There are no fewer than five engine options with the second generation TT. Buyers can choose from the EA888 1.8- and EA113 2.0-litre TFSI turbo petrols, a 3.2 V6 and 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit. There is also a 2.0-litre turbodiesel.
TT RS five-cylinder eminently tuneable
All of these engines have proven to be largely reliable and simple to live with, so buyer checks come most come down to making sure the service schedule has been adhered to and the car drives smoothly.
The service intervals are variable up to 19,000 miles or every two years. The 2.0-litre petrol engines need a new cambelt every 75,000 miles or five years, which will cost around £450 at an Audi dealer or £300 at an independent garage.
The ignition coil packs on all TT engines can begin to fail and cause a misfire, which you will notice as the engine losing power and not running smoothly. A new coil pack is around £35 to replace and it's a simple job, but each cylinder has its own coil pack, so you will need at least four depending on which engine is in your TT.
Well it wouldn't be a TT without one of these
An incorrect clutch temperature reading by the car's ECU electronic brain can cause the DSG gearbox's clutches to disengage unexpectedly, with a consequent loss of drive. It was a very rare problem, but Audi recalled all cars made between August and September 2009 for remedial work. Check this has been carried out. The clutch in manual cars lasts well and should easily cover 60,000 miles even with hard use in a Quattro-equipped model.
TT models equipped with the S Tronic DSG dual-clutch gearbox have been known to stutter or stall at slow speeds. The most likely culprit is the Mechatronic control unit for the gearbox, which costs around £800 plus fitting at an Audi dealer or can be rebuilt by a specialist auto electrician for £300. Some Audi dealers will diagnose a new gearbox to cure the fault, which could set you back £5,500.
PHer's view:
"About a month after I bought it I suffered the fairly classic mechatronics failure. Thankfully, as I'd bought it from an Audi main dealership, I was able to take it back and they replaced it at no cost to me."
Steven Gurr