Yesterday I almost bought a 2011 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI with around 100k kms. It is beautiful !!! and (I think) well priced.
Last night people were telling me that there are problems with this engine. Most of the stories were of this engine in different cars. But I did read some stuff on the internet about TFSI TTs that were burning oil and having to have the engine changed. There seems to be a problem with the pistons and rings.
I also read that Audi put out a statement that this problem was fixed from mid-2011. I imagine the 2011 model was built in 2010.
I've been lucky to have never had a car with ANY problem, never mind serious problems. I don't want to start now! (well except my '78 Camaro.... but it was very old when I bought it and what else would one expect!?
Help! Do I buy it and drive around happy and looking fabulous or do I stick with my super reliable Citroen C1? option 3, find a different year? How can I know if this definitely has one of the problem engines or if there were service bulletins/fixes at the dealer? It was always serviced at Audi. But I imagine the service book would not list 'new engine'.
I would caution against reading too much into forum complaints, its not at all scientific. The reason you're probably reading so many complaints is because its such a popular and versatile engine across the entire Volkswagen Group range. If there was a serious issue with that engine, it should have been sorted during its regular servicing.
Check with the owner whether they have experienced the problems you describe and do some detective work with the service history. If necessary call the garage listed service book and ask them what, if any remedial action was taken.
I have a 2.0 TFSI in my 2010 Q5, it does burn oil, I regularly have to add oil to top up above warning level. It's a known issue and there's not much to do about it according to Audi, just keep topping up...
My concern is more on my 7 gear DSG gearbox, that can blowup anytime. There are even more websites about it, but I don't think you have this problem with the TT.
It wasn't the internet that scared me. There isn't too much catastrophe out there. It was 'the boys' who, you know know everything.
It's at a dealer. He's independent but near a bunch of new car dealers. I think he ends up with some, not all of the trade ins.
Should I be worried if the price is on the low side for the specs? He only went down 509f which still makes it very well priced.
It was serviced every years and almost always at the same Audi dealership. You would think that they would be aware of potential problems or you think they don't care unless the owner brings up a problem?
'The boys' have a friend who is an Audi mechanic. Is there anything he can find out?
Yes. I read the this type of engine runs hot and burns oil.
ETA: reading the article above Audi is saying something else, not the running hot story from before...
I also read about the 7 speed. This has a 6 speed.
I had a 2001 A6 and never had a problem. I sold it on here and 5 years later it was still running perfectly. Not sure about the last 5. I haven't asked.
So generally I wasn't concerned as it was an Audi. It's this engine that was getting slated last night. And again the horror stories were not on an Audi.
Your main worry should not be oil consumption, you can just top it off, rather the fact that that engine has a design flaw in its cam chain tensioner which, if you're unlucky, will total your engine. It's a relatively low occurrence, but i still know 2 people who had it
If you indeed have the "regular" TT, not the "TTS" or "TTRS" (which have different engines) then you could experience this problem.
The good: there is a fix, in the form of an upgraded tensioner.
The bad: you actually might have the upgraded version already, but there's no way to know without taking it apart. The upgraded tensioner isn't expensive, but labor probably will be. Think 1 day of work.
The ugly: there are no warning signs prior to failure. You stop the engine, next time you start it: boom!
I was also contemplating the TSI engine (which you actually have, despite the badge saying TFSI, it's a marketing thing) which was fitted from 2009 on and decided to get an older car with the regular TFSI engine just so I can sleep at night
p.s.: there were some class action lawsuits in the US about this issue as VAG didn't want to replace the tensioner for free, didn't follow them though; what I DO know is that if you have full dealership service history, if it goes boom they usually contribute some sum to towards the new engine.
p.ps: about oil consumption and having the engine changed, it's super rare to actually have to do this; just monitor the oil level every 5k kms and top of if needed; my tfsi needs about 500ml-1l every 5k, depending on driving style
Eating fuel is nothing of the novelty for those models. My 2007 E90 six cylinder engine needs to be topped up with one litre of oil per 5000 km. It costs me CHF10 extra every six months for bottle of 5W-30 grade oil. Audi should be a good choice too provided that there are not inherent problems with the engine itself.
Hi I am Audi qualified mech, i have little experience on these engines however the best way to check if the engines are good or not is to look for second hand units for sale ,if they are scarce then it is often an indicator that demand is high ...the history (where it was serviced) is often of no relevance because most often a fault or defect might only manifest years later after the warranty has expired..