In the EA211 the water pump and the thermostat are one plastic module, and the pump is driven not by the timing belt but by a separate toothed belt behind the exhaust camshaft. There are usually two problems with it: the plastic housing warps or cracks (slow coolant loss, a sweet smell, rising temperature), or the drive belt ages (a chirping noise, then an engine left with no cooling). The housing is particularly sensitive if oil reaches it: for example from a leaking crankcase ventilation. The module has to be replaced whole: dismantling it warps it in itself.

On the MQB evo generation the MIB3 touchscreen freezes, restarts on its own, and sometimes stays black. In the What Car? survey, 59 per cent of 8Y A3 owners reported a fault, and 44 per cent of those concerned the infotainment. Volume and temperature are set on touch sliders instead of physical buttons, and if the system hangs you cannot adjust them while driving either.

The per cylinder ignition coil of these direct injection, turbocharged petrol engines fails. According to the Haynes service material this and similar simple electrical faults account for roughly eighty per cent of workshop visits.