vinkodex.

Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Ambition Pro Line Business common faults.

2010–2015, hatchback, petrol, 122 HP.

The fault list covers: CAXA, CNVA engine, MQ200 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

4 fault write-ups. 2 important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

2 important faults

critical1

1.2 / 1.4 TSI (EA111): timing chain and chain tensioner

critical

A few seconds of chain rattle on a cold start, later a permanent noise; the chain stretches and the tensioner does not hold it. If the chain jumps, the engine is badly damaged inside, and the repair is a rebuild. The tensioner is driven by oil pressure, so it does not hold with the engine stopped: a car left rolling in gear is the typical trigger for the chain jumping.

between 65,000 and 100,000 km

What to check

  • Start it cold, and in the first 2 to 3 seconds watch for the rattle from the chain side
  • Ask whether the chain and the tensioner have been replaced, and ask for the invoice
  • Check the oil change history in the service book: stretched intervals speed up the wear
1 more steps in the write-up

expensive1

MQ200 / MQ250 manual gearbox: differential bearing and synchros

expensive

The light, magnesium cased MQ200 and the MQ250, sized for higher torque, are the most widespread manual gearboxes in the transverse engine VAG models. Both have the same two weak points, and both depend on use.

Show the rest

The first is the differential bearing: as it wears you first get a droning, then a whine from the thrust bearings of the output shaft. Left alone, the planetary shaft can fail and in extreme cases punch through the gearbox casing: from then on it is not a repair but a replacement.

The second is the synchros: they can start crunching at around 50,000 km with aggressive driving. This type does not like dumping the clutch or slipping it, and on a used car that is exactly what you have to listen for.

above 50,000 km

What to check

  • On the test drive with the window down, listen to the gearbox both off and on the throttle: droning or whining is suspect
  • Shift up and down quickly, especially into 2nd and 3rd: crunching means synchro wear
  • Try engaging 1st and reverse when cold: resistance here means wear
2 more steps in the write-up

comfort2

8X: rattling cabin, loose trim

comfort

On early 8X A1 cars the interior plastics lose their shape over time, and on a poor road the whole cabin rattles: the dashboard, the doors and the trim panels rattle too. The rattle does not affect the engine, the brakes or the suspension, but on a smooth road you will not hear it, so on a test drive take it over cobbles or a poor surface too, with the radio off.

What to check

  • Drive it on cobbles or a poor surface, not just a main road
  • Switch the radio off and listen to the dashboard and the door trims
  • Press the trim panels while standing too: a loose fixing can be felt by hand

Rear suspension squeak on a poor road

comfort

The rear suspension squeaks at low speed, and you hear it most on an uneven road and over speed humps. The rear suspension bushes wear, or the spring bump stop, or where the damper is bolted on, but the car still steers. You will not hear it on smooth tarmac, so the test drive has to include a poor road.

What to check

  • Drive over a poor surface, slowly, with the window open
  • Go over a speed hump at 10 to 20 km/h and listen to the rear
  • With the car standing, push the rear corners down several times: there should be no squeak
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Ambition Pro Line Business

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Engine and transmission

2 engines · 1 transmissions

CAXA · 1.4 TFSI

90 kW (122 HP) · petrol

MQ200 · 5- or 6-speed manual

manual · 5–6 speed

Torque limit200 Nm
MakerVolkswagen

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one engine code is possible. The fault list shows the faults of each.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Ambition Pro Line Business
Body
hatchback
Fuel
petrol
Transmission
manual
Engine size
1390 cc
Power
90 kW (122 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2010–2015

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Engine oil and oil filter

    • LongLife30,000 km or 2 years(valid only with LongLife-approved oil)
    • 15,000 km or 1 year

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Coolant (antifreeze) change

    • first: 193,000 km or 10 years, then 97,000 km or 5 years(G13 / G12++: first change at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 60,000 miles or 5 years)

  • Spark plugs, petrol

    • 60,000 km or 6 years
All 8X versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms