The same layout as in the naturally aspirated FSI, only in the turbocharged 2.0: the high pressure fuel pump is driven by the camshaft through a flat cam follower that relies on an oil film. The follower can wear through, and if it holes, it takes the camshaft lobe with it: the repair then includes the cylinder head. While driving you get hesitation under acceleration, stalling, and a low fuel pressure fault code. The follower can be removed and judged by eye, and that takes about ten minutes.

The combined housing of the water pump and the thermostat is plastic, and it is bolted directly to the hot engine block. The many heat and cool cycles warp it, it becomes brittle, and then it develops a hairline crack: the fault is almost always the housing, not the pump itself. The signs are slowly disappearing coolant with no visible puddle, the coolant level light, a sweet smell from the engine bay, and later a pink stain under the car. The repair means replacing the pump and the housing together, and the intake manifold has to come off for it: 4 to 6 hours of work. It shows up on model years 2015 to 2025.

With direct injection the fuel does not wash the intake valves: the petrol goes into the cylinder, not behind the valve. The oil mist and soot arriving through the EGR and the crankcase ventilation therefore build up on the valve stem and head, and from 80,000 to 100,000 km they restrict the flow. Symptoms are hesitation, loss of power, a rough cold start and misfire. It is not a part failure: it is a consequence of the design, and therefore it comes back. Cleaning (walnut or dry ice blasting) helps for a few tens of thousands of kilometres.

Water gets in through the sunroof drains, the door seals or the window guides, and collects on the floor and in the sill. The water also ruins the wiring and the control units in the floor, which leads to hesitant starting and an alarm going off on its own. With a fault like this, lift the carpet first, because the water is under it.

Pixels drop out on the central display of the instrument cluster, where you read the trip computer: the text fades, the backlight becomes erratic, at first one or two dots are missing, and later whole lines are unreadable. This is where the service interval, the outside temperature and the warnings appear, and if a warning is unreadable you will not notice it. The instrument cluster can be refurbished, and a new one is not always needed.

On the 8P the rubber bushes in the front lower control arms wear out: the steering goes vague, you hear a knock on uneven roads, and the tyre edges wear unevenly. It often shows up around 60,000 to 80,000 miles, which is roughly 95,000 to 130,000 km. On front wheel drive cars the rear suspension bushes wear too, it then rattles, and the back of the car follows the front uncertainly. One part on its own is not expensive, but when they all need replacing together the suspension repair costs more. You can hear it on the test drive and see it in the tyre wear.

The central locking control unit takes in moisture over the years, and from then on it is unpredictable: the doors do not lock together, the remote sometimes does not respond, and the alarm goes off for no reason. A door that stays open is a problem in a car park, and an alarm that goes off on its own can flatten the battery.