT 2.0T FSI s-tronicover 69,000 miles included: 2 parcel shelf brackets; both window regulators; both having to have a further 2 re-fits; drivers side still leaking water into foot well; 1 heater blower situated behind glovebox; 1 power relay plus 3 other components to be fitted in tandem, (Audi reluctant to put details on my invoice.) and in January 2015 a new s-tronic gearbox, even though owner had requested twice in the early days of ownership that something was wrong and was told after two test drives it was OK. An independent told her in 2014 that it was the worst TT gearbox he had ever come across, which then made her approach Audi after the power relay failed November 2014. All works carried out under warranty or extended warranty with her paying the first £250 to keep premiums down.

Noise from rear of recently purchased fairly new Audi TTS cured by replacing rear wheel bearings.

Instrument cluster of 2012 bought-from-new Audi TT failed completely, so no speedometer, rev counter or mileage, just lots of warning lights (EPC etc). Apparently it needs to be replaced (£800 plus VAT plus fitting). Audi dealer quoted 2 weeks before he could even look at it.

Report of Audi TT 1.8TFSI roadster needing new waterpump at 32k miles, quoted £679.

Report of dashboard ESP warning light coming on intermittently on an 18k mile 2008 Audi TT Mk II 3.2VR6 s-tronic roadster. Wheel realignment made no difference. Replacing ESP wheel sensor made no difference. Strange occasional 'bang' from under the car when brakes applied. Otherwise running fine. Eventually turned out to be a faulty brake pedal switch/sensor, cured by replacing the switch ast a cost of £20.

Numerous faults found on 2012 Audi TTS during change of timing belt, tensioner and waterpump at 31,500 mile service. In addition to annual services, the brake fluid & Haldex coupling oil had been changed at 18,500 miles/3 years and the s-tronic gearbox oil and filter had been changed at 23,600 miles/4 years, so car had been fastidiously maintained. Faults 'found' by Audi dealer at 31,500 miles included pressure converter valve on turbo intake was broken and must be replaced; 2 faults were diagnostically "logged" for v181 haldex pump and j500 power steering control unit and dealer said it would need to investigate these faults at £100 per hour for labour. The only conclusion to be reached from this is that, despite very careful maintenance, the 2012 Audi TTS was not a very reliable car.

Report of rear differential of Audi TTS exploding 200 miles after Haldex clutch fluid drain and replacement. Before this service the car was 'normal'. After this service there was a faint noise like a motorbike pulling away occasionally when leaving junctions. Owner had the garage look at it, but they couldn't find any problems. On its first sustained motorway journey the diff pinion bearing exploded, whilst on cruise control on a straight motorway doing 70. Owner later told that noise he heard was probably due to lack of oil in the differential, suggesting that the garage had accidentally drained it during the service. There are two reasons a pinion bearing explodes: wear, and insufficient lubrication. Full description of Haldex clutch and servicing requirements here: https://auditttuning.org/2010/12/07/haldex-service-training-self-study-program/

Report of "Rear Propshaft Bearing" (actually Haldex clutch and diff) failing on 2011 Auti TT 2.0TDI quattro Sport at 65,000 miles. Haldex fluid change was carried out using Shell Helix Ultra on 24/3/2014, although nearly 4 years have elapsed since. Replacement cost £1,478.

Report of high oil consumption from EA888 engine of 2010 Audi TT Roadster 1.8TSI 160 Roadster. Goes from full to oil light on in 500 miles.

Report of failure of window regulators in both doors of a 2010 Audi TT Coupe. Replacements sourced from TPS Liverpool, the official Audi/VW parts supplier have thicker wires and pulleys so had been redesigned because failures were quite common.

Report of judder from transmission of 2012 Audi TT 1.8 S Tronic, approx 20,000 miles. On driving off or at low speeds experiencing a judder, which is happening more and more. Probably a DQ200 7-speed dry clutch s-tronic and likely to be the dry clutch pack.

Report of engine problem with 2011 Audi TT 2.0TFSI. "On starting the engine misfired and after the RAC eliminated ignition faults it was towed to Audi. They have inspected it and tell me that the metal gauze filter (cam bridge?) has disappeared which caused low oil pressure which in turn caused the cam chain tensioner to skip. They are telling me that the missing gauze held in a ball bearing which is now loose inside the engine and that I need a new engine - quoting 9K for the privilege. The engine turned over, very rough at idle, when the RAC were inspecting it and appeared almost normal when revved. Is a second independent opinion worth while?" We referred the owner to a member of http://www.fer.co.uk

Report of 2013 Audi TT 1.8 (EA888) flashing up the need for an oil change at 44,700 miles, 6,600 miles after its last oil change in March 2018.

Report of pitting to camshaft lobes of 2013 Audi TTS at 65,000km (41k miles). Car had been bought used in 2015 at 19,700km. Ran fine until recently. Then on examination Luxembourg dealer found the camshaft lobes were all pitted. Dealer thinks an incorrect lubricant or additive must have been used yet no other parts were pitted. The car has been properly serviced, apparently by Audi dealers. Like the VW Golf GTI Edition 30, while other post 2009 Golf VI GTIs and Audi TTs got the EA888 chain cam 2.0TFSI engine, the more powerful 272PS TTS kept the CLDG EA113 2.0 engine, which is belt cam.

Obscure report of piston breaking up in engine of 2013 Audi TT (no mention which engine) at 40,000 miles despite "full Audi service history" (no mention of frequency of oil changes). Audi dealer wants £9,000 + for a new engine.

Report of Haldex clutch of Mk II Audi TTS failing despite Audi dealer servicing and regular changing of the Haldes fluid because the oil filter had become blocked. Audi dealer told the owner they never change the filters unless replacing the Haldex clutches. (See: 14-1-2018 and 12-2-2017.)

Report of stretched timing chain on 2012 TT 2.0TFSI. Owner quoted £2300 to replace chain.