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Audi A7 2.8 FSI common faults.

2010–2014, hatchback, petrol, 204 HP.

The fault list covers: CHVA engine, 0AW, DL501 transmission.

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5 fault write-ups. 4 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

4 important faults

critical2

3.0 TFSI: drone from the supercharger front bearing

critical

The front bearing of the mechanical supercharger on the 3.0 TFSI, the nose bearing, wears, and over the years and the kilometres it drones louder and louder, but only under load. If the bearing seizes, the supercharger is destroyed inside. You will not hear the noise with the engine idling, so the test drive has to include a firm acceleration.

What to check

  • Accelerate firmly from 60 to 120 with the window open
  • Watch for a drone from the engine bay that rises together with the revs
  • It is not audible at idle: do not look for it there
1 more steps in the write-up

Multitronic (continuously variable CVT): jerking, control unit, chain

critical

The continuously variable gearbox of the longitudinal engine Audis (Multitronic) is vulnerable from both the control unit and the drive chain side. Symptoms are jerking and slipping under acceleration, delayed engagement, limp mode, and in extreme cases a total loss of drive.

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The cost of a rebuild can account for a significant part of the value of the car, and a faulty car often goes up for sale in a "it still runs, it just jerks now and then" condition. On the same model the manual or tiptronic sibling is a significantly lower risk.

What to check

  • Standing still on the brake, shift between D and R: an engagement taking longer than 1 to 2 seconds is suspect
  • Pull away gently, then on half throttle: there must be no jerking, slipping or flaring of the revs
  • A longer, warm test drive is mandatory: the fault typically appears once warmed up
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive2

DL501 (7 speed S tronic): mechatronics and wet clutch

expensive

The 7 speed wet clutch S tronic used in the longitudinal engine Audis (0B5 / DL501) is more durable than the early DSG units, but the mechatronics unit is the most common source of faults here too. As the solenoids wear, the regulation of the hydraulic pressure deteriorates: harsh or missed shifts, delayed D/R engagement, and finally limp mode.

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Alongside that, wear of the clutch pack gives shuddering and slipping when pulling away, and the dual mass flywheel rattles at idle. All three symptoms can appear together, and the fault code alone does not tell you which one is the trigger.

What to check

  • Pull away with a cold gearbox: there should be no shuddering and no clutch slip when setting off
  • Standing still, shift between D and R and watch the engagement delay: a 1 to 2 second hesitation is suspect
  • On the test drive go slowly through every gear, then under load too: the 2 to 3 shift should be smooth
2 more steps in the write-up

FSI direct injection: intake valve coking

expensive

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.

What to check

  • After a cold start watch the idle: rough running and shaking point to coked valves
  • Under load at low revs watch for hesitation
  • With a code reader look for per cylinder misfire (P0300 to P0304)
1 more steps in the write-up

comfort1

Coolant temperature sensor (G62) failure

comfort

The G62 sensor tells the engine control unit how hot the coolant is. If it is faulty, the control unit thinks a warm engine is cold, and runs it rich: hard warm or cold starting, a rough idle, markedly increased fuel consumption, and a dash temperature gauge that jumps around or never reaches its usual reading. The part is cheap and can be replaced in half an hour: the trouble is that many people do not recognise it and replace an injector or a lambda sensor instead. If the fault persists, the rich mixture can destroy the catalytic converter too.

What to check

  • Warm it up and watch the dash temperature gauge: the needle should sit steadily at the middle reading, not jump around
  • Watch a cold start, then a warm start after twenty minutes standing
  • With a code reader look for the 17664 / P1256 code in the engine control unit
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Audi A7 2.8 FSI

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

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Engine and transmission

1 engines · 2 transmissions

CHVA · 2.8 FSI

150 kW (204 HP) · petrol

0AW · multitronic, continuously variable (CVT)

CVT · —

Torque limit400 Nm
MakerAudi/LuK

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one transmission is possible. The gear count does not tell them apart. The code is on the side of the transmission.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
—
Body
hatchback
Fuel
petrol
Transmission
automatic
Engine size
2773 cc
Power
150 kW (204 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2010–2014

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 C7 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