The door seals age at around 60,000 to 80,000 km, and water gets into the footwell. The wiring harnesses and control units running under the carpet, in the floor and the sill, can get soaked. A fault in a soaked control unit shows up as a random electrical problem, so lift the carpet first.

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.

The seven speed dry DSG often starts shifting hesitantly as early as 30,000 to 50,000 km: it does not shift smoothly, sometimes it cannot find the gear, and it jerks worst in slow, congested traffic. The cause is wear of the clutch pack and the mechatronics unit. Many people skip the oil change because they believe it is a lifetime fill, and most DSG faults come from that.

The parking sensors fail at around 40,000 to 60,000 km: one sensor beeps continuously, or does not report at all. The sensor itself is cheap, and taking the bumper off makes up the labour.

The stop-start drops out as early as 20,000 to 35,000 km, typically on the 1.0 TSI and 1.6 TDI versions. The cause is the condition of the battery.

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.